Star in the Wiindow, Star on a Podcast, Where are the Stars for Schools and Communities?First

While making a star for the person I loved who died of Covid 19 (thank you, reader Dianne Brenner,  for suggesting that we "Honor virus victims with stars" and thank you Eileen Gertz for living the life you lived, still shining),  I was listening to Joe Garopoli's podcast “It's All  Political" with guest Michael Franti and the focus positivity in politics and life, a real upper after I'd read "Fight intensifies over landmark property tax law" in reference to the Schools and Communities first. 

 Even before the pandemic, the gap between the rich and the poor was so huge that closing the corporate loophole in Prop 13 while protecting individual home owners was clearly the right thing to do.  

Now that we've had this economic crisis, how could anyone possibly "fight" against this?  Lapsley says that by the time the proposal would take effect, "budgets might be recovering in a post-pandemic world," but that's not good enough.  As Mayor Schaaf says, the measure represents a fundamental shift, and "businesspeople should be uncomfortable about the level of income inequality that we have."

Some have been generous with donations, but we need a system that doesn’t depend upon generous donations.

Open Letter to John Wildermuth for a Very Engaging Report

Dear Jon Wildermuth,

I loved your report "Face masks join front line of national political battle," which I read this morning and was just telling an Arizona friend about. 

 

Not so funny was the security guard in Flint, Michigan being shot to death in a dispute over face masks--or workers in stores threatened when the  tried to enforce the mask requirements in Oklahoma--leading to their dropping the mask requirements!

We now know that it's government mandates--not Covid 19--that people are arming against.

But some parts really sounded like a Borowitz Report, they were so funny.  Trump's getting a framed N95 mask from the CEO at the company's mask plant in Phoenix, where neither of them is wearing a mask!  

Favorite quotes:

Trump:  "It's a recommendation.  They recommend it.  I just don't want to wear one myself."

Good that Melania is wearing one and recommending it.

Good that Pence came through after going barefaced to the Mayo Clinic!  Why did they permit that?  I think it's collusion.

Yes, as you say "No Republican wants to be wearing a mask while walking behind a president who is barefaced."  

But  the best part of all were the stated reasons for not wearing a mask:

Trump says he's regularly tested for the coronavirus.

Rand Paul says that since he tested positive in March, he's now immune.

And Ohio state representative Nino Vitale  comes up with the best reason of all:  Because "we're all created in the image and likeness of God...I won't wear a mask."

I'm not going to make any snide remarks like "May he meet his maker, unmasked."

But I do want to thank you for this very engaging report!

Your reader,

Tina Martin