The Chief – Page 8 – Really Right

Inflation isn’t Transitory this time

Folks/sheep you may be hearing the word transitory in regard to inflation, the White House started it, the media ran with it. No one questions it because “hell far covid done did this.” But they are ignoring the problem…. this inflation was not caused by one person or party, and contrary to the Fox News thumpers, the GOP has no answer. This inflation was caused by about 16 years of economic and monetary policy failures. From W. Bush to Obama, to Trump and now president Depends, we have had a 0-rate economic policy at the Fed. This means banks could borrow the money for essentially no cost and could artificially keep borrowing costs low. Meaning your credit card, mortgage and car loans were essentially free, speaking in terms of what rates used to look like. To give you an idea, in 1986 my parents bought their first house, the interest rate was 9.5% and that was viewed as a screaming deal back then.

But now things are only temporary, just trust the media.

The reality is the zero-rate environment caused massive “Ponzi-like scheme” in many areas of our economy. What happened is the Fed Reserve gave folks no reason to save or “have cash on your balance sheet.” This went for both people and corporations. Corporations borrowed money to buy competitors, buy back stock, or buy startups. They also took on debt for reasons so they will not be viewed as an acquisition target. CEOs did this because, well we need the stock price to go up, and everyone is doing it.

For people, a low-rate environment caused a “keeping up with the Jones’” mentality on steroids. You could no longer earn any return on savings so “liquidate it and toss it in the market!” The sheep followed, because their friends were making a killing. The market kept going up….so why the heck not? Your 5K in the bank was earning $.03 a month in interest. You didn’t need a new car…your spouse didn’t either, but very low financing! You didn’t need that house, but again the payment works. So now you have 2 car payments, and 2 mortgages on that house, because…. well, we needed a pool, hello! To go with rising food, and gas prices. Wages are only up for the people at the lowest rungs (minimum wage) and folks at the top, most of the middle has gotten little to nothing in the form of an increase in the last 3 years. So, you are getting squeezed, credit card debt is piling on. You would have ditched eating out, but you can’t cook. As you have noticed, the food is no longer cheap, a burger (2 patties) x2 and a small fry at Five Guys set my office partner back almost 20 bucks. By the way, no cheese or bacon, the toppings are unlimited and free. Also, no soda. $20. At a place you drop the peanuts on the floor mind you.

Now the stock market is beginning to crater? You don’t say? Tesla, and other stocks selling for a million times their earnings. No way?

Remember when ice cream in the grocery store was really 1/2 gallon?

Sure, I have lost money in the stock market…I am no Warren Buffett. I own zero crypto as that is a major Ponzi scheme…. think about it. Bitcoin and the like are based on high inflation, debt, and stock markets tanking. Why is bitcoin at a low as well? Of course, you cannot answer, but buy more, you’ll retire at 40.

Yes, we are experiencing a massive correction. It is long overdue. We have been in a very long bull market for about a decade. Stocks are at never-before-seen levels. Rather than investing in companies who make money, we invest in crazy start-ups with virtually zero earnings to speak of. We have credit card balances at record highs. Your mortgage? Well, you now need to re-finance at a higher rate. You now realize you do not need the pool, yet you have 20 years on that second mortgage. You hate your cars, but prices are at an all-time high, rates are also not zero. Your fence fell over, and you have no savings because you put it all in the stock market. There is no baby formula, and your wife isn’t working because you guys popped out another kid.

Remember mean Tweets and low gas prices?

The above example is not as extreme as you think. A survey by CNBC showed nearly 2/3 people live paycheck to paycheck. Most bought more home than they needed and overreached on their cars. Their credit is shot, and now the bank won’t be taking a minimum payment. You need liquidity, and the market is falling, so you sell at a loss. It’s going to get ugly folks and quickly.

The good news is for people like me and others, we get to pick the best choice cuts as the US gets butchered. I have no car note and might be in the market for a Camaro or Corvette here soon. I don’t need a bigger house, but since mine is about half paid for, I may look out of state (following a very smart person I know AKA Blog Father). As far as stocks, I buy in each month, and have a mad money account for which to buy companies on sale (separate from my IRA btw). The companies I own make things, and make money, not a wild bet on a gas free future like Tesla. I’ll be acquiring things while you hold a fire sale. I love it.

