STAYING TRUE - OR NOT

     I am one who values loyalty, being true to one's friends, one's beliefs, one's family, to the principles which guide one's life. Yet there are times that one must think thru the loyalty and ask whether it behooves one to remain loyal in lieu of all that has gone on or is it time to back away, to shift into another stage and support something else.
     Once I respected Rudy Giuliani for his strength at the time of 9/11. He was firm and dedicated but the first trickle of uh uh came when he tried to extend his tenure into a third term, taking advantage of a bad situation for personal reasons. Bad taste. And in his backing of Trump, in his garbage that he spewed yesterday about Lewinsky and Clinton - gimme a break. First of all, let the poor kid alone already. She has rebuilt her life from when she was taken advantage of and Hillary did not unzip Bill's pants. That was his sickness so let him deal with it. Are we to go into Trump's personal life and discuss his cheating on his wives? This has to do with character, of which he has little on the positive side, but at least it was his doing. Bill is not Hillary. Period. Trump already hinted at using this when in the debate - crass and low class so Rudy, think again about loyalty and misplaced loyalty.
     That goes for the moral cowards who have sucked up to Trump in order to get access to his administration - G-d forbid. That includes Cruz, whom I never trusted in the first place, Paul Ryan - ditto, Christie - ugh, and all those wimps who refuse to stand firm and choose with principles and not selfishness.
     When does this misplaced loyalty end? The people who cheered on Hitler were loyal and only when losing did they scurry like the rats they were. It took a long time for the military attempted coup to finally take place, alas it failed, but there was no organized resistance in Germany other than the defeated and small White Rose. Loyalty to a fault?
     We are to be loyal to the country - not to a Party. That needs to be earned. That needs to be deserved. So why are people being disloyal and disrespectful to the country disrespecting its anthem and what it stands for even as they support garbage elsewhere.
     Blind loyalty does not work well in the long run at all. What we get is seen right here in the Village where blind loyalty, much out of fear and desire to suck the teat of "power", worked to allow David Israel to get a fourth term, unprecedented in Village history, bad news for the Village as he attempted and continues to attempt to ruin us with his misguided and dangerous plans, both from the past and the present and even into the future. Misguided loyalty. Needs to go.
     Shimon Peres, now deceased, an elder statesman of Israel and indeed the world, said that the true leader is not a ruler of the people but rather a public servant to the people. I cannot see Trump as a public servant to the people as he has already and many times cheated the people - no or little tax, taking advantage of the crisis of others, being smug about it as well, and nor do I see David Israel as a public servant of the residents of the Village. Nor do many others but the outmoded and outdated and almost useless and broken system of ours allows him to remain. One resident owner one vote is what is needed yet his committees and stooges keep it hidden somewhere, refuse to discuss it and just try to get an article about it into the Rag. Ha!! For that attempt I have a bridge or a tunnel I could sell you!
     Trump continues his nasty campaign with his return to the "crooked Hillary" again. He also complains of his broken mic - did anyone see  a sign of that? This is the behavior of a loser, of an infantile tantrum, a person who refuses to release the truth about himself - tax returns, health records - where are they? Personally, I would love to have him do a brain scan so we can all see what is missing.
     The Arizona Republic, a paper that has supported Republican candidates for president since 1890, has realized that loyalty to bad news will not hold and have come out for Clinton......
   "......reflects a deep philosophical appreciation for conservative ideals and Republican principles," the paper's editorial board wrote.
"This year is different. The 2016 Republican candidate is not conservative and he is not qualified. That's why, for the first time in our history, The Arizona Republic will support a Democrat for president," it continued.
Donald Trump, the editorial board wrote, does not understand the challenges the country faces, nor does he have the temperament to deal with them."
"see Trump for what he is - and what he is not."

They go on to praise Clinton while not whitewashing her into an angel, but weighing her skills, her knowledge, her determination, her strength to deal with others. This is what loyalty is - to the people, to the country, to the future of the world.
     Leaders of the world, stock markets of the world were edgy prior to the debate as the thought of Trump as a President shook the foundations of the world. Change? Fine. But change for the better, not a change for the worse, a return to racial divide, to a police state, to a fear of saying anything - all in the name of law and order. G-d forbid.
     So he talks of a wall, as he talks of ending Obamacare - a program which has helped members of my own family finally find a good policy for health coverage, as he speaks of a return to a world where there are no regulations - so goodbye to worker safety, to worker rights, to helping to fix the environment and welcome to more disasters and perhaps maybe Trump should watch that new show on Syfy Aftermath which talks of survival in a world ruined by natural disasters.
     Loyalty is good. It is a positive trait. But loyalty, blind loyalty, is something to be avoided. Loyalty needs to be earned and needs to be continually earned by deeds and by adherence to what is right and moral. The wicked leading the blind? Needs to end. Here and now. Both in the outside world and in our own little world.

WHEW!!!!! SAID THE LADY

     What a day and then what an evening. First we were shocked at the supermarket shooting in Houston. Randall's is an upscale store, a pleasure to shop in and a store which we used to patronize when our son lived in Houston. Now to hear that there was a shooting by a ersatz Nazi and people were severely hurt brings a bit of a shock  to the system. I am used to, sadly so, knowing the places in Israel as we have been there often enough and the bombings and the Towers in NY are also places known to me personally, but still, one hopes that we would be free of this but nothing doing. We seem to be gathering a backlog of terrorist attacks and warped people who decide that they too must shoot up a mall or a group of people.
     This shoot 'em up philosophy is exacerbated by the hatred and viciousness of this campaign and that was clearly seen in the debate last night. I ask those of you who were or are unbelievably still voting for Trump - how can you accept this man as your President, as OUR President, as the representative of the USA. This man snorted and sniffled his way through the debate, made many of his twisty faces, showed the bully that he is with his shouting over Clinton's voice and his interrupting constantly while she was speaking. He romped over Lester Holt when told by him that his answers, so to speak, were either too long, or did not answer the question and had to be reminded several times that it was Clinton's time to speak, not his.
     While truths were there in the debate, so were untruths or half truths and the winner? Trump by far. That is the winner on the wrong side - that of the lies. Check the ratings by Politifact, an entity which rates the statements of the candidates. Pants on Fire - and the winner? Trump! Surprised? Not me. He did state that the global warming and climate issue was made up by China - "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive."
     And I could go thru a whole bunch of stuff and quite frankly, his implied threat that he had a dastardly secret to hold over the Clinton family did not go over well. What is he going to do? List the infidelities of Bill? Well, so what? Hillary had no part in that other than the offended against wife and her decision for whatever reason to stick with the marriage. How about we go thru Trump's infidelities as he cheated on his wives and quite frankly, I do not care about the bedroom antics here, only whether the candidate is presidential material and Trump is scarily not so, emphatically not so.
      Can you just see him negotiating with a  foreign leader and he starts snorting and sniffling - hey, where are those health records? - and making faces that twist his whole appearance or perhaps his "temperament" of which he boasted, just pushed him to push that button. His temper, his constant raging over law and order, a catchphrase which has allowed numerous dictators throughout history, especially modern history, to impose their law and order take on the citizens of their countries. Were he to be president I can just see us all being forced to submit to stop and frisk at the whim of one of his special police or have to show papers or have to contend with a curfew or censorship of the press or reeducation camps and there I go!
     I could go on and on but read for yourself. Pick up any paper, read online and see for yourself. Agent for change? Possibly, but what change? All for the worse what with no details, no answers but blustery words. Open acknowledgement that by not paying taxes or by taking advantage of people and not paying them or buying up distressed real estate he was being smart! Smart? That is a president to be? I think not and by the way, his "small" loan from his father was $9 million dollars. Uh huh. Wish my parents had had that amount to lend to me! And that crack about his country club in Palm Beach as the be all and end all of a "wonderful" racial openness? Puh-leeze!
     This is a man who is dishonest, extreme with his lies, who is not a team player, who will keep his business in his kids' hands rather than in a blind trust so talk about conflict of interest! This is a man who has no feeling for anyone else, who hates women, who has no answers, who raves and rants - sound and fury which all signify nothing but trouble were he to be elected. And as for the rest of the world - go read all the predictions about what will happen should he win. Check what happened yesterday in anticipation of the debate.
     I cannot believe one word he says, one statement about who he supports or what he believes or what he will do. Trying to gild the lily by saying he would accept Jerusalem as the capital of Israel? Huh! Heard that before from many presidents so not impressed. Show me the money!! Show me the health!! Show me a person who knows to prepare and be ready, not a shoot from the hip nonsense and falsehood spewing person and then perhaps I can listen but Clinton said it all with two things. "Listen to what you just heard" as the audience laughed and "Whew!" after he finished a rant blaming her for just about everything that ever happened.
     Clinton was presidential in behavior, in research, in telling probes and in strength of answering to his bullying by ignoring it or by doing a proper jab which got him ranting and raving even more. Perhaps he needed to be under a doctor's care what with his sniffling? Gee, is it pneumonia!? Or is it simply another declasse part of the whole Trump gestalt? Who do you want up there at the Presidential podium talking to Putin? His buddy, Donald, or the true President, Hillary Clinton?

