The Commentariat -- April 4, 2021

Afternoon Update:

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Sunday are here: "Vaccinations against Covid-19 may be accelerating in the United States, but the Biden administration's intervention at a troubled plant that ruined millions of vaccine doses, along with the continuing threat of dangerous variants of the coronavirus, suggest that the road to defeating the virus is likely to take many unpredictable twists and turns. Saturday marked the first time the country reported more than four million Covid-19 doses in a single day, bringing the average to higher than three million people for the first time, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On the same day, the fallout continued over a debacle at a Baltimore contract plant that ruined 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The Biden administration put Johnson & Johnson in charge of the facility and moved to stop the facility from making another vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca...."

The Little White Card -- and More. Concepción de León of the New York Times: "Here's everything you need to know about your vaccine record, why it';s important and how to keep it safe."

An Easter Message from the Pope. Elisabetta Povoledo of the New York Times: "Pope Francis delivered his annual 'Urbi et Orbi' ('To the City and to the World') Easter message to a small group of the faithful inside St. Peter's Basilica on Sunday.... The pope delivered the message after presiding over Easter Mass in the presence of about 200 worshipers. Francis spoke of the economic and social hardships that many people, and especially the poor, are experiencing because of the pandemic.... He also addressed the continuing armed conflicts, unrest and increased military spending in Myanmar, Syria, Yemen, Nigeria and other regions and nations. As he has in the past, the leader of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics called on the international community 'in a spirit of global responsibility' to ensure that everyone has access to vaccines, which he called 'an essential tool' in the fight against the pandemic. Delivery delays had to be overcome to 'facilitate their distribution, especially in the poorest countries,' Francis said."

Marie: I purposely have not linked reports on What Donald Trump Said Today, but here's one to sum it all up in one fell foul swoop: ~~~

     ~~~ An Easter Message from the Dope. David Jackson of USA Today: "... Donald Trump marked Easter weekend by attacking his political enemies, repeating false claims about the election, and calling for a boycott of Major League Baseball and other corporations that oppose Georgia's new election law. 'Happy Easter to ALL, including the Radical Left CRAZIES who rigged our Presidential Election, and want to destroy our Country!' Trump said in a written statement early Sunday."

Peter Jamison of the Washington Post: "... the family and friends of Thomas 'Tommy' Bloom Raskin, son of Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.), came together Saturday morning to remember the young man, who died by suicide. The memorial service was tailored to prevent communicable disease: Eulogists stood by turns on a stage in a parking lot outside RFK Stadium, dwarfed by a pair of screens that alternately displayed the speakers and family photos. Guests sat in parked cars that they had been asked not to leave, except for visits to a row of yellow portable toilets."

Weiyi Cai, et al., of the New York Times: "Over the last year, in an unrelenting series of episodes with clear racial animus, people of Asian descent have been pushed, beaten, kicked, spit on and called slurs. Homes and businesses have been vandalized. The violence has known no boundaries, spanning generations, income brackets and regions. The New York Times attempted to capture a sense of the rising tide of anti-Asian bias nationwide. Using media reports from across the country, The Times found more than 110 episodes since March 2020 in which there was clear evidence of race-based hate.... [In] assaults in which the assailants expressed explicit racial hostility..., nearly half included a reference to the coronavirus...." MB: Another Trump effect, IMO.

More Bicycles, Better Health. Veronica Penney of the New York Times: "Adding bike lanes to urban streets can increase the number of cyclists across an entire city, not just on the streets with new bike lanes, according to a new study. The finding adds to a growing body of research indicating that investments in cycling infrastructure can encourage more people to commute by bike, which helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve health.... The research, published online Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that in cities where bike infrastructure was added, cycling had increased up to 48 percent more than in cities that did not add bike lanes."

Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Matt Gertz of Media Matters: "Ask not for whom the world's tiniest violin plays -- it plays for Fox News. Three months ago the network's hosts enjoyed unprecedented political power and privileged access to ... Donald Trump, the subject of their propaganda. Now its employees are reduced to whining about President Joe Biden not calling on their correspondent during Thursday's press conference, as their lies on behalf of his predecessor's effort to steal the election draw a $1.6 billion lawsuit. Fox's pity party launched roughly two minutes after the press conference concluded and remained a regular facet of the network's coverage of the event into Friday morning. Eleven different programs have combined to mention how Biden did not call on Fox White House correspondent Peter Doocy at least 24 times as of 10 a.m. ET, according to a Media Matters review.

~~~~~~~~~~

Black Votes Matter. Gillian Friedman of the New York Times: "More large companies have voiced their opposition to Republican-led efforts to restrict voting, this time in Texas. On Thursday, American Airlines and Dell Technologies declared their objections to proposals in the state that would restrict local measures intended to make voting easier, such as by extending early voting hours. The pushback in Texas came just a day after Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola spoke out against similar efforts in Georgia, though both companies waited until after Georgia's governor had already signed the law to criticize it.... Those comments came a day after a group of Black executives, led by the former chief executive of American Express and the current chief executive of the drugmaker Merck, called on companies to oppose proposed bills making it more difficult to vote across the country -- saying that they would particularly impact the voting rights of Black Americans." ~~~

~~~ Hannah Denham & Jena McGregor of the Washington Post: "Nearly 200 companies on Friday joined in a strong statement against proposals that threaten to restrict voting access in dozens of states, in a further sign of corporate willingness to speak out on social justice issues. As Major League Baseball announced that it will be moving this summer's All-Star Game out of Atlanta in response to the passage of Georgia's restrictive voting law, executives from at least 193 companies -- including Dow, HP, Twitter and Estée Lauder -- urged the protection of voting rights across the country." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ In yesterday's Comments, Bobby Lee has a great suggestion: "Why not award the [MLB's All-Star] game to the District of Columbia?" ~~~

~~~ In presumably less-great commentary, some guy writing an opinion piece on Fox "News"' site is very upset that the MLB requires photo IDs at its ticket will-call centers (so not just any dude can claim to be you & walk away with the game tickets you bought) but opposes Georgia's voter suppression law. No link. ~~~

~~~ Mike Huckabee Is Not Dead. Blake Montgomery of the Daily Beast: "Mike Huckabee joked on Saturday that he would now 'identify' as Chinese, mocking both LGBTQ people and Asian-Americans simultaneously. The Fox News contributor wrote, 'I've decided to "identify" as Chinese. Coke will like me, Delta will agree with my "values" and I'll probably get shoes from Nike & tickets to @MLB games. Ain't America great?'

Haley Britzky of Task & Purpose: "The Army has suspended several instructors at Fort Sill over allegations they sexually assaulted a female soldier going through initial training at the Oklahoma base.... According to The Intercept, the trainee reported multiple assaults by 22 service members, including several drill sergeants. The trainee's report 'identified seven of the 22 members she said assaulted her,' according to The Intercept." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Ken Klippenstein & Matthew Cole of the Intercept: "The Army is investigating a possible series of sexual assaults of a female soldier at the Army training base in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, a commander at the base told press yesterday. The investigation, according to a military official with direct knowledge, is scrutinizing allegations of multiple assaults against the soldier by 22 service members. Video of one incident under investigation involving several drill sergeants was circulating at the base and was obtained by Army investigators, the official said." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The nature of the assaults is not specified in either of the reports linked. It seems odd that nearly two dozen men would assault one particular trainee. So is she one of many who were assaulted but the only one to report the assaults? Surely there is more to the story.

Another Treasonous "Law Enforcement Officer." Sara Tabin & Scott Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune: "A Kaysville[, Utah,] man who formerly worked as a Salt Lake City police officer has been arrested by the FBI for allegedly taking part in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Michael Lee Hardin, 50, was taken into custody without incident by members of the FBI's joint terrorism task force, with assistance from the Utah's State Bureau of Investigation, for 'crimes committed at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.,' according to a news release from the FBI's Utah office.... According to charging documents, [Hardin] was caught on video as part of a crowd pushing its way past police officers and yelling that he had a knife.... The FBI caught Hardin by following up on tips from two people who know him.... '[The first tipster] further claimed that Hardin had sent ... text messages on January 6, 2021, stating, "We stormed the Capitol, I am in here now!" "I know you don't like [Donald] Trump, but He is the rightful President!;" and "We will return until we win!"' the [DOJ] statement reads. The second tipster ... gave authorities a photo of Hardin standing next to a bust of Abraham Lincoln, 'in what appears to be the Capitol Crypt,' according to the statement." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Wait, wait! The Capitol has a crypt? Yes, it does. It is not, however, a real crypt holding the remains of American political figures. Rather, it holds statues of these people, one from each of the 13 colonies (except for Virginia, which removed the statue of Robert E. Lee last December. A statue of civil rights leader Barbara Johns will replace the statue of Lee.) AND it leads to Washington's Tomb. What? George Washington is buried in the Capitol basement? Well, no. That didn't work out. BUT photos of the tomb of no one suggest to me it is a ready-made holding cell for the Capitol's sergeants-at-arms could use to temporarily jail misbehaving senators & reps before transferring them to more permanent digs in federal pens. ~~~