“A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold”

I am most definitely not perfect, however the government dubbed me as essential, and I’m going to take advantage. Hurry trade in that Toyota Camry for a Nissan Altima, 8-year car loan at 12% interest is a smooth move.

Chief

Troll takes on the Voter Info Guide

So, I was bored stiff at work today with quite literally nothing to do, so my office partner handed me the voter info guide and I took a gander or two. Here is the Troll flaming hot take awards from the voter guide. Enjoy.

The We Will Sit this one out award: The American Independent Party, literally endorsed no one up and down the ballot. Truly a wild strategy.

The you can’t lose if you don’t endorse award: The Grand Ole Party a.k.a. The Republicans. Take a gander, they literally endorsed no one for a statewide office run. I guess you cannot lose if you do not endorse right? Like see no evil, hear no evil?

The staying true to their roots award: The Libertarian Party. Got to have mad respect for this bunch, they want limited government so no endorsements at all. They should just become the abolitionist party.

The give me full time employment award: Myrlys Stockdale Coleman – running for judge. Gotta love a man running for full time judge when he lists his occupation as Temporary judge.

The I have no chance award: Eric Rigard – literally his first sentence says he is a Christian and a conservative…In CA…. NEXT!

The Why did I let my intern write my ballot statement award: Pat Hume, literally his first sentence “Sacramento County doesn’t need more partisan politicians thirsty for the spotlight or the next rung up the ladder.” Lists his occupation as Councilmember. Oops.

The biggest liar award: Jim Cooper. Lists his occupation as a peace officer. What a phony, he is the least peaceful person I know.

The do I really need another job award: Steve Ly. Occupations: farmer juvenile hall school counselor, civil rights non-profit manager. Now he is running for Supervisor?

The look at me award: Tecoy Porter, first of all he calls himself “The Rev” that’s like referring to yourself in the third person. He runs a church in Meadowview, built an elementary school that bears his name…. quite a humble little dude this “rev” is. And finally, he is endorsed by Stephon Clark. Clearly a Democrat, yet honest enough to admit that dead people vote for him. You have my vote! Social justice activist being his occupation stuns no one with an IQ above that of a piece of meat.

The you are fooling no one award: Angelique Ashby. Occupation is city councilwomen, goes on to claim she will work with Democrats, Republicans, Progressives and Moderates. You are fooling no one and I hope Dave Jones curb stomps your lying a**. Full disclosure I have a disdain for this woman because she is a proven liar.

So, there you have it. Troll on the ballot.

Roe v Wade and The Supreme Court: What it Means for You

If you haven’t been living under a rock, are completely delusional, or related to Aaron or George Park, you likely have heard about the leaked Supreme Court documents regarding Roe vs Wade. Specifically, the court will overturn the ruling and leave the enforcement up to the individual states.

For starters not much is really going to change as far as a woman’s right to choose. I mean that in the sense that if you choose to engage in unprotected sex, or refuse to take birth control, nothing will be different. The consequences of your decision will be changed though…. depending on where you live.

I have always spoken of the great political divide in this country, and the forthcoming ruling will only add to it. However, I want you to take a step back, forget about Roe v Wade for a minute here. Over the past 20 years we have seen a sea change in how people/politicians govern. It used to be the school board/city council/mayor/water board were not political…. now it’s a hot bed. Ditto for the DA and Sheriff races. On one side it’s how far left can you go, same holds true for the other side, compromise is a bad word. Here is my point.

Let’s look at a California based example first. In a county like El Dorado (far right) if you kill someone, you will be charged with and likely get the death penalty upon sentencing. In Sacramento (center left) likely you will get life in prison, probably no parole. In San Francisco or LA (bat s**t crazy left) you will at some point be released from prison and be able to kill again. This is because the individual counties have their own leadership and go from there.

Back to the abortion issue.

Say Roe V Wade is overturned leaving the decision up to the states. A state like California has already said they will not have any restrictions on abortion, and I foresee tax breaks being offered to move your abortion clinic out here. In some counties like the aforementioned El Dorado, they likely will make it hard for those clinics to exist, think zoning laws, etc. However, in neighboring Sacramento County they will allow an abortion clinic to open right at the county line to serve the folks who refuse to make adult choices regarding pregnancy.