LIARS AND CHEATERS AND BIGOTS - OH MY! DONALD AND .........

     Reading numerous and voluminous articles yesterday and this morning, listening to podcasts and Internet news, has left me shuddering at the garbage that is being spewed, at the level to which we have fallen and the dangerous ideas that are actually coming into or are actually already in vogue.
     This all connects to the fact that this debate tonight will be one of the most watched ever. I think more than people opening themselves up to changing minds, I think it is that we are watching to see, to hope, that the one we oppose will trip over the words from  their own mouths and will display poor behavior. Now I must confess, I believe that will be forthcoming from Trump for he is a consummate liar and blusters and shouts his way through debates but here he is one on one and must constantly be on his toes and I do not believe that he will be able to do so. That is, unless his four days of intense prep work which he denies but his preppers have spoken about takes effect and he actually listens to them and their directions.
     This fear that he will mess up is why he kept threatening not to show up, or pushed excuses stating that the moderators do not like him or they are Democrats - when the "accused" is actually a Republican, registered at that, or how he threatened to bring in one of Bill Clinton's women, forgetting that he himself was a consummate cheater on his matrimonial vows and the list goes on. He will get his rah - rah group but that will be those who are eagerly awaiting his denigration of minorities, of women, of immigrants to be spoken on national and worldwide TV. The rest of us who are awaiting details about his grandiose plans will not hear those details because they are simply not there.
     This kind of campaign that he has been running has been echoed in other campaigns, particularly with those who support him and his base ideas. The hate and virulence in this national campaign is awful and embarrasses the country in the eyes of the world and like it or not, whether it be Trump or Johnson who state America First themes - we cannot go down that path. It is neither right nor possible.
     While we wait and watch it behooves us to find similarity to this nonsense right here within our own Village. Debates usually define who knows what, who has answers, who desires the best for the village and that is why David Israel has fought having debates during his terms in office - his too many terms in office at that. In these events, in these face to face meetings, even in the limited Forum presentations he gets shown up in his lies, in his twisting of fact, just as does his admired Trump. To not face opponents in debate is the sign of a moral coward and an incompetent individual who is afraid to be shown up. I am hoping that during the next election when the seat of president of UCO will be up for debate that he will find at least a bit of manhood and stand up there and debate his opponent but I truly doubt that will ever happen. His character is simply lacking.
     And just as Trump has his supporters of shall we say lesser values, so does David Israel. Here is a direct quote from a comment that Peter Cruise wrote on David's blog and one that clearly shows not only his opinion, his lack of true democratic character, but also that of David as this is what his supporters do. This is the same person who posts with ridiculous names thinking I do not know who he is and here is his latest comment to me yesterday - and this is exactly how he typed and sent it in. "You silly hags are reason no one goes to Delegate meetings. Add to that Gross-slob and senile demented Moron Solomon. What a crap you all are." I kid you not and this is the level of what he sends in or worse which is why I do not allow his postings to be public This is for educational purposes only.
    In any case here is more of what he wrote, this time on David's blog. "One way around a continuing lack of participation might be to suspend DA meetings for three or four months in the summer--with the bylaw change allowing the Officers and or Executive Committee to act on business during that time. At least with 8 or 9 months during the season, a few more delegates might show up.

As for controlling the meeting outbursts, I see only a PBSO deputy presence required to assure orderly conduct. If the meetings calm down a bit, a few more people might show up."

     Yup, the words of a dictator, a hater of democracy, of one who wishes to shut down even the poor imitation of democracy we have here, who wishes to give it all over to his lord and Master, David Israel, and his henchmen and women. Again, the advocacy of force , of its use, of its intimidation even though the PBSO themselves said uh uh to that notion, but some people never learn, particularly Fascists. So read and weep as you see what we have going on in this Village and in the country.
     So yes, we will continue to argue and dissent and even agree on those rare occasions, but stop we will not. The essence of democracy is to speak up and I would not even deny Trump his right to speak for that is part of the Constitution - something that David Israel has deliberately "forgotten" and banned from the Village. I guess should the worst happen and Trump get in, when he establishes his national police force who will come to arrest all dissenters, all people with connection to immigrants - the majority of our country - I guess, David Israel will send his police force around too - right before he gets thrown out for being an immigrant too! You see, what goes around comes around and no one is immune in a world of hate, a world of "others' fighting "others", a world of violence and a world without hope.
     Why do people not show up at the delegate assembly. Well, first of all it is the summer and many are away. Second of all, there is a listlessness, a despair at the thought of any fair play, of any true system of voting, and some are afraid to speak up lest they get yelled at, called names, and demeaned in any way possible by the 'eminent' chair who never acts properly as a chair.
And they do not show up because of people such as PLCRUISE who demean others, who boo and hiss like children at a school assembly and like people with no class. Shoe fits and all that!
     We all need to grow up, both in the country and in the Village, and realize that it is our future and that of the following generations so if you care not for yourself saying that we will not be around for that future, think again, as longevity expands and our children certainly will. Do we want a world of hate, a world where the possible president of a country denigrates women, minorities and anyone who does not follow him and his ways, or do we want civility? Why can we not all follow the example of Bush and Obama in their beautiful relationship seen displayed at the opening of the new museum in Washington. Certainly these two families represent differing viewpoints, yet they behave beautifully, not just in public, but evidently have a private relationship as well.
     This would require to have people grow up, even in their third act and this is impossible for some. Would that at least they would keep their hate and their Fascist views away from the rest of us.
    

VOX POPUI VOX DEI - REALLY DAVID?

