There is only one overriding issue of political concern right now, encompassing much of what has been appearing on this blog. That is how to defeat Republicans on Nov. 8, about 21 weeks from now. The future of democracy in the United States, however imperfect it may be, is at stake. Really. To win in November, Democrats must capture the votes of women and persons of color, groups whose interests Republican actions consistently attack, including preserving both abortion rights and voting rights.
Here are a couple of responses to recent blog postings:
Hi Jack, Needless to say I read your blog and Richardson's letter. But my thoughts I want to share with you. If Trump runs and wins, I predict a civil war within a year. I don't think Biden has 'enough' to beat him. Also as insane and disgusting T is, his supporters are worse. Would love to the Dems find a young strong smart challenger. And that's all I'm going to say about that. Hope u r well and enjoying 90 dispite the shitty state of the union . This could be my blog. HS
I like it when you quote Shakespeare, and don’t dwell on politics!!!! MN
The Republicans well know that inflation cannot
be entirely blamed on President Biden and the Democrats, but their aim is to
win control of Congress in 21 weeks and of the White House in 2024 and so they
will use anything which gets them there. They would be fools not to use
inflation, headlined by the price of gasoline, for that purpose. At a minimum,
Republicans are forcing the Democrats to campaign reactively, trying to explain
the reasons for such economic problems, as HCR does today. Meanwhile the
Democrats are trying to go on the offense themselves by putting the Republicans
in the position of defending the seditious actions of the defeated former
president. But his lies are not posted on every gas pump. The per gallon price
is.
But what can we do about it? Arrest
the millions of those involved in this 'criminal conspiracy'? Unlikely and
probably impossible. The criminals would include, in addition to the defeated
former president, many elected to Congress, judges, too many local officials to
count, many in law enforcement, and their supporters. They believe the 'Big
Lie' because it validates their opposition to democratic government of, by, and
for the people for a variety of reasons. Where is it heading? Like the other
banana republics in Central and South America, we will end up with a
dictatorship that will ultimately be overthrown by a popular uprising, which
will be too disorganized to have any permanence. Pick a country 'south of the
border.' That's the story of all of them, and we are following that path. Is
there any cause for optimism?
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JL
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Liz Chaney has performed admirably in her position as vice-chair of the
House Select Committee investigating the January 8, 2021 attack on the
Capitol. Many Democrats consistently
praise her, forgetting that outside of the work she does on the Committee, she
remains a very, very, very, conservative Republican. This hasn’t stopped her,
however, from putting country before her party in regard to the Committee’s
hearings. Other Republicans, whom Speaker
Pelosi declined to put on the Committee, such as Jim Jordan, would have put
party before country and done their best to disrupt the hearings.
But apparently, putting country before party will not be enough to preserve Chaney’s seat in Congress, despite her spotless record of conservative votes. Her telling the truth about the defeated former president has resulted in a primary challenge from those who put loyalty to him above loyalty to the nation. His hand-picked candidate, Harriet Hageman, is demolishing Chaney in the polls. This is just another proof of the defeated former president’s contention that if he shot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue, he would get away with it.
Wyoming voters are so Republican than any Democrat running for
that State’s single House seat doesn’t stand a chance. That would include Jesus if he happened to be a Democrat. And neither does Chaney in the Republican
primary. And this causes me to wonder if
the truths being documented in the hearings, for all Americans to see on TV,
will have any effect on Republican voters. After all, look at whom they elect to local, State, and national offices.
JL
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The House Committee Ain't No Courtroom
No matter how much evidence the House Select Committee investigating the
January 6, 2021 riots come up with, we must remember that they are not a court
of law. They cannot punish any law-breaking that their investigations uncover.
All they can do is use that information in framing recommendations for
future legislation. That is their job.
This is not to say that the Department of Justice is not unaware of the
criminal acts that the Committee uncovers.
Their investigative arms, particularly the FBI, can pursue these acts
and if the DOJ feels the information suffices to justify indictments and
trials, they should so proceed. I now ask the real, unavoidable question: Would
there be enough evidence to indict a former president of the United States and
convict him in a court of law? Imagine
the pleasure on the right and among his supporters if he is found innocent in
such a trial. That’s why the DOJ is moving slowly and carefully.
While the bar is set very high for such litigation to take place, it is a simpler task for the House Committee to do its official job and recommend legislation based on their investigation’s findings.
What laws would have prevented the attacks on the Constitution and the
election process that the defeated former president and his supporters both in
and out of Congress were found to have carried out? Do we have them already on the books but they
are not being actively and adequately enforced?
How much would new legislation involve reducing personal freedoms? While
the Committee is a part of a ‘federal’ body, the Congress, how will individual
States react to what they might have learned from the hearings or from new
legislation the Committee recommends on the federal level. Justice doesn’t come
easy.
JL
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The Fate of Sycophants
In her Opinion piece in today's New York Times dealing with the tragedy of Mike Pence, Maureen Dowd leads off and concludes by saying that 'the fate of a sycophant is never a happy one.' CLICK HERE TO READ HER COLUMN. After all, what could Pence have expected from a boss who eventually throws everyone he uses under the bus. Obviously, Pence never read Michael Cohen's book nor Mario Puzo's either.
JL
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The next two items on this posting are of interest to Florida residents, so the rest of you can take a break, but if you live in the Sunshine State (or as some say, the 'Gunshine' State), stick around for them.
Comparison of Our Two Local Papers Down Here
It has been about a month since I switched the newspaper I read at the breakfast table from the Palm Beach Post, to which I had been subscribing for twenty years, to the South Florida SunSentinel.
Here is my comparison of the two papers.
Some of you have asked me for that.
Everyone should read a newspaper every day. There just isn’t enough depth on TV or the
internet to keep one well-informed. And
being well-informed is important today.
