Merv's Politically Incorrect Audio Blog

I always tell people that the best fiscal conservatives/libertarians have these beliefs:

• Privatize Social Security/Medicare and most of these government Ponzi schemes.
• Repeal the 16th amendment.
• Shut down so many government departments that I do not think should federalize (Dept of Education).

Of course when I say these comments (the SS/Medicare one) to the stereotypical boomer here in FL they all start becoming defensive saying "They pay into Social Security/Medicare and they are entitled to it." I'm like why the government can handle other people's monies for retirement when they can't keep run a budget! And I also advised I never consent to the government taking money from my paycheck. In my eyes the SS/Medicare payroll deductions are in violation of the 16th amendment (since they aren't considered Federal Income Tax) and I do believe it deserves to be heard by SCOTUS IMO.

Too bad W couldn't get Social Security privatized back in the late 2000s, it was needed then and more than needed now. Then again, the GOP will not talk about it since they know their base of older voters love those government programs (I mean I am in the land of FL).

 

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Lots of things can happen between now and primary time.

Unless they keep him out of the public eye and with no speeches for the next year, appearances may be detrimental. Cognitive decline is not something people will vote for.

As for someone strong enough. Well, that is a challenge. Yet someone will be supported by the powers of the party and folks will fall in line.

 

Depending on the depth of the decline it's not super hard to hide by just limiting to scripted speeches, which would probably be enough for the primary unless some unexpectedly strong challenger emerges and they have to really put him out there

 

So this big cocaine scandal is about 208 milligrams or about 1/16th of a teaspoon of coke.

Maybe someone sneezed

 

Someone read that recent WSJ article.

 

The reader comments for that article is why the article exist in the first place.

 

Except when it is on a world stage, scripted or not........................ there will be fuckups!

Whether this enough for leading democrats to push a different candidate, well, we will see. Just an opinion like lots of others out there.

 

I'll say the same thing that I tell my 20-something kids... if you don't want your future screwed, then stop voting for your grandparents. 30 yrs ago the idea of voting a first term president in his 70's was laughable (Reagan was 70 and no one wanted to vote for a grandparent again after watching his deterioration in his 2nd term)... so we got HW (64), Clinton (46), W (54), Obama (47)... and then...

Trump was 70... if he wins the nomination (shudder), then he would be 79 if elected.
Biden was 78... he'll be 83 at the start of his next term.

I know 60 is the new 30, but WTF people!

 

Sadly, here in Canada all of our party leaders are relatively young. And they are still all clowns.

 

I just turned 71. I don't quite know where oldness comes from, though I wrinkles and stuff is obviously fairly inevitable.

Thing is, I find myself thinking old. Even not caring too much about stuff because, hey, I won't live long. I won't bother about doing something: I'm old.

When I catch myself out, and realise what I'm doing, one of things I tell myself is that I am a lot younger than the President of the USA --- and he hasn't stopped doing stuff!

So guys, help me. Go on electing your grandfathers. I need the example.

(Oh, but not the nauseating orange one. Anything but that.)

 

Funny - A friend who does neuro-surgery related something or another - vague description because I don't fully understand what he does - and I were talking about how his biggest complaint about US politics is that most of the US leadership in both parties have what he sees as obvious forms of mental degradation, disease, etc. Most likely simply due to the fact that the brain will inevitably start to degrade for the vast majority of people over 60. All things he or his colleagues could easily point out in a MRI scan if they were seeing any other patient. And are also well accepted by the medical community and easily referenced in a neuro-whatever book / resource. He then gave me a few examples and grabbed a few books within arms reach to show the examples to me.

I don't say this offensively towards any of the older members here or even just people in my life - hopefully I make it to 60+ too where this will also impact me - but it did make me think - why do we allow this? 2nd biggest power in the world - probably China - does explicitly bar officials from top cabinet / politburo positions if they're over 66?? years old. IIRC many other G20 nations do too - often with mandatory retirement ages after 60 or the early 60s.

After thinking about it more, I don't want a blanket ban by age alone for the US, but I would not be opposed to requiring elected officials at the national and probably state level, of all ages, to get said MRI scans - although I already know this will inevitably impact the vast majority that are over 60. Then, if you have more than 1 or 2 (or whatever criteria) forms of mental degradation - as reviewed by a panel of neuro experts of all political parties - you're out at the end of your term, or MAYBE plus 1 last term if you win re-election - and then you're barred from running afterwards. On the flip side, yes, this is absolutely discriminatory in some way - but IMO the future and stability of what is currently the worlds largest super power that for better or worse grants stability to the world and consequently enables via this stability the well being of probably at least 3B+ people, is MUCH more important than "oh no!!!! there was 1 super corner case of discrimination... against a tiny pool of less than 1000 people... who are probably corrupt... and are PUBLIC officials who already write potentially discriminatory laws and then explicitly exempt themselves anyways". Granted, I'm sure this would never happen as none of these people want to vote themselves out of their insider trading gigs their jobs. I should also say that I do not think it should apply to private orgs as long as they aren't publicly funded and/or "above X level".

 

OMG @penguins being an Autist again.

 

^

RRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Y THEY HAVE OLD PPL BOOMERS IN OFFICE?!?!!?!?

 

I’m 64. You’re spot-on.

 

If old leaders are an issue in society, well then add the problem Japan has.

In the Netherlands buying your first house and starting a family are becoming criminally expensive. It is a matter of time and the low birth rate issue will hit countries like the Netherlands too. Add the rising costs of living for young and old people and maintaining welfare systems for everybody.

Meanwhile the green lobbies/action groups want a cleaner earth without giving up their iPhones and iPads.

I talked about the future dilemmas with one of my best friends. We both just want to race out of future poverty and build something of value before it is too late. There are many scenarios. Whatever happens, trusting the grey haired foxes or the green neo-hippies is not an option for me and my friends.

No cash-flow, nothing happens. I hope the new political leaders will have accounting skills and a bitter taste of poverty to remind them of the worst case scenarios.