     Vox Populi Vox Dei - the voice of the people is the voice of G-d. So says David Israel. So says the man who evidently is confusing himself with the Lord. Kinda' like Trump does. But let me examine what this statement means. First used in a radical Whig booklet around 1710, what does it mean for us in the modern world. Historically speaking it truly does not bode well for anyone, not the people and not civilization.
     So the voices of the Romans called for bread and circus, for the death of the losing gladiator and for the Christians and Jews thrown into the arena. Was that the voice of G-d? I certainly hope not. Was that the voice of G-d calling when the Crusaders ripped thru Europe slaughtering local populations, especially Jews?
     Or perhaps that was the voice of G-d heard in the roar of the crowd when they shouted Heil Hitler or cheered Il Duce. Or maybe we need to go to the opposite side of the coin and was that the voice of G-d heard in the Communist rallies when they cheered for their leader or was that the voice of people forced to go to the rallies or else and if you deny that, I have a few people you can talk to.
     So where was the voice of G-d when the Hutus chased down the Tutsis in Rwanda or when the tribes of Sudan and Somalia are killing each other or when Boko Haram slaughters whole villages. Are their people howling with blood lust the voice of G-d or better yet, is that the voice of G-d one hears when Palestinian terrorists chase after people with knives or blow up buses and buildings? And is that the voice of G-d one heard when the people call for terror to bring down the buildings of America and other countries.
     Just where does the voice of the 'people" end and the voice of G-d begin or is it simply the voice of hubris, the voice of the twisted leader who has gained the support of some pathetic souls who then shout for him, much to the detriment of others and looking more closely, is the voice of those calling for Trump the voice of G-d? What blasphemy. So are you then saying that those who support Trump who believe in his racism, in his hatred of the other, in his nastiness - should he win -ugh! - is that the voice of G-d or perhaps we need to look at the ones who are fooled by one issue or so - are they the voice of G-d and so help me, even as I vote for Clinton, is that the voice of G-d we hear in the votes of the people who support her? And by the way, when two groups of opposing people shout for victory or in bloodlust or in war - where is the voice of G-d there?
     So what else do we find in your words of wisdom. You are frustrated at the lack of quorum at four consecutive DAs. Well, think a bit on that and hear the voice of the people - without G-d shouting in your ear. The delegates who are supposed to vote have found frustration in the poor system we have where you say you do not want the committees to rule but you differ with that in your behavior and it is the deed which counts, not the words. The system we have is outmoded, irrelevant and useless. It is undemocratic and results in abuses of power by supposedly elected officials and leaves the others, their voices - and who knows - the voice of G-d - out in the cold.
     Why come to a meeting where one's voice will not count, when the decisions have either been made already in committees replete with recycled individuals or even in secret closed door meetings. Why go to meetings where the hypocrisy reigns, where suddenly UCO is the watchdog of our money, saving us from WPRF excesses - the same committee and the very same people who thought it wonderful to approve that wasteful and unnecessary mural in the indoor pool area and in the lobby - where no one even sees it. The same WPRF that refuses to pay for capital improvements. The same WPRF that fixes and fixes yet we still need the same fix. So why should we trust the UCO as is? We do not and that is why delegates do not come, why delegates walk out in disgust, why David Israel and crew must go. Even your own VP, Cornish, rails against the bypassing of the Bids committee so why do delegates not come - think. And by the way, why is Mary Patrick Benton's name up there on the list of Executive Board when for four months there has been no vote? More of your "independent " moves? How and why should people care for the DA when it is just about useless in real life.
     And when the voice is heard from the DA which actually they are doing now by not showing up, but when the vocal voice is heard against Wi Fi or Broadband, you go right ahead and keep on truckin' so why attend. What is the use?
     You say in your column that one must hoard power like a miser and spend it, use it as one sees fit - and you follow your own prescription but in your hoardings you have stolen the power from the residents. The cure - resign, move, go away, contemplate your navel elsewhere other than UCO all day, go talk to people, get a life.
     Your hypocrisy shines thru your entire article. You say that dissent is democratic and yet how do you treat dissent. You curse the dissenters, you threaten them and try to demean and embarrass them in the DAs. You hate them. You bar them from UCO and would bar them from being delegates but cannot as of yet, though you seem to be able to resurrect zombie delegates as needed. You say that dissenters should not interfere with their "trivia and pointless criticisms" but who the hell are you to decide what is pointless and what not and who should speak and what one should say. Dissent is exactly that and one cannot have it all - supposedly asking for participation - in whatever form it takes - but then criticizing it or threatening to bring in armed forces to shut it down. You are, Mr. Israel, a coward, a moral coward, a petty dictator who unfortunately is ruining the lives of thousands.
     That is not the voice of G-d you hear, David Israel, but the voice of and in  your own mind, the voice that tells you that you are a legend - in your own mind. So dissent will take the place and the route however it is so chosen. Want more participation? Open up UCO to all, cut out the crap you pull, stop the lies and the secrecy, stop the nastiness, follow the rules and stop trying to get away with everything! The voice of the people? Really, if we took a popular one person one vote here - the voice of G-d will have spoken - and out you go. But, I guess your god comes when you wish, quite an amenable god - or a false one at that.
     Why not skip an issue or two and then perhaps more people might read the Rag rather than ignoring it as is done now and voice of the people? Where are the proposed by law changes? Why are they not published in the Rag or is it that you aim only to those who get your emails or who read your blog. Tsk, tsk. The voice of the people demands information, the free flow of it so do not hoard your power like a miser - spend it and perhaps you might even feel better.

49 AND COUNTING

     Well, we did it, dude, one more year and we hit the 50th anniversary. Wow! I can remember when we were two stupid kids getting married without a penny between us, still in school, and remembering all the times we spoke of what it would be like to be married for so long. And yet, here we are, 49 years later as of Saturday, tomorrow, and G-d willing, still going strong.
     Through all the clichés of thick and thin, good and bad, happy and sad, through the tears and the laughter- we did it all and still walk thru the world holding hands - of course that is one way to keep me on my feet at this point, but what the hey!! (LOL). Hold hands we do.
     I can remember times when we thought the sky was falling and right on top of our heads, when we bought the house, not one penny left and then it needed emergency repair. I remember our newborn beautiful baby with the salon hairdo who was so sick and yet we came thru it all with a wonderful kid, followed by two more great kids who have made us so proud and who have given us our next generation of babies (though I think the oldest ones would remind us they are no longer babies). And yet thru each and every crisis we managed to split the moments of hope and despair and kept ourselves upright.
     You became a wonderful son to my parents - though was it truly necessary that they back you every time over me!!!! As a father  you are still loved and cherished and as a Saba, a grandfather, you are adored. And our in - law children have become our children. As a husband - well, as long as you remembered that I am always right - you were great! Sorry - had to get that in there.
     You are my best friend and vice versa as we walk through our next act of life. Together, G-d willing, we will share the books, the movies, the kids, and the love, and it goes without saying that of course, we will share the doctors as well. They already know we are the tandem pair who share the room, the info and the love.
     Ge, may we share many, many more years together. May we continue to laugh and even cry just a tad, just so we can emphasize the laughter. I thank you for urging me on in my professional life, standing beside me through it all and I hope you feel the same (you better!!) as I urged you on as well. Together we have made a beautiful life.
     Love ya' and now two questions: So what are we doing for the fiftieth and so when are we getting back to my Hawaii???

Century Village West Palm Beach – going the way of other Condo Complexes? Stew Richland

This is one of the best articles I have ever seen on this topic. It is written with    stew's standard excellence and it behooves all to read it and read carefully. There are many issues in the world today that demand blog postings but today is the turn of the  Village and the urgency to correct it, to acknowledge it and fix it - no matter what needs to be done. I will post later today. 

Century Village West Palm Beach – going the way of other Condo Complexes?

Stew Richland

I have attended the last two UCO/WPRF budget meetings,  I have read the budget proposals and listened to the committee members comments on each of the items proposed for the 2016-2017 budget.  Most of the items were approved as submitted, others were removed or trimmed.   In my opinion,  the Budget Committee members responded to the budget items in a very responsible way.  The bottom line is that our fees will be going up and it is vital that funds must be allocated to the reserve accounts to pay for an infrastructure that is old, antiquated, costly to repair and expensive to maintain.

No Condo community is an “island entire of itself.”  We here in Century Village are not alone when it comes to raising the funds to keep our heads above water and to maintain the way of life that we came to expect when we chose to live in Century Village.

A few days ago, a writer for the Washington Post, Bill Turque, wrote a rather extensive and thought provoking article titled: “Condominiums in crisis: Financial troubles put many communities at risk.”   Reading Mr. Turque’s article, gave me chills because he could be describing the issues that we are currently facing here in Century Village.  Below are some of the critical issues that he targets in his article along with my own observations.

“For five summers, a tarp has covered the swimming pool at Grand Bel II, a condominium community in Silver Spring that has no money for lifeguards, chemicals or insurance. The Vistas at Washingtonian Woods in Gaithersburg faces $600,000 in repairs but has just $400,000 in cash reserves.”  Does this not mimic the problems we are having at the Club House and also with many individual CV associations that are poorly run?

“At Saxony Square in Alexandria, an unemployed man nine months behind on his mortgage negotiates with lenders to keep his two-bedroom condo. His neighbors struggle to pay their monthly fees; since 2010, Saxony’s board of directors has filed more than 80 court actions to try to collect such assessments.” How often have we listened to the woes of CV Associations or individuals trying to keep their heads above water.

“Even as posh condos rise in trendy neighborhoods around the nation’s capital, many older complexes are mired in a recession that never ended. A cycle of aging infrastructure, limited resources and foreclosure is putting these communities in a deep financial hole, threatening what traditionally has been an affordable path to homeownership for the working class.”

