The (Official) YDOP 2017 Prediction Post:

Or, things that absolutely, positively, 100% are not going to happen next year.

A few days ago we took a trip down memory lane reliving a 2016 that was widely agreed-upon as one of the worst American years in recent history.  It was a year that gave us President-Elect Donald Trump, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, a new, expansive tax on Las Vegas hotels designed solely to enrich Sheldon Adelson and a 1-13 49ers team that just needs to be put down.

But....as in all things, 2017 offers us a new hope for a brighter future as baby new year births from the loins of old man 2016 with all of the promise and hope that these things typically signify.

Now that the preliminaries are out of the way, let's look ahead shall we?

The United States.

The biggest story is, of course, Donald J. Trump. Congratulations America, you finally did it, you elected an ape in a suit to be President instead of one of the many, qualified conservatives that stood against him in the primary.  Of course, the Democrats put-up possibly the worst political candidate of the modern age to stand against him so.....

Contrary to the whinging of many, I don't predict an 'end to the Republic' in 2017. As a matter of fact, I think things will move along pretty much in the same shitty manner they are now.  The Democrats, out of any semblance of functional power and lacking ways to pay off their various constituencies, will be loud, shrill, stupid and aghast at just about everything Trump does.  They will be so shocked it will appear that a Tesla coil has taken full time residence in the Congressional chambers. The NeverTrump crowd, or what's left of them, will sheepishly move back onto their porches with psuedo-witty aphorisms such as "I'm old enough to remember" etc. etc.

The problem, of course, is that many of them are just that. Old.

Business, being what business is, will continue to saunter along without accomplishing much.  Companies, still unsure about the long-term future, will continue to hoard cash and progress will be achingly slow. The past gave us the moon-landing and the internal-combustion engine, it also gave us the computer, refrigeration, radio, television and the internet.  The future is going to give us faster internet speeds and 2-year commitment packages with phones that might, or might not, catch fire when we log onto TalkAbout, the new "big" social media platform that will enrich it's designers despite the lack of a clear path to profitability.  Facebook will become both public enemy number one and the biggest social media platform out there, while Twitter continues to fall in on itself, buried under an avalanche of anonymous trolls and social justice warriors hoping to get noticed.

But, and this is the important part, the Federal bureaucracy will still function, and it will still continue to choke-off meaningful economic growth under the name of 'consumer protection' and 'safety'. The Alphabet-soup of organizations that de-facto run this country will continue to place out-sized influence into the hands of lower-level clerks who, in many cases, barely generate enough brain-power to keep their legs functioning properly.  Due to federal employment laws that would make Franz Kafka stand mouth agape with wonder the government is unable, and unwilling, to get rid of these modern day miniature Torquemadas who run rough-shod across corporate profitability each and every day.


Houston

"Space City" as it was once called, is looking down the gun barrel of years and years of bad electoral decisions.  From the man who gave us the current pension mess to the man who never found a crony capitalism deal he didn't like to the woman whose anger threatened to rip the city apart to a career back-bench legislator whose life ambition was to become Mayor (think about that for a minute), the incredibly sub-par run of Mayors lacking basic leadership skills has crippled the city to a level that might take municipal bankruptcy to recover from.

Houston is a mess, and it's going to continue being so long as Sylvester and friends sit around City Hall wondering what speech he can give next in order to fool the citizenry into believing that he actually has a clue.  More importantly, can he forestall the coming financial vortex for eight more years allowing him to continue to claim the problem "fixed" (in the same manner former-Mayor Bill White "fixed" the pension mess and former Mayor Annise Parker "fixed" homelessness) and skate out of town with a few legacy-making projects under his belt? (Note: He might want to try and do better than Bill White, who only managed to escape with a sidewalk named after him.)

Because the financial and actual infrastructure of the city are crumbling the people have turned inward. Traffic is a mess on the best of days, a dystopian nightmare on the worst. People have gotten so selfish on the road that little things like courtesy and traffic laws have gone the way of the Dodo. Cutting people off to skip a turn line is now commonplace, as is undertaking on the right and pulling in front of people and slamming on the brakes. (Helpful hint: Stay out of the blind spot of other motorists, trust me on this one).

Houston's public transportation system has hit the skids, as reimagining turned out to be an art-installation where the artist (Christof Speiler) did little more than imagine empty buses and design a plan to make it so.  Have you seen Metro's ridership numbers lately?  It's not pretty.  Of course, the toy train is chugging along, moving moderately well-off Houstonians to bars and events, and spit-polishing itself for the upcoming Stupid Bowl.  It's Lady Gaga this year folks, let's pray we don't see HER bare breast during the halftime show.  Maybe she'll sacrifice a nutria rat?

