College Football Playoff I

I've decide to have some fun.

It's the 12 team playoff format.

First round

Friday, Dec. 20

No. 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 10 Indiana 17

Saturday, Dec. 21

No. 11 SMU 10 No. 6 Penn State 38

No. 12 Clemson 24 No. 5 Texas 38

No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State | 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN

Quarterfinals

Tuesday, Dec. 31

No. 3 Boise State vs. No. 6 Penn State (Fiesta Bowl) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN

Wednesday, Jan. 1

No. 4 Arizona State vs. No. 5 Texas (Peach Bowl) | 1 p.m. | ESPN

No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 8 Ohio State/No. 9 Tennessee winner (Rose Bowl) | 5 p.m. | ESPN

No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Notre Dame (Sugar Bowl) | 8:45 p.m. | ESPN

Semifinals

Thursday, Jan. 9

TBD vs. TBD (Orange Bowl) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN

Friday, Jan. 10

TBD vs. TBD (Cotton Bowl) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN

National Championship

TBD vs. TBD (Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN

Drone Fest

I saw a drone up in the air. A little drone that wasn't there. It wasn't there again today. Oh how I'd wish it'd go away.

People have been reporting drone sightings over New Jersey for several weeks now but recently things seem to be getting out of control. The number of sightings has skyrocketed and sightings are now being reported in New York, Maryland and Pennsylvania. There have even been reports in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

I saw four sets of three lights in the sky coming back from my daughter's house last Sunday night along Route 80 in Morris County. They weren't airplanes because there was also an airplane flying by and the differe4nce was obvious. Warning lights on top of electrical towers or communications towers? Perhaps, but those lights typically blink and these lights weren't blinking.

So who knows?

The federal government isn't helping much. They keep saying things like "there is no evidence that there's any threat," OK, but there's no evidence that they're not a threat either other than nothing has happened yet. I did hear a report that an airport in New York had to shut down because of drones in its airspace.

I don't think this is mass hysteria although the majority of sightings are probably aircraft, stars or warning lights. Too many of the reports are coming from people, police, EMT and military, that I would tend to believe.

The United Healthcare CEO Assassination II

Well, they arrested someone who they claim is the shooter.

He's a 27 year old from Maryland by the name of Luigi Mangione. He got off the bus he was on in Altoona Pennsylvania and went into a McDonald's for breakfast. A customer recognized him, tipped off an employee and the employee called the Altoona police.

Mangione was found to be carrying a ghost gun that he 3D printed that appeared to match the gun used in the shooting of Thompson, a suppressor, fake IDs including the one he used at the hostel in New York and a hand written "manifesto" criticizing insurance companies.

The man himself is a mixed bag. He was the valedictorian of a $37k per year private high school and then attended the University of Pennsylvania. His facebook page shows an x-ray of his back with three pins in it. The injury was apparently the result of a surfing accident. How the injury relates to the possible shooting of Brian Thompson is unclear.

It also seems that his family is in the nursing home business and has less than a sterling reputation. I'm not going into details on that because they make me squeamish.

He's been arraigned on gun charges in Pennsylvania and is currently fighting extradition to New York but I'll be shocked if he's not on the way to New York very shortly.

The New York police claim to have matched his fingerprints to fingerprints on a burner phone they found in an alley near the shooting and the gun to the shell casings.

The reaction has been "mixed." Actually that's a lie. Most people seem pissed and are lining up behind Mangione. He has a lawyer and reportedly people have offered to pay his legal bills. The McDonald's where he was arrested has been inundated with negative reviews. A typical one saying something along the line of "Don't eat here, they have rats in the kitchen."

There's a long way to go on this and we shall see what we shall see.

Medicare for All, My Idea

The killing of the United Healthcare CEO has brought American's frustration with our insane healthcare system into the open. People are expressing indifference to the murder and in some cases actually applauding it.

Perhaps the time has come to push for Medicare for All. Here's my proposal.

Get rid of the insurance vultures and extend Medicare coverage to everyone. Yes, it would cost about $3 trillion annually but we're halfway there already paying about $800 billion for Medicare and $600 billion for Medicaid. 

Companies and employees are paying exorbitant prices for health insurance, about $8,500 for single coverage and $24,000 for family coverage. Institute a payroll tax of $12,000 paid for 80% by the employer and 20% by the employee or about $2,400 per employee (this could be adjusted up or down based upon income) and $9,600 (this could also be adjusted up or down based upon employee salary) per employee by the employer. 

This would probably save the employer money and generate $1.6 trillion in revenue because there are 134 million employees nationally. 

Medicare Parts B&D will be $185 per month in 2025 or $2,220 so $2,400 is not unreasonable for folks still working. I'll be paying an IRMAA of $74 and $17 on top of the $185. That's a total of $276 or $3,312 for Medicare in 2025 so the numbers have room for adjustment once salary is taken into account.