Monthly fees, the financial lifeblood of condo developments, have risen sharply as boards try to generate cash for long-deferred maintenance and to cover basic expenses. As a result, more owners can’t make their payments, and fewer prospective owners cannot afford to buy in.”  These issues are constantly being discussed at UCO meetings, the Delegate Assembly and individual Condo Associations. Yes, we are not alone on this island!

“At the same time, tightened lending rules, and a reluctance among banks to foreclose on units that will be hard to resell, have boosted the number of long-vacant condos in many complexes, further depleting the flow of fees that pay for utilities, trash collection, upkeep and repairs.”  How true!  Look at our roads, club house and tennis courts.

“The problem is the condo economic model, in which your neighbors are also your business partners, obligated to pay their share of common expenses.” Mr.  Turque points out that even before new owners moved into their new units there were signs of distress. “As the economy deteriorated, more Grand Bel II owners had trouble paying their bills. To forestall mortgage default, many opted to stop paying monthly assessments. Routine maintenance was put on hold. The pool stayed empty; weeds poked through cracks in the tennis court.”  Sounds familiar does it not.

Fees began to tick up Mr. Turque observes, when the infrastructure began to fall apart. Just like here in Century Village.

“At 44-year-old Kimberly Place in Aspen Hill, Md., about a dozen households are at least 30 days late on monthly fees. “You can’t continue to raise assessments,” property manager Eugenia Mays said. “You reach that magic tipping point, and then five more people can’t pay and become delinquent.”’

“But the bills are piling up. County inspectors ordered many of the development’s 76 balconies removed last year because of rotting supports that created an “imminent danger” of collapse. Pressure from groundwater caused basement foundation walls to fail in at least seven units, and the $750,000 repair was not covered by insurance.”

For a minute I thought he was talking about the air condition system in our Club House, our roads and lakes. Our bills are growing, our fees are slowly going up and will there  be a time when living in Century Village will become unaffordable to many?

“Condo owners say some of the financial problems are the result of poor decisions made by the elected boards that run condominium corporations and that often lack experience or are reluctant to displease neighbors.”

“Alyson Meiselman, board president of the Vistas at Washingtonian Woods, said previous leaders didn’t raise monthly fees for 20 years after the 152-unit development opened in 1992.”

“A 2012 engineering study estimated that $600,000 was needed to repair poor grading, tripping hazards, retaining walls and crumbling parking lots. Past boards had set aside  only two-thirds of that amount. To try to bridge the gap, the current board has hiked fees 33 percent on average, to between $325 and $600 a month.”

Mr. Turque tells about another Condo Association in Maryland that kept on raising the fees without putting aside money for repairs. Eventually the residents told him the money just disappeared. “The 43-year-old building has been without a working elevator for at least eight months. Segments of the outside walkways are off-limits because of rusting supports. A roofing contractor who was paid tens of thousands of dollars went out of business before finishing the repair.

The board has increased monthly fees to finance the elevator repair, which residents hope will begin soon.”  For those of us that have followed the endless repairs to our Club House ( roof repairs, air conditioning, floods, indoor and outdoor pools etc ) and the Hastings fitness center the installation and repairs and now replacing much of the lift and the costs to our residents with no end in sight is  very disheartening and discouraging to say the least.

Towards the end of his article, Turque outlines the problems that people are having with getting loans to buy Condos. He observes: The torrent of defaults that accompanied the housing bust led the FHA to tighten its guidelines for issuing loan insurance. Those changes, too, have affected the financial health of condo communities.

“Before 2008, the FHA approved prospective condo buyers based on their individual financial stability. The new rules required that an entire community meet a minimum level of solvency.”

“The agency will not provide loans for condo communities if at least 15 percent of current owners are 60 days or more behind on their monthly fees. The FHA also requires that a community’s cash reserves be equal to at least 10 percent of its annual budget.” Housing advocates and condo board members say lenders also hurt condo complexes by failing to quickly process foreclosures and offer units for resale. Such “zombie foreclosures” are especially prevalent in cases where the value of the property is less than the balance on the loan, critics say.”

“Some of these units have dropped more than 50 percent in value, so [banks] sit on them and hope that the markets come back,” said Jackie Simon, a Montgomery County real estate agent and housing activist.”  Every day we hear about unit owners walking away from their investment because they cannot afford to deal with the fees.  In addition we are constantly being told about the cut throat manipulations that are engineered by some of our residents when they acquire multiple units and then use their ownership strength to drive the weak out of their units or at the very least control the Associations they live in.

Are there solutions to these problems?  “In January, the Montgomery County Council approved a measure requiring members of condo boards to complete an online course detailing financial and administrative responsibilities.”  “Some experts say better oversight and tighter restrictions are not enough, predicting that some complexes could deteriorate to the point where government agencies will have to intervene.” With significant changes to the way we do things here in the Village, our land of “milk and honey,” could suffer irreparable fiscal decay.

I recently posted on the blogs a comprehensive plan that outlines Condo ownership responsibility along with  some very constructive guidelines on how to deal with some of the critical issues that I have addressed in this column.   Remember we are only “as strong as our weakest link.”  To paraphrase this idea, we are only as strong as the leadership we elect.  The quality and strength of our community is limited by the weakest links in UCO/WPRF and the  limitations of Condo Associations Board of Directors. Our journey to solvency cannot be made with weak links. We must build our chain by strengthening team members and developing teamwork. This includes those who run UCO and the individual Condo Associations.

Please feel free to respond to this article on the blogs you find it posted and on

phyllisrichland.blogspot.com

THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT

     What a mixed bag we have in trying to decide what is important in life. What is it that we have to know and what is it that we have to do.  I have to say that sometimes looking in the paper is not going to help or at best will give you a skewed picture for an answer.
     Ask the average American a question about a story that has caught their interest in recent days and you will hear all about the split of Jolie and Pitt and custody issues for their children. Can we do anything about this? No. Will we pay the lawyers of either side? No. Do we have any say or sway on the outcome? No. So why is this the first topic that comes up?
     People have a survival technique and that is to avoid the serious issues. Who will be our next president? How will the world cope with it? Are we to ignore the statements of world leaders about the possibilities? How did we get into this situation and why is it that truth and information is demanded of only one side and the other is allowed to just go on? Why is one called a liar and the other, a consummate liar, is never called on his lies. And why is it that the media did not pick up on this man's issues sooner? Why? Because they treated it as a joke and yet the joke is now on us.
     Then we have the stories of athletes "taking a knee" when the national anthem is being played, something I find truly offensive, particularly when it is this class of people who are doing the specific action, a group not known for model behavior. Would that someone were to tell me that the athletes have decided to turn over new leaves, stop the drugs, stop the partying, stop the outlandish salary demands, stop the domestic violence that has engulfed so many, stop their conspicuous consumption. But no, it is only on one issue and I find that it simply exacerbates the whole thing.
     What needs to be done is to educate, educate and educate yet again. What needs to be done is to look into life as it is and see the progress that has been made and see the elected officials of all colors, races, creeds and religion. See the intermixed couples. See people talking with each other, becoming social friends. See the good that we have and not just the bad.
     See the stress that the police are under and see the fear that is real. Do they take a chance or play the safer route. Are they too quick on the gun or has it now become an impossible situation where even an armed suspect is magically enclosed in an "you can't shoot me" bubble. And why is there so much violence and gun play? It is within our culture, engrained with movies, false macho posturing and false reasoning that a gun will make one better than another, that violence will be the winner and that violence can be one sided. I do not know where this ends, this violence that has gripped the nation, besieged all of us, police or civilian and the inappropriate actions that have been taken so far.
     What I do know is that our people need education and so do the uniformed services. We also need to recognize that there are rotten apples in every barrel and we do not blame all the apples nor do we throw them all out. Education, education and trust developing tactics. That is the way to go, not indicating that one is ashamed of one's country or demeans it. We have had enough of that and we have enough of ridicule when the world looks at the Trump candidacy and wonders why America is behaving like a Third World country just learning about democracy.
     Hatred is contagious. Today most of the world is engaged in violence, going to the lowest common denominator. We no longer look to commonality but rather to differences, down to family and clan against family and clan, sect against sect and all other divisions. What is the matter with us? Where did we go wrong or is it that we never have truly advanced very far?
     I cannot accept that reasoning for then the world is filled with despair and we might as well just shut up shop, lock the door and all become survivalists. Yes, I despair at some of the wrong turns that we have all made. I despair at the rising anti Semitism and its virulence. I worry that our kids now have  a hard time, even physically, on the college campus. I wonder where we are going with this and yet there are voices raised and as long as there are those brave voices crying out for justice, for thought rather than violence, for commonality rather than differences, for true help for people and not stealing their money and boasting about it - as long as that is still there, there is still hope.
     So Brangelina or not, we need to look at the hard stuff and not get our heads in the sand of nonsense or topics which are beyond even tertiary importance. Mustard gas on our troops from ISIS, terrorists roaming around within our country and how to find them, making choices, taking a step in the right direction, voting rather than staying home for an absent vote is a vote for Trump and for disaster as is a third party "I'll show you" vote.
     Yes, enjoy life but also take it seriously for if not we are all truly lost. The importance of what - you choose.

