World View: etc!: Reassessing.

Today's Tids Issue 6,050

Slippery slope:

Welcome May! The month of Moms and Thoroughbreds and fine tuned racing machines. And of course that old tale about the sinking of a shipment of Mayonaise. The flowers start blooming vigorously, and communists in their finery dance around the May pole. It seems like a month of contradictions, but in reality, it may be the most satisfying month of all. 🌹🌷🌻

The National debt just grew past the size of the US National Economy. That's a double Yikes as far as I’m concerned. It doesn't sound healthy for the future to me, and it seems nobody is doing anything about it. During WWII the national debt passed the economy too. But when the war ended it became normal. But this monster debt is not the result of necessary emergency spending. it's the result of thoughtless runaway spending, most designed to get somebody elected. Our leaders don't seem to have the ability to say no to spending,

Two things I Like surrounding my mornings, unobtrusive soft music and laughing out loud with great friends at breakfast.

Did you hear about the shepherd who drove his sheep through town? He was given a ticket for making a ewe turn.

Communists have finery?

The Question:

Five Presidents lost the popular vote but won the election in the electoral College. Name them.

The Headlines:

--Market Finishes Off April on The Upside; Apple Reports Good Earnings and Strong iPhone Sales in China. Nas Strong Though Closing.

--Trump Announces New 25% Tariff on EU.

--Trump Says He is Unhappy with Iran over Not Reaching Deal; Iran Sends New Proposal Through Pakistan, But Keeps Hormuz Closed.

--Israel Continues Deadly Strikes on Lebanon Despite Cease Fire.

--Putin Losing Support Over Ukraine Failures.

The Kentucky Derby is this weekend. So, I’m investing in flowery bonnet manufacturers instead of betting on the race. There are so many betting services now with all of their expert pickers sending us indifferent directions that I'm thinking that no bet is a safe bet. The Top horses with odds under 10-1 are Renegade (5-1), So Happy (6-1) Commandment (7-1), Further Ado (7-1). The Puma (8-1) and Chief Wallabee (9-1). You may want to salivate over the longest shot – Pavlovian.

I needed help from a RI state employee today. She was great. At the end I said enjoy your weekend, and she smiled saying I hope it's warm and suny. And it bothered me because I know it is likely to be cold and overcast. And I got to thinking, so many people work all week just hoping they will have a nice weekend to enjoy. Yeah, I feel bad about people who work hard all week only to wake up to a crappy Saturday morning. You go to think of other people.

Some constitutionalists are saying that the only remnants of the Founding Fathers concept of a democratic republic is the Supreme Court. The big problem they see is this movement to Executive Orders by most recent presidents which can only lead to fundamental systemic instability. They are not laws so each succeeding President can immediately withdraw the orders. Stability comes from the house of te people and the senate beating the hell out of each other until they pass laws that serve the the needs of most citizens. Yeah, the House and now the senate have f given up their roles in government. They are after all teh representatives of the states and the people's districts. Just something to think about as change seeps in and is accepted through common usage of something that shouldn’t be.

You'd think if they can put a man on the Moon they could come up with clasps for bread packages that actually work. Have you noticed that since we put a man on the moon e we expect everything else to be easy,

If you’ve been dreaming about owning a nice European luxury car, fagettabout it. Trump’s new 25% tariff against the EU is i cars and trucks

The Answer:

First was John Quincy Adams. Then there was Rutherford B Hayes, Benjamin Harrison, George W Bush (Jr) and Donald Trump (2016). Top popular vote winners were Harding, Coolidge, FDR, Nixon and Reagan, The biggest Landslide EC victories were James Monroe and Ike. Nixon, LBJ, Reagan and FDR had the largest vote margins.

I decided to end today with the top song of 1967, just because I just finished talking to a great friend was born then. There were big hits that great year like Windy by the Association, Light my Fire by the Doors, Respect by Aretha, Ode to Billie Jo by Bobbie Gentry, I can’t take my Eyes off of You by Frankie Vallie and many more. But the number on hit for that big year was “To Sir with Love” And it came from a great movie too.