     ~~~ A Washington Post story about Michael Hardin's arrest is here: "More than a dozen current and former law enforcement officers have been arrested and charged in connection with the insurrection at the Capitol.... The arrests have raised alarms about the presence of right-wing extremists among the rank-and-file of police departments across the country. Police leaders, long reluctant to scrutinize their own officers' extremist ties, are now facing intense pressure to root out staff with links to white supremacist and armed far-right groups."

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times writes in shades of our Comments thread yesterday: "A Twitter wag summed it up best: Matt Gaetz is everything the Republicans were looking for in Hunter Biden.'... A federal investigation [of Gaetz] ... has set off a scandal worthy of a pulp paperback, one swirling with claims of extortion, Ecstasy, an orgy, a hula hoop and sex trafficking, along with an Iranian hostage and, of course, a cameo by Roger Stone." Dowd goes on to review Hunter Biden's memoir. ~~~

~~~ Marie's rating of last night's Weekend Update: funnier than usual, and it's usually pretty funny (tho last week it wasn't funny enough for me to embed). In fairness, when the main topic is Matt Gaetz, there's a built-in Yuk and Eew:

Remembering the Extraordinary Grifter. How Trump Scammed a Dying Man -- and Many Other Supporters. Shane Goldmacher of the New York Times: Last September, when the Trump campaign was strapped for cash, Donald Trump & a for-profit donation-processing company devised "an intentional scheme to boost revenues.... [They] set up recurring donations by default for online donors, for every week until the election. Contributors had to wade through a fine-print disclaimer and manually uncheck a box to opt out. As the election neared, the Trump team made that disclaimer increasingly opaque.... It introduced a second prechecked box, known internally as a 'money bomb,' that doubled a person's contribution. Eventually its solicitations featured lines of text in bold and capital letters that overwhelmed the opt-out language. The tactic ensnared scores of unsuspecting Trump loyalists -- retirees, military veterans, nurses and even experienced political operatives.... The recurring donations swelled Mr. Trump's treasury in September and October, just as his finances were deteriorating." The campaign was forced to return millions of dollars to the supporters it bilked, but "in effect, the money that Mr. Trump eventually had to refund amounted to an interest-free loan from unwitting supporters at the most important juncture of the 2020 race." The Guardian has a summary story here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: For the umpteenth time, a major newspaper has published a front-page story on how Donald Trump deceived his own supporters, and it will scarcely matter. Millions of bona fide American dimwits believe Trump's claim that legitimate news outlets publish nothing but "fake news," and they will continue to support him. I'll bet even some of the marks in this particular scam remain his fans & didn't even ask for their money back: they probably gave only small amounts initially and blame themselves for not noticing they had signed on to a recurring donation. ~~~

     ~~~ If you don't have a NYT subscription, Shakezula of LG&$ republishes some of the Times story's details (or what you might call "the fine print.") Plus commentary. Like this: "... Rep. Kevin McCarthy and Sen. Mitch McConnell both use the platform and I'm sure they'll eventually come up with a formula that satisfies Republican politicians need to rip off their voters and outstrips refund demands. Or maybe they'll get back in power and make campaign refund demands a capital crime."

Capitalism Is Awesome, Ctd.

Marie: Shortly before Christmas, I ordered something thru Amazon. I definitely ordered it to be sent by standard delivery. I was surprised when it showed up within 24 hours of my ordering it. Now I know why: ~~~

     ~~~ Too. Much. Information. Hannah Knowles of the Washington Post: "Last week, in an unusually combative tweet response to a congressman, Amazon insisted that its workers did not urinate in bottles. If that were true, nobody would work for us,' wrote the e-commerce giant, which employs more than 1 million people worldwide. Disbelief, derision and fact-checking ensued as journalists weighed in with reported memos and contractor policies suggesting otherwise: 'Documents show Amazon is aware drivers pee in bottles and even defecate en route,' the Intercept reported, citing workers who described intense pressure to hit their quotas. Now Amazon says it was wrong. '[We] know that drivers can and do have trouble finding restrooms because of traffic or sometimes rural routes, and this has been especially the case during Covid when many public restrooms have been closed,' the retail giant wrote in a Friday blog post, apologizing to Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) for its 'incorrect' response to him.... ~~~

