MUSINGS AND MONEY

          

 Sometimes I wish my memory was like a sharp trap, i.e., that whatever I’m thinking about and know I’ve thunk about, would pop right to the tippy-top of my mind. Unfortunately, that seems to happen less and less than in the past. I wonder some days if I’m experiencing the beginning of dementia or it’s just plain old forgetfulness.

          For example, I read something some place about American Cruise Lines and thought I could probably afford to take a cruise or two. So, I sent away for their brochure. The prices listed there and the ones I just saw on their web site do not compare to what my memory thinks it saw when I decided to ask for the brochure. The idea of being able to afford one of these cruises has sputtered and might have died because the prices are not what I remember seeing. Perhaps what I saw was very old information.

          In any case, I doubt I’ll be taking one of their cruises any time soon. In fact, I find myself pondering my current and future financial status. It’s not like I’m going to be out on the street any time soon, but it’s also not like I’ll be signing up for any expensive trips or events any time soon either. Were I to have a permanent end date, i.e., the date I’ll die, then I could go ahead and plan whatever I wanted to plan; unless, of course, my end date were twenty or more years away.

          My inner coach points out that I have X amount of funds, but that isn’t all I have. There’s also the house, i.e., if I sold it, I’d have a whole bunch more money. I know nothing about reverse mortgages, but supposedly, the bank would give me money toward the future sale of the house. I haven’t done any research and probably won’t, but there’s that potential.

          So, what if I were to take that $10,000+ and book myself a trip. For instance, there’s one that originates in New Orleans and goes clear up the Mississippi. It would cost more than the $10,000, but would be my first choice and lasts more than two weeks. Over the years, I’ve read so much about that area of the country, that it would, in some ways, be like visiting an old friend. I’m sure I’d recognize many of the places I’d see if I were to bite the bullet and spend the funds.

          Well, I’ve spent enough time, and it was FREE, this morning considering my future financial status and the potential for making it less secure. Time to get dressed and tend to the garden out in front. I made great headway yesterday and will continue today…the sun and my own sweat are pretty much free.

YOU JUST NEVER KNOW

        

  Yesterday I went to my exercise class, having skipped Monday to sleep in late. I asked about a classmate who had a stroke a month or so ago only to hear that she passed away last Thursday. First, the fact she had a stroke came as a shock, but that she’d died was an even bigger one. Here’s why.

          This woman began fitness classes a couple of years ago and went on to become a certified instructor who would take our regular instructor’s place when she had to be gone. She didn’t work us as hard as the regular instructor, but we moved and worked as much as we wanted. She’d also been, and maybe still was, a practicing ballet student/dancer.

          Not only did she become an instructor, she began to come in to our class early. When those of us who arrived later, we'd find the chairs all set up and the sign-in sheet ready. I don’t think any of us truly appreciated how much this lady did until we had to go back to moving the chairs and setting everything up. It’s not fun to have to do that before you begin to exercise.

          In addition to appearing to be in excellent physical shape, this fellow exerciser went above and beyond the regular program by stretching and walking and doing other workout drills before class even began. She was also small, seemed to be physically fit and have muscles.

          To say the fact my classmate/instructor had a stroke came as a huge surprise would be a gross understatement. I would not have thought this woman would be a candidate for something like that ever. If anything, and if I had given it any thought, I would have assumed that I’d be heading for the pearly gates long before she did.

          To say the fact that she died last week without ever regaining consciousness was a shock yesterday would also be a huge understatement. I’m still trying to comprehend the information. I also guess this was or is a lesson about how one never knows when one’s turn might arrive.

TWO "Gs"...GOOD WEATHER AND GARDENING

           

I’m excited!!! Beginning yesterday and lasting through Friday, the weather is supposed to be wonderful. The sun is supposed to shine, no rain, and temperatures are in the upper fifties, maybe even sixty on one of those days. Yippeeeeee!!!

          When I wrote this on Monday, it was the usual gray and the temperature was in the forties. I looked out my window at all the work that awaited me in the garden and did my best to remain excited about the good weather. You see, there is a lot of work to be done.

          In the front, I need to finish the brick work around the big rhododendron, deadhead all the daisies from last year, cut down all the ornamental grasses, rake the dead leaves from the flowerbeds, weed and/or spray weed killer depending on where the weeds are residing and prune some of the shrubs. In the past, this would be the work of one single day. These days, I may or may not finish it all by Friday.

          This leads me to the question, “Why when I finally have all the time in the world to work on what I love, do I lack the strength and stamina to work at it for as long as I want?” Somehow, it doesn’t seem fair that when I was strong with the stamina of