On the flip side a state like Texas will criminalize abortion as fast as the legal process allows. This additionally means enacting something like the death penalty for people who perform abortions inside its state lines. Some cities like; Houston, Austin and Dallas may try to prevent this from occurring or have shadow clinics but after a couple doctors are sentenced to death this will change. Look for most abortion clinics to move to New Mexico or a friendly, just across state lines, area. The other issue likely to come from this is the election of a governor from the opposition party could well set up an arcane back and forth pendulum swing regarding abortion clinics in their states.

In closing the left is absolutely going bananas over the possibility Roe will be overturned. To the democrats it’s about control, nothing more, nothing less. In many ways they are correct, I think everyone agrees with me, I am pro-choice as well, but that choice is an important one…. life. To translate for the living impaired I am very pro-life, however the choice is yours.

For people like me and many others who practice safe sex, we do not have issues where we need a Planned Parenthood or other abortion clinic. For those who don’t, and there are tons, their choice is likely to get taken away if they live in a red state. In many ways the choice is taken away because you made a bad choice. When you choose to have unprotected sex, especially with someone who is not a “committed partner,” the consequences can be vicious. STDs are one thing, but an unwanted kid is another story. My roommate in college lived this fantasy because he wanted to live dangerously. Well, he got a gal preggo and admits it was his biggest mistake. While I commend them for getting married and keeping the kid, he is living a life of poverty. Actions have consequences…. wait…I mean choices have consequences.

In closing, as far as taking someone’s choices away, please answer me this question. How come Planned Parenthood doesn’t serve the affluent, mostly Anglo parts of Sacramento County? When I looked up locations online, I found they serve an area near Arden way (poor and mostly black) and Fruitridge Road (ditto). If these services are so vital how come people in middle to upper class don’t need or use them? Also why are they only in downtrodden majority minority areas?

I’ll hold the line and wait for your answer. In the meantime,…. I guess that sucks, you got knocked up by a guy who refused to use a condom while you refused to use birth control. Fear not you can always give the baby up for adoption…. or move to California/New York/Illinois or any other whacko left state who will kill your baby on demand. Now serving number 105…. number 105…. please report to exam room B.

The Chief

Hope Solo enters Rehab

Friend of the blog and legit crazy person, who used to double as the goalkeeper of the women’s USA soccer team, Hope Solo, announced she has entered alcohol rehab Friday. Solo is a decorated member of the soccer team, but also has had more than enough run-ins with the law. This is a very good positive step; I am saying this because she was the best goalkeeper in women’s soccer history.

Here is a look see at Hope Solo’s rap sheet.

6/21/2014 she was arrested for a domestic dispute involving her half-sister and nephew. The carnage was so bad Sen- Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut sent a letter to US soccer blasting them for not taking the charges seriously. The charges were later dropped. Solo was quite intoxicated that night.

1/19/2015, While it was her husband (compete dirt bag former NFL player) Jeremy Stevens who was arrested for DUI, he was driving the women’s soccer van, with Solo in tow. The van was not supposed to be used for non-team events. Rules don’t apply to Solo. Solo was very intoxicated, I will give her credit for not driving, but being a passenger in a car with a drunk usually doesn’t end well in a crash.

3/31/2022 Solo was arrested for DUI when police found herself passed out in a Wal-Mart parking lot with her twins in the backseat. Yikes.

While I understand folks will say she made a mistake, or what not, it shows a pattern, and a bad one at that. The domestic violence is a major problem, likely fueled by alcoholic rage. Being a DUI passenger in the team van shows a massive judgment error. The last one however is indefensible. Being passed out drunk with your two young offspring in the car is horrific. This usually leads to divorce or separation instantly; I mean think about it. You couldn’t wait until you got home? Of course, not you are a drunk.

That all being said, the point of this blog is not to go after her, she made a very wise choice. Choosing to enter rehab as a public figure is tough, as scrutiny will follow. She is smart to get out in front of the DUI charges as judges tend to look favorable on choices like this. We here at the blog wish her the best, she was unceremoniously kicked off the woman’s soccer team and was drug through the media for seemingly every mistake. The only advice I would give her, be a better wife and mom, your kids need you to make good choices not horrible ones.

Alcohol and drugs are destroying the lives of many, and yet this country wants to make it easier to gamble? Sheesh.

The Chief

PS in an ode to Troll, Hope is pretty hot, and she has “cray cray eyes” basically meaning crazy in the head = crazy in the bed.