I'm not sure why companies aren't clamoring for something like this because I suspect that it would be more cost effective than our current system by a lot. Of course we would also have to work dental coverage into this but I'm sure the country that landed people on the moon could figure it out.

Now the only problem would be that our medical infrastructure may not be able to handle the extra demand. Well, time to start training more NPs and PAs and give them more responsibility. More MDs wouldn't hurt either.

Again with Palestine being Arab Land

 No, Western diplomats did not create the state of Israel. 

The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) studied the issue in 1947 when Britain announced its intention to terminate the Mandate for Palestine and withdraw from the area. They recommended partition. This plan was accepted by the Jews but rejected by the Arabs for a number of understandable reasons. The partition was never implemented. Civil war broke out in 1947 between Arab and Jewish militias while the British, whose obligation it was to keep the peace, basically did nothing. The British withdrew on May 15th 1948 and Israel declared its existence on the same day. The Arab League invaded and the 1948 war began.

When did this become "Palestinian land?" Palestine was under the control of the British in 1948 based upon the Mandate for Palestine. Prior to that Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire. At no time was Palestine under the political control of the Palestinian Arabs. 

The legal basis for the claim that Palestine was supposed to be an Arab state was a series of letters between Sharif Husayn of Mecca and Sir Henry McMahon in which agreement was reached about Arab aid against the Ottoman Empire in exchange for British recognition of an independent Arab state. But there was some confusion about the boundaries of the Arab state. In a letter dated July 14th, 1915 Sharif Husayn laid out the Arab conditions including the anticipated boundaries of the Arab state.

"Firstly.- England will acknowledge the independence of the Arab countries, bounded on the north by Mersina and Adana up to the 37th degree of latitude, on which degree fall Birijik, Urfa, Mardin, Midiat, Jezirat (Ibn 'Umar), Amadia, up to the border of Persia; on the east by the borders of Persia up to the Gulf of Basra; on the south by the Indian Ocean, with the exception of the position of Aden to remain as it is; on the west by the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea up to Mersina. England to approve the proclamation of an Arab Khalifate of Islam."

However McMahon placed some limits in a letter dated October 24th, 1915.

"The two districts of Mersina and Alexandretta and portions of Syria lying to the west of the districts of Damascus, Homs, Hama and Aleppo cannot be said to be purely Arab, and should be excluded from the limits demanded."

As late as 1939 Palestinian Arab representatives and the British were arguing as to whether Palestine was included in the "portions of Syria lying to the west of the districts of Damascus, Homs, Hama and Aleppo." Of course the British won the argument.

A partition of Palestine was first recommended by the British Peel Commission of 1936-1937. The recommendation would have created a small Jewish state in the northwest and then merge the remaining Arab areas with Jordon to create an Arab state. The idea was rejected by the Palestinian Arabs because they believed they were promised an independent state and not one to be controlled by the Hashemite dynasty. The British Woodhead Commission found the partition plan impractical anyway because it would involve too much population displacement.

Then WW 2 interrupted and the British finally announced their intention to terminate the Mandate in 1947 because they considered the terms of the Mandate to be irreconcilable. The UN took over the problem and created the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) in May 1947 in response to a British government request that the General Assembly "make recommendations under article 10 of the Charter, concerning the future government of Palestine".

The UnitedHealthcare CEO Assassination

I have to call it an assassination because that's what it was. The guy waited for CEO Brian Thompson to appear, stepped out and popped him three times. Then he hopped on a Citi Bike and disappeared into Central Park.

On the shell casing were written "deny," "defend'" and "depose." This is perhaps a reference to the book titled "Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It."

Reportedly the killer arrived on a bus from Atlanta, but where he got on the bus is unclear, and it seems he left the same way.

The best picture is of the guy flirting with a clerk at the hostel where he stayed. He looks white, young and pretty calm and collected considering his intentions.

The reaction on the internet has been less than sympathetic to Thompson. UnitedHealthcare (UHC) has a bad reputation for denying claims. It reportedly denies 32% of claims when the industry average is typically between 5% and 10%. 

Thompson was also under investigation for insider trading so you'll excuse me if this doesn't sound like a real good guy. Whether he deserved to get gunned down in the streets of New York City is debatable however.

The gun resembles a B&T VP9 which sells for around $5,700. Not a choice of the casual gun owner. I just heard that police thinks it may be a B&T Station Six-9 Suppressed Pistol which is a modern version of the VP9. This puppy sells for $2,284.

