My little offering last week on student debt was on point. It’s been on the national news every day. Remember, I said that around 10% deserve relief. And the Biden Administration has already canceled the debt for most of those.
For the other 90%, one of my friends in Arizona had a great suggestion: each individual should appear in front of three “evaluators” to justify why they cannot afford to pay their loan. Each would be questioned on their reasons, and offered tips on ways to cut other expenses, and/or add income. After a 30-minute session, most would leave the room disappointed. A few may cry. But they would have a plan! Another friend added, “Make it a reality TV show!”
I think we’re onto something big. With millions pleading their cases, starting with Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez, the show could run 24 hours a day. Why, it might become such a tremendous success, so huge in fact… well, there’s a rare possibility… it could even resurrect CNN+.
Elon Musk is paying over $40 Billion for Twitter. You might think it’s a social media powerhouse. But it’s not. The revenue generated is tiny compared to Facebook, YouTube, and other parts of Jeff Zuckerberg’s Meta. Few people use it, and 10% of those write 80% of the Tweets.
So why do we all think Twitter is a huge platform? Because newscasters report on Tweets by politicians, athletes, actors, and other famous people. Do you ever hear one say, “Here’s something I saw in an email message or on Facebook.”?
I’m getting back on Twitter (@randall_reeder). I got on it years ago but stopped using it because almost all Will Rogers quotes are more than 140 characters. Even with the current limit, quotes by Will (and me) seldom fit. I have a lot to learn. First lesson: brevity.
Did you hear this? The Biden Administration saw that bank robberies are up. So, they created a “Board to Reduce Bank Robberies” and started looking for a person to run it. Among the applicants one stood out. He appeared to be supremely qualified. The only negative was he insisted on working remotely instead of moving to Washington. At the confirmation hearing in the Senate, conducted on Zoom, after several Democrats praised this outstanding individual, one Republican Senator asked, “Concerning this need to work remotely, exactly where do you reside?” “I’m currently in Kansas. To be exact, in Leavenworth. I wouldn’t mind moving to Washington, but that will depend on the Parole Board.” Well, that ended the hearing. But one staffer admitted, “At least he’s an expert on robbing banks.”
Ok, that didn’t happen. But the Biden Administration did create a “Board to Reduce Disinformation.” And they found the perfect person to run it. Nina Jankowicz is an expert on disinformation. Concerning disinformation in politics, she is at the top of the pile. She was such a prolific producer of disinformation during the 2020 election that a few Democrats credit her with winning the election for Biden-Harris and the two Georgia Senators.
Why didn’t they offer the job to Congressman Adam Schiff? He was outstanding at providing disinformation for four solid years. He would have probably turned it down so he could remain as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. See, in that esteemed post, everyone believes him when he speaks out on top secret information, even when he makes it up.
Is it a coincidence the Disinformation Board was announced just days after Twitter ceased to be a liberal-leaning social media platform? If Biden had been President in 1996, I bet he would have formed the same Board on Disinformation when Fox News Network began broadcasting.
The Gridiron Dinner was last night. The newspaper, TV, and other media folks gave President Biden a standing ovation and uproarious applause. Comedian Trevor Noah got plenty of laughs. [A few people think the dinner should have been cancelled and each person donate the money they would have spent on it to support Ukraine.]
Will Rogers was the MC for a few of these dinners. He was in the audience in 1931 and wrote this: “Tonight’s Gridiron dinner here in Washington, where the President attends and sees the cleverest kidding and satires, was put on by the newspaper men who know these big birds backwards.”
Historic quote by Will Rogers:
“We used to look on [May Day] as a beautiful Spring Day when we had a picnic and fastened ribbons to the top of a pole and danced around and sang and played… Everybody was just poor and ignorant enough to be happy.” DT #863, May2, 1929