Speaking of the Stupid Bowl, rumblings are already starting that this, LI if you've been paying attention, could be Houston's last.  The last that is unless we take a good, hard look at NRG and commit to providing Houston's middling football team with a Billion-plus dollar play-pen to compete with the likes of Dallas, Minnesota, Los Angeles and (soon) Las Vegas. NRG is not even 20-years old, and you're going to be pummeled with opinion pieces in 2017 talking about how "out of date" it already is and that only a massive injection of public funds is going to save it.

And then we get to the Astrodome, County Judge' Ed Emmet's great, gray, dingy, whale. Of course, there are plans, a parking garage-slash-er-uh-something-or-other that will be there and which will make the wheezing old building shine again because......I don't know, history?  Every other city worth a damn, and many that aren't, rightly decided to implode their former "state-of-the-art-at-the-time" complexes but not Houston.  In Houston it's been decided that almost anything older than 5 minutes is suddenly historical and deserves to remain standing, forever, even if no one really gives much of a damn about it, never visits any more and there's really no use for it.

It's much the same with Houston's restaurant and bar scene. When a place closes people lament the closure, rip their garments and dress in sack-cloth, right after admitting that they "haven't been there in years".


The Media.

2016 was the year we lost our faith in the media.  100%, totally.  It's done, finished, and there's scant evidence that they're going to try and work their way back. Today the New York Times, the Old Grey Lady, dared to lecture Americans on the 'antiquated mechanism' that is the Electoral College.  Coming from a newspaper that's a laughable argument.  TV News is all but shot, newspapers are honestly at this point just too stubborn to die and anything on the Internet is just as likely to be so-called "fake news" as it is to be the ravings of some progressive nutter.  Did you know that "Star Wars" is about *gasp* WAR?  This was news to the functional idiots working at Vox.com after all.

2017 is, unfortunately, going to give us more of the same.  Because for all of the hand-wringing and concern-trolling from the media on why the American people don't understand their brilliance, there's no talk of ideological diversity, which is the thing they are lacking most.

Want to annoy a newspaper person?  Criticize them.  Even justifiable criticism, calling out a factual error, is responded to with anger and vitriol.  Pointing out bad reporting is met with "Don't you know we're PEOPLE?" and other nonesuch.  And if you disagree too strongly?  They just stop listening.  Which is the good thing about living in an ivory tower, you can just shut the windows to drown out the noise.

There are going to be a LOT of stories in 2017 about the ridiculous nature of rural White America, and how it's ruining the multicultural, fair trade, organic crunchy future that the progressives have designed. Instead of telling us the news of the day, these modern-day low-functioning idiots think they are uniquely qualified to "explain" it to us because they possess a degree in journalism and a blow-torch coupled to word processing software with dodgy spell-check. Oh, and they're hip, everyone they hang out with tells them so. They go to poetry-readings and cocktail-happy-hours at the museum and trivia night at the bars where they drink beer so crafty it was fermented in the navels of local poets.  Do you drink beer like that?  Or wait in line for two hours to eat lunch at the types of places where people wait in line two hours to eat lunch?  Do you dine at a restaurant that has a unisex bathroom?

No?  Then you will need the news explained to you because you obviously aren't worthy of much more than having the news explained to you by those who do.  Now, if you don't mind providing your credit card number and stop asking questions whenever they bill you randomly for "special issues" that have pretty much nothing to do with anything important.

The media will also be turning up their "fact-checking" and "news analysis" as means to insert their political opinion into the news of the day which was once taboo but is now widely praised and, here's a bold prediction, will result in the first Pulitzer Prize being given to a full-on opinion piece disguised as a hard-news expose.  Hell, they're not even going to hide it any longer.


The World.

News flash: There will be wars, rumors of wars, natural disasters, man-made disasters, shootings, stabbings, muggings, beatings, honor-killings etc. The Jews still won't like the Muslims and the Muslims still won't like pretty much anyone. The Americans and Chinese will continue to demonize one another publicly (while speaking diplomatically privately) because their leaders understand the controlling power of a faceless boogeyman.  North Korea will continue to live in the dark ages and Cuba will continue to oppress it's people.  Raul Castro is not a reformer, but the ideological successor of Fidel.  People will continue to wear Che shirts not understanding that, if they knew him in real life, they would either hate him or, more likely if they are women, be raped by him. The UN will continue to tut-tut at everyone and seek for more money by claiming the world is on the verge of overheating in a man-made microwave.