Trump's Campaign Promises and Proposed Policies

Trump tells people what he thinks they want to hear even if he knows damn well that he can't produce on his promises and he's laughing at all the fools that believe him. Here's a tip,  if his lips are moving and he's making sounds then he's probably lying. 

How many times are people going to be fooled by this charlatan?

He's not going to secure the border or engage in mass deportations because it would cost Republican donors too much money. The most he'll do is put on a big show and then declare victory. 

The obvious solution to the southern border is to make the penalties for hiring illegal immigrants really stiff and then enforce the laws against hiring them. If there are no jobs here then there's no reason to come. Why don't Republicans (or Democrats) propose this? Who do you think is employing all of these illegal immigrants at wages way below what Americans get paid? It's the big donors to both parties. Pulling these workers out, and preventing more from coming, would drive prices on food and other basic items through the roof and throw the economy into a recession.

If the police, who are qualified to round up criminals, can't do it effectively, then how is Trump going to do it? The military doesn't have the expertise. 

If you eliminate taxes on tips and overtime, without replacing those taxes with something else, it will increase the debt even more. 

If you cut taxes on Social Security, without replacing that revenue, then the Social Security trust fund will run dry even sooner. 

Trump couldn't care less about the trafficking of migrant children but even if he did, if authorities like Interpol, the FBI and other law enforcement organizations, with expertise in trafficking, can't stop it what is Trump going to do to stop it? 

Finally, the president has no authority over whether or not trans women compete in female sports.

Removing harmful chemicals from our food would be nice if the guy he nominated for HHS had any clue about what's harmful and what's not. Actually, I would settle for him being able to read food labels which apparently he can't. Besides, that would also cost Republican donors lots of money so I wouldn't hold my breath.

Now, for policies that's he's talking about that I'm most concerned about. 

How about the idea of "denaturalization" of American citizens? 

The policy of eliminating the DoE which is what pays for special programs for autistic children and other children with learning issues. 

The idea of cutting the ACA/Medicaid without replacing it with anything. 

The threat of firing thousands of civil service employees in the name of "efficiency," at the suggestion of two guys who have no idea what the government actually does, and either not replacing them or replacing them with political stooges. 

The policy of extending the 2017 tax cuts which benefitted billionaires while increasing the national debt by $6 trillion. 

Making Tulsi Gabbard head of intelligence which is such a bad idea that our allies are threatening to stop sharing intelligence with us. 

One more, how could anyone with at least half a brain have nominated Matt Gaetz for Attorney General? At least Gaetz dropped out but we still have a vaccine denier, who can't read food labels, nominated for the head of Health and Human Services.

How can Anyone Vote for Trump?

I'm hardly elite. I grew up in a housing project in the Bronx. The only reason I have a degree is that City University was tuition free in my day.

But I do have self respect. My Greatest Generation parents and neighbors beat that into me, sometimes literally, while I was growing up.

What I do not understand is how anyone with an ounce of self respect can vote for a man like Trump. He's a convicted felon; he stole classified documents; has repeatedly shown disdain for the law; is probably guilty of sexual assault and thinks it's OK to consistently stiff small contractors.

On top of that he raised the debt by something like $6 trillion with his tax cuts; totally dropped the ball on Covid; will not only drive inflation through the roof but probably cause a recession with his tariffs and lies whenever his lips are moving. 

He also ignores the obvious solution to the southern border, make the penalties for hiring illegals REALLY stiff and then enforce the laws against hiring them. I guarantee you the flood at the border will become a trickle. Why not do this? Simple, because Republican donors are the ones making billions of dollars hiring illegal workers. That's also why his "mass deportations" will be a sham.

What the hell is wrong with you people? How many times are you going to be fooled by this charlatan?

Mass Deportations

What do I think about the prospect of mass deportations? 

I don't think they're going to happen any more than a border wall got built. Despite all the bruhaha it sounds like what Trumps intends to do is (a) declare a national emergency, (b) divert funds from the defense budget which the national emergency allows him to do and (c) deploy troops to patrol the southern border and possible construct facilities to house the illegals that they're going to catch.

After a couple of months of this Trump will deport those caught trying to cross the border, declare victory and move on. I'd be very surprised if there is any significant effort to round up illegals already in the country for deportation except in very specific cases such as some reported gangs.

The bottom line is that deporting large numbers of illegals is impractical, would probably lead to a recession and just isn't worth the money.

Of course I could be wrong but I suppose that we shall see what we shall see.

One Down and a Few to Go

Matt Gaetz has withdrawn from consideration for Attorney General and been replace by Florida AG Pam Bondi. The book on Bondi is that she's a "true Trump believer" but also believes in the rule of law. I suspect she's about to find out that these are contradictory positions.

In the meantime Pete Hegsmith looks to be in a bit of trouble as well as leaks about into his sexual assault allegations are floating around.