Well…if you don’t remember, there is an election tomorrow to vote on whether to raise the sales tax here in Michigan to repair the terrible roads that all of us drive on. I am going to vote no on this proposal for a number of reasons…the first being that sales tax increases are hardest on the poor and middle class as a percentage of their income and that is not a fair way to pay for infrastructure projects. My second reason is that the people who do the most damage to the roads, corporations that use them for commerce, won’t have to kick a dime in to pay for all that damage…where is the tax increase on them to help? On top of the sales tax increase, the proposal would raise the registration fee on every car by almost $50 dollars per car that normal folks can’t just write off as corporations do. To raise the the 1.3 billion dollars that this proposal is supposed to raise, why not just rescind the 1.3 billion dollar tax cut the corporations got that was paid for by me and other people living on their retirement savings? This proposal is just another failure by the repub run legislature to do their jobs as they were elected to do…never before did a sitting legislature in Michigan abdicate their responsibility to do what was necessary to keep the state moving…I think it’s just a ploy for them to be able to say they never raised taxes…that the people did…what a bunch of crap…geez…
All posts by James DeVol
May 4th
Well…it was an okay, if boring, day yesterday and I didn’t get anything done but that is getting to be the new normal around here I guess..slept okay but I’m sore from the hard go on the bike yesterday and that is going to impact what I have to do today….it is nice that is already 60 but I won’t be able to get out today until I do get some work done…maybe after lunch if it’s not raining….I have that damn cough back again and I am wondering if it is another bug or the allergies…all I know is that it is really annoying and I want it done….the funny thing is that it doesn’t hurt the ride on the bike even with the sprints….not much to do today…going to work around here for the morning but that may bleed over into the aft if I decide to get everything done today….more later….
I’m bored silly….
Well…it has been another of those Sundays where things that looked interesting weren’t…the Talladega race was a bore and nothing else that has happened today has pieced the thick veil of boredom that I find myself in…..so, that’s why I’m back here to try to do something that will relieve it some…the snakes are out on the trail again and I stopped and picked one up today…I just love the way they feel…silky and smooth and the garter snakes that I see are too small to even bite me….there was a box turtle on the trail in the woods today just standing in the middle of it with it’s neck extended like it was looking at something…not sure what that would be but it sure looked weird…I was going to work on some politics today but nothing looks interesting right now so this is what you got instead…yeah, I know….I think it’s the boredom…just can’t get motivated….oh, well…
May 3rd
Well….it was a nice day yesterday with a long lunch with T and lots of laughs and good conversation…slept crappy again and it looks like a tornado hit the bedroom from tossing and turning….I did get a long bike ride in in just a t-shirt and that was really cool….and it looks like the same this morning since it is already 57…all I need to do is finish this and then the coffee and I’ll get going…didn’t do much else yesterday so today is going to have to be cleaning day but I’m not sure I want to do that today…not much to do today…going to roast a chicken for lunch and then watch the race from Talledega….more later…
May 2nd
Well…it was an okay day yesterday but I lost at pool…had a good run of a few weeks but just couldn’t shoot yesterday…slept okay last night even without putting the earplugs in…which I just forgot when I hit the sack so maybe I’ll try that again tonight…did get the grocery run in this morning which seemed to be a lot of work…as is writing, and reading, and sitting….maybe I’m just getting old….the run out and back to pool yesterday was cool with the top down and the cover on the top…looks clean with the cover on…and no fleece, finally, and today looks like the same kind of day…it is already almost 50 so I can get out on the bike after I do this and finish my coffee…not much to do today…I should clean my bathroom since I bought all new cleaners this morning but I probably won’t….have lunch planned with T and I think this one will be pretty relaxed since she doesn’t have to hurry back to work….more later….
Charges in Baltimore…
Well…that was quick…it only took a couple of weeks and a little investigation and there have been charges filed against the cops that were involved in the Grey killing. It’s about time that these blue coated thugs were held accountable…I know, innocent until proven guilty but to even have charges filed in one of these killings is progress from my point of view. And, when the charges were filed, the prosecutor also reiterated that Grey had not committed a crime…the cops were just screwing with him because they could… they think it’s fun to abuse the people they are supposed to serve and protect…the question I have is “are these cops this stupid to continue the abusing when videos are catching cops all over the country?” I’m glad that the trend is toward justice…now we just need the rest of them caught and prosecuted….
May 1st
Well…another month gone and the most hated day of the new one comes…I just hate having to pay the rent…slept okay last night and don’t feel too bad this morning but I either have a bug or the allergies are the worst they have ever been…coughing like crazy today and my sinuses are concrete so I guess I’ll have to try some allergy stuff before the bike ride…the cool thing is that as soon as I finish this I can go out since it is already warm enough….and it is supposed to get to 70 today so top down out and back for pool with no fleece….I am sore and limping, too, and I’m not sure where that came from other than the bike….I did get my hair cut yesterday since they had a half price sale going on and I am getting to be a little cheap…not much to do today…might have lunch with T and then out for pool but that is about it….more later…
Bernie Sanders is in….
Well…got a bit of good new today with the announcement that Bernie Sanders, the independent from Vermont, is running for president. You’ve heard me talk here of my admiration for Bernie and his untiring efforts to tilt the scale back towards the middle class and actually do something about the rich taking everything in this country. One of the things this candidacy will do is push the dems back to the left and away from the corporate wing of the party that is the home of the Clintons since he is an avowed socialist that truly believes that the country is better when it has a regulated economy, not the winner takes all one the the repubs have championed for the past 30 years or so. I can hear the heads explode on the right when they hear a real socialist talk about equity and the rigged economy we now have…but they will also hear of the separation of church and state…something the christian taliban here just can’t abide. I am happy that Bernie is now in the conversation…there will now be ideas talked about, not just personalities…go Bernie!
April 30th
Well….running a little late today for some reason that I don’t know…oh, did the grocery run today…slept okay last night but no dreams again and that is getting boring…feel okay this morning, though, and that is strange in itself…I am a little disappointed that the Wings lost last night but I’ll talk about that later…didn’t get a lot done yesterday but fix two flats on the bike…got a little shard of metal in the sidewall that just missed the tube protectors and then had the new tube fail at the seam where it is welded together…what a pain…so I cut the ride short and got back here before it went flat which saved me a 5 mile walk back here…going to do a long ride to day to make up for it….not much to do today…might get my hair cut in a few since they have a half price sale going on but that is about it…more later…
A little more Red Wings…
Well….it’s game 7 day and I thought I’d do a little commentary before the game tonight…it doesn’t look good for the Wings with Kronwall getting suspended for tonight’s game for a open ice hit on one of the Lightning….no penalty given on that play but the league thought it was a hit to the head…I could see there was a little bit of an elbow but what about the two guys on the Lightning that left their feet to slam Abby into the wall? That hit was worse and they are still playing so I don’t understand the disparity in the penalties. It’s as if the league just doesn’t want the Wings to win…yeah, I know…one guy being out shouldn’t cause the team to lose but when the teams are evenly matched, losing one of your best defensemen can tip the contest pretty easily. But, that just how it is now and Kindle will have to step up and play his best game ever…only one last thing to say…Let’s go Red Wings!