July 1, 2018

Does "The Star Spangled Banner" belong in church?

"Patriotic church services this time of year were so common in the early republic that the Episcopal Church’s national convention in 1786 resolved that “the Fourth of July shall be observed by this church forever, as a day of Thanksgiving to almighty God for the inestimable blessings of Religious and Civil Liberty vouchsafed to the USA,” according to a book about the denomination.

Over the centuries, what it meant to celebrate July 4 in church has changed and been debated. In recent years, the debate has been especially heated, with Christians disagreeing strongly on whether conflating God and country is a right or a heresy."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/07/01/star-spangled-banner-in-church-sunday-christians-debating-god-and-country-anew/?utm_term=.198ac08bd69c

June 30, 2018

Trump Tariffs make it harder to build U.S. Infrastructure

"Since Trump announced the tariffs in March, prices have been rising for the American steel used to build bridges, reinforce concrete highways and lay the rails for mass transit systems. Though many of this summer’s big construction projects had locked in pre-tariff prices, concerns are mounting among contractors and some transportation officials that the tariffs could raise costs and delay work that is still in the planning stages.

Most federally funded transportation projects in the U.S. already are required by law to use U.S. steel. Tariffs are like taxes charged only on imported products. But because they make foreign steel more expensive, tariffs also allow U.S. steel producers to raise prices without being undercut by international competitors.

The price of U.S. hot-rolled coil steel, a bellwether product for the industry, is up about 40 percent since the start of this year due to a combination of Trump’s tariffs and strong economic demand, said Joe Innace, the metals content director in the Americas at S&P Global Platts."

more:

https://apnews.com/3a974a6109a949398f621af432c433ba/Trump's-own-tariffs-make-it-harder-to-rebuild-infrastructure

********It's like everything he touches he poisons.

June 29, 2018

Filing your taxes on a post card

Next year, Americans will be able to file their individual tax returns on a postcard.

The GOP's long-promised change is an offshoot of a tax overhaul last year that cut corporate rates and winnowed down the number of individual tax brackets. On Friday, the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service unveiled the new postcard, which will replace the current forms 1040, 1040A and 1040 EZ.

Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said in a statement, "The new, postcard-size Form1040 is designed to simplify and expedite filing tax returns, providing much-needed relief to hardworking taxpayers.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/29/treasury-irs-announce-postcard-size-form-1040-for-next-year.html

******** Gee, I hope you get a return envelope with that! LOL

June 29, 2018

The "UPS Dogs" Facebook page

If you’re a postal worker, the best part of your day is probably your customers’ dogs. You look forward to their wagging tales and warm greetings whenever you pull up in their owner’s driveway, and you always have a treat ready for them. UPS driver Sean McCarren knows this all too well, and has created the best Facebook group ever to pay tribute to the furry friends that make daily routes a heck of a lot happier.

UPS Dogs is a nation-wide network of canine-loving ‘big brown truck’ drivers who post pictures of the pups they become acquainted with along their delivery schedule. Some of them have known their clients’ dogs for years, and have worked out complex treat-exchange systems with them. The group has been going strong for 5 years now, and is still moderated by McCarren himself. “It’s a good example of the relationships our employees build with their customers, two- or four-legged,” a UPS spokesperson told Buzzfeed News.

https://www.boredpanda.com/ups-dogs-facebook-group-drivers-meet-routes-sean-mccarren/

June 27, 2018

Maybe we ought to just

divide the country in half geographically. Liberals can live on one side and the Trump party can live on the other. I don't see how any kind of compromise is possible so that we can live together peacefully any more.

June 27, 2018

So, in recent days .....

....SCOTUS has supported Evangelical cake-bakers, Trump's Muslim travel ban, the effort to gut public service unions, and has given permission to California "crisis pregnancy clinics" to lie to and deceive their patients.

Gee, I can't wait to hear what they'll come up with next.

June 26, 2018

Whatever happened to "Be Best"?

Much was made of the rollout of this personal initiative of Melania's, then she went into hiding for about a month, now .... nothing. ? ? ?

June 26, 2018

Automakers to Trump: Higher prices on vehicles from tariffs will cancel out tax cuts

If you were lucky enough to get a tax cut.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An automotive trade group said on Tuesday it would tell the Trump administration that a U.S. threat to impose a tariff of up to 25 percent on imported passenger vehicles under national security grounds would cost American consumers $45 billion annually, or $5,800 per vehicle.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-autos-costs/automakers-to-warn-trump-of-45-billion-higher-vehicle-costs-if-tariff-imposed-idUSKBN1JM2LU?il=0

******** So much winning!

June 26, 2018

Rare performance: Moody Blues singing "Across the Universe" in Tribute to John Lennon 1990

Sigh ..........

&list=RDp3r-tpzWwcc&t=265

June 26, 2018

Ryan, Brown, decry GM plans for Mexican expansion as 1200 are laid off in Lordstown

WASHINGTON — Some of the Mahoning Valley’s elected officials are speaking out against General Motors’ decision to build its Chevrolet Blazer in Mexico, an announcement made as the GM Lordstown plant laid off about 1,200 workers.

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, today decried the decision and shared a letter he sent to GM CEO Mary Barra.

“So much for the Republican tax giveaway being an incentive for corporations to invest in America,” Ryan said. “This decision is an insult to hard-working families all across the country. Thousands of GM workers in America – including the second and third shifts at Lordstown – who have been permanently laid off – are hearing the news that GM is sending jobs to Mexico instead of putting people back to work here. It’s outrageous.”

http://www.vindy.com/news/2018/jun/25/ryan-brown-decry-gms-mexico-plan/?nw