August 16

 We have errands today which I hope won't take very long. We still have intermittent interruptions in our internet service. The company doesn't seem all that interested in really dealing with the problem which really angers me. I don't understand what is going on, why the service goes in and out and why they can tell us it is fixed only to have it go out shortly after. I have started looking at other services so I don't know what is available in our area.

I am always amazed by the ability of politicians to toss a meaningless word salad. Ron DeSantis gave an interview that the morning "news" showed an excerpt of while discussing the new The Former Guy's indictment in Georgia where he moans about using the RICO statutes against TFG. He complained that it wasn't appropriate to use a law passed to attack organized crime. I asked what he didn't understand about the words "crime" and "organized." From what I read of the indictment it was certainly organized to achieve a specific goal and involved criminal activities as defined by statutes. Now all the DA has to do is convince a jury to vote unanimously that her reading of the case is right.

Update: errands done. But we have had two internet interruptions in the last 20 minutes in addition to the one that started just before we left on our rounds. I am so totally pissed.

Bill Astore has an interesting assessment of the political situation. While TFG is bad (I would say that a bit stronger), Biden/Harris are incompetent. I would change that somewhat. Biden isn't really incompetent he is simply operating on an old set of assumptions and behaviors. He claimed when he ran in 2020 that he could work across the aisle to get his programs through. He assumed that there were enough middle-of-the-road, reasonable politicians in both parties to work with. Twenty five years ago he would have been right but not today. In fact not of the last 15 years. That is why I expect a government shut down at the end of September. And if they do pass a budget (a big if) Kevin McCarthy will be ejected from the speakership unless he can convince Democrats to support him.

Unpleasant surprise was the sign at the gas station we usually go to: $4.39/gal. That is an increase of $0.40. Ouch!