Carli Lloyd Obliterates US Woman’s Soccer

Carli Lloyd who we call a friend of the blog, went on Hope Solo’s (former US team goalkeeper) podcast and told it like it was about the end of her career as a professional soccer player. Lloyd in her career, won 2 gold medals, and 2 World Cups, which is a hell of a career. She played well into her late 30s which again, is an amazing accomplishment in and of itself, and played at a very high level!

So, while on the podcast she had this to say about her last year as a player on the national team.

Even within our squad, the culture has changed,” Lloyd said. “It was really tough and challenging to play these last several years. To be quite honest, I hated it. It wasn’t fun going in. It was only for love of the game, really, for me.
“I wanted to win, and I wanted to help the team, but the culture within the team was the worst I’d ever seen it. I’m hoping that the future is bright and some things change.”

If you are wondering, it’s pretty easy to deduce whom she is referring too. Megan Rapinoe aka the pink haired, outspoken showboat, and Alex Morgan the star forward of the team. Morgan is another piece of work as you will see later. Rapinoe is so hated as a public figure due to her name calling and refusal to stand for the National Anthem; Subway dropped her from their TV ads after the franchisees revolted.

Solo agreed with Lloyd saying she “didn’t want to be around any of her teammates toward the end of her career. (Full disclosure, Solo had her contract terminated in 2016 after several bouts with the law.)

The conversation went further, this time touching on the $24 million dollar lawsuit settlement regarding equal pay with the men’s team.

“When I saw the team actually signed it, I was in shock,” Solo said. “Everything we had been doing to fight and then for the team to sign a less than equal contract — and then use words like ‘it’s equitable.’ We were fighting for equal, not something close but not equal. That was really tough to see.”
My wish if I could help and do something — the culture needs to change,” Lloyd said. “You want people thriving. You want to empower people. You want people to be there because they love it.”

A day later, she went on further on Instagram saying this….

By culture, I am referring to mentality. Respect for coaches, teammates, support staff. I’m also talking about the drive, the desire, the hunger, the fight, the accepting a role and doing it to the best of your ability.
“Giving it your all every time you step on the field, giving it your all in training, and giving it your all whether it’s five minutes on the field, 10 minutes on the field, 60 minutes on the field or 90 minutes on the field. It doesn’t matter.
“You represent the crest and you represent your country with pride because there are millions of other people who would love to be in our shoes playing on the national team, and so you can never take it for granted.”

She even described these changes going back as far as 2016, after they won the World Cup, calling the situation “toxic”.

“In 2015, winning a World Cup obviously put us on a really big, big stage, and endorsements started coming, and the spotlight started coming, and I just saw a shift in people’s mindsets,” Lloyd said. “It became more about ‘what can I do to build my brand off the field? What can I do to get an endorsement deal’ and less about what we have to do when we step in between those lines.”

I can sympathize with what Lloyd is saying, after winning a championship in football (American) as a high school junior I saw the same things. People were “playing for the name on the back of the jersey rather than the front, as a result we underachieved.

Lloyd is also taking a well-deserved shot at trash bag teammates Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe. They were more concerned with social justice and other divisive issues than the actual playing of soccer. They are also the two highest paid players as both have lucrative sponsorship deals. As such they took a very small settlement and “called it a day.” No different from any other rich person looking down at the serfs. Ah yes, all we have to eat is bread and watered down soup….until we venture back to our mansions filled with steak and lobster. Rapinoe and Morgan are the worst kind of people. They complain about wanting to be equal until they “get a bag” (money) then suddenly it’s about just taking a deal. This is most likely why the team flamed out in the Olympics in 2020, something seemed off and it is now obvious. This team is rotting and there doesn’t seem to be an answer right now. One can only hope the rot doesn’t spread throughout the team too far.

I do not know much about soccer but if Megan Rapinoe is the answer, I have no clue what the question is. She just seems like an uptight human looking to settle a score with anyone who doesn’t share her alt-left beliefs on life. Morgan on the other hand? Well, she got paid, so why should she care anymore. In the meantime, the world is catching up quickly to the US and they are not quite as dominant anymore.