"Pocan rebuffed Amazon's apology Saturday, tweeting that it is 'not about me' but about Amazon's workers 'who you don't treat with enough respect or dignity. Start by acknowledging the inadequate working conditions you've created for ALL your workers, then fix that for everyone & finally, let them unionize without interference,'... Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post."

     ~~~ Marie: There is only one house on my road, and it's mine. On the other side of the road, there's a public park, which has no full-time employees on site. I have often wondered why delivery trucks so often drive past my house and return moments later, yet they leave me no gifts. Mystery solved. There's a Porta Potty on the park grounds. If you live long enough, all truth and wisdom will come to you.

AP: "Details from more than 500 million Facebook users have been found available on a website for hackers. The information appears to be several years old, but it is another example of the vast amount of information collected by Facebook and other social media sites, and the limits to how secure that information is. The availability of the data set was first reported by Business Insider. According to that publication, it has information from 106 countries including phone numbers, Facebook IDs, full names, locations, birthdates, and email addresses." MB: This is one of those genies that can't be stuffed back in the bottle.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Saturday are here.: "As President Biden enters the homestretch of his first 100 days in office, the general declines in new virus cases, deaths and hospitalizations since January offer signs of hope for a weary nation. But the average number of new cases has risen 19 percent over the past two weeks, and federal health officials say that complacency about the coronavirus could bring on another severe wave of infections." (Also linked yesterday.)

Way Beyond the Beltway

Joby Warrick, et al., of the Washington Post: "Jordanian authorities on Saturday arrested as many as 20 people and sought to restrain the movement of a former crown prince amid what officials called a threat to the 'security and stability' of a country long regarded as a vital U.S. ally in the Middle East. Prince Hamzeh bin Hussein, the eldest son of the late King Hussein and his American-born fourth wife, Queen Noor, was told to remain at his Amman palace amid an investigation into an alleged plot to unseat his older half brother, King Abdullah II, according to a senior Middle Eastern intelligence official briefed on the events. The move followed the discovery of what officials described as a complex and far-reaching plot that included at least one other Jordanian royal as well as tribal leaders and members of the country's political and security establishment. One official cited unspecified evidence of 'foreign' backing for the plan." The BBC's story is here. An AP story is here.

Comments

[Ken Winkes]

Marie,

Whether the "former guy" is directly behind it or not, what got to me the most about the WinRed fundraising scammers is this:

"Unlike ActBlue, which is a nonprofit, WinRed is a for-profit company. It makes its money by taking 30 cents of every donation, plus 3.8 percent of the amount given. WinRed was paid more than $118 million from federal committees the last election cycle; even after paying credit card fees and expenses like payroll and rent, the profits are believed to be significant."

As is the contrast between the ActBlue and RedWin operations.

Maybe a stretch, but the blurred lines between public service--we're talking about electing people to public office here, presumably to serve the public-- and private profit are embedded eveywhere in our political system, no where more deeply since the "Citizens United" atrocity than in Republican Land.

The corrupt relationship between money and politics was only strengthened by that terrible decision and all the shady PACs it spawned. If as the WAPO masthead claims, “democracy dies in darkness,” the flood of dark money in which we are now awash will surely kill us.

RedWin is only one example.

Here’s another:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republicans-midterms-digital-influence/2021/04/03/391103a8-8c0e-11eb-a730-1b4ed9656258_story.html

Would like to see resurrected on this Day of Days the simple, small-town Republican decency of the kind I remember from my 1950's youth, but have little hope I will see that particular miracle any time soon.

[PD Pepe]

"All happy families are alike, but every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Tolstoy

Hunter Biden's book described by Dowd startled me this morning. I was ignorant of how severe Hunter's addiction was. This story–-this family saga of two brothers in arms taking such different paths on that long road of life is the stuff of literature whose stories go back to Cain and Abel and many before; that long struggle to find ourselves.

