12/9/2022

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            Aer you sure that spending $36 billion to bail out the Teamsters pension is the best way to appeal to Union workers? Might it be better to just give $$ directly to the pensioners? From what I learned this AM from Forbes, the Central States Pension plan has been a mess since Jimmy Hoffa & his cronies were making bogus loans from it to pay for casinos. In addition to being adversely affected by deregulation of the trucking industry, it’s got a faulty benefit formula & has been mismanaged. How about liquidating the whole thing & starting from scratch rather than propping up a faulty institution?

            Since I seem to be in a contrary mood this AM, I will also cast doubt on the wisdom of the state being involved in marriage. Why should the government care about who I love, who I live with & who I parent with? As Neel Burton wrote in Psychology Today, “while marriage is deceptively simple and straightforward to enter, it is, like the Hotel California, much more difficult to leave—and in two-thirds of cases, it is the woman who files for divorce.” I could go on, but time & space prevent me from doing so. Suffice it to say, while I am happy to see that the law the House just passed assuring that same-sex & inter-racial marriage will be tolerated, I continue to wonder why, in this day of gender equity, we continue to put such an emphasis on an institution that fails so often.

            It IS nice to see a bipartisan bill pass. Please extend your gratitude to WY Sen Cynthia Loomis (R) for her courage in voting in favor & to KLM(I) for convincing her to do so.

            RE Burma, please contact JPJT to find out about the 12 people & 3 entities that Canada just sanctioned to prevent $$ from going to the junta. We want to make sure we are sanctioning the same folks.

            BYBS,