You Can't Make This Up

Eleven years ago, I set out to learn how to write and have some fun. Today, I am still learning how to write and having fun. But this edition of RR I must vent a bit about the times we all live in. I want this Blog to be non-political, I apologize, this week it is political. The events surrounding me demand it.

It has been going on now for a long time, non-fiction is more entertaining than fiction.

You can’t make this up: The state of Detroit, Michigan professional sport teams. The Lions, Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings are downright horrible, where are you Barry Sanders, Norm Cash, Bob Lanier, and Gordie Howe? Can someone out there make these teams better?  

You can’t make this up: I have a neighbor who was last seen in early February 2020, vanished; our neighborhood “Boo Radley”.

You can’t make this up: I have another neighbor with two children, toddlers I would say six and four years of age. You never see them, never out playing, walking, riding bikes, nothing. In the last year I have seen them twice: (1) Halloween, (2) on a walk, one year! I am pretty much home all day, nothing gets by Mr. Neighborhood Watch.

You can’t make this up; A Registrar at a local University who no one has ever seen, this person does not return emails, phone calls, even does not participate in the dreaded “reply all” emails. Yes, this person does participate on an efficiency strategic task force. Really.

You can’t make this up: A President of the United States has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness,  no humility, no honor and no grace. While the President may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.

So the fact that a significant minority – perhaps a third – of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think ‘Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is even more creepy. He makes Richard Nixon look trustworthy.

You can’t make this up: Major League Baseball is actually trying to end their sport. Haggling over money, games, money, fans, money. It is a fantasy land. After disagreements on the size of the pay cuts players would take, the players' union has ended negotiations, likely setting up a season of about 50 games this year.

You can’t make this up: Has anyone seen the Coronavirus task force Chair, Vice President Mike Pence lately? 200,000 dead by this fall, and we have citizens acting like the COVID-19 mask is a fashion accessory. Really.

I had to pause a couple of times this past week as I witnessed my fellow citizens pushed, beaten, shot, sprayed, gassed, maligned and wonder what is going on….you can’t make this up.

BTW, IDK - The three least popular words of the social media era are: "I don't know." But, in this age of false certainty, alternative facts, and fake news, the unsettling truth is that even infectious disease experts don't have all the answers. They don't even share basic agreement when it comes to some of your most vital questions. One example: When should I send my kid to school? POTUS favorite newspaper the New York Times asked 133 epidemiologists how they're making that decision for their own families. The answers range from "Children are relatively safe" to "I think it would be really stupid to reopen the schools in September, given the present course of things. Really. Stupid."

Meanwhile, some of the things we assumed would be no nos aren't proving to be that bad. In Japan and France, Riding Transit Looks Surprisingly Safe. So that means Americans can hit the subways and buses, right? Not so fast: "Riders in both Tokyo and Paris have been wearing masks — a habit long ingrained in Japan anyway — and have been maintaining as much social distance as possible. Observers of Japan's low transmission rate for public transit have also noted that transit riders there tend to travel in silence — significant since speaking is a very effective disperser of virus-infected aerosol." Americans following guidelines, wearing masks, and keeping silent for the good of their fellow citizens? ROFL.

COVID-19 NOTES – REMEMBER THE CORONAVIRUS? Because it is still here. Look around, and you will find a pretty grim scene.

IT IS NOW PRACTICALLY CERTAIN that the next knock-down, drag-out legislative fight of the coronavirus era will be over whether the federal government should send hundreds of billions of dollars to cash-strapped states, or allow them to declare bankruptcy.

IN ONE CORNER is Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL, who has cast doubt on the efficacy and propriety of sending hundreds of billions of dollars to states, and suggested they file for bankruptcy protection if they are in financial straits.

IN THE OTHER CORNER is, well, most other elected officials: President DONALD TRUMP and his occasional rival, Maryland's Republican Gov. LARRY HOGAN, both support Congress sending a pot of money to help states. New York Gov. ANDREW CUOMO and his occasional rival, Senate Minority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER, do as well. NANCY PELOSI, the powerful speaker of the House, represents a caucus of Democrats who believe the primary way to combat the depths of this crisis is continued aggressive federal spending.

IN SHORT, THE POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT -- pockets of elected officials from the right, left and center -- says it recognizes the red ink that will be dripping off of state budgets, and says federal intervention is of critical importance.

ALL OF THIS WILL COME TO A HEAD in the coming months, when Congress begins to haggle over another stimulus package. The backdrop: 40 MILLION people out of work, over 115,000 Americans dead and nearly 2 million ill or recovered from the novel coronavirus. Nearly 800 Americans are still dying each day.

The U.S. surpassed two million known cases of the coronavirus this past week, a bleak milestone in an outbreak that began with a small trickle of cases in January.