The Biblical resurrection celebrated today as well as the secular opening of Spring speaks to new beginnings–-and it looks as though the Biden family is embarking on such a feat along with all of us who desperately seek it. Getting rid of winter's debris in our gardens and in the halls of Congress takes energetic determination––I'm not certain we'll get a good harvest but at least we are starting with what farmers call "black gold"––-rich soil that smells like manure.

Enjoy the day and thank you, Ken, for your information today.

[NiskyGuy]

I'm not following the logic in the description of the opinion piece about MLB ticket pickup ID. Does the writer _not_ oppose the Georgia voter ID law, as in the writer is upset about having to show ID to get baseball tickets but not upset about people having to present ID even to vote on an absentee ballot that was mailed to their home address?

[Akhilleus]

The Biden administration’s assault on the Trump virus has shown remarkable results, and yet people are still dying*. This being Easter Sunday, it’s instructive to recall that a full year ago, Fatty declared the pandemic over and praised Jesus for making him such a wonderful, magical president, whereupon he deemed it necessary that church pews be filled to overflowing. With worshipers soon to die.

A year later, over half a million Americans are dead. All for the betterment of Donald Trump. Whenever this fat fuck starts bleating again about how he doesn’t get all the credit for “saving” the nation, think about that. And think about the hundreds of thousands who would be alive this Easter if we didn’t have an ignorant, murderous, narcissistic traitor in the White House, whose stated policy of America First, was never the case. It has always been, and continues to be, Trump First.

Now he needs to be buried behind a rock that can’t be rolled away.

*An additional gift from this fat fuck is the fact that his most fervent followers, equally egotistical, selfish, and stupid, are refusing to be vaccinated, guaranteeing the delay of any true herd immunity, which in turn guarantees that the virus, which has already mutated, will develop additional strains, perhaps unaffected by the current vaccines, making a resurgence of contraction and death unavoidable. Even out of power, he continues to cripple minds and kill bodies. Happy fucking Easter, you stupid motherfuckers.

[Marie Burns]

@Akhilleus: So you're not buying an argument that God "called" those 500,000+ people "home early," with the blessed assistance of Santo Donaldo de Mar-a-Lardo? Let us on this holiest of days assume that most of them are with Jesus & not keeping a seat warm for Donald in that nether destination. Happy Easter, you heathen!

And I apologize in advance for my profanity to all those whom I may have offended.

[Marie Burns]

@NiskyGuy: I have no idea. I read only the headline, and that was enough for me. In any event, I will not be going to the All-Star game unless it's held in D.C., as Bobby Lee suggests, and Joe Biden picks up my ticket, what with his being one of the few people who might not have to produce an ID.

You know, if Brian Kemp & the brethren are so pissed at the MLB, there's something they could do about it: like rescind the law they just passed & expand voting rights, including a mandate to provide equal access to polling places. Just sayin'.

[RAS]

Marie: "I'll bet even some of the marks in this particular scam remain his fans & didn't even ask for their money back: they probably gave only small amounts initially and blame themselves for not noticing they had signed on to a recurring donation."

What percentage of these idiots will turn around and praise The Former Guy for the deposit in their bank accounts. I bet there will be 90+% of the morons bragging to their fellow wingers that The Former Guy loves them so much that he personally sent them a check to help out in these hard times. And none of their friends are smart enough to explain to the dumbasses that it's their own money being handed back to them.

[NiskyGuy]

@Marie: I get it now, after going and finding the article. The writer is upset that MLB (1) requires ID for ticket pickup but (2) opposes the ID requirements of the Georgia voter suppression bill. I thought the writer was opposed to the bill.

As far as Georgia goes, I would be fine with them not allowing distribution of food and water as long as they guaranteed enough polling places and staff so nobody has to wait in line more than 59 minutes.

Or how about this: Your vote gets multiplied by the number of hours you stand in line? Seems fair to me.

[citizen625]

AK: "The Biden administration’s assault on the Trump virus has shown remarkable results, and yet people are still dying*." His actions pissed in the well of good will, defecated on the notion of an organized, central, and unified response while continuing to this day to kill people. After driving 147 miles to get my shot, the nurse was practically begging me to call anyone I knew because she was likely to have to throw away vaccine because people were not showing up for the shot. That disgusting Orange Turd is responsible for this ongoing state of affairs. There is no do over for goddamn dumb and willful ignorance. Where are the real Christians to address this shameful state of affairs?