We'll continue to hear how climate change is going to bring about doom and gloom, despite the actual weather and climate results not matching up with the computer models.  Scientists, whose very careers are almost totally dependent on continued funding for climate disaster research, will assure us that it's the models that are correct and reality that has it wrong.

Oil will continue to be relatively low priced, as will natural gas, coal will continue to become more and more scarce in the developed world, but will be more and more valued in the developing world due to low prices.  Around once per month we'll be reassured that workable, economicly renewable energy is 'right around the corner'.

But we'll see some good things too.  We'll hear stories of generosity and bravery, of hope and kindness. There will be beauty in tragedy and mercy in times of war. We will see acts of courage so grand they bring tears to our eyes, up until the point the media/Hollywood machine seeks to capitalize on them that is.

And all of us, the wealthy, the poor, the somewhere in between, will continue to live our day to day lives trying our best to eke out an existence in spite of, not because of, our ruling class and their courtesans.


Such has it always been, such will it always be.

Texas Leadership Vacuum: How many Flags Over Texas Again?

As the country attempts to unwind itself over the horrible killings that took place in a South Carolina church Texas is attempting, staggeringly, to find its way in this brave new world.


Texas Lawmakers ask Gov. Abbott to establish a task force on Confederate Monuments. Lauren McGaughy, Chron.com

Five prominent state lawmakers are asking Gov. Greg Abbott to convene a task force to decide whether to alter or remove any of the many Confederate memorials and monuments on the Capitol grounds in Austin.

In a letter to Abbott sent Monday, the five Democrats asked that the task force consider "whether the monuments are historically accurate, whether they are appropriately located on the Capitol grounds, and whether any changes are needed."
The letter was signed by Sen. Rodney Ellis, Reps. Senfronia Thompson and Sylvester Turner, all three of Houston, Sen. Royce West of Dallas and Sen. Judith Zaffirini of Laredo.

I'm currently a little bit concerned that the washing away entirely of Confederate history is nothing more than an attempt to throw things down the memory hole. As I've stated before, the public use of the Battle Flag of the Tennessee regiment should never be condoned.  This was a flag of aggression against the United States and (to be factual) really had no influence on Texas at the time.

What the "Starts and Bars" is NOT, is the Flag of the Confederacy.

Removing the Confederate Flag, image found here. is of cultural import to Texas, as it was, and forever will be, one of the "six" National flags that flew over Texas throughout it's history.  Here's the problem, if you begin to whittle away at history because you don't like it then you might not like what you'll find.

The Six, Five, Four, Three, Two One Flag over Texas.

The Flag of the Confederate States of America - Clearly, this one poses a problem because of the slavery and active rebellion against the current nation issues.  It also flew over Texas for a (relatively) limited period of time.  If any of the Big Six had to go this would be the obvious choice because 1) they lost the War between the States and 2) It offends some.

The Flag of Spain  - Who doesn't like Spain?  I mean, it's one of my favorite countries to visit. However, the Spanish ceded Texas to France. The Spanish also gave us Alberto Contador, who was Lance Armstrong's chief rival at the end of the latter's competitive racing days.  Also, what the Conquistadors did why they were conquering the New World was genocide right?  Gone.

The Flag of France - It's France.  And Texas is not only bigger than France but they have better food, tourism and culture than does Houston.  Now, you understand with Houston that any slight generates a raging inferiority complex among both the FoodBorg and members of the Texas Media. Besides, the Spanish defeated the French at the Battle of the Fort of LaSalle (Imagine that) and, as we've demonstrated with the flag of the Confederate States we don't want the flag of a loser flying over us do we?

The Flag of the Republic of Texas - This one seems like a no-brainer, I mean, it's the current flag of the State of Texas and the same flag when it was (briefly) the Republic of Texas. The problems here are two-fold. 1. The Republic of Texas was a near-broke, deep in debt dysfunctional mess. Almost from it's inception it seemed to have no clue what to do with freedom other than pleading to the United States for inclusion. Once it became a State it wasn't long before hot-heads booted out Sam Houston and made a dash for the Confederacy.  2. This flag offends, to a great degree, our friends from Mexico who have moved here and are now making a life.  One only need look at the outrage when the (now) Houston Dynamo briefly considered naming themselves Houston 1836 to see that the Lone Star flag is also an image of oppression and (in some eyes) theft of land rightfully belonging to others.

