A New Mental Disease in America

Never mind the predictions of climate change destroying us; we are facing a much larger problem at the present. There is a recently diagnosed mental illness afflicting millions of Americans at present. Most of the afflicted do not even realize they are infected, but almost all of them display symptoms of some sort. Upon discovery by renowned researchers in the field, this disease is now known as Trump Deranged Syndrome, or TDS for short. Victims of this mental disease have been diagnosed in all 50 US States and many parts of Europe; to date, most continents have turned up at least some people exhibiting the systems of TDS. Remarkably, Russia has been spared from this disease so far, probably due to the high consumption of Vodka, which for reasons not yet known seem to have spared their citizens from coming down with the disease. That, and they don't speak English very well.

This disease presented itself in Autumn 2016 and spread rapidly after election night of the same year. TDS is unusual in that it can manifest itself in many different ways, including but not limited to:

• Extreme depression, lack of energy, lethargy, and/or intestinal distress
• Violent mood swings
• Increased urge to riot, burn and destroy
• Dressing in unusual apparel meant to mimic female genitalia
• Sobbing, crying, sitting down in public and shouting NO, NO, NO at no one in particular
• Increased social media interaction, commenting on or sharing memes of left-leaning websites
• Delusional behavior resulting in imagined conspiracies, such as Russian election interference
• Believing impeachment of a sitting US President is the only salvation for America
• Desiring bigger government with higher tax rates
• Emotional outbursts when apparel known as MAGA hats are displayed
• Ejecting peaceful customers from restaurants for their political beliefs
• Shielding faces with hoodies and do-rags while rioting
• Refusal to believe facts such as stock market increases and low unemployment numbers

TDS has been studied by population, and certain commonalities have been noted:

• States known as "Blue States" contain a much larger affected population
• Large urban areas contain the largest numbers of afflicted
• Coastal regions are very susceptible
• The entire western coast of the continental US is grossly infected
• People with college degrees are much more likely to contract the disease; the more advanced the degree, the more susceptible the individual is
• Media and newspaper reporters are especially vulnerable
• The less common sense an individual has, the more likely they are to contract the disease
• Journalism schools appear to be able to spontaneously germinate the disease in students
• Many victims still live with their parents long after adulthood, often for decades

Noted psychologist I. Dunno Feelgood of St. Bedlams Institute for the Mentally Disturbed says this disease is hard to treat and the prognosis for cure is poor. He also predicts the disease will spike in 2020 to higher numbers then ever before, and then almost completely disappear on or about January 20, 2025. A new variation of the disease is expected to emerge at that time.

Various treatments and medicines have failed to lessen the devastation TDS wreaks on its victims. If you encounter a person with obvious TDS, you are warned to limit your conversation to talking about puppies and the weather. Anything beyond that may trigger an uncontrollable TDS seizure, which has the effect of bringing a euphoric sense of victory to the victim while causing normal sane people to question how many brain cells are left functioning inside the cranium of a TDS victim.

Let's be careful out there, folks. This disease is dangerous.

Alexandria, Andrew and Amazon

Off the record, it's called corporate welfare. But it's a reality in the times we live in. Every village, every town and every city in every state is competing to bring business in because business equates to money injected into the local economy in the name of jobs. Jobs that pay a measurable margin above minimum wage are most desirable because they bring educated and skilled workers along with them, and this equates to a good standard of living and thusly a healthy community. It also has the side effect of keeping local taxes stable and when taxes are stable, communities flourish.

Business, however, is not like business used to be. To remain profitable, they have to compete in the marketplace. This means they have to be able to produce and distribute their product and then be able to sell it at a profit. If business, any business does not make a profit, they do not last long. Raising prices is the last thing a business wants to do because they know competition is fierce and if they price themselves out of the ballpark, sales will drop and consequently profits. So they look to lower their internal costs any way they can.

The highest cost a business has to deal with is their human resources, period. The more people you have on the payroll, the higher the cost of doing business. So it is no surprise that business will automate everything it can to lower costs. There is a line, however. There will be employees and there will be a payroll.