WHATTA' GUY!!!

     It is almost embarrassing to be an American right now when trying to explain and justify our political system, particularly the presidential campaign. I know I have been asked several times how someone like Trump gets to run for this office when it has such responsibilities to the world as well as to the country itself. Like it or not, believe it or not, as much as people curse out America and blame it for all the ills of the world, they still look to us to help solve them.
     And now we have this joke running for office except that he is not such a joke. To see a rally for him on TV and listen to people just chanting USA is a tad scary. What are they chanting for? Do they think that Clinton is not for the USA. In fact, I would sooner believe that Trump is under suspicion for his admiration of Putin, his very vocal statement of that fact in his praises of him and other dictators, murderous ones at that such as Saddam Hussein. So what is with the robotic chants. Is it to convince one that self hypnosis works, that we can avoid all thinking by becoming part of an unthinking group. You know, this was done in another country last century where people chanted a man's name along with a salute - ah yes, Hitler and Germany , so now do you remember? Are we going there again?
     "At an Iowa rally in January, he said, “I’ve got to give (contributions) to them, because when I want something, I get it. When I call, they kiss my ass. It’s true. They kiss my ass. It’s true.”"

     Okay, folks, seriously, is this the man you want in office, in the Oval Office? This is what is called rational? This is diplomatic? This is the one we want to negotiate for us, particularly during delicate times? This man who has the support of politicians who took his money, cancelled investigations and then when asked why they did not return his money, said that if they did they would be suspected of taking a bribe? Really? Don't they realize that the cloud of suspicion hangs over them already and that is a pathetic excuse for keeping dirty money? These are the people you want to run ur country?!! Truly?
     Trump even manages to "borrow" from the needy. He took $285,000 from his so called charity and used it to pay his personal debts and expenses. Wow, what an idea!! Wonder how long it will take to balance the budget that way? What will he do, call up all the charities and take money from them saying it is their patriotic duty? The whole thing is absurd. And yet, the campaign goes on and there are actually people who will ignore all of his nonsense and pull the lever for him.
     Instead of trying to be a mature adult, he stands there practically going na-na-na-na-na. Suddenly Clinton is not preparing for debates but is instead resting from her pneumonia. And if she were doing that - so what? But the point is she is doing prep work, something that is done before any serious and important step and yet what is he doing? Nothing but calling names and screeching out more lies. If ever anyone was not presidential looking and presidential behaving - well, the image is clear.
     There are no details from the Trump campaign, only far flung terms and grandiose statements. There are no plans as to how he will accomplish his goals such as they are and he reminds me very much of the kids running for student council and promising soda in the lunchroom, a candy machine on every floor and a trip every week. Uh huh - didn't work then and still does not no matter what playing field it is on. Attachment to reality is what is needed and what is sorely missing from his campaign. He shoots off his mouth without thinking and yesterday there was such a contrast when Sen.Dianne Feinstein was interviewed on CNN about the Jersey/NY bomber terrorist and she answered sincerely and truthfully and when necessary, said she cannot answer that as more information is needed.
     That is the caliber of people we need to have in government and that is certainly what we will get more from Clinton than Trump. Whatta' guy - and are you sure this is what you want? Think two years down the road, after the market tanks should he be elected, after all protective rules and regulations are rescinded, after we are truly well advanced into the horrors of climate and world change, particularly when all those regulations were removed, when the seas are flooding, when West Palm is beachfront property and island nations have disappeared and then wonder what one has wrought - the advancement of the ruination of the world!
     And now let us go locally for a second. Yesterday new changes to the bylaws were presented and proposed. Read them carefully for there are too many holes there, things we do not want and when  I have more time I will sit down and write of the issues. Some are good and some still need tweaking, some major and others less so. Come to the DA and listen and speak up. This is our future. And actually, we should begin by insisting that we change our voting system first and foremost. This is the time and place, when we are going thru everything, but you know who does not want this for then somebody will have no room to go to all day. Tsk, tsk!  Till later!
     Whatta' guy!  What guys!

TERRORISM - WHAT IS IT?

     Terrorism is that which frightens someone, so much that they have a lifestyle change, a quirk in their thinking and  certainly a loss of independence. Terrorism can be physical and can also be mentally or emotionally abusive as well. It has many forms and some are not so easy to see, but terrorism and terrorist are also terms used to intimidate others and at times thrown casually about and begin to lose meaning. Just watch any TV show having to do with crime and one will see the use of terrorist threat against a standard criminal in order to get them to fess up or give a name or whatever is the point of that particular interview.
     Now TV is not real life but there is an uncomfortable and undeniable link between them and at times it is hard to define who is imitating whom and which came first. I know that there are times that I cringe at a story line, wondering if the fertile imaginations of the writers have not just given a new trend of thought to some guy sitting in a little room or cave somewhere.
     It is a frightening world when we actually need to think ahead or in a continuum of space/time when we go places. I check the people walking into the theater, walk at the mall with an eye always to seeing where I can hide, is there room for two or three or whatever number is with us that day and if it is the kids, then how do we protect them. We all look around nervously in the airports and twitch a bit when we see something we do not like, but that is the life we all lead today. It does not make it right, just that it is what it is and one must adapt and one must see through the garbage that is thrown around in this context.
     So we prepare. Some buy guns. Some people become survivalists. Some indulge in burgeoning hatred and some make ridiculous statements. Apple and tree, Donald Trump Jr. compares people to skittles in a very shaky and simplistic analogy. Well, life is not that simple and what if the question were turned around and the three skittles were children who could be saved were we to allow them in? Would one just so easily condemn kids to death? We need to be careful in making statements and implications.
     What is most annoying and so predictable are the comments one gets from neighbors, friends and family after some jerk decides to blow up or shoot or knife people to death. These terrorists are then described as quiet or serious or loving or gentle and the parents evidently had no idea even as the terrorist lived in their home under their very noses. Now while we certainly do not know all about every member of our home, certainly one can see the change necessary in order to become a terrorist from an ordinary kid. How is it that all these oh so sweet kids turn into monstrous murderers and call upon the name of their G-d to justify it. They call that G-d Allah and we call it by other names but you know, it is all the same G-d and would that we would all realize that and simply accept the love from G-d and spread it around and realize that Sunni or Shiite, Christian or Jew, what religion is about is to improve the world, serve people, contribute and make the world, even in a tiny space, a better place. That is religion and that is what G-d is about - not the murderous Being who supports murder and horror.
     Terrorists also threaten and imply. They make videos in order to tell their victims what is coming and then go even further and actually commit terror on film. What has the world come to when otherwise seemingly normal people do this, not during a battle and the heat of battle, but in a cold and tormented moment. They tell us of futures in which we play  no part for we will not be there - unless we submit to their rule. And within their rule they do as all dictatorships do - they consolidate power, they take bribes, they sell drugs and contraband to raise funds, they kidnap to raise funds, they terrorize those who do  not obey every little law and inflict horrific punishments. They destroy the educated class other than their stooges and their world is committed to darkness.
     And then there are the minor dictators and terrorists who take heart and instruction from the successes of the bigger guys and practice their own brand of terrorism These are the weak guys who brutalize wives and children, the schoolyard bully who picks on the kid who is different, the mean boss who needs to assert power and control over someone, and the head of a governmental or political entity who rules his/her little world. We all know these people and have come across them. Threats and physical intimidation are no different and words are powerful. Statements that make a potential threat to hang over someone's head, or repression in any form - all tools of terrorists, big or small. And words lead to deeds and small people try to become bigger people with bigger footsteps and do not care who is obliterated under those footsteps.
     So yes, while a political boss is hopefully not going to blow someone up, he/she will blow up their world with a denial of hope, with intimidation, with selfishness. It is incumbent upon all of us that we fight this - be it in supporting our country and not thinking it is 1968 again and stand there with fist upraised, held up by spoiled brats of the athletic world or others. The world is not perfect but it sure is better than it was in many ways. As for the rest - well, that is why we must all work together and put down the guns and the threats and the fists and the disrespect for one's country. It is incumbent upon us to vote carefully and shut down the rhetoric and the lies, particularly in this campaign and it is incumbent upon us that we look closer to home and get rid of the dishonest pols that run our government too often and the incompetent and worse who run our local entities and yes, you know who that includes.
     Terrorism is awful. I have been close to it in Israel and the horror of the Towers will never leave me. I know too many people who have suffered from terror, people who have lost others and have lost pieces, figuratively, of themselves, their hearts and souls due to terror, physical and mental. Let us all stand up to it, live our lives, if a tad more watchful and alert and let us avoid putting all people of one commonality into one huge bowl for when we do it to one class of people, the next class is not far behind.
     May we all know better times, may we all never hear the blast of the bomb and the screams of the wounded and frightened and may we all strive to make this world a better place for our children and grandchildren.

AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN - UNITED STATES, ISRAEL, TERRORISM AND LIES

     Every time one thinks that perhaps we are due for a period of silence, or at least less noise, there it goes again. Again. Again. So what's happened over the weekend to generate this almost despairing sense of again and again.
     It had been quiet in Israel for a while, people hoping that maybe the spate of stabbings and car rammings were over and done with, proving to have been both deadly and useless for it changed nothing except for ruining the lives of the victims and even the perpetrators and their families - not that I am exactly sympathetic to the terrorists nor to their families for surely there had to be a hint and perhaps there was encouragement within the family home or mosque.
     The most recent attack was an attack from behind, stabbing a young female Border Policewoman near Herod's Gate, doing her job along with her partner, a male in his 40's. Suddenly they were down and she never recovered consciousness after a wound to her neck and is on  a respirator at present. Not a good omen. And the perpetrator? Unnamed at present but quite likely comes from a family from a village known to spawn terrorists and murderers or from a family elsewhere that has had members of its clan perpetrating murder and terror.
     So what does Israel do? It continues on with life. The restaurants are full, the streets are full, the tourists and visitors are coming for the Jewish holidays and life continues. Yes, there is worry and yes, the cell phones go off with heartbreaking rings when it is a larger attack, but yes, life goes on, just with a bit more care and watchfulness. We are there to stay in the homeland and the rest of the world needs to take heart and lessons from this.
     And here in America what is happening again? More bombs and what I have been warning about  - a soft target attack in the Mall in Minneapolis. Seven dead, including a child of 15. Why? Because again, we have forgotten that soft targets are exactly that and more care must be taken. In Israel it is second nature now to enter a mall or shopping pedestrian area or a restaurant and open a bag, show what is making the bulge in the jacket pocket and answer a question or two if necessary. It is done quickly and efficiently. That is the way one stays safe and that is what we need to do here, but do it efficiently and properly and not build up lines such as were had right after 9/11. I can recall standing on a looooonnnnngggg line at the Union Station with the eighth graders and we must and can improve on that.
     But again we have bombs and that is even more serious for there are multiples of deaths and woundings with one event. Shrapnel in the form of metal and ball bearings wreak havoc on the nearby and not so nearby people and we must be more aware, more alert, to packages left around. Life of ease and acceptance of things in innocence must stop. Alert. Aware. Always. For it will happen again, the Mall attack and the bombings and the shootings and it already has when in New Jersey they discovered five more devices in a train station.
    And yet again we have more threats against us. An imam, preaching at the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem screams to his audience of enthusiastic "prayers" that the end goal is to destroy Washington and Moscow, to fight until the sounds of Allah are heard from the White House and the kremlin. And hey, Donnie, which one threatens or upsets you the most?
     And yet again we have more lies and stupidity from the Republican National Committee in the form of Reince Priebus - gee, wonder if he comes from a background of immigrants! See how easy it is to start something?! But is the man serious when he practically threatened the ends of careers of other Republicans if they do not support Trump? Are these people to sell their souls? And yet again he continues with the Big Lie and repeats the stupidity that Clinton began the moronic birther issue - and yet, there are again still clueless people who will blindly quote this idiot - or worse, not such an idiot but a careful planner.
     Again and again and again. Would that there are good things that happen on a national basis that could be repeated. All we can hope for now is that the Somali community in Minneapolis think of a way to stop their young men from joining terrorists. They owe it to themselves, to their families, and to the country that took them in and allowed them to build new lives here away from the war and the starvation and death and Shabab that rampaged through their country.
     And more locally, we owe it to ourselves to stop this again phenomenon by getting rid of the dead wood in UCO and the dangerous head of UCO who continues to take us down the road to bankruptcy and ruin. It is the road to physical decrepitude as well, as we can see with our own eyes how the infrastructure has been deteriorating and people, replacing one palm or two is not the answer. The answer is to stop the again phenomenon as in again the AC system is broken in the Clubhouse or again there is an irrigation pump broken or again the roads are devolving in a more hurried rate or again and again and again and if you think that we are going to get away with anything, we are not. The fees that we will be asked to pay will be greater than we have been paying and if they are not -well, then we are fooling ourselves again and letting David Israel say see, I am watching out for you by keeping fee raises to a minimum, but people, again, all that will do is put us further behind the eight ball in amassing the funds we need to correct it all. It will not give us the preparation for post Millennium work. It will leave us in an even graver situation and for that, AGAIN - thank David Israel and if you go for his Big Lies technique then go, elect him again, but then look in the mirror when we collapse and ask yourselves who is at fault for this state of affairs. The man in the mirror!

