Issue #105 : A distance, vast

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A distance, vast

The day I am writing this, I am 57 miles from home. I am 57 miles from home every working day. It’s too far.

The day I am writing this, heavy snow falls. It will be followed by sleet, ice and freezing rain. I am still 57 miles away. It’s too far.

The day I am writing this is also a deadline day, so I have no choice.

I am taking care of an aging relative. With 57 miles, I have no choice.

Fifty-seven miles away — way too far — I dream of the day when I am 5.7 miles away, as I was between 1990 and 2006, from work.

The day I am writing this I want to start counting the days when I go from 57 to 5.7 or .57 miles to work.

The time has to come. Sometime. It can’t be far away.

Republican-English translations

Republicans: it’s a major tax plan to benefit American families. Translation: we just want the rich to get richer:

Months after Republicans in Congress passed their tax plan, Not One Penny has released a new report showing that there is “no evidence that tax breaks for the wealthy are causing companies to change behavior toward their employees or consumers in any meaningful way. Instead, the report finds that the new tax law is incentivizing corporations to use their windfalls to buy back stock in record numbers and accelerate mergers and acquisitions to capture additional market share.“

“I am conservative.” Translation: “I like the money I get from tax breaks to spend on me and me alone.”

“People should be self-sufficient.” Translation: “I am a social Darwinist. Survival of only the fittest. The rest can drop dead.”

“Tax breaks will improve the economy.” Translation: “It will seem like the rich actually don’t get richer, but they damn well do.”

“Make America Great Again.” Translation: “I need to make more money from this damned economy.”

“We have lobbyists working on that issue.” Translation: “We paid these bastards to protect our interests!”

So what you want to see happen, and what actually happens, are so far apart.

Distance, vast.

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