When a company like Amazon lets it be known they are looking to establish a regional presence, the political wooing begins. With an estimated 25,000 jobs to barter with, Amazon sat back and considered the offers. And there were plenty of them, to be sure. Boston, Chicago, San Diego, New York City ... not to mention the southern states set up with lower tax schedules than the bigger blue states. Along with doing business in a blue state comes the reality that it is usually over-regulated more than red states are. (This is one contributing reason business down south is doing better than up north.)

I confess I was surprised and amazed that Andrew Cuomo seemed to have won the competition to have Amazon locate in New York; Queens was the selected location. Andrew Cuomo is not on my Christmas card list, but I gave him credit for winning the competition. The nay-sayers attacked him for the deal he gave them (3 Billion in tax credits and incentives along with squashing local regulatory controls, just to mention a couple of gems in the package), but overall bringing in 25,000 jobs is no minor accomplishment.

It was a short-lived victory. About a month or so after the announcement, Amazon pulled out. And as the story unfolds, now we're learning why. It seems the new Congresswoman from Queens (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez aka AOC) kind of pissed on the deal to the point where Amazon decided it would not be in their best interests to relocate to Queens after all. The bidding war looks to be back on, but anybody with a brain should realize Amazon already had a plan B, C and D in reserve. The smaller municipalities (like Oneida County) can save their ink, paper and stamps and skip wooing Amazon. Simply put, it ain't us... It ain't happening here.

Like Yogi Berra says, It's like deja-vu all over again. The first thing that came to mind was how our County Executive Anthony Picente (aka Fearless Leader from the cartoon Rocky and Bullwinkle) did worse: He actually built the building before having the company pull out of the deal leaving OC taxpayers holding the empty NANO bag, bond debt and all. But he had help ... Boris "Brindisi" Badenov and Natasha "Destito" Fatale have their fingerprints all over it too.

There is a silver lining in the cloud. Now Democrats are going after AOC for ruining the deal, and we all know there is nothing better than watching liberals tear up liberals. It saves wear and tear on Republicans when Democrats shit where they eat.

Is the deal salvageable? I have no crystal ball and won't bother to prognosticate about that. But I will make a bet, and that is AOC is going to have a real hard time in less than 2 years when she runs for re-election. She has her own party that is pissed-off at her to contend with before she has to deal with the other party candidate - and I'm thinking there is going to be a Republican candidate on the ballot next time. That's a double whammy, and for the new kid on the block, that's a critical mistake to have made so early in her career. I'm thinking she is going to be a flash-in-the-pan anomaly; here today, gone tomorrow.

And, FWIW, the New Green Deal is almost guaranteed DOA. Mitch McConnell is going to bring it to a vote, but he already knows the outcome. Not only is it going to go down, it is going to go down in flames and the upside of calling the vote is that the American public will now have on record as to who voted for it and who voted against it.

And 2020 isn't all that far off. Barring any unforeseen tremors and if history is any predictor, Trump will be re-elected ... and I wouldn't be surprised if he brings the House back to Republican leadership at the same time. Not to mention, odds are this President will have another Supreme Court nominee if I'm reading the tarot cards right. That is going to set the tone and pace for judicial decisions for decades to come, and after considering how screwed up this country is, I'm not thinking this is a bad thing.

But for now, I'm going to sit back with a bag of popcorn and enjoy watching Andrew Cuomo and NYC Mayor de Blasio rag on AOC for pissing in their Amazon Wheaties.

I'm betting it's going to be a show to remember.

God Forbid the Rich Leave

Irony can be a real bitch. I've lived in New York State all my life, but I see the writing on wall. In a few short years, I won't. My wife and I are planning to fully retire in the next few years. The clock is ticking and we've begun looking into states that have a much better tax climate than NYS.

Don't get me wrong; I've lived in my house at the same location for over 40 years and I love my small corner of the vineyard. I've been blessed beyond expectation. But New York has reshuffled the deck over the years, and not for the better. I'm not Albert Einstein, but like others, I've come to realize NYS is a poor place to live in retirement. The population has been steadily decreasing for decades (especially upstate), and the reason why is pretty clear: NYS owns the title to being the worst state to live and retire in; it's #50 out of 50 United States and considering how far gone California is, that fact is pretty sad.

