Column 1: Had a pay check??

HAD A PAY CHECK?? If, no, you may be one of the 800,000 federal employees or contractors who are right now missing their second check!! It has been all over the news big time in the past two weeks. But, are you one who is missing a second check? Are you digging into any savings you might have? Or, are you one of millions who live pay check-to-pay check? Now, after 30+days, as this column is written, we see the excruciating scenes of fellow citizens lining up at food banks, volunteer emergency food outlets, banks and credit unions trying to work a delay in paying mortgages, rent, loans, etc. We also witness some lenders who are saying, “Sorry, the payment is due!”

We also see institutions doing their best to help in this ‘trumpted-up’- disaster. Firms with understanding. Firms with empathy. Firms which have the ability to help, and doing so to the best of their ability. We see community groups stepping up to provide help any way they can create, just to help neighbors and friends. This is how our nation was meant to be. Friends helping friends for the betterment of all. So, what happened? Where did things go wrong?

Well, the boastful phony blonde bombastic bully in the Oval Office has taken us down the path of economic chaos and, possibly, long-term serious economic distress and failure for millions of those now unemployed, and those unable to draw on financial reserves. But, what does a self-indulged miserable so-called billionaire (still?) care about those of us who must struggle to keep heads afloat most of the time? All the while, how do his so-called ‘base’ supporters continue to encourage him? How many of those are now in volunteer ‘food lines’? How many wish they had not supported him? If now, what the blazes are they thinking? Do they think the performances at his 2020 (already?) campaign rallies across the nation are exciting? From a phony leader who has been pegged with more than 7,000 outright lies or false statements? Come on, Good People, get with it. Wake up!! As the truth of all the felonious misdeeds he and his ‘kids’ and slimy cohorts continue to be exposed, how long will it be before the chant, “Lock him up!!” hits the streets.? The nation can’t hold out forever!

Very concerning are the thoughts by those educated and informed folks who can see ahead and worry about the future if ‘El Duce’ should be impeached and tossed from the Oval Office after a long involved and ugly process. Would he go ‘peacefully’? Would he have to be dragged out screaming and kicking? Would he then cause chaos (riots?) in the streets? Would he form a third party of like-minded folks and run for office again? So many ‘things of concern’ to be worrisome.

In the meantime, the immigration issues remain unresolved as the tug-of-war between The Donald and Nancy Pelosi continues over the ‘fence’, ‘wall’, security barrier’, or you name it, and hundreds of thousands of lives are upset, destressed or destroyed because our nation has a would-be leader who cannot bring himself to admit his southern border ‘policy’ of security methods is just a campaign slogan with which he is stuck. MAGA is going down the drain due to a narcissist who needs to be replaced. “Lock him up?”

CONGRESSMAN Mark Desaulnier held a Town Meeting this past week which had a great turnout, judging from the photos in the media. We were not able to attend, but so glad he had a good attendance. Mark is a good guy, in our humble opinion! A successful businessman in Concord (remember TR’s restaurant?) who began at City Council as an elected official, and moved up to the national level. We need elected officials who have not begun their ‘climb’ upward as lawyers, etc. This nation really needs leaders who have known what it is to earn a living as a business leader, self-employed buness person, someone who has known what it is like to meet a payroll for employees, and meet the needs of the public. Just a humble opinion!

Thanks, Congressman Mark for your service. You are one of us!

JEANNE and I have been members of the Navy League of the U. S. for 40 years. It is a civilian organization formed in 1902 with seed money from President Teddy Roosevelt who gave part of his Nobel Peace Prize as his desire for the United States to have strong sea services to protect our world commerce. One of our missions is the support of active duty members of the nation’s sea services…Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and U.S.-Flag merchant marine. At the same time, the education of the public and the legislators in Washington as to the needs of the sea services is a vital part of the overall mission of our activities.

As Jeanne and I have served (Jeanne at the national level for many years) we have met some of the finest members of our society. Men and women of all ages serving the nation protecting its interests and its safety. Today, as I write this column, the 42,000 members of the U. S. Coast Guard are serving without pay because of the partial government shutdown. Serving without pay because of political aspirations gone amok. Young families having to do what they can to get by; young families serving their country in many places around the globe wondering where their next meal will be. An unnecessary trauma for the young families who have not had the opportunity to gather assets on Coast Guard pay from which they can withdraw funds. Rent to pay. Gasoline to purchase to get to duty stations. Food for the table. Day care for children. Yet, the 42,000 (about the size of the New York City Police Department) show up to their duty stations, afloat, ashore or at air stations without ‘sick outs’ ready to serve our country 24/7.

Oh, yes. The last statistic we heard: the Coasties save 14 lives each day. They are also the crews on our cutters which capture tons of drugs and illegal aliens on each patrol off the coast of California and South America. Haven’t heard one word of their ‘worth’ or ‘exploits’ from the Oval Office. Still need a ‘wall’?

The Coast Guard’s motto is, Semper Paratus, always ready. And each member serves by that motto. Even through unconscionable political atrocities conducted by uncaring politicians.

CHEERS for all the volunteers who have stepped up to the plate during this partial shutdown of our government to help their neighbors in need, to help with some public works efforts in parks, to help with food banks, and much more. As I’ve stated before…are we not a great nation? Darn right we are!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *