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Getting used to getting old

I think that you have to be in your 80’s before you get used to getting old. It takes a while. So, in that respect, I have arrived. Every morning, at around 6 a.m., when I limp into Hogan’s Hut to get the paper and the staff says: “Good morning, Mr. Kidder!”—I realize that my gait and gray hair have given me seniority. It is a part of getting used to being old. Of course, when I meet with old friends there is also that constant reminder. Someone is getting a new knee, someone else is getting used to their new hip, others are seeing an oncologist or orthopedist for ...

Surprising U.S. tax history truths

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Taxes, for instance, have been changing and staying the same ever since Reagan and the 1980s: They’ve been heaven for corporations and the rich, purgatory or worse for everybody else. Now comes a groundbreaking book that looks back not just decades but centuries. It’s Vanessa A. Williamson’s The Price of Democracy: The Revolutionary Power of Taxation in American History. The surprises never stop coming. Surprise No. 1, the Boston Tea Party. We’ve been brainwashed into believing that taxes were the cause. Not so; the Sons of ...

As numbers grow, helpful tips for budding socialists

We would like to offer some helpful tips for our budding socialists. A recent U.S. poll claimed that 55% of U.S. voters under the age of 30 favor socialism, and they complain the economy does not work for them. This begs an obvious question: Why do the 55% claim the economy does not work for them? Are they saying that they are not free to pursue personal dreams because they are taxed to death to support deadbeats? (No, that’s the 45% who oppose socialism.) The 55% apparently believe the government should take from those who produce, and give it to people who do not. How ...

A flaw in the Citizenship Clause

The Fourteenth Amendment is back before the U.S. Supreme Court in a way that presents an issue of extraordinary importance. Yet what’s before the court in Trump v. Barbara isn’t one of the clauses that is often before the court. This time it’s the Citizenship Clause: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the (s)tate wherein they reside.” In this action, birth, not naturalization, is at issue. One specific issue is: What does “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” ...

Daffodils, omelets and Rosemary Clooney

Is it finally Spring? I think Mother Nature might have made up her mind. She has been sort of a brat about it: “Oh let’s give them a nice day that soars above 78 degrees but plunges them down to 19 overnight. And tomorrow, bright sunshine but keep it at a high of 36. That should keep them guessing.” We’ve been guessing alright. I don’t know whether to leave the house in a black down winter jacket, a cardigan sweater or a striped summer tee top. I still have both boots and flip-flops by the front door. I don’t understand how the daffodils and jonquils have put up with it. ...

Some in NATO do nada regarding teamwork

Formed in 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s original purpose was to provide collective security against Soviet aggression, deter Soviet expansionism in Europe, and prevent the revival of German militarism. It aimed to promote political integration and stabilize the region through a strong U.S. presence after World War II.  Its founding members were the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, Belgium Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal. Subsequently 20 additional nations were added, the last two being Finland and Sweden. ...