There are numerous websites that will confirm my words. Forbes, Kipplingers and Freedominthe50states are just some sources that reinforce my words. It's so bad NY has become #1 in population loss; about 50,000 people booked out of NYS last year. (That's just one year!) Andrew Cuomo would have us believe it's because of the weather. If he had only used the word climate instead of weather, he'd have been right. Andy baby, it's not the weather, it's the climate. The tax climate. The anti-gun climate. The pro-choice abortion climate. And so on ... You even have the brass balls to say I and others like me are not even welcome in this state. Yeah, vaffanculo, Mr. Cuomo.

And that's the problem when people leave. Not only do they leave a hole when they leave (NY is scheduled to lose 2 US Congressional seats after the 2020 census), they take their money with them. Often, that's a lifetime accumulation of money, and when they go, that is money that is not going to be spent or taxed in NYS anymore. The real hit is the loss of money because that means those that remain are going to pay more in taxes, not less.

It's not conservative policies that are driving up NY taxes, it's liberal policies. It's not conservative policies that drive people out of NYS, it's liberal policies. And of course, conservatives don't run NYS, liberals do. And worse, they don't have a clue as to a solution. As politicians tend to do when the hooey hits the fan, they start pointing fingers and blaming others.

In Andrew Cuomo's case, he is now blaming Donald Trump's tax cuts for the almost $3 billion shortfall in the budget. This is, of course patent bullshit. It's not Donald Trump, Mr. Governor. It's you. After decades of big tax and big spend policies, after years of 3 men in a room hacking out budget compromises, the seeds you have sowed have grown. And what a miserable crop they turned out to be. Not only do we pay the highest sales tax rate in Upstate, but we pay high income and property taxes on top of that, and yes - you're responsible in part because you force the local schools and municipalities to tax the shit out of us for your unfunded mandates.

What's more, I thought you and your ilk said Trump's tax cuts benefited the rich. Why, if they truly did, that's more incentive to stay here, not leave. Which is it? The tax cuts hurt NY by letting the rich pay less in taxes ... or the other way around? Do rich people have an incentive to stay here by paying less, or ... Just which way is it, Andrew?

Now it's even worse. Now you have complete 1 party control in NYS and this is not going to end well. Yeah, now Carl 'Montel Williams' Heastie, Andrea 'Moms Mabley' Stewart-Cousins and Andy 'Kaufman' Cuomo are going to sit in the room and now there's absolutely nothing stopping you. When great comedians like those get together, you would think the jokes are going to be pretty good. When the curtain next month lifts, I'm thinking the joke is going to be on us ... again.

So, Uncle Andy, you have a problem: Your current budget is doing down faster than Rosie O'Donnell on a see-saw. You need more revenue, and I'm only curious as to where you are going to get it. Now you've come to realize that you can't afford to lose rich people anymore, because their small numbers pay the lions share of taxes already. Every once in a while you let your guard down and say what you really think; we saw that already with your 'America was never that great' quote. But your latest quip, God forbid the rich leave was really telling. I'm sorry to say, you're a little late already. They've been setting sail for years now. If you don't believe me, just ask Tom Golisano, the Paychex billionaire and (former) NYS resident. He left over 10 years ago and wrote a nice essay about his reasons why. I couldn't find it on the web again, so I'll just post this syracuse.com article from 10 years ago. (He's saving almost $14,000/day just by domiciling outside NYS; thank God he's still donating to his charities here like his Children's Hospital) ...

It's tough to leave a place you've lived at for a long time. It's tough to pull up roots and leave your friends and family behind. Yes, we'll be back from time to time. But please know and understand that the liberal policies stemming from downstate control of upstate for decades ... are the primary reason ~50,000 people chose to leave NYS last year.

God forbid if you ever make it to the White House, Andrew. I don't know where to move should a national tragedy like that occur.

UFO Sightings in Upstate NY Recently

Something strange has been happening recently in Upstate NY. The Governor's airplane has been here in Oneida County at least 3 times in the last few weeks. Lo and behold, we have suddenly been blessed with the presence of the Governor lately. If he's not here telling us how to weather a snowstorm (which turned out to be a nothing-burger), or looking at creek flooding and threatening to sue a railroad that uses a bridge crossing said creek ... Well, today, the last day of January, he's looking at a water main break and patting construction crew workers on the back with the advice 'keep up the good work.'