I JUST DON'T GET IT

      I always thought that human beings had an instinct for survival and that is what kept us going thru many a crisis but I am not so sure of that at the present time. Where is that instinct when reportedly there is a growth in the poll numbers for Trump. Folks, we will not survive should the worst happen and we will never be the same again, not the country and not the world - if we should survive!!
     The man has no brakes, no common sense, no instincts for the right and the proper and could care less. Twice now he has solicited the death of his opponent, Hillary Clinton. First he invites gun nuts of the extreme to go after her and yesterday he states that her Secret Service guards should disarm and then see what happens to her!! This man should be arrested for incitement rather than be allowed to continue his ruinous campaign, a campaign that has the possibility of destroying us all. And make no mistake about, especially those of you who support the man for one particular cause or issue and think the rest do not matter. Do not trust this man for when it serves him, he will turn on a dime.
     For example, let us take his trillion dollar tax cut. To one group who dislikes it he says it will not be, it is gone, changed and to another group he then states that it is in place and when he is in office, well there it goes. This is a man who made a fortune using $885 million in tax breaks and do not smirk at this oh so clever tactic for that money comes out of our hides, make no mistake about it. This is the man who refuses to reveal his tax filings and we all know the reason why. This is the same man who consistently has gone belly up in his financial dealings but what does he care since he uses OPM - other people's money - and that is our money in the final bottom line of it all.
     So what we have so far is an alleged criminal, inciting people to take up guns and go kill his opponent and I guess anyone else whom they do not like, and an incompetent so called mogul who would not have lasted out there except for the fact that he had daddy's money to get his started\\, to pick up the pieces and then he found the never ending deep pockets of the government and the suckers of the people who fell for his garbage and fake economics, all the better to trick you, my dear. And now there is a story coming out in the Washington Post that though he swore that he was a straight guy, never shady in his projects, it turns out he was working with guys with connections to the underworld. What gives here?
     This is a man who is a consummate liar! And yet this pot calls others black in their lies. Who is the one who started the rumor of Obama's birth and people, how many of you went along with this Big Lie? You know who you are and you are doing it again when you allow this man to get away with outrageous statements such as that it was Clinton who began that lie and he could care less as he continues along his nasty path. He states that Obama and Clinton founded ISIS and that one really blew my mind.
     I do not get it. I just do not understand how people can support this man. I know that there are people out there who think he will solve all terrorist problems. Well think again. He responds without thinking. For example, we have the horrific bombing now in NYC. Is it terrorism? I think so, but all the info is not in yet and what if it is a nut job who yes, is a terrorist in  his/her own manner, but not the kind that comes to mind. So he shoots his mouth off without knowledge and says oh yes, we have to get tough. Tough how? Tough where? On whom? To whom? And details, Donnie boy, details as you are always short of them. Clinton on the other hand says that while it is awful, she will wait to comment more when there is more information. So who should be president? The one who will push that button in a lightning reaction or the one who will think and plan? Do we need to get into another Iraq situation or can we please try to avoid these costly wars, costly in everything, not the least of which are the lives lost and shattered.
     With a Trump reign we would have skies blackened with soot, coal being allowed, all the better to destroy the atmosphere. We will have Big Pharma free to run rampant over consumers and government alike. We will have the loss of regulations that help the working class, the unions, the very laws which allowed our parents and grandparents to thrive and build lives which allowed and enabled us to succeed. Sick people, poor people, elderly people, well, we can all go out and find the floes for us to die on - that is if all the ice has not melted in both poles!!
     And for an issue close to my heart - will Trump support Israel? I truly do not think so and if one returns to the beginning of this campaign, such as it is, remember that he said he would be "neutral" and when that did not go over so well, rather more like a lead balloon, he changed words and then again. I do not trust him and cannot throw him so all trust bases are off! And for those of you who think that it truly does not matter, for if anything goes wrong such as with oil or whatever, well Trump says we will basically do a smash and grab, go in, knock some heads, take what we want and get out. Yup, just like that. Is the man nuts!!?? Answer that for yourselves as you think just how realistic is that and are we haring off to war again so easily, so quickly when we are still enmeshed in the longest war ever aside from The Hundred Year's War between the French and the English! The same war that began when we ran off into Iraq for no good reason and yes, the same war that he supported with a clear record of that though now he says no, he did not. The liar again.
     We have a crazy governor in Maine who talks of how the immigrants to his state are dirty, take money from the state, ignoring the jobs and contributions of those same people. We have a VP
 candidate who was not ashamed to take the offer after so many much worthier people shied away, said no, thank you to that position. Is that the type of country we want? And make no mistake about it for if you should think that you and yours are immune, are safe in such a crazy country and world, think again, oh please think again.
     There is no way of running away from who we are, who you are. There was a wonderful article in the Times yesterday about just this topic and the words ring in my head. ...."despite all our best efforts, the fact is, we are associated with particular groups, and there is no getting away from it." What group do you belong to? What group are you running away from? Or would you rather be in the group of thinkers who daily wonder at the crassness, the ignorance, the lies, the danger that is Trump? Do you wonder why it is that he is never pressed for details and allowed to get away with his lack of facts, his denial of facts, his hatred of others, his war mongering, his financial blunders, his avoidance of truth about his finances and health? I do and so do others and I wonder if people are preparing for the Apocalypse that will be upon us should the worst happen? Are they assuring their place in that hegemony?
     Think about this while I think about why you who support Trump just do not get it. And yes, there are friends and family amongst you but you are all dangerously benighted, truly so.
     "Standing in a field in Central Europe outside the small town of Zolkiew looking into a pit of water in which 3,500 bodies are buried, including your own family, makes it impossible to get away
from that tribal group connection. And the law has to recognize that. I do not want to be treated as  Sands the Brit, Sands the European, Sands the liberal, Sands the Jew...I just want to be treated as Sands. And we all want that. But actually it's never going to happen. It's never going to happen."
     People, I just do not get it. Which world do we want? The one where once again we denigrate the other, use stereotypes and insults, urge others to pick up their guns and go after them, burn the books and then the people and then have a huge conflagration that will engulf the world and then it will not matter to which group you have been assigned for we will all be gone.
     I just do not get it. Where is that instinct for survival? Is it gone and are we doomed? I am that concerned and worried and frightened what will be for the next four years should he be in office and if there will be a country or world left after he is done. Why do you not see that? I just do not get it.

FLIP SIDE OF THE FLIP PHONE - THE OTHER SIDE OF TECH

     Well, it seems that my love for my old flip phone is well deserved though sadly it is no longer with me as grandchildren and husband pushed me to a smartphone which seems to be not so smart for people lately. One Senator in Washington is thinking ruefully about his, another person, an anchor I believe, went home and deleted his emails aside from some personal ones, and one Senator says he was ahead of his times as he never sent emails!
     People mistakenly feel that what they say is sacred in its privacy. I, on the other hand, have always felt that people could always be listening so I always include a caveat to the initial brigade of the government that I was just joking or my conversation partner was joking. There are too many things we say that can be purposefully misinterpreted and so I feel better be safe than sorry.
     So what is the answer to all this hacking and exposure. Even the stiff Colin Powell has been hacked and revealed as not so stiff and stoic, not immune to the nippy little comments that we all make and you know what, he is entitled to do so. Not my favorite military person, he is still entitled to his privacy - as we all are. So....do we all get burner phones, a whole stock of them, to have private conversations? Can get pretty costly and heavy to lug around a whole number for the day's events and conversations!
     Truthfully, I do not think there is an answer unless perhaps we all revert to flip phones! But then again, some of us have grown attached in an addict's way to the smartphones - that is provided they do not blow up in one's face or set fire to one's seat! Perhaps we need to learn to talk to each other again rather than email and snap chat and Twitter and all the other options out there and can you just imagine all the kids who seem to have lost the art and the urge of conversations? Whooo! Think most of my grandchildren will be bewildered at that! LOL.
     For one, I think we all need to be careful in what we say and text and if there is anything a bit shady or open to misinterpretation then take care of it at that moment by saying just kidding or it is only a phrase. For example, when one says one could kill someone - say only joking in case that person actually is found in a state of rigor mortis!! Or be prepared to defend your statements or perhaps better yet, we can all accept that we are human and allow each other our space and that we all have made some snarky comments so we are all excused for being human. It is when the wrong people make these snarky remarks, such as candidates for office, that we run into problems but then again - candidates are human too and under great pressure, so again, not such an easy solve, is it?
     All of this new technology and ever growing category of it is problematic. Look at NYC which thought it was the cat's meow (to borrow from another era) when it installed the free Internet kiosks. Instead, they have created a monster, what with people just about moving in to these kiosks and surrounding sidewalks with chairs and sofas and tents and pursuing loud music 24/7, watching pornography and just about ruining the lives of residents, people passing by and businesses. Need to think again, huh!
     Do we need more encryption? The government howls about that one for it makes it difficult for them and how are they going to catch the bad guys and the terrorists who, by the way, have already figured out what to do and are using burner phones, switching phones so we have no real idea where the dude actually is, using good old face to face meetings and messengers and other quaint ideas and methodologies.
     We also need to get off this urge, this inner burning need of some to impose their idea of what is best for them on the unwilling and perhaps the wiser ones. For example, we absolutely, definitely, 100% do not need a huge one stop shopping version of broadband here with our free choice of who we wish to use for our phones and Internet provider  taken away from us. Why is someone - you know who - (DI for a hint) so hot on this, going against the bylaws where the only thing we have together is cable. Period!! Why are we suddenly to acquiesce and agree to have this Atlantic company do it all and uh huh, what will DI get for his helpful attitude towards them? Perhaps access to the whole shootin' shebang, some backdoor entry into the accounts of all, perhaps giving the poor man something to do besides contemplating his navel when he sits all day in UCO. He has already spent lots and lots of money fixing it up, inside and out, never mind our roads and post Millennium needs and new contracts and broken chiller in the Clubhouse and the algae and the irrigation system, "etc. etc., and so forth". Why have there been secret meetings and deals with CSI and what has happened that CSI has been ignoring David and we have had meetings cancelled last minute so what is happening and why are the residents being kept in the dark and why does David think he can impose this on us and we are to sit there and rotate?!!! I do not think so!!!
     I, for one, am satisfied with my services. I have a great package with Comcast, a separate landline with AT&T in case of hurricanes and power outages, the associations who have wired up for Wi Fi do not want a change with a new broadband initiative that would impose upon them, there are snowbirds who are not interested in this, older people who do not use the Internet nor plan to and cannot afford a computer anyway, and the list runs long.
    There are two sides and perhaps more to every venture. We need to think about all possibilities, think forward, be creative in our thoughts. For example, we poured bad water into our waterways and grew stagnant and algae overrun by not thinking ahead, by not doing a bit more research and thinking, thinking!!! WPRF did not redo the Clubhouse cooling system from the get go after the hurricane destruction and as a result what we have is a constantly not working right system and now we really need a new system and who do you think is going to pay for that? A little thinking ahead would have been better and cheaper if done at the onset, don't ya" think!
     And hey, all make mistakes and I have been told that I wrote that piece but I never sent it to the editor nor gave permission for it to be used as such nor does it have the same approach, but still, I apologize  for the accusation. Done and over.
     In any case, we all need to think and plan and work to stop this nonsense of the Broadband. Too much technology ain't such a good thing and in fact sometimes is very suspicious and even dangerous. We need none of that and we are just fine with what we have and with waiting to see what happens in the near future what with all the changes and discoveries, some good and some not so good. Wait and think and plan and think again. What are all the possibilities, what are the advantages as juxtaposed with the disadvantages? Think and think again!! We simply do not get that thinking part right at UCO.
     And as far as the country is concerned, we need one to lead us who knows how to think and plan and who knows how not to shoot from the hip. Trump is a danger in that way as what is on his mind is out his mouth, without thought and care, without a realization as to consequences. That might work with a toddler but not so good with a President of the United States. Oh yes, he certainly could shake things up, but do you really want to be in that shaker? Think, think.
     By the way, fool, one cannot impose one's views on anyone when they read a blog. First of all, no one forces them to read it and second of all, reading is that and nothing else. If I can change an opinion or open a mind then fine and if not, nice to have readers. But imposition? Please read the dictionary on that and think again - exactly as I ask for in the blog.

