The Virus, the Swamp and the Wings...Oh My...

Needless it's been busy time since I attempted to begin blogging again...I had good intentions back in October of 2019 but got busy with the holidays, work and more work.  And then this crazy virus situation has just made life go into "full interesting" mode...

Since my last post I've gone all in on really my first true love, the aviation world.  I'm working full-time for a major airline in the area of ramp operations mostly, spending some time at the gate and occasionally getting to operate the jetway.  It's been fun, although stressful between the holidays and then what we call in Florida "Season" and then the current disaster.  No layoffs so far, just reduced schedules for everyone and a hiring freeze.  The hiring freeze shuts down any attempts at trying to move up within the company, but I'm okay for now and will continue to develop skills to try and make me a more candidate in the future.

As to the virus, I try not to think about it, especially at the airport.  Our flight schedules have dropped dramatically, but we will have passengers arriving from infected areas so I try to be as careful as possible.  It's probably more dangerous when I do have to venture to a grocery store, or Costco, as some generational people in my area (generally older adults) don't seem to understand the concept of social distancing...very frustrating!!!

Finally, what can I say about our current political class?  Not much. There are a few members o Congress trying to do the right thing, but for the most part the impeachment faros and then the loading up of a stimulus bill with unnecessary items tells you all you need to know.  And Republicans would likely have done the same thing had they been in power.  It's very discouraging.  While I still lean more "center-right, moderate conservative" it feels more and more like being in the political wilderness than every before.  Two sharp factions, one hard left and one hard right, are controlling our politics and leaving those of us with mixed fews firmly without any political base.  It's an alarming situation and doesn't look like it will get any better.

To that end I may end discussing political items and move the hat trick to happier items...focusing on aviation and hockey (if that ever comes back).  Even though the Red Wings have had some disappointing seasons recently, they are still a more honest topic to discuss than anything happening in politics in 2020.

Personal Development - the Journey Continues

Personal growth is always something we talk about that "we need to do" but rarely make the time or effort to actually "do" it.  The Hat Trick is equally guilty of this and, when I think about it, it gets me down.  And getting down is hardly the goal of developing oneself personally so it ends up becoming a self fulfilling prophecy in some ways.

So with that in mind, I'm going to try and develop more material for this blog.  Another reason I've stayed away is that one of the major areas of this blog...politics...has been such a dismal area these past few years that I haven't really wanted to dip into the anger and nastiness in discourse that has become the hallmark of how many liberals and conservatives speak to one another.  By staying silenced, even if self-imposed, is hardly the answer so hopefully I'll find my voice at some point.  

And expect to find more aviation-related material as I've really tried to spend my time on that happier topic and have some good material that I've yet to develop.

Wish me luck as I try to focus on one area of my personal development journey...here we go!

The Hat Trick is Alive and Well

Greetings Hat Trick Fans...it's been a while since my last post and I do apologize for not posting sooner. Fall 2009 has ended up being a busy time between the newest member of the Hat Trick family and my continued job hunt. With the holidays approaching and most organizations suspending hiring activities I'm hoping to have some more time to post on my favorite topics...Detroit Red Wings hockey, air travel and politics. There is a lot happening in Washington, DC these days and I hope to provide some insight.

In the meantime, thanks for sticking with the Hat Trick and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

More Brilliance from the Kennedy’s…

You’ve got to love the Kennedy’s and their self-righteousness…as well as their ability to hold others accountable while conveniently forgetting some of their own family’s challenges over the years.

In today’s Washington Post, Robert Kennedy Jr. was quoted on Monday at the Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, DC as stating that “That’s when the Republicans used to be good guys.” Kennedy was speaking to a group of children at the bookstore publicizing his new book on former slave Robert Smalls. Kennedy asked the group of children if they knew the political party of President Abraham Lincoln (not a leading question at all) and when they answered “Republican” he made his broad generalization on Republicans. Kennedy further stated to the Post that he had no qualms about the statement, feeling that the children were mature enough to make their own determinations.

Using the same logic we can only conclude that everyone with the last name of Kennedy is a liberal philandering, alcoholic, date-raping murderer…frankly I can barely type that sentence out because it is so ludicrous. Examples like Mr. Kennedy’s clearly illustrate the toxic ignorance that is a growing trend in today’s politics. It’s why both Congress and the Presidency have such low approval ratings. It’s why a good many people in this country cannot stomach the political scene and stay out, leaving an increasingly small pool of capable individuals running for office. In turn, this leaves our government in the hands of an ever increasing number of individuals who are not capable of statesmanship and drop into the gutter of partisan warfare. Liberals like Mr. Kennedy are flocking to Senator Obama, and will likely elect him President, because they feel he is an agent of change that our country desperately needs. Yet, by his ignorant statement and unwillingness to even consider how inappropriate it was to say that in front of a group of children, Mr. Kennedy descends into the very arena that they supposedly want to change.

Will we see any outrage over this statement beyond conservative circles? Will liberals and the media call out Mr. Kennedy and condemn his statement? I think the answer to that question is highly unlikely. Of course, if my statement above had been used to describe Mr. Kennedy’s family, or Mr. Obama's, I can only imagine the moral outrage that would come from it. Unfortunately for Republicans, that’s how it is in the current climate. How we combat it will help decide if the party can recover from what is almost-certain political annihilation on November 4.

Culture of Corruption

In 2006 the then-Democratic minorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate ran on theme of a Republican "Culture of Corruption" in Congress. They weren't far off on labeling Republicans this way. The GOP had experienced an unusually high number of congressional scandals including the infamous Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal that sent now former Representative Bob Ney, an Ohio Republican, to jail. Other problems came up including a page scandal where former Representative Mark Foley, a Florida Republican, was discovered to have been texting high school pages that worked in the Capitol on some highly inappropriate subjects.

Now it looks like the tables have turned and the big question will be how will the Democratic leadership address this scandal involving, ironically, the lawmaker who replaced Representative Foley. It looks like Representative Tim Mahoney (D-FL) is being accused of paying a former staffer, and his mistress, about $121,000 to stay quiet about the affair. We'll see how this plays out but it is always fascinating to the Hat Trick how politicians always try and play the morality card for political gain and always (always!) get burned doing it. House Republicans impeaching former President Bill Clinton when both the Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA) and Appropriations Chairman (and incoming Speaker) Bob Livingston (R-LA) were involved in extramarital affairs. Current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) promised that the House of Representatives, under her leadership, would run the most ethical Congress in history. She has already stumbled badly with many ethical lapses in her own caucus including Representative Bill Jefferson (D-LA) current trial on corruption charges. The Mahoney incident doesn't help matters and I think the Democratic leadership is going to have to come down hard on Mahoney, otherwise they will have proven they are no better compared with the Republicans they threw out of office in 2006.