Suddenly, Central NY is on Andrew Cuomo's radar screen. Since his airplane is not here very often, some people (even me, a FAA-certificated Commercial Pilot) mistake it for a UFO. We're not used to the Governor topping off the tanks at Griffiss International Airport. Speaking of which, I'm not sure the International part of that name is really getting heavy use.

I confess, I was confused for at least 3 seconds as to why he's suddenly showing a great interest in the Mohawk Valley and it's surrounding area. Then it hit me: There was an election last Autumn and he got his brains beat out at the polls upstate. He was beaten severely, almost as if a burly laborer pummeled him about the head and shoulders. Well, figuratively, anyway.

Many people don't pay attention to elections results unless something remarkable happens. And the local newspaper can't be trusted to tell us Democrat horror stories. So when I discovered how poorly Andrew Cuomo and his Lt. Governor candidate actually did in Oneida County last fall, then I understood why he's suddenly so interested in building up his numbers Upstate again. Out of 62 counties in NY State, Andrew Cuomo won only 15 of them. Upstate  (north of West Point) he only won 6 counties. And most all of those 6 counties went to him because of a large city (larger than 100,000 population) present in the county.

But Oneida County was especially brutal to Andrew. About 81,000 votes were cast, and he only got about 28,000 votes out of that. His major-party opponent got about 45,000 votes and the rest went to small 3rd party candidates. He didn't lose by a whisker, he got the snot beat out of him. Even US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand outpolled him by more than 10,000 votes in Oneida County, and she's not real popular upstate.

2020 is a Presidential election year and Andrew says he's not running. Well, take that with a grain of salt. Maybe he isn't, maybe he is. Maybe he's waiting to see if a Democratic superstar emerges from the pack. So far, the pack looks pretty lame. Besides, there's always a Veep slot to be filled, and running for Vice-President is completely risk-free for Cuomo. If he loses, he's still the Governor.

So, the next time you think you see a fancy UFO, maybe with a contrail, don't be fooled. It's probably just Andrew Cuomo burning up some more Jet-A fuel coming in to help us poor and distraught Upstate New Yorkers. Well, those of us who haven't left yet, due to the weather.

UFOs? Yup, with at least one ET on board. Oh, thanks for your advice on how to fix water main breaks, Andrew. I'm sure they couldn't have done it without you.

Drain the Swamp? Suggestion: Start With These People

Thank you, Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Yes, that's right. Not a mistake; sincerely I want to really thank you. Thank you, Notorious RBG.

Oh, not for your predictable liberal left-wing views and votes; rather, thank you for not retiring during Barack Obama's 8 years. Thank you for not being able to think far enough ahead like a seasoned chess player. Thank you for not retiring and allowing Barack Obama to replace you with a younger version of yourself; one that would probably sit on the court for decades or, at least longer than Donald Trump will be President. Speaking of Trump, thank you for gambling that he would never be elected. And thank you for some really (now hilarious) quotes; to wit:

• 7Jul 2016, about the possibility of Trump winning: "I don't want to think about that possibility, but if it should be, then everything is up for grabs."
• 8Jul 2016: "I can't imagine what this place would be - I can't imagine what the country would be - with Donald Trump as our President." Followed by "Now it's time to move to New Zealand."
• 11Jul2016: "He is a faker. He has no consistency about him. He says whatever comes into his head at the moment. He really has an ego. How has he gotten away with not turning over his tax returns?"

Well, RBG, I'm not a lawyer. You are, and before I'd ask how somebody has "gotten away" with something that infers a crime, perhaps I'd see what the law says about it. Hint, RBG: The law is silent about it. Considering all the comments you made about Trump (nothing like jaundicing yourself) , these other quotes of yours really seem ironic:

• "Judges should refrain on commenting about a candidate for public office."
• "I would not look to the U.S. Constitution if I were drafting a constitution in 2012."

