I am 72 years old. I am nine and five years younger than the presumed presidential candidates of our two major political parties. I work out at a gym six days a week. Weather permitting, I ride my bike an hour per day. I work on my balance daily. I keep my mind active. I eat reasonably well, and I drink very little alcohol. Despite this, I cannot imagine having the wherewithal or the energy to fulfil the duties of the president, let alone the rigors of a presidential campaign.
How did we get to this point where two guys who are well past retirement age are the primary choices as our next president?
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The Men’s NCAA tournament starts tonight with two play-in games. I still haven’t taken any steps to fill out a bracket. During the last few years, I have found my interest in the tournament waning. It started when the tournament was cancelled during Covid.
Maybe it is because Michigan has been so sorry the last two years. Maybe it is because the B1G hasn’t won a national championship since MSU in 2000. Maybe it is because I just don’t care, and it is not important considering all the other insanity going on in our country and world. I still have a day to decide. I will see what happens.
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I am starting to get pumped up about the start of baseball season. I have already bet on the Tigers to win more than 81 games and to win the Central Division. (I am playing with house money because of winning my bet last year) For the first time in 8-10 years, the Tigers have depth at most positions, which as we learned last year is critical over a 162-game season. The starting pitching appears to be solid; defense should be above average. The big question is hitting, which should be much better than last year.
The Tigers are going to be playing meaningful games in late September when Tiger and Lion fever will be overlapping. September is going to be fun.
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The reason our country has not dealt with the deficit and immigration during the last 50 years is that our political leaders do not have the willingness to do what is right.
As individuals, we must spend within our means, or we end up in bankruptcy. Hard decisions must be made, or we suffer the consequences. All fifty of our states must create a balanced budget. If it can be done at the state level by disparate politicians, why can’t it be done at the national level?
As it relates to immigration, it is my opinion that both political parties can agree on 90% of the issues that are involved. Rather than developing and approving policies that build off the 90%, they let politics get in the way because they are afraid who will get the credit.
As I have learned about leadership, if one is not worried about who gets the credit, the amount one can accomplish is unlimited.
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Why is it so hard for the Michigan legislature to come up with transparency rules that make sense? The Republicans controlled both branches of the state legislature most of the last 40 years, many of those included a Republican governor. The Democrats controlled both branches last year plus the governorship. The state ranks 49 out of 50 in transparency, yet neither party wants to do something about it.
With the proposed 28% cut in the Office of the Auditor General Office, transparency is only going to get worse.
Our U.S. Congress has much stricter transparency laws than the Michigan legislature and governor have. It makes me ask the Question of the Day. What are they hiding from us?
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Quote of the Day: Timothy O’Brien of Bloomberg notes that Trump’s desperate need for cash makes him even more of a national security threat than his retention of classified documents made it clear he already was. “[T]he going is likely to get rough for Trump as this plays out,” O’Brien writes, “and he’s likely to become more financially desperate with each passing day,” making him “easy prey for interested lenders—and an easy mark for overseas interests eager to influence US policy.” From Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American.
Orchid of the Day: Executive Chair Bill Ford and his wife, Lisa, are leading a $10 million campaign to establish permanent endowments for 10 nonprofit groups serving Detroit-area youth. The effort, founded in partnership with the Children’s Foundation, will manage the new endowments, offer the nonprofits financial, technical and fundraising assistance for at least two years, and provide the organizations with “drop-in space” inside the station to access what’s intended to be an ecosystem of innovation.
Onion of the Day: Michigan’s men’s basketball team. Since the firing of Juwan Howard, they have lost two starters, a backup point guard to the transfer portal. In a addition their five star recruit has decommitted.
Question of the Day: See above story.
Video of the Day: Try not to smile or tap your feet. I am confident you will not succeed.
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