The Flag of the United States of America - As odd as it sounds, it's sort of hard to find anyone in Texas today that this flag doesn't offend.  The Black community is offended by slavery, the Mexican and South American communities are offended by America's overreach into their respective countries affairs, the Tea Party is now offended by Washington DC, and the progressives are offended that we have not fully transformed into a worker's paradise. As a matter of fact, if the goal is to NOT offend, maybe this should be the first flag to get removed from any and all historical monuments?


This leaves us with just one flag, a great flag of historic importance to Texas, New Mexico, parts of Arizona and California.  That's right.......


The Flag of Mexico - I can't really see anyone that this offends.  Except for Caucasian conservatives and they're the only group remaining that you can offend without facing any fear of repercussion. There's no history (in America at least) of dark skinned people being oppressed by the Mexican government, a growing minority-majority group of people were either born, or have direct ties to, there. Most of the Rio Grande Valley operates as an extension of the country anyway, and their drug cartels have pretty much overtaken the gray and black markets.  As time goes on this will only become more prevalent as the Texas Legislature continues to bury it's head in the sand regarding demographic realities (and the need to address the same in a manner that allows immigrants to incorporate themselves into the non-underground economy and civil society).


So after giving around 5 minutes thought, I think the only option is to strike out all mention of five of the six flags that flew over Texas and only celebrate the one left standing.  Hail! then to the One Flag Over Texas*. The Mexican Flag.  Long may it wave.









*Of course, these means that there is going to have to be a lot of revisions done in terms of history, textbooks and local yore, but anything is possible if you only dream big enough and refuse to take no for an answer when it comes to the politically correct revision of history. Oh, and there remains that little matter of changing the name of a certain theme park.  But I'm sure they'd be willing to part ways with their moniker if the tax abatements were large enough.  Maybe, tax free for 20 years?

Just a thought.

American Leadership Vacuum: Uncool at the Pool.

I'm not going to comment on the right/wrong of various individuals in the McKinney pool fiasco. I'm not going to do a Zapruder analysis on the fuzzy film coverage and say whether or not the police acted correctly or over the top, I'm not going to comment on racism and policing, I'm not going to say that the party organizer, or the cop, was in the wrong.

The fact is I just don't know.  Not being familiar with all of the facts of the situation it's impossible for me to sit here this morning, sipping my coffee, in my recliner and weigh-in authoritatively on a mess of a situation. Too many elected officials and political hacks are doing that already.

What I am going to do is say that I'm willing to be the truth (whatever that may be any more) lies somewhere between here and here.

I'm also going to say that the rot in the American snake starts at the head and is working it's way down to the rest of the body.  And not just with one man.  That's too easy and it gives everyone in the ruling class a free pass.

Yes, Obama is not the leader we either wanted or needed. But the rest of the ruling class, the courtesan class that gloms on to them desperately seeking attention, and the chattering class are guilty as well.

This transcends party or ideology, it moves beyond race and financial demographics and it is elevated among legal status. The problems with America right now are systemic and legion....

Our ruling class is ineffective and weak, serving only to expose our weak underbelly, while the media whose job it has been to watchdog their doings have turned into a courtesan class whose main job is to salivate like Pavlov's dog hoping to catch a treat in the manner of attention. The end result of this is that we now have large segments of our population who feel that the rules of a civil society do not apply to them and that, when they should, the best reaction is violence and outrage.

We've reached a point where the very existence of success is viewed as something called a micro-aggression and anyone having anything is deemed to have received it at the expense of others. Punishment must needs be swift and justice is no longer blind. You will receive a quick and fair trial in the court of public opinion, followed by a quick rush to judgment confirming your guilt. Once your guilt is confirmed the only remedy is for your life, livelihood, and the life and livelihood of anyone close to you, be stripped away. This is not only unhealthy, it's unsustainable.

Our politicians view this as a chance to secure votes, to secure outrage and 'rile up the base'.  And, as we well know, a riled up base is a voting base. The media views this as a chance to increase page hits, or viewership, a way to entice a little bit more money from advertisers to allow them to continue to forward the lie that the success of one particular for-profit entity is vital to the survival of the Republic.

America is breaking right now, and it's not clear that the people have either the attention span, the inclination or the pain tolerance to take the necessary steps to fix it. Instead we're probably looking over the precipice at a future where the 1st Amendment continues to erode for private citizens, where free speech is the enemy rather than the cure, where politicians taking hundreds of thousands of dollars for political access is overlooked while the jockey who just won the Triple Crown is facing an FCC fine for saying "holy shit" after winning the biggest prize in a generation.

It's all upside down and broken.  I fear irrevocably broken.

United we stood, divided we are falling.  Hard.