Well, those comments take the guesswork out of how you got nicknamed Notorious RBG, although it's better than your other nickname floating around the internet, Darth Bader Ginsburg. With such progressive thinking like that, I wondered how your conscience justified taking an oath to uphold the Constitution, seeing as it is clearly not one you like very well. Oh, I still wonder, by the way.

We're flesh and blood mortal human beings and our days are numbered. Sooner or later, we all shuffle the mortal coil. I hear your health is not very good lately, and for the record I don't wish sickness or death on people, even those I don't respect or personally like. We hear rumors that you might not make it to see Trump re-elected. Lately we notice you're not sitting on the bench with the other justices, and further rumor has it some of the more morbid White House visitors are already casting lots for your ... robe.

I'll miss you, RBG. Oh, for about a tenth of a millisecond, at least. Then I will fall back on those famous words to everything there is a season and consider that, for whatever reason you chose, you didn't think you'd have to worry about your replacement ... that Trump would never be President ... that the thing you accused Trump of having (an ego) is also one of your weaknesses.

So, for not resigning, I thank you. It looks like you intend to go out feet first, as is your privilege as written in that old, musty document called the constitution. You know, the one you'd never draft if you were the writer.

Which, thank god, you're not able to do. Although you did try to put your fingerprints on the Bill of Rights a few times ... you remember, Heller v District of Columbia (Amendment 2)? The legality of displaying the 10 commandments in a public park (Amendment 1)? No, Ruth. Thank god your attempts to rewrite the Bill of Rights fell short.

I'll close by commenting on Chief Justice Robert's comments when he stated that there are no 'Obama judges or Trump Judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges'  when he tried to defend the the judiciary as independent. Yeah, right. (Do you really think Americans are that stupid, John?). After watching the Kavanaugh circus, where the Democrats lowered the bar to the bottom of the ocean floor trying to derail his confirmation, it is patently obvious that conservative Presidents nominate conservative judges, and liberal Presidents nominate liberal judges. Otherwise, the Senate Republicans and Democrats would not squabble about it in such a partisan way. Oh yeah, Obamacare is a tax too, even when it was specifically titled as anything but a tax. Thanks, John Roberts. You were the only one out of nine that came up with that reasoning.

Gee, I wonder how your successor will be, Ruth. No, I'm kidding. We can probably safely bet ... he or she will not follow your legacy.

Live long and prosper.

PS: I considered going to watch the syrupy homily Hollywood produced about you, you know, the RBG movie. But I was busy that night re-primering the Jeep.

PPS: I hear the weather in New Zealand is awesome this time of year.

Dear Anthony Brindisi

Hello, Congressman Brindisi.

Yes, I wince when those words are assembled together, but you won NY's 22nd Congressional District race and as such, you are entitled to them for the next 2 years. Or more, maybe. We'll see. As you can probably deduce, I'm not a big fan of yours. I also know how fast 2 years ticks by, and we'll revisit you then. In the meanwhile, here's a reality check for you.

If you don't already know it, you're in a tough position. You reside in the proverbial location known as somewhere between a rock and a hard place. Out of over 248,000 votes cast, you won by less than 4,000. 3968, if the final numbers are right. It was a close race, 50.9% to 49.1%. It's hardly a mandate, especially considering over $14 million dollars were poured into your campaign, much of it from outside New York State. With the help of a clearly biased local newspaper, you eked out a win.

As you finish out your first week in Congress, I note you've made a few bad choices already.

The big mistake you have already made was throwing away your vote for Speaker of the House. Joe Biden isn't a Congressman and wasn't even in the running. If this wasn't a political stunt, then nothing ever is, or has been. Yes, you told us you were not going to support Nancy Pelosi for Speaker. But you didn't tell us you were going to throw away your vote for Bozo Biden either. You could have at least joined with some other Democrats and actually used your 22nd District vote for good. You chose to throw it away and that's just plain goofy. We're not fooled, and we're certainly not amused either.

Besides, we kind of already know how your relationship with Nancy is, and if I were a betting man, I'd put money that you are going to dance the Nancy Pelosi tango practically right away. After all, she did pump  ... $14,000 into your campaign, didn't she? We'll be watching, Anthony.

