I WON'T PAY

Photo by Keira Burton from Pexels

I find that the implication that I should pay is totally absurd. Here’s a novel idea. Why not let the person who received the loan repay it. I seem to remember that when I bought a car, I had to pay off the loan myself. How is a tuition loan any different? Of course the collateral can’t be repossessed, but a contract is a contract. Current student debt is $1.39 trillion. And how did it get so great? 

Who qualifies for a federal government student loan?  Almost anyone, citizen or not, can qualify. Although there are some stipulations for non-citizens and those who have been convicted of certain crimes. Interestingly enough, there is no stipulation of income restrictions.  Many recipients of student loans come from upper middle class families. Over $120 billion is provided by the Federal government in student aid.

And what good can come of the government paying off student loans?  Of course the graduate can enter the labor market without a student loan to repay. Wow, good for them! Never mind the fact that many will have degrees with no marketable skills. Consequently, many will be unemployed. And the working Americans who have paid off their tuition debt will be paying them unemployment benefits. However, the country will have a much better educated entitled class! What do we know about entitled classes? They owe their allegiance to their benefactor. And their benefactor In our democratic republic is the political party in power. Creating a larger entitled class ensures greater allegiance to the ruling party. The entitled class show their allegiance in the voting booth. Currently, the Democratic Party is in power. 

This would give me no power. I have no reason to pay. There is no benefit for me. 

The Power of Zuckerbuckd

Nowhere in modern history have we seen the power of the dollar in political contests. The 2020 Presidential election was an prime example of application of capital in determining the outcome of an election. An incumbent President campaigns relentlessly while his opponent is hardly visible. But the supporters of the candidate-in-hiding were clever and without scruples. And they had a well designed plan ready for execution. Only one thing was needed… money, lots of money. Enter a multi-billionaire, Mark Zukerberg. This came as no surprise since Facebook, the brainchild of Zuckerberg, constantly labeled conservative comments as “misinformation”. The cash was distributed from the Chan Zukerberg Initiative to such organizations as the Center for Tech and Civic Life. CTCL is known as a Democratic Party supporter. Money was distributed under the guise “COVID-19 response grants”. However, of this money, earmarked to ensure the safety of pole workers, only 1.9 % actually reached pole workers.The bulk of the funds were used to buy laptops, rent automobiles, attorney fees, and other costs associated with mail-in voting. Election consultants, if I may call them that, have many subtle methods of influencing the vote. On occasion these people would offer their services as voting consultants. They would instruct the locals in voting precinct operations. Usually they would volunteer to fill certain jobs such as supervising the voter registration rolls. They would also canvas prospective voters to determine the voting preferences. They would also visit extended care facilities and use their influence to induce the inhabitants to vote for a particular candidate. All of these efforts were coordinated to produce desired results. The manpower was paid for with Zukerbucks. Zukerbucks were concentrated in Georgia and Wisconsin. Collected data verifies the results of Zukerberg’s investment in the Democratic process. A perfect example of the power of money used in unscrupulous ways in democratic  elections.

An Afternoon in Clinton, New Jersey

It had been a long time since I had been in a barber shop. Actually, I thought they had all become styling salons, particularly after the big hair years of the 1980s. It had been over twenty years since a barber had put his scissors to my hair, when I got the text from Mark saying that he was making haircut appointments  for us at Front Row Barbers at Clinton, New Jersey, I had to agree, although I was quite fond of my well trimmed beard.  Mark, his brother Patrick, and Mark’s son, Nathan, were going to the barber shop and, of course, me. Although I hadn’t seen the inside of a barber shop for a long time did not mean my hair was shoulder length like Patrick’s. My wife, Claudette, had  kept  my  hair  cut  since  our  wedding  in  the  year  2000. Unfortunately, at the age of seventy-seven, I didn’t have much hair on top, but I did have a rather nice looking beard if I might say so myself. That would have to go. Nathan was bearded but Mark was not. The shop was exactly what you would expect in the small New Jersey town.  Small but cozy and clean as a pin. We were welcomed and asked if we wanted any refreshment. I was surprised to find out that the refreshment was bourbon. Mark and Patrick partook but I did not. Bourbon doesn’t mix well with the meds I take. Nathan missed out too—he was in the barber’s chair. 

And then it was my turn to get into the chair. The young barber was personable and quite efficient. He took note of my accent and I had the opportunity to extol the virtues of living in South Carolina. Then he got right down to business, draping me in the protective sheet and tucking paper around my neck. My instructions to him were to remove all the hair from my head except my eyebrows! He followed my instructions to the t. The next sound I heard was the high pitched buzz of an electric razor. He made quick work of removing any stubble left by the clippers. I thought he was finished.  But, I remembered Mark saying that it was to be an old fashioned haircut. The barber put hot lather around my ears and on my neck. He used a straight razor to remove any remaining stubble.  Memories were coming back as I was reclining in the chair.  The witch hazel was cold as ice as he massaged it on my face. I felt the skin on my face tighten up. Then he was gone for a minute or two. He covered my entire face with a hot towel. Not a warm towel but a very, very, hot wet towel. I’m sure it had steam rising from it and I was about to get third degree burns. After my face was properly steamed, he removed the towel and applied the hot lather. With a very sharp straight razor all the facial foliage was removed and another steaming towel removed all traces of lather. I thought I heard an aria from the Barber of Seville. Nah, not in New Jersey. I sat up, got out of the seat and he brushed me off.

Nathan, Patrick, Mark, Tony

It was one of the most pleasurable half hours I’ve ever had!

the Curse of Diego Rivera

When I saw this in the morning paper the title of this post popped in my mind.

TO MASK OR NOT TO MASK

To mask or not to mask? That is the question that permeates virtually every aspect of our society today. The advent of COVID-19, spawned in a Chinese laboratory, has brought this dilemma upon us.

The premise behind wearing a mask as a COVID deterrent is nebulous at best. No data exists to substantiate this claim. However, there is a certain psychological gratification in that you may feel that you are helping yourself avoid contracting the virus. This should be a simple choice for an individual who wishes to wear a mask or not. 

Oh, but if things could be so simple. Once the government gets involved, complications arise. Mask mandates abound. Nowhere is this more evident than in the public education system.The state of South Carolina has attached mask regulation to funds earmarked for public education. I consider this a strong-arm tactic. Individual school districts should decide whether to mask or not. After all, their ruling boards are elected by the people in their respective districts. The quarantine rules are at best ridiculous. If a student is exposed to a student who tested positive for the virus he is quarantined for two weeks regardless if he is vaccinated or not.  Is he being punished for being vaccinated? It would appear so. I feel that many of the seemingly mindless regulations are due to sometimes inept, inaccurate, and  untrue information spread by various governments and the ever-present news and social media.  

In my opinion school should be open as usual with certain precautions.

• regular screening of the school population 

• masks mandate (although there is no verifiable evidence that masks actually work)

• ONLY students testing positive for COVID quarantined

The education process needs to continue. Most students are already a year behind. Although home instruction via computer is helpful, it doesn't adequately replace classroom instruction for all students. Home schooling options would be still available for those who would like to provide this type of instruction for their children.

The probability of a child contracting COVID is  0.0004%.

Should we punish our children for this small probability. I don’t think so.  They are currently a year behind in a less than sterling education system.