"If you see something, say something."

We are told, "If you see something, say something". This would be good advice, except that the powers that be never seem to pay attention.

The administrators at a Virginia elementary school were warned three times that a six-year-old boy had a gun and was threatening to shoot other students. Three times, by three different people! And still they refused to do anything! The result of this indifference on the part of the administrators was that a teacher ended up getting shot.

Many examples could be cited. Most tragic is how the FBI repeatedly ignored red flags reported to it leading up to 9/11. Two men of middle eastern descent are paying $10K in cash to learn how to fly a plane. And the plane they want to learn to fly is a Boeing 747. And they don't care about learning how to land the plane! C'mon FBI, how many red flags do you need before following up?

And now we have the five members of the SCORPION police unit in Memphis who recently murdered a 29-year-old Black man. It turns out that there were numerous complaints made about how this renegade police unit was harassing Memphis citizens. These folks saw something and were saying something, but the powers that be ignored them.

Most often someone who "says something" is chastised for interfering in other people's affairs. We have a "mind your own business" culture, unlike other countries which have a sense of community that is sadly lacking here.

Why does Tony Dungy still have a job?

Football commentator Tony Dungy has come under fire recently for three different problems. As far as I'm concerned, three stirkes and you should be out.

First, his wooden and passionless work as color commentator for Al Michaels in a recent playoff game has been soundly criticized. His total lack of energy is striking. Everyone watching was excited about the Jaguars' miracle comeback after being down 27-0, but Dungy was unmoved.

Second, he invoked the name of Bills' injured player Damar Hamlin in an anti-abortion rant. Totally classless.

And third, he accused schoolod districts of "putting litter boxes in the school bathrooms for the students who identify as cats. Very important to address every student's needs." A totally snarky and false accusation.

As of now he still has his analyst job, but let's hope NBC comes to its senses soon and gets rid of him.

Thoughts on the Debt Limit

The United States treasury reached the national debt limit last week. The Trearury Secretary says she can get by till June with accounting tricks, but after that, it will be default. Everyone agrees thaat a default would be financially catastrophic.

There are several issues in play here. First, there is no reason to require Congress to approve an increase in the debt limit. It is a complete historical anomoly. The U.S. Treasury is spending money that Congress has already appropriated. If Congress thinks the debt is getting too high, it can adjust its spending and taxing priorities.

Then there is the gross Republican hypocrisy when it comes to fiscal issues. Whenever there is a Democrat in the White House, all of a sudden the GOP pretends to be SO concerned about the budget deficit. But the facts show that the deficit has increased much more under GOP presidents since Reagan took office in 1981. The deficit doubled under Reagan (and the national debt tripled), it increased 67% under Bush I, then Clinton actually eliminated the deficit and produced a healthy surplus, then Bush II left with a deficit of $1.4 trillion, cut in half by Obama, and then tripled by Trump. Details here: https://amarkfoundation.org/us-federal-deficits/

The conservative clique which opposed McCarthy for Speaker are the same folks who would rather default on our federal debt obligations than actually see the U.S. economy survive and thrive. They are akin to terrorists, people who have gone to Washington not to govern, but to blow up the government. And McCarthy is beholden to this group because they stepped aside to allow his election as Speaker on the 15th ballot. Consequently, it is unclear whether the House will be able to take any responsible action on raising the debt ceiling. Stay tuned.

Why the college football ratings are complete garbage

I can pinpoint the exact moment when I came to realize that college football ratings were a bunch of garbage. It was the 1985 season, and the supposed number one team was playing the supposed number two team in a bowl game. And the number two team was a seven-point favorite! How can this be? It is because the people who vote on the rankings are unable to think and reason clearly.

For the record, Penn State was ranked #1 because it was undefeated, and Oklahoma was #2 because it had lost to the #3-ranked Miami Hurricanes, in a game in which its starting QB was hurt. Penn State had played a relatively weaker schedule, and of course, they lost 25-10 to the Sooners in the Cotton Bowl, and the voters were exposed for the idiots they are.

And now, fast forward to 2022, when the voters made a similarly ridiculous decision in putting TCU into the four-team playoffs over Alabama. The pathetic result of this disaster was TCU getting blown out in a complete joke of a final game to Georgia 65-7.