[Marie Burns]

@NiskyGuy: The new Georgia law adds a voter ID requirement to applications for absentee ballots. Voters have to fill in the number of their Georgia driver's license or state-issued ID. I assume if you don't have a driver's license, you have to schlep to the county office during business hours to obtain one. No telling how long it will take to get the actual ID in hand (which I think is free); in New Hampshire, I waited weeks to get my driver's license, tho they issued me a temporary one immediately. This, coupled with the fact that the law narrows the window to apply for an absentee ballot, means that some Georgians who aren't too great at planning ahead, who make a mistake in transcribing their ID number, or who have difficulty getting to the county offices, will miss their opportunity to vote. (In addition, the new law makes it illegal for county election boards to mail out absentee ballots automatically, as was done in several urban areas in the 2020 general election. This of course increased the number of mail-in ballots cast. Also, few absentee ballots cast mean longer lines on early-voting & election days.)

As for the MLB tickets, buying tickets to ball games is obviously a recreational choice. It's not a civic duty, no matter how much you love baseball, apple pie and Mom. There's nothing wrong with a private entity like the MLB imposing requirements that the government does not. We don't have a right to attend professional ball games; we should all have a right to vote. I would guess the MLB requires the IDs because they have experience with crooks picking up somebody else's tickets. Except in Donald Trump's mind, there's scant evidence that Georgia voters are voting somebody else's ballot.

In short, I think the writer is making a false equivalency between IDs for baseball tickets -- in a private exchange between an individual and a corporation -- & IDs for voting -- in a public exchange between an individual and the government which, theoretically, is "of the people." It's similar to people who get fired for saying something untoward and complaining that the company violated their "free speech" rights.

[unwashed]

Re: the little white card.

I got my second jab yesterday and my wife got hers today. I got mine at our local Walgreens which is about a 10-minute walk from home. My wife got hers at Walgreens as well but we had to drive about 30 minutes to get there. No 2-hour trip each way.

When I was given the card at the first jab I thought that it was a pretty flimsy record. I had the nefarious thought that anyone with a graphics program, such as Adobe Illustrator, could easily make an identical facsimile, and sell forgeries on the black market for a little extra side money. After all, who's going to verify that the manufacturer's lot numbers are authentic?

Today, we scanned the cards that we were given. We also scanned the two prescription information receipts that include verification of vax location, vax date, patient name, birthday, drug manufacturer, dosage, etc.

We saved each as personal pdfs that can be stored on our phones. I suspect this should alleviate any need for a third-party record.

@Nisky Guy: Interesting proposal where votes depend on wait times, but how would that be implemented? Would voters receive a card when they queued up that is time-stamped with their name. Would another time stamp be added when they actually voted. Who collects the time stamps, records the data, and re-calculates the number of "inconvenience" votes as opposed to actual votes?

What happens in situations like mine where the wait has been essentially non-existent? In 2016, it took my wife and I only ten minutes to drive from home to Town Hall, walk across the parking lot to enter the building, have our names and addresses verified by the registrar, be given our ballots, fill them out, run them through the scanner, pick up our "I Voted" stickers, and get back into the car to arrive back home. This year, due to COVID, it took 14 minutes door-to-door. Our total "wait and voting" time, for math simplicity, was about 5 minutes. Would our votes count for only one-12th of a vote because we had no delays?

I believe the goal should be for all locations to have sufficient capacity to make voting as painless for everyone as it is for us. Of course, the repugs will not advocate that.

[unwashed]

Oops, forgot a few question marks. I must be punctuation challenged.

[Ken Winkes]

A conundrum for Democrats?

What to do with SALT? (No, not the arms treaty...)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-are-some-democrats-pushing-a-tax-break-for-the-rich/2021/04/03/98f40a2e-93d7-11eb-a74e-1f4cf89fd948_story.html