Chief

BTW in a nod to Troll, Lloyd looks amazing as she is, but far better in a sports bra and shorts…..just sayin’

Why NATO Can’t Help Ukraine

As you may know, just over a week ago, Vladimir Putin decided to have a “peacekeeping mission” in Ukraine. Putin’s incursion has killed thousands and displacing millions. He has bombed schools, television stations, orphanages, and residences. Even his thugs have been caught killing civilians. But this blog isn’t about the modern-day Hitler who is unhinged, it’s about those of us who fancy themselves foreign policy experts.

I have been asked by a plethora of people about why NATO will not help Ukraine at all. I will lay it out. NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization it contains 28 European countries and 2 North American ones. NATO is based on mutual aid for an attacked country with attacked being the key word. This is not an offensive alliance or an aggressive one, quite the opposite. To join NATO you must apply, and first and foremost, you cannot have an active border dispute. This is the key thing that Putin has exploited over the past decade plus. Putin, by invading/annexing parts of Ukraine (Crimea, Luhansk, and Donesk regions) created a border conflict. The World minus Putin’s cronies never acknowledged the separation of those areas from Ukraine. Putin for his part didn’t either, essentially calling them separatist controlled regions. Putin did similar in Georgia, and Moldova. By doing this he made it so NATO could not accept them into the alliance.

As laid out earlier, they cannot join NATO because of a border conflict. It doesn’t matter if Belarus joins Putin, because again, Ukraine is not a member, so they get no protection. Ditto to the other named Baltic States. NATO plays defense not offense, in fact a little-known piece of history, NATO has only invoked Article 5 once in its history. That was in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on the US, and most NATO countries removed themselves after securing the Afghanistan region assuring no additional attacks were coming. Article 5 is the most cited one by today’s “foreign policy correspondents” saying NATO should defend Ukraine. Article 5 clearly spells out, for lack of a better term; an attack on a member is an attack on us all, and all members will provide mutual defense for the member under attack.

A friend even went as far as telling me, why won’t NATO have a fighter jet take out a convoy of tanks or blow up a Russian airbase. Again, Ukraine isn’t in NATO. Any member country that intervenes would in essence be declaring war. If that were to occur, I’m not sure article 5 would even come into play if the member was counterattacked. He went on to further point out that neighboring countries were monitoring the situation, and have sent troops to Poland, etc. I explained again, Poland is NATO and right now the NATO countries are saying to Putin “do something stupid and attack Poland or another NATO member and it won’t be fun for you.”

NATO getting involved as a whole can have major repercussions for Ukraine as well. Right now quite a few countries (China especially) are sitting this one out seeing it as Russia v Ukraine. An attack by additional countries, especially an alliance likely brings China into the war, in their home region.

Another friend pointed out NATO countries are giving supplies to Ukraine; again, that is ok, since it’s indirect. It’s one thing to send bombs, missiles etc. it’s another thing entirely to send a fighter jet and a pilot.

So long story short, if Ukraine prevails and drives Russia out of its territory, it can try to join NATO, it’s a long process, and it could possibly be expedited. However, a more likely scenario is Russia occupying Ukraine and making it a puppet state. NATO is there only to defend their members, not help Ukraine directly.

Chief

Chancellor of CSU System Resigns in Disgrace

Joseph Castro (photo above) was the Chancellor of the California State University system until yesterday when he made the “biggest decision of his life….to resign.” He was under investigation for mishandling sexual assault and workplace intimidation claims of a colleague. Castro was in his first year as chancellor after being promoted from President of CSU Fresno. While at CSU Fresno he was a dumpster fire to say the least, check out this report….

Castro was personally aware of at least seven complaints against Frank Lamas, the head of campus student affairs at Fresno State. The complaints against Lamas, at least 12 in all, detailed a pattern in which the senior administrator “stared at women’s breasts, touched women inappropriately, made sexist remarks, and berated, belittled, and retaliated against employees,” ,” USA TODAY reported. Those complaints began soon after Lamas was hired and spanned the six years he was on the job.
Cal State chancellor resigns under fire over how he handled sexual harassment complaints

Not one, two or a third complaint, 12. That my friends is a pattern, a really bad one. Castro and Frank Lamas were obviously close, check out this bombshell…

Despite knowledge of the allegations, Castro still recommended Lamas for an achievement award and later — rather than firing or calling for his resignation — paid him $260,000 and full retirement benefits to leave his post. The settlement forbade Lamas from ever working again at the Cal State system, but promised him a letter of recommendation if he wanted to work at a different college.

