I’d Call That Annoying

D. S. Mitchell

Calamity Politics is a Progressive political blog where I try to go with the facts, not just my feelings. The headline news is looking really bad right now for Jared Kushner, but those of us at Calamity Politics, we will wait and watch as this new angle on the 2016 Russian Trump collusion investigation continues to suck all the oxygen out of the room.

In another life I was a real estate investor, not on a Donald Trump scale, but bigger than many. What I do know, is that there is a component of risk in real estate. An edgy excitement. Chasing the prey, cornering the prey, teasing the prey and then; maybe, purchasing ‘the prey’.

I can see Kushner being one of those guys, who like to walk the edge. The risk, part of the reward is that zing of power you feel when you conquer the risk. I have found that most real estate investors like the risk, as much as anything. It’s a weird hybrid gambling addiction. I have recovered, however. I am so done with real estate.

Although I managed to hang onto everything throughout the 2009 economic collapse and afterward, without declaring bankruptcy, the stress of the situation gave me the impetus to sell everything except a couple cherished properties. What amazing freedom I now feel. Free for the first time in fifty years.

No mortgages. No escalating property taxes. No leaky roofs. No insurance cancellations. Each of those specified items is a reality of real estate investment, each one can turn a marginal property into a negative cash flow property, quick. Most real estate investors owe money. Some of them, like Trump and Kushner carry massive debt. It’s called leverage. The investor puts up a small amount of cash or booty, and borrows the rest. Thus the term, “other people’s money, OPM”.

So, basically what I’m saying is, Kushner and Trump are both gamblers, and gamblers frequently lose money, and when they come up short they look for cash to keep themselves and their properties afloat. Enter Russian money. I believe in the end, this whole nasty Russian collusion case will be related to money loans and money laundering.

I believe that Trump was certainly involved with the Russians for at least a decade before the election. The Russians and probably the Chinese, to a lesser extent, have been the main funding source for the Trump Organization. Maybe all these guys are confused as to their new relationships. I’ll try and explain it. Listen up everybody. Five years ago, you might have been business partners in a loose sense of the term, but since Trumpie announced he was running for the presidency, you folks are only supposed to have a “governmental relationship,” you are no longer “funding buddies”.

Of course, I could be wrong, but since I have some insight into the pressure that massive real estate debt creates, I feel confident that I am on the right track. Sorry, to say, this appears to be without ideology, unless you call greed an ideology. Trump feels more allegiance to his “funding” partners than he does the people of the United States.

So, we won’t find out anything more today, but I suspect that we slowly, very slowly will, get all the pieces put together. Pay attention America, our democracy is at stake. We can never let something like this ever happen, again. Democracy isn’t for sale, it least it didn’t used to be.

It is Sunday afternoon, of Memorial week-end. Deb and Dan are here with her brother and two very cute grand children, 3 and 5 years, I believe I was told. The company makes Lily very happy. Lily is a very social dog and sometimes becomes quite angry with her introverted owner.

So, Lily is happy, the kids are happy and I am relieved that I have a dog that knows how to distract attention from anyone, but herself. While everyone is distracted, planning beach walks and evening movie adventures.

The following is just a little fun for a holiday week-end. I want to address a few things that I find a bit annoying. Check them out and see if any of the following items mentioned, irritate you, just a little bit. So, here goes, 35 Things That Are Just Mildly Annoying:

1.) Hotels that have no room #13
2.) Being on a first date when the characters in the movie suddenly slip into nude love making for no attributable reason, other than to make the surprised audience uncomfortable.
3.) When the cabbie looks down, smiles and says “thanks a million”. As he pulls away I realize I just gave him a $20 buck tip, instead of a $5 buck tip.
4.) I realize pre-school is just a dress rehearsal for the school bully.
5.) When my host’s dog chews up my new high heels that I slipped off under the kitchen table, and doesn’t even offer to buy me another pair.
6.) People who flick cigarette butts off my deck into the yard below.
7.) Knowing that Russia’s major Black sea port is at Sebastopol, yet I am unable to state where my great grand parents were born.
8.) Picking up the pizza, and seeing little puddles of grease forming in the centers of the pepperoni pieces.
9.) Having a pile of old decorating magazines gathering dust, but unable to muster the force of will to throw them out, because there are articles in each one of them that I want to read, but I know I never will.
10.) The armrest warfare that takes place between me and my grand son at the movie theater.
11.) Realizing I need to have my glasses on, or I will try to repeatedly push a three prong plug into a two hole outlet.
12.) Friends who text or email me IN ALL CAPS!
13.) Forgetting to set my alarm, or setting it for 6:00 p.m. instead of 6:00 a.m.
14.) Sitting in a restaurant booth and the guy in the booth behind me has no clue how loud he is talking about last night’s date.
15.) When the dog sits barking at the foot of the bed when I’m having sex with my boyfriend.
16.) Wondering if it is only my county that still uses microfiche.
17.) The smell of burnt hair when I bend over to light a doobie
18.) When almost total strangers on a plane tell me way too much about their personal lives.
19.) Accidentally emailing “All” when I meant to reply only to “Sender”.
20.) Having to look at my bunions in sandals.
21.) When the sub titles of a foreign film blend into the background.
22.) Having to keep my clock set 15 minutes ahead of time, so as not to be late.
23.) Child proof lighters and Tylenol bottles with child safety caps.
24.) The perverse pleasure of watching those home videos of skateboarders crashing into, and over the family car.
25.) Lily (my dog) moving back and forth behind me, forcing me to keep changing the leash from one hand to the other.
26.) Trying to not think about something I can’t stop thinking about.
27.) When my 12 year old grand daughter shows me how important the ‘input’ button on my TV remote can be.
28.) People who wave their hands in front of my face, when I am trying to mentally slip into oblivion.
29.) Knowing that if I lose my cell phone, the only number I will remember is 911.
30.) Those stupid subscription cards that fall out of the magazines as I flip through them at the grocery check out.
31.) People who refuse to use their microwave because it “might be” harmful.
32.) Being the only person to sing along.
33.) Lacking a life outside of cable news.
34.) Finding a girl who cuts my hair ‘just right’ and the next time I call for an appointment I am told she has moved to San Diego.
35.) Listening to old ’60’s rock hits and remembering every word, but being unable to remember the password to my NetFlix account.

I think I am being called to dinner. Have a great holiday and don’t think about politics for at least the next 12 hours.

Dar