The Writer's Life 4/12 - Regulatory Capture & Other Delights

I suppose being a Trump partisan made it easy for me to understand what he said yesterday about Russia, which most outlets believe was a mixed, confused message. Is it so wrong that he would rather do business with Russians than bomb them? That seems common sense. True, I think his hope that Putin will one day see the light and act in good faith is naive, but no more so than Bush's or Obama's. It's a riot how liberals are now becoming defense hawks. Of course, that is probably only because they will propose the opposite of whatever the President does.

In an op-ed piece in today's NY Post, Jonathan Podhoretz weighs in on the farce that was Mark Zuckerberg's appearance before senators, several of whom have received donations from him. The piece points out that MZ's promise to work with congress on regulations that target abuse will merely hamper fledgling companies and cement Facebook as the top dog, a practice Podhoretz cites as "Regulatory Capture." Kudos.

And a Post article reveals another aspect of this ever-evolving world. People are copyrighting risqué photos they post on the web. A woman was awarded $450,000 for infringement in a revenge porn suit against a former beau that brought her a total $6.45 million. Clever vixen.

Paul Ryan announced that he is retiring from politics. Who can blame him? He was practically forced into the position of Speaker of the House and is now suffering the same abuse John Boehner did. It is a thankless job for Republicans and, given the way the deficit continues to skyrocket, Ryan's term must be considered a colossal failure. Reckless spending is what Democrats do. In our system of checks and balances, Republicans are supposed to bring that it line. Too many are complicit. To his credit, Ryan was tireless in getting the tax bill passed. As it looks now, the next speaker will be a Democrat. It may as well be given the way many Republicans govern. 

Also in the Post: an Aussie judge proved the paragon of common sense, ruling that farting is not a former of bullying. A worker filed a complaint that his boss would often lift a cheek and let gas fly in his direction. These days I'd be vulnerable to such a suit by anyone who approaches the floating book shop at the wrong moment.

Speaking of which: My thanks to the gentleman who rolled up on his bike and purchased my rock n roll epic, Rising Star. In the past, he has bought many CD's and DVD's, neither of which were among the inventory today. He speaks with a heavy Latino accent, which had me wondering if he will even read the book. The idea in selling one's works on the street is to create word of mouth about them. What am I to do, say: "No, you can't have it."? Maybe he reads English with ease. Maybe he has a child who might read the novel. He even gave me, as usual, more money than I asked, $15 instead of $10. Muchisimas gracias, senor. And thanks also to the other kind folks who made purchases.

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