I understand the idea of paying someone off to avoid litigation, but the idea of a letter of rec? That just seems like allowing a predator to continue elsewhere. To our non-California readers, this is quite common in our education system at the high school level. There is even a word for it…passing the trash. Castro in his bio claims he graduated from Cal Berkeley and Stanford, he is obviously not dumb, but how could he be so tone deaf in the #metoo era?

That same day Castro and Lillian Kimbell, who heads the Cal State board of trustees, both said that they welcomed an independent investigation into how Castro handled the assault charges against Lamas. Castro partially defended his actions at Fresno State: “While I followed CSU policy and took the steps to ensure this individual could never work on a CSU campus, I recognize that certain aspects of the process should have been handled better.”
Castro further explained his rationale for offering Lamas a letter of recommendation in an “open letter” he shared with Cal State students and staff that night. “In hindsight, while my motives were to expedite Dr. Lamas’ permanent removal from the CSU, I regret agreeing to this aspect of the settlement, knowing that it caused additional pain,” Castro wrote.

So, in the eyes of Mr. Chancellor paying someone off is the best way to expedite a dismissal? Well, I guess when it’s the people’s money not yours that’s the way it works. I take back what I say about Castro being smart, he is just a dumb bureaucrat who would be on unemployment if it weren’t for government work. Only in government is incompetence allowed.

Consternation continued to flow. Students had gathered protesting Castro’s handling of the sexual assault claims. The Visalia Times-Delta posted an editorial urging the university’s board to fire Castro. The systemwide academic faculty union sought an independent investigation, calling the USA Today report “disturbing.” The faculty senate at Fresno State also expressed dismay over Castro’s time at Fresno through a vote of no-confidence.

At this point the cake was baked, Castro needed to resign. A career of incompetence. All Castro needed to do was turn over the reports to a Title 9 officer. Trust me on this the UC and CSU system is chock full of bureaucrats holding the title Chief of ___, but unlike me they have real jobs, for me it’s just a fancy name. Castro could have called a legal counsel; I am sure again numerous were at his beck and call. Could have gone to the trustees on the board, or even the governor, attorney general…. heck the damn city council of Fresno. But nope, he hid a sexual deviant and predator for reasons unknown.

Truth be told, the toughest decision Castro had to make was covering for Lamas, and he instead made it over and over and over again. The #metoo movement may not be one you agree with, but if you think you can escape unscathed your mistaken. Castro had a ton going for him, and he threw it all away. He is a loser, and a coward. He spoke about how he disagreed with the decision of the board and their investigation…. why didn’t he dig in and fight? Instead, he didn’t, like any other coward he cut and ran. He talked about how resigning was a tough choice, really it wasn’t. Cowards like him do it all the time, they would rather run away then face the music.

The last aspect of this commentary from me is this. God Bless, State of California quit hiring people based on their skin color or “being the first.” This Castro moron was in way over his head, the job was too big for him. But he checked a box and in California that is all that mattered. Quite a few highly qualified folks likely applied, and Castro was selected based on his skin color. Go ahead try to call me a racist, I call it like I see it. Castro had these issues at CSU Fresno, and they finally bubbled up a year later? Nice job Castro…. now make an easy decision, stop covering up sexual assault, and why the hell are you helping out a low life like Lamas?

Good riddance.

The Chief

Is this still a political blog?

If you are wondering yes, it is. However due to the complete inaction of the democrat majority on…well basically anything, there is nothing to write about. Think about it, ever since President Dementia took office what exactly has, he done?

Well, he undid Trump with the stroke of a pen. (This means executive orders).

They bickered among themselves about a Build Back Better bill…. it’s basically dead.

Botched the Afghanistan pull out.

Passed a watered-down infrastructure bill (with the GOP pushing it across like they always do.)

He sent some troops to Eastern Europe but said they won’t be involved in Ukraine.

Spent a year investigating the January 6^th insurrection.

He stopped the Keystone pipeline…. we are all paying for that.

They still haven’t tried to undo the SALT tax cap. (State and Local Tax max you can write off on your taxes. We here are predicting this will be the equivalent of the GOP repealing Obamacare.)

That’s about it. If you can think of more leave, it in the comments.

