Thank a Poll Worker Today

The life of a democratic republic hangs in the balance. No, I'm not speaking of Ukraine. I'm speaking about American democracy. Our democracy rests on a foundation of free and fair elections. Those are becoming more difficult to run. Even before the 2020 election, a majority of Americans didn't trust elections. The 2020 election only made things worse. The loser refused to concede. 147 members of Congress voted to overturn the election results. A mob of insurrectionists invaded the US Capitol to force the matter. Election "workers became the target of vote-rigging conspiracy theories that put them in physical danger and threatened their livelihoods." Nineteen states enacted new voting regulations in 2021, increasing the red tape not just for voters but for election workers as well in an effort to eliminate suspected voter fraud. Some want laws that would enact jail time and/or big fines for election workers who make innocent mistakes.

Is it any wonder that getting people to work at polling places on election day is getting harder and harder? Like a vicious circle, accusations of fraud lead to fewer people willing to accept the risk, which in turn leads to understaffing at polling places, which leads to more mistakes, which ends with accusations of fraud multiplying.

Random Thoughts: Tom Brady's Retirement

Tweets from February, 2022:

• 2022-02-01: Local New York City TV station news announces Tom Brady's retirement. How a news story can be true but still slanted at the same time.
• 2022-02-01: One of my several daily emails from Donald Trump: "I have something important to tell you but you CANNOT share this with anyone." DON'T tell TFG, but I'm going to share. I can buy a lottery ticket for a lunch at Mar-a-Lago. Do any of these lotteries ever award anything to anyone?
• 2022-02-01: Gov. Abbott in nice weather and Gov. Abbott staring at a winter storm. Different stories then and now.
• 2022-02-02: Munich: The Edge of War (2022): Dramatization of Munich Conference on eve of WWII. Fictional characters and events turn it into a thriller and add suspense. Neville Chamberlain gets an overdue sympathetic treatment. Hitler is still a monster. Good acting throughout. B+
• 2022-02-02: Fact check: Quote tweeted by GOP congressman came from neo-Nazi convicted for child porn, not Voltaire. Uh oh. Pro-tip: If a quote from a famous historical figure sounds like it's perfect to make your point, it's probably fake.

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Girls5Eva (TV 2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

Girls5Eva (TV 2021): 4 members of a '90s girls group reunite to give fame another try. A TV sit-com where the 4 characters never jell. There's no reason to believe they were ever friends. The wit is forced, like jokes picked up from the rejects on the floor of a writers' room. C-

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021): Skewers Jim Bakker, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell as frauds who care more about money and power than Jesus. Jessica Chastain's Tammy Faye is treated more sympathetically, more willing dupe who does care about people. She deserves Best Actress nom. B-

"Affordable" Housing Coming to Plano

There are different definitions of "affordable housing." One apartment project in Plano is described in The Dallas Morning News: "The development would include 128 units set aside for households at or below 60% of the area’s median income. The remaining units would have no income restrictions. The median income for the city is approximately $95,000 a year."

More important than the exact definition (for me) is that at least Plano has some developments with a target for affordability. Any project that comes before Richardson's CPC or City Council seeking a zoning change should be required to meet a target as well.

TIL: The Return of Great Power Rivalries

Source: Diplomacy.

The 20th Century dawned as a true multipolar world. The world in 1914 was dominated by Great Britain, Germany, France, Austria-Hungary, Russia, the Ottoman Empire. But when the sun set at the end of the 20th Century, we lived in a unipolar world, a Pax Americana.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has an opinion piece in the New York Times in which she updates us on what's happened in the first twenty years of the 21st Century.

Marry Me (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Marry Me (2022): Rom-com with regular guy Owen Wilson and worldwide celebrity Jennifer Lopez. Implausible opposites-attract premise but the leads sell it, making suspension of disbelief possible. Predictable, sure, but easy to watch. J.Lo gets several singing opportunities. B-

Nightmare Alley (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

Nightmare Alley (2021): Surprisingly, not a horror movie. A carnival grifter running a con as a mentalist sets his sights on richer marks until the stakes get deadly. The story arc is too pat, but the look and feel are superb. 1940s film noir just like the great movies of old. B+

First Impressions of RISD School Board Candidates

The Richardson ISD has called an election for school board trustees for May 7, 2022. Three of the seven seats on the board will be decided. The deadline for candidate filings has closed. We now know who will be on the ballot. Nine candidates have filed for the three seats. It's too early to make recommendations, but it's not too early to have first impressions. As they say, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Here are mine.

Explore the Core with the Mayor(s)

Richardson Mayor Paul Voelker led a walk today, accompanied by two former mayors (Gary Slagel and Steve Mitchell), the mayor pro tem (Janet DePuy), and about two dozen members of the public. We "explored the Core" as the mayor put it. We walked from the Lockwood District, across Belt Line Rd to the Heights Shopping Center, across Central Expressway to historic downtown Main Street and on to Greenville Ave., then south Polk Street, then back to the Lockwood Distilling Co. for drinks. We stopped frequently for the mayor to explain the history and ongoing and planned redevelopment.

For years, I've criticized parts of the City's redevelopment efforts, but I have to admit that the mayor makes the best spokesman for the City's efforts in this area. While I'm not ready to concede on all points, I'm also not saying categorically I was right and the City was wrong. If the City had waited until everyone was pleased, possibly nothing might have ever gotten done. As President Theodore Roosevelt said about the construction of the Panama Canal, "I took the Canal Zone and let Congress debate, and while the debate goes on the Canal does too." Richardson downtown redevelopment does, too.