WHERE IS THE TRUTH?

     With the whirlwind of information and disinformation that is targeting us these days it has become hard to distinguish the necessary from the unnecessary and the truth from fiction. Words and events are twisted and the real issues are lost in all the verbiage, as Shakespeare said, lots of sound and fury, all signifying nothing! So how do we know where to look and how to sift thru everything that is out there.
     First is to realize that we cannot sift thru everything.  It is an impossibility. Even if one were to use some computer program, it still would be insufficient to separate all the wheat from all the chaff. I just concentrate on what interests me, and perhaps what validates some opinions I have and hope that this will suffice.
     Second of all, what we all would like to hear is policy information, details. We are getting more of that from Clinton than from Trump, from whom we receive lots of bombast and hot air, but little in the way of details. One piece of information I found interesting is the fact that Trump's check of $25,000 to Pam Bondi was actually on a different timeline than the one submitted and it makes it more obvious in my opinion and in the opinion of others that this check was allegedly much more of a definite quid pro quo. Shocking, huh, that such a thing should take place in Florida! Well....Ok, I am entitled to a tad of cynicism when it comes to Florida politics. Another piece of information was the description of a very poorly received trip of Trump to Flint, Michigan where he took the opportunity to run down the country again but apparently his audience objected and he was a bit heckled, couldn't take the heat and got out of the kitchen, cutting his appearance short. Such is the man people want to elect as President? What will he do when there is a crisis with lots of heat - tell the people to go away as he does not want to play right now? This behavior of his tells much of the man he is and the man he is not.
     So is Clinton perfect? Nope. Never said so, but she is infinitely better than the other option and as for this third party of Libertarians to push for their know nothings candidates to partake in the debate - well, fishy, fishy. They are only here as spoilers and would that someone would sift thru their bits and pieces of information and check their funding for this new campaign of expensive ads in the Times and other papers. Fishy, fishy. As they say - spoiler alert!!
     What bothers me a great deal is the new study - why we needed a new study when the facts were clear is beyond me, but in any case, this new study states that the improving economy seems to have bypassed some areas of the country, Appalachia being one and some large urban centers also included. I have long stated that we have our own areas of the country where people are hungry and cold, barely hanging on and how can we expect them to sign on for new programs when they cannot afford to put a piece of bread in their mouths or the mouths of their children nor put gas, as low as it is right now, into their cars to get to the centers for retraining.
     We rush to feed the mouths of the world and yes, the pictures are horrifying when we see them, but people, charity begins at home and perhaps we need to tap the huge charity organizations of the dot com people and convince them to help our own citizens. What we need are true programs of feeding these families, clothing them, warming them and then retraining them - even perhaps in silicone valley jobs once their heads are open to it as their bodies are fixed and their families more secure.
     We need to do the same with our urban centers which have lost the manufacturing jobs which used to provide for a large working class and allow for the progress of children, of good incomes for families, of security. Why are we allowing so many of our own Americans to suffer what is euphemistically called 'food insecurity" - simply  not sure if they and their kids are going hungry to bed at night or not, having food for the next day or not!
    And we do not have to go far to look for another group of people who are suffering and that is the elderly elderly, those of our seniors who have long ago surpassed their expectations of life, who have outlived their funds and perhaps even their children and certainly their old friends, who are receiving a pittance from Social Security that simply is not enough for the roof over the head, to pay the bills, afford the meds they need and put some food on their tables. So they sit in the suffocating heat of the summer with no AC because they cannot afford it and have empty cupboards. We need to look to take care of them as well.
     We need to look at the reviving hatreds of old and if any class of citizens or groups of similar ancestry think that they are immune from this - think again. Today we have a class proposed to be run at Berkeley which was to study basically all the harm that Israel has done in the world (sic) and though finally cancelled due to strong protest, the fact that it was THERE says something and just imagine the next course. Perhaps how the Italians ruined the country with their Mafia or the Irish with their support of the IRA or their own gangs or the Albanians with theirs or the African Americans with their own growing gangs again and the same with Hispanics. No group is immune to hatred and misplaced emphasis and stress.
     Yes, we need to be part of the world for we are a leader of countries, like it or not. People look to us and even as they shout against us and burn our flag, they stand in line for a visa to us, for a chance for their own brass ring, just as we and our parents and grandparents did in their time. But we also need to tend to the shoes of our own shoemakers' kids!
     I believe that while there is no easy solve to this as the world has changed enormously and will continue to do so, there is at least a way to start on the proper path and that path is one run by Clinton and not Trump. All the accusations of Trump on Clinton echo resoundingly back on him. He wants records? Well, there they are but where are his? He states he is of the people? How? Show me. Since when has he ever been a part of the "commoners" from birth to now? How can he possibly understand their needs and woes? He makes accusations of lies? Whoa there, for how many lies have emanated from his mouth and his campaign, lies by omission and commission.
     Would that we would get answers to the questions. Would that someone would find a way through the muck and actually have a workable plan for this. Would that the "America Firsters" would understand where to apply that, where it is relevant and right, and where it goes wrong, where we all falloff the cliff were that to be followed.
     And folks, if you want to get even more depressed today, read the huge conclusions that scientists have reached about the "sixth extinction"
and the sea and the human condition and part in this. Not appetizing at all. We need to get down to brass tacks, to details and understanding of what is important and what is not. Proving one can stop a government from moving forward, or putting a hold on its budget and functioning is the wrong and indeed the childish and harmful path to follow. Making it Party vs Party in an adult game of ring-o-levio is Congress going off track and we, the people, need to push them back onto the correct one with demands and using the power of the votes and ballots. Hard, but can be done if only we would all band together and try.
     Must add in that I just read Nicholas Kristof's column for today. I find him a mixed bag but today's title is the best. "When a Crackpot Seeks Office". Now does that not say it all!!