That’s a great first year in office, he said he would stop Trump and they did. Folks it’s sad, he got elected president, and he had all these idea’s…. not! Actually I think his whole presidency is similar to when Trump got elected…. his own party was in shock!

So yes, we are still a political blog but there is not much to write about.

Winners never cheat….Cheaters never win: Courthouse Edition

Sometime last year, a customer of mine got a speeding ticket. Shortly thereafter, they did traffic school. Recently, said traffic violator came into my office and literally argued with me about his consequences for the better part of an hour. As a result I was unable to assist anyone as he had me cornered while he vented.

In cases like these, the issue flows in this pattern…..the court where you got the ticket….the DMV….your insurance company. The order I just listed is the order of who can help you alleviate the issue. In essence you need the court to notify the DMV that you did traffic school, and DMV removes the ticket…then we (the insurance company) remove it from your record. Like any other interaction with a government entity, don’t expect the issue to resolve quickly. Also expect to spend many hours trying to just get to someone who can help.

The story I am recounting in this blog post is a true one, and will show why if you cheat, you do not win.

To set the scene, the customer and his spouse are immigrants from North Africa. While they speak English, they tend to use a massive accent or claim they do not understand when the outcome isn’t favorable. Since they did do traffic school 3 days after paying the ticket, I thought they might have a shot at getting this ticket overturned. I suggested going to the court house in Jackson, and essentially pleading ignorance about not knowing you had to pay an extra fine for traffic school. Since they literally did the traffic school 3 days later, and the cost of the ticket hitting your insurance is roughly $400 a year, it’s worth the fight. My suggestion of pleading ignorance, basically meaning you don’t speak the language well enough and you made a mistake probably would have worked, but since we were in February and the ticket happened in July time was short.

Rather than head to Jackson, they wanted to try their luck at DMV. Again they did not go to a group that could help, but once again wasted a day arguing with folks who cannot aide them. They came back to my office saying they were at DMV for 4 days arguing with different people, and they all said you must go to the court. So we are back to step 1, and it’s like nothing happened….because nothing did. Worse yet, more time had elapsed between the day of the ticket and present. I implored them to go to the court, of course they waited yet another week. Finally they went to the court where they were told they were out of luck, because too much time had passed. The ticket stands as paid, and it will hit their driving record, did they plead ignorance? Of course not.

They pointed out they do not speak or read English well, and had their English proficient granddaughter navigate the website and pay the fine. Strike one, look at the red lettering on this screen shot regarding paying your ticket vs traffic school.

http://www.amadorcourt.org/dv-traffic.aspx

Secondly, they said their granddaughter did traffic school online on their behalf….that’s illegal in CA. Strike 2.

After hearing this, they went into full scorched earth rage, blaming their granddaughter, and everyone else, making a very public scene at the court. (They volunteered this info to me upon returning to my office to argue some more, even though it was established of all the people who could help, I was least able.)

Folks I’ll wrap it up this way, if you are going to cheat the system, you’d best make sure you think it out prior. Make sure if questioned you have a reason for your actions. These two were trying to scam the system. Like anyone else, they see the USA as the land of opportunity and can tell any story and get away with it. They had their granddaughter pay the fine, and do the traffic school, yet somehow they didn’t think their plan through. Who’d think it could backfire? Literally on the traffic school paperwork you have to swear under penalty of perjury it was you who took the tests. However my favorite part of the story was how they threw everyone but themselves under the bus! I know who suggested that, I work with him, it never works in a setting like this.

If you want to be a winner in the game of life cheating is not a good way to start. Own your mistake, people will have a better respect for you. No one likes the guy that always blaming others. Also who had the idea to argue with all the folks who cannot help? The insurance guy and the DMV can’t overturn the court, why would you go to them first? And do the damn traffic school yourself! Lying sack of crap. You got what you deserved!

The Chief

My Take on Ukraine-Russia

Comrade Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. that’s his real name by the way, decided the best way to counter Russia’s 100-130,000 troops on the border with Ukraine, was to send about 2,500 of our troops to Europe. Doesn’t take a math major to know those numbers do not look favorable. Belarus, a close Russia ally has allowed troops to amass along their border with Ukraine as well. It is my opinion war is imminent in the area, I have a feeling Russia is going to annex the entire eastern part of Ukraine. For those uneducated on the matter Ukraine is almost like 2 separate countries sharing a common government. Eastern Ukraine would rather be part of Russia, western Ukraine wants to be part of Europe. Think similar to our government neither party agrees on anything except how much to spend.

