The Art of Compromise

 So, yesterday was the end of my weekend.  I was busy. 

I had a plumber come and do several fixes.  Unbelievably pricey.  I don't mind paying for quality work, and let's be honest here, prices are much higher then they were fifteen years ago.  While we think we can estimate accurately, we can't.  $100 doesn't go as far as it used to go.  How do I know this?  We have customers who go through the registers and pay with $100 bills.  Thirteen years ago, when I began working for the massively large, orange home improvement retailer, you never saw that.  Now it happens almost daily.

As for the plumber, he did fine work.  He installed a new shower diverter, the old one leaked badly.  The shower's upstairs and there's about a 10 degree difference from the ground floor.  He was wearing a thick, green sweatshirt.  When he told him he didn't need to wear it, he said he had tats and some people didn't like to see them.  That made me laugh.  "I work at Home Depot," I said, "do you have any idea what I see on a daily basis?"  The dogs loved him.  They thought I'd given them the best toy ever, and were sorely disappointed when he left.

Besides getting in a bike ride, I also got a number of loads of laundry done.  Hay, I even mowed the tall, tall grass I like to call a lawn.

And, of course, everything is blooming.  The flowers on this bush are very pretty, but have no perfume.

I find it interesting to see how easily the Republicans have cleaved to the will of Loser #45.  They will do anything to gain the favor of his base, even though that group now only makes up about 25% of the electorate.  Republican congressmen will unify around anything they believe will help them regain control of both the House and the Senate.  Democrats, on the other hand, do not.  Take the $1.9 billion security bill the house just passed.  The "Squad" almost tanked it.  They made headlines by doing so.  Among our Democratic Congressmen, they have become the party of 'no.'  At times, I think they do not understand the art of compromise; a little give here, a little take there.  This is one of the reasons we lose at local elections.  Our message is filled with scattershot landing all around the target.  For the sake of America, these people need to learn to compromise.

Time to Unify

It's Thursday... I know this because I checked my calendar.  For some reason I thought it was Friday... wrong.  Believe me, I would really like it to be Friday.  It's my approaching vacation... and the fact that it's slow at work.  This is not flooring season.
I went riding in Utah last night, not my normal 10 or 11 miles, I was on a new route... with hills, strep hills - 10% grade.  I took a snap.  My position is marked by the little blue helmet.

My legs are a little sore this morning, so I'll take the day off. I like this ride, though, so I'm going to focus more on it and build up some strength in my legs.
The Idiot Jerk held a White Republican Rally in Greenville, North Carolina.  It was racist as all get out, with the very white crowd chanting "send her back."  The ugly man is fueling hatred towards minorities because he wants to, because it gives him joy.  He so desperately wants to wear the mantle of American Dictator.  His approval rating has gone up a few percentage points... among white Republicans.  The rest of America is inching backwards in horror as the party of the Idiot Jerk creeps deeper into fascism.  Believe me, the Idiot Jerk would love to run a fascist country and so would the Republicans.  They hate the constitution because it restricts them, binding them with rules which deny them the control they so desperately want.  One good thing is that they are a minority group, themselves.  Vast majorities do not stand behind the Idiot Jerk.  His approval rating has been sitting, for the most part, in the low 40's since his election.
Democrats need to come together.  The infighting between the middle and the far left needs to stop until after the 2020 election.  If this means AOC needs to bite her tongue... well, then she needs to bite her tongue.  Centrists and Independents are the key.  Do not piss them off.  The Idiot Jerk does not know how to deal with a wall of unity.  He and his sycophants will chip away at every crack they can discover.  Unification is the only way to beat this Evil.  I like The Squad, but they need to become for Centrist in their message if we hope to defeat the Idiot Jerk.  The Squad needs to become a name he hates.  They need to represent truth, justice, and equality for all Americans.
And, now that Al Green (D - Texas) has failed at his little impeachment stung, he needs to put on his Big Boy Pants and join the team.  His priority must be to help win the White House back from the Idiot Jerk.  He needs to pocket his hatred until we Americans can begin to prosecute the Idiot Jerk and his henchies.