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A Parade Like No Other

There is one parade I wish I could have attended—the one that ended the Civil War. Over two days the Armies of the Union traversed Pennsylvania Avenue, from the Capitol to the White House, a seemingly unending sea of soldiers. In the case of General Sherman’s Army, it took most of a day for all 65,000 to make that last march. In Sherman’s words: “For six hours and a half that strong tread of the Army of the West resounded along Pennsylvania Avenue; not a soul of that vast crowd of spectators left his place; and, when the rear of the column had passed by, thousands of ...

Mold The Economy You Live In By Voting

It’s fairly common to hear people complain bitterly about what’s happening in government, both locally and nationally, only to find out they don’t vote. The reasons they give are many and varied. Some people have financial or transportation issues, can’t get time off from work, or find the mere idea of registering to vote intimidating, when, in fact, it’s fast and easy. Others choose not to vote when they don’t feel there is a candidate that represents their views or if they think their ballot doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, even though it’s one of the ...

What To Know About Medicare Over The Counter Benefit

Question: My Medicare Advantage Plan includes an Over The Counter benefit. I haven’t used it all, does it roll over into the next year (2025)? Answer: In the last few years, we have seen many of the Medicare Advantage Plans offering an Over The Counter (OTC) benefit. These benefits are usually allocated quarterly. Some of the plans allow the benefits to accumulate for the calendar year, but for others plans the benefits expire at the end of the quarter. ALL the plans dictate that the unused benefits will expire at the end of the calendar year. If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, ...

The Disinformation Machine

“Disinformation” means incorrect information intended to mislead people – an intentional lie. This begs the question: Who decides if a claim is disinformation or not, especially when the government censors speech? Can we trust the government’s “Ministry of Truth?” Australia has anti-disinformation legislation pending that says government content can never be questioned. Go straight to jail. Whoa! So the government gets to lie? In his January 17, 1961, farewell address, President Eisenhower warned against government control of science funding, and his admonition went well ...

Television Is Older Than You Think

Are you old enough to remember when television channels signed off for the night? I recall them playing the national anthem, then shutting down. There was no television to watch during the night. The next morning the process worked in reverse. They played the national anthem, then were up and running. I was surprised when I looked into the history of television. Men were pioneering devices for transmission of television pictures as early as the 1920s. Frank Lloyd Wright described television as “chewing gum for the eyes”. Television was introduced in England in the early 1930s. An ...

Judicial Activism Undermines Rule Of Law

Let’s pick up where we left off last week. In whatever action or case particularly catching their attention, judicial activists tend to want the U.S. Supreme Court to base its decision not on the law but on their will. Judicial activism previously held more sway in the high court than it does now. Yet thanks to the appointment of originalist justices mainly by the Bush 43 and Trump administrations, the nine-member court has a 6-to-3 originalist majority. The six are Chief Justice John Roberts, and Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neal Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, ...