Russia under Putin has made it clear he wants all of the former Soviet Union to be united as one again. Belarus is a willing ally because like the far left in this country is ok with a war, as long as Russia kills them off last. For those who doubt me, Putin has invaded the former soviet counties of Georgia, and Ukraine, and likely will do the same with its other non-NATO neighbors. You do not set up makeshift hospitals and blood banks near your border with a large mass of troops to have a military drill; this is a scenario where the generals are awaiting the go-code from Putin.

Enter our senile and very weak president, sending 2,500 troops (all fully vaccinated by the way) out to Europe does nothing, it just further enrages a crazy person like Putin. Worse yet China who has drifted ever closer to Russia over the years in terms of superpower status in the region seems to have its eyes on Taiwan. They are working in tandem and likely negotiating terms of attack in secret. Neither wants the USA anywhere near them, and frankly we have no business in the region anyways.

Folks I want to lay out why we are making a serious mistake sending our troops there, and frankly it shouldn’t be that hard to see, history should always be our guide.

First off, why are we intervening in the Ukraine? They are not an ally, nor a part of NATO. They are a corrupt country that has an extremely weak military to begin with and underpaid to boot. Think North Korea, but with shaky loyalty at best. We really are considering sending our young people to fight in a battle in a region where we only have a slight vested interest? (Russia being an untrusted enemy). Furthermore, NATO aligned European countries are offering tepid support at best, Germany has sent about 5,000 helmets (God I can imagine Putin shuttering at the thought) UK is offering military aid, and countries like Poland have said they could help. That’s not exactly a serious showing of solidarity. They all know Russia is going to topple Ukraine, and they aren’t worth fighting for.

Or is it?

Europe is very dependent on natural gas from Russia, as Germany and other countries have turned off their nuke and coal power…. sound familiar? Well, they don’t want their people to be cold in the winter or risk Putin shutting the valve off. Translation = They aren’t going against Putin for a non-NATO ally. Sanctions don’t really scare Putin either. This is something the neo-libs and neo-cons will never understand, war is never a good option, especially when facing someone crazy.

The sad thing is we once again are trying to police the world, we are no longer a superpower, I’m sorry. Putin knows this he see’s weakness. Our President is weak and indecisive, can’t even get through a presser without flubbing the canned speech, and OMG don’t ask a question…wait you can’t. Putin is going to go as far as creating propaganda of the US somehow starting this conflict. I do not understand how I can see this playing out poorly for us but many in power cannot. Maybe it’s the Cold War era policies, and history is repeating itself. This is a cataclysmic mistake, even de-escalation means we lose, we look bad.

Here is what I would do if I was tasked with going mano-a-mano with Putin. First of all, remember smart people never challenge stupid people to a fight, the stupid one always wins as that person will do anything to come out on top. I send no troops, as we already have them stationed all over the globe, sans Afghanistan. I show the world satellite imaging of the troop build ups and, in a NATO, led presser call out Russia, asking what they are doing, and when it will be over with. I tell Ukraine to scale down the military operations in the border area, as you want to be weak when Russia thinks its strong. The world is watching as the winter Olympics are taking place in neighboring China. China wants no part of Russia pulling shenanigans during its Olympic games. I tell Putin forcefully if he fires a bullet or drops a bomb, we are going to bomb the sh*t out of his country. I mean scorched earth, and I tell Belarus get Russian troops out of your country or we will test the bombs on you. Then I tell China and Russia if North Korea shoots any US or NATO allied plane out of the air, there will only be one Korea, and it will involve US troops at the border with China. This is a nightmare for both China and Russia. Russia also needs to know any, and all bordering countries will be NATO members if he invades. I do not fear the Russian army, they are not big and are unskilled, however a country like Ukraine or Georgia does, as they are outgunned, outmanned and outflanked.

My plan may or may not work, but it’s far better than sending a token number of young people to stand sentinel while facing an army of 100-130,000 with a crazy leader hell bent on expansion. You don’t try to reason with a drunk at a bar, right? We shouldn’t reason with a power-hungry crazy person. Let him get his moment in the spotlight and make him step down.

The Chief