New York State is a blue state, but Upstate New York isn't very blue. Nobody knows that better than Andrew Cuomo, who skated into the Governor's mansion for the 3rd time ... winning only 15 out of 62 NY Counties. Upstate, he won 6. That's pretty shabby and if there were an electoral college in NYS, he'd be out of a job right now.

Considering the kakistocracy (yes, it's a real word, google it) in place in our state, it's no wonder we're suffering a population exodus of epic proportion in the last few decades. In Oneida County alone, the numbers show we've lost about 7% of our population since 2000. In real numbers, that's more than 2 people a day, every day of every year leaving Oneida County (and NY State) for good. This doesn't bode well for you, Anthony. You're the new kid on the block and you barely squeaked into office. NY State has 27 Congressional Districts at the moment, but this is 2019 and next year there is going to be another federal census. At the moment we're projected to lose 2 seats cutting it to 25 districts. Number 1, this means the footprint of the districts are going to get larger and number 2, it means some of the current incumbents are going to be in the Congressional bread line in a short few years. Do you think you're going to survive? You barely won, Anthony. Upstate may be fickle, but it comes back to its senses sooner or later.

Besides, some of your Assembly positions didn't really set well with some people. Sponsoring the late-term abortion bill didn't earn you bonus points with many undecided voters. Abortion is probably the last thing a Roman Catholic Assemblyman should have taken a hard stance on, but you did. Why you chose to support the wholesale slaughter of developed viable human beings in utero is something only your conscience can come to terms with. Abortion is an unpopular political topic in any event, and this country is divided over it. Roe v Wade didn't legalize it; it only decided that it was a state decision, not a federal decision. And, as legal matters go, it got warped the more and more it was handled by different courts. Until the Supreme Court revisits this (if they ever do), expanding it to making the murder of  human beings during birth legal ... is probably not a political position you want to brag about to your constituents.

Let's talk about money in politics. I'm not entirely sure how much was spent on your campaign, but something over $14 million is the number floated around internet sources. The 22nd Congressional District has a little over 720,000 (about 1/3 of them actually balloted) residents. You could have sent every person in the district $20 with money like that. I'm sure some people would have appreciated it more than those awful PAC ads in slow-motion black and white contorting the views and faces of the opposition ... and yes, in this case, both sides are guilty. Those ads turn stomachs, Anthony, and if there's anything that I will support you on, it'd be changing the PAC system via McCain-Feingold (what a joke) to kill that vile character assassination the general populace is subjected to every 2 years.

Besides, are you going to try to tell us you're independent ... that you can work with both sides, when you have a $14mil political debt to repay? Do you think these donors gave it to you out of the goodness of their own hearts? No, Anthony. To the big donors, you're nothing more than a loaf of Wonder Bread on the shelf. They bought you, you took the money and now they're going to come calling every now and then asking you for something, a vote on this, funding for that ... No, Anthony. You sold your soul for the campaign cash and some of these people are going to bare their fangs and let you know it. If you don't curtsy to them nicely, they'll find somebody else to take their money sooner or later. Probably sooner, in your case.

So, Congressman Brindisi, how do you like the job? You're up for re-election almost already, and remember: The President is up for re-election the same year, and he won NY 22 by almost 16 points in his first run. You're facing being on the short list when 2 seats are shaved out of the NY Congressional delegation. I'm not sure the local RINOs like Griffo and Picente will be able to help you next time. Griffo has his own problems, the main one being for the first time ever he's in a minority seat and the shock value of that is probably going to assist him in losing what hair he has left. Picente's choir is not sounding all that enthusiastic lately either, and his seat is up for grabs soon also.

Well, enough for now. You're a freshman, and I guess I should take that into account. But do note NY-22 is paying attention. And we're taking notes, too. See you in less than 2 years.

PS: I'm sure it wasn't intentional, but you probably cost Dave Gordon the county clerks seat with the high Democrat voter turnout in Utica and Rome. So indirectly, every time I wait in an inefficient Oneida County DMV line, I'll think of you when I consider how badly it needed to be fixed and ... wasn't because Sandy DePerno rode your coattails to re-election.