For years, I thought of the SunSentinel as a Fort Lauderdale newspaper
and frequently, the Post referred to it as that. I was mistaken. Actually, I now get the Palm Beach County
edition of the SunSentinel delivered each day.
Its email edition, when I visit that, offers me the choice of reading a Palm
Beach County or a Broward County edition.
But let’s get on with the comparison.
General Appearance: There is more physical ‘paper’ in the Post than in the SunSentinel, which is slimmer with fewer sections most days. If you’ve got a lot of fish to wrap, get the Post. The type in the SunSentinel is a bit smaller than that in the Post, giving it a tighter appearance. It is a faster ‘read’ but some might discover they need glasses.
World and National News: Both
papers provide an adequate amount of world and national news, depending on
articles from the Associated Press or the New York Times. The Post sometimes draws upon another Gannett newspaper, USA Today. Neither has foreign correspondents. In this area, the two are more or less equal, but after that, there are significant differences.
State coverage: the Post shares the Gannett Tallahassee staff with the other Gannett
Florida papers. The SunSentinal joins
with its sister paper, the Orlando Sentinel, for State coverage. Winner
here is the SunSentinel.
Sports Section: The SunSentinel is the clear
winner. The Post doesn’t bother with
horse racing at Gulfstream and devotes about half as much space to major league
baseball, including the Marlins, as does the SunSentinel. Both devote too much space to the Heat and
Dolphins, even when they are not playing. The Post gives too much space to
equestrian activities, catering to the horsey set.
Editorial Page: Both espouse liberal Democratic views, in terms of columns and
editorials and print letters from both right and left. The SunSentinel has a few of its own local columnists but lacks the nationally syndicated ones, liberal and conservative, which
the Post offers each day. The SunSentinel has nothing to match the Post’s Frank
Cerabino either. Clear winner here is the Post.
Comics: Pretty even, except that the
Post’s are in color every day while the SunSentinel’s are still black and white
on weekdays. Crossword puzzles in the SunSentinel are more difficult.
Local News: Both papers have excellent local reporters who shine, particularly in
investigative journalism. But after
this, the Post falls apart. It tries hard
but its local area ranges from Boca Raton on northward through all of Palm
Beach and Martin Counties, with too much space devoted to the City of West Palm. Consequently, there’s no room for the kind of
depth in local coverage which the Palm Beach County edition of the SunSentinel
provides, especially for people at the south end of the county. There’s Broward
stuff in that edition too, but its local coverage concentrates on news from Lake Worth Beach southward
to Boca Raton. I don’t think the
SunSentinel ever heard of Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens or Tequesta. The Post
carries many articles and ads from that area and reviews many restaurants up
there too. Also, since Gannett acquired
the Post, they include material from the other papers throughout Florida that
they own that is of no interest here. Finally, in addition to the equestrian
set which I mention above featured in their Sports pages, the Post also gives
far too much publicity to the ritzy folks on Palm Beach island. (They also print a separate local paper there.) Winner by a mile is the SunSentinel, which
remains a local paper while the Post is a regional version of a State-wide
paper. It really doesn’t know what it is and it shows.
Either one is better, of course, than depending on TV or the Internet,
so pick one and get yourself an inexpensive trial subscription.
JL
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State Acts on Homeowners Insurance and Roof Replacement Solicitations
One subject that has been reported on
extensively in both the Palm Beach Post and the SouthFlorida SunSentinel is the
increasing cost of homeowners’ insurance. Both newspapers mentioned
questionable claims by roofers, supported by attorneys, as part of the reason
for the increase in property insurance premiums experienced by many
homeowners. The Florida legislature met during the last week of May
to deal with this problem.
That special session of the legislature
resulted in the passage of CS/SB 2D which, among other things, provided
significant relief for insurance companies that were being impacted by questionable
claims resulting in some companies’ insolvencies, some policies not being
renewed and increased premiums for many homeowners based on the age of their
roofs.
Questionable roof claims were sometimes being
paid by insurance companies because it cost them less to do that than to go to
the expense of fighting the claim in court, where they very well might lose.
Relief for homeowners included grants for
increasing the ability of homes to withstand hurricanes and the hope for future
reduction in premiums resulting from additional reinsurance being made
available to insurance companies as well as higher deductibles becoming
available for roof replacement claims. Additionally, restrictions on
the compensation of attorneys involved in such claims were included.
While many roof replacement claims are
undoubtedly legitimate, some may not be. Because claims are sometimes
made by roofing contractors to whom homeowners assign their policy benefits
under the claim, the legislation contained the following provision:
"Contractor Solicitation of Roof Claims
Prohibits
contractors from making written or electronic communications that encourage or induce a
consumer to contact a contractor or public adjuster for the purposes of making
a property insurance claim for roof damage unless such solicitation provides
notice that:
- The consumer is responsible for the payment of any deductible.
- It is insurance fraud punishable as a third-degree felony for a contractor to pay or waive an insurance deductible.
- It is insurance fraud punishable as a third-degree felony to intentionally file an insurance claim containing false, fraudulent, or misleading information."
I wonder if the possibility of such punishment
would still apply to a homeowner who had assigned their policy’s benefits on a
claim concerning their home’s roof to a roofer, who would then file the
claim. If insurance fraud is involved, would that excuse the
homeowner from being charged?
This legislation should present no problem for
homeowners whose claims are wholly legitimate, which most are, and who pay
their deductibles. In situations, however,
where a perfectly good roof or one with just minor damage is replaced by an
entire new roof, thereby avoiding an increased premium charged because
of the age of their roof, consulting a lawyer might be advisable.
Insurance fraud has always been a serious
charge, but the new legislation now requires roofers’ solicitations for making
a claim for roof damage to specifically alert homeowners to that.
JL
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