Auchtoon!

This is from the Associated Press:

President Donald Trump’s tax and spending law will add $3.4 trillion to federal deficits through 2034, the Congressional Budget Office reported Monday, a slight increase in the projection that takes into account the final tweaks that Republicans made before getting the legislation over the finish line.

Last week, under Trump’s direction (and threats), the Republican congress took back $1.1 billion previously allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The primary reason offered by Speaker Mike Johnson: the need to reduce the national deficit.

As it turns out, there is a difference between a trillion and a billion. A large difference. A 1,000 times difference. And if you do the math, our Republican representatives and our current president just overspent 3,091 times more than they “saved.”

I have no joke to make or insight to offer. I just wanted to provide visual context for this serious dereliction of duty.

A story broke this week about two Chinese scientists at the University of Michigan’s research laboratories who have been charged with smuggling biological materials into the United States. The U.S. Education Department (at least as far as it exists today) has opened an investigation into U of M’s foreign funding, which is in line with the priority President Trump has cited for increasing transparency in these matters.

It’s no secret that I tend not to agree with the President about much, but, good! Investigate. Find out what happened. Let the legal system (at least as far as it exists today) do its work and release the findings.

But my dear Mr. President, let us not be so selective in our demands for transparency. You and many, many of your appointees rode the Jeffrey Epstein story into office. Release the findings.

If, as Karl Marx is often paraphrased, religion is the opiate for the masses, then major league sports may just be the alcoholic beverage. Think about it. People have always turned to focus on their favorite teams for a refreshing respite, but especially during difficult times. Taking in a ball game as a metaphoric beer or two to relax and escape for a moment from this frightening bizarro world we’re currently experiencing.

And sure (to carry this thread perhaps further than necessary), overindulging in sports fandom is a bad idea and addiction to it can bring ruin. But for the most part, it’s a positive. Sometimes a big positive. The success of the 1968 Detroit Tigers is famously credited for helping the city avoid a repeat of its disastrous 1967 riots.

Right now, it’s a particularly good time to be a Michigan sports fan. To the astonishment of all, the Tigers have the best record in Major League Baseball. The Lions are a popular Super Bowl pick. The Pistons are ascending. Detroit will be getting a WNBA team in a few years. And hopefully the Red Wings will figure it out soon.

So here’s to their success and the feeling of community that their success brings to us. Cheers!

Happy Independence Day to our fragile young republic — here’s to all the good we’ve been and to all the good we hope to be!