That means roughly one in every 330 people in the U.S. has tested positive for the virus. Some researchers estimate that the true number may be around 10 times that figure, as the one million does not include those who contracted the coronavirus but were not tested.

Parts of rural America are now experiencing the most alarming rates of growth in cases. In Cass County, Ind., the number of known cases has jumped to 1,025 from 52 over 10 days. In Dakota County, Neb., where there were no known cases until April 12, there are now more than 600.

Americans aren't getting married. The U.S. marriage rate has hit its lowest level on record, falling 6% in 2018 with 6.5 new unions for every 1,000 people. That measure peaked at 16.4 in 1946.

64% of the 511 epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists the New York Times polled say it will be more than a year before they are comfortable attending a sporting event or concert. 32% said between three months and a year, 3% said this summer.

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Marv Albert (79), Beth Elmore ….one the Mid-West’s finest, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Xi Jinping (67), President Donald Trump (74).

COLLEGE CHRONICLES – Desperate for fall enrollees, colleges are luring students with campus perks and cold cash: Put down a deposit and, at some schools, your tuition will never go up. Like to sleep in? Other colleges will give you early registration privileges so you don't get stuck with morning classes. Still others are throwing in free food, free football tickets, even free books autographed by celebrity faculty members in residence. ...

In a twist of timing, some of the inducements are a consequence of a Justice Department action that forced college admissions officers to drop key parts of their professional code of ethics, which prohibited many of these kinds of appeals and banned colleges from pursuing each other's students.

Fitch Ratings expects annual enrollment declines from 5% to 20% for many institutions this fall, with private colleges the hardest hit. Most Fitch-rated schools can absorb a 5% decline, while a 10% drop would lead to a median revenue dip of 4%, and a 20% drop would lead to a median revenue dip of 9%.

The Kansas Board of Regents huddled in secret for hours on Wednesday but did not remove Wichita State University’s president from his post, after he canceled a commencement speech scheduled to be delivered by Ivanka Trump.

Another day, another Title IX lawsuit. The latest legal challenge to a new rule from Education Secretary Betsy DeVos arrived as an influential group of college leaders asked her to stave off the rule’s looming effective date.

MARKET WEEK – The 100 largest U.S. public companies have committed $1.63 billion to organizations fighting racism and inequality.

The response is a significant departure from years past, when many large companies preferred not to talk about police killings or the role of racism in the U.S.

Brookings' Andre Perry, author of "Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities," said: "I appreciate corporations giving dollars, but we need to have a set metric that says here’s what we should be aiming for in terms of correcting for the policy violence of the past."

Just 10 companies make up 88% of the total commitment amount — the largest being Bank of America's four-year, $1 billion pledge.

Retirees face painful decisions. Nearly a third of U.S. investors aged 65 and above sold all their stockholdings between February and May, compared with 18% of investors across all age groups. Fearing a prolonged economic downturn, many seniors say they don't want to wait for a rebound

Quicken Loans has confidentially filed for an IPO, per multiple reports, and is aiming to trade publicly as soon as next month.

What Quicken Loans is: the largest mortgage lender in the U.S. It funded $146 billion in mortgages in 2019, and it could be valued at tens of billions on the public market—making it potentially the biggest IPO this year. 

And how is business? Really good, all things considered. Despite the coronavirus-induced recession, mortgage rates dipped to a record average low of 2.97% last week. And with rates that low, homeowners have been stampeding to refinance.

In April, Quicken Loans CEO Jay Farner explained that March was the “biggest closing month in our company’s history.”

And you can’t write a story about Quicken Loans without mentioning Dan Gilbert, the company’s billionaire founder and owner. Gilbert, who is also the majority owner and chairman of the Cleveland Cavaliers, had a stroke in May 2019—but he’s rehabbing.

Microsoft currently has a market capitalization of more than $1.3 trillion. Here's a list of companies whose combined market value is roughly equivalent to 1 Microsoft:

50 Macy's

5 Twitters

4 Fords

3 Boeings

3 Deltas

2 Snaps

ExxonMobil

Starbucks

JPMorgan

McDonald's

Goldman Sachs

ON THIS DATE – June 15, 1965 Bob Dylan records single "Like a Rolling Stone" (#1 in Rolling Stone magazine's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time").

DRIVING THE WEEK - President Trump's schedule, per a White House official:

Monday: Trump will host a roundtable to help America's senior citizens.

Wednesday: The president will announce the "PREVENTS Task Force Road Map," which will highlight the administration's work to prevent veteran suicide and offer mental health resources to veterans.

Thursday: Trump will discuss boosting rural broadband.

Saturday: Trump will host a campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla.

POTUS loses 2 pivotal allies in his anti-kneeling crusade: NASCAR and the NFL: President Donald Trump has long had two cherished American institutions standing beside him as he railed against athletes taking a knee during the national anthem: NASCAR and the NFL.

