Daily Blues & Views

 Suddenly there is new life in the Presidential race. Suddenly the Republican party has the older candidate.  The youth vote has been activated and the results is new hope and new life. Perhaps it is life that comes before hope.   How sad that the race is so close.  How sad that a large portion of the American people cannot recognize a psychopath, a narcissist, much less a huckster.  The uneducated have a chance of having the last word.  People are wearing their despair  on their sleeves.  The orange man has already given hints that if he gets in again, he is not leaving.  We know he means business, he has already shown us who he is.  It's beyond me sometimes why his supporters continue to back him.   Oh I know all about the red meat eating base.   They are an open book.  The orange man speaks their language.  He's anti-intellectual, crass, cruel, and fearful.  His racism and lies only feed the fire.  But wh...

 Journalists and pundits warned years ago that politics and entertainment were slowly merging.  That melding seems to now be complete.  Even before actor Ronald Reagan first ran for political office there were entertainers in politics.  Some ran for office, some endorsed candidates, some simply gave financial support.  But the warning was not just about those who participated it extended to how politics was conducted and conceived.   Last night when Kid Rock performed and Hulk Hogan spoke at the Republican National Convention, the transformation was complete.  Of course the presence of Donald Trump further strengthens the notion that politics has become entertainment.  Ratings, ratings, ratings.  Surprised? No, this seems like a natural progression in our culture.  Perception becomes reality.  Image is everything.  You get what you pay for.   What struck me this past week, with the assassination attempt on Trump, was the i...

 It was the summer of 1965. Out of high school for just 6 months, with one semester of college under my belt, I went to a pool party in Southern California.  Typical fare, hot dogs, hamburgers, and lots of dips and chips.  About 25 of us, once so close, now found ourselves beginning down multiple paths.  Some in college, some into the work force, still others into the military or soon to be engulfed by the draft.  The party was to celebrate the union of two of our number who were hurriedly wed and soon to be parents.  She, the party thrower, he soon to be shipped off to Vietnam.   Some swam, most others stood around talking and listening to music.  The Beatles still dominated, but there were others on the horizon.  I was 19, 3 months away from dealing with my mother's terminal illness, and about to start a summer job that would pay me minimum wage: $1.25 hour.  Most of the couples that were hanging on from high school would not last the ...

 I'd like to see some changes made. Especially in electoral politics.  Not in the counting or the campaigning.  How about the qualifying?  We are all too willing to pass tests in the classroom, for the DMV, evener skill levels like Karate or advanced degrees.  Those tests can be written or oral.  But not for political office.  Not even the highest office in the land, the Presidency.  Given the power of the Presidency, I'd like to see some proficiency standards set.   A Presidential candidate should be able to qualify for the ballot in a few key areas. Most notable a President should be a reader.  I'd go so far as a reading list for the office.  What 10 books would you put on that list, and why?  Given the composition of the current Congress as well as some of those who would be President, I'd like prospective office holders to pass a psychological screening test. That way we could eliminate the plethora of sociopathic contender...