This week, they both started to walk away. Bending to the cultural moment, NASCAR and the NFL in recent days reversed course on their approach to athletes protesting racial injustice. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he had been wrong for not listening to protesting players earlier and encouraged “all to speak out and peacefully protest.” Meanwhile, NASCAR relaxed rules barring kneeling during the national anthem and banned Confederate flags from its events. Within days, a NASCAR driver was circling a track in a race car emblazoned with #BlackLivesMatter and a NASCAR official was taking a knee during pre-race ceremonies.

The coronavirus is still killing as many as 800 Americans per day — but the Trump administration isn’t saying much about it. Fury over George Floyd's death provides a sudden opportunity for a national movement that has tried to remake the criminal justice landscape through high-profile prosecutor races. Governors and local officials are struggling to meet payrolls amid a pandemic that has dramatically hiked government costs and sapped tax revenues.

Fed's dire outlook — The Federal Reserve projects the U.S. economy will contract by 6.5 percent this year, and Fed Chair Powell is signaling that lawmakers can do more to ease the pain.

No transparency — In a stunning move, the Trump administration is signaling that it won’t disclose the recipients of more than $500 billion in bailout money delivered to 4.5 million businesses through the Payment Protection Program (PPP). Treasury Secretary Mnuchin says it’s “proprietary” and “confidential” information. The GAO disclosd that the Small Business Administration is also withholding PPP loan data the agency requested as part of its oversight efforts. Well if the Federal Government can hide information, why not everyone else?

Days until the Democratic convention: 63

Days until the Republican convention: 71

Days until the 2020 election: 141

It's the last *official* week of spring. 

Monday: Start thinking more seriously about Father's Day gifts

Tuesday: Retail sales; Jerome Powell Senate testimony; Oracle earnings

Wednesday: Housing starts; Jerome Powell House testimony; new Fortnite season; Premier League resumes

Thursday: Jobless claims; Kroger earnings

Friday: Juneteenth

DETROIT FREE PRESS FRONT PAGE BANNER HEADLINE: “Trump in trouble in Michigan”

SWAMI’S WEEK TOP PICKS – No more sports for a while, The Swami tries his skills elsewhere:

1).  Over and under when we can go back to the workplace – August 1, The Swami likes the overs.

2). The Belmont Stakes, Grade 1, $1,000,000; 06/20. 5:00 pm (EDT), NBC: Clearly, this is not your father’s Belmont Stakes, or yours, or anybody else’s. Not only does it precede the Kentucky Derby and Preakness rather than occupy its traditional position as the third jewel, it has been shortened to a mile and one-eighth and thus becomes the first Triple Crown race ever to be contested around one turn. With several potential contenders either injured and off the trail or bypassing the race to point for the rescheduled Run for the Roses (Sept. 5), this year’s Belmont will offer what surely will be an odds-on favorite, thus requiring creative wagering strategy to manufacture value.

The Swami likes:

1). Tiz the Law (3-2): Velazquez / Tass

2). Tap It to Win (12-1): Franco / Casse

3). Dr. Post (9-1): Ortiz / Pletcher

4). Modernist (20-1): Alvarado / Mott

3). The Swami predicts the Detroit Lions season: Chicago (W), at GB (L), at Ariz. (L), N.O. (W), at Jax (W), at Atl. (L), Indy (W), at Minn (L), Wash. (W), at Car. (W), Hou (L), at Chi. (L), GB (L), at Tenn. (L), Tom B. (L), Minn (W). Lions start 6-4, finish 7-9.

4).  Bundeslica German Football (thank you J. Reed): 06/20. 6:30 am (PDT), Fox Sports 1: FC Bayern Munich (23-4-4) vs. SC Freiburg (11-9-11); the only thing I know about this match is that Bastian Schweinsteiger is a retired mid-fielder from FC Bayern and a national hero in Germany. I just love to say his name: “Schweinsteiger”. Classic.  A no brainer, FC Bayern heads to another season title, no match for SC Freiburg, 3 – 1.

2020 Season to Date (4-5)

Next Blog: “The Future of Collegiate Sports”

Until Monday June 29, 2020 Adios.

Claremont, California

June 15, 2020

#XI-4-410

2,829 words, seven minute read

CARTOON OF THE WEEK – W. McPhail

RINK RATS POLL – Things I hate: (check all that apply)

______   racism

______   COVID-19

______   police brutality

______   the Ohio State Buckeyes

______   liver and onions

______   reply all emails

______   Clarkson University Golden Knights

QUOTE OF THE MONTH – “The rights of every man and woman are diminished when the rights of one man and woman are threatened.”

—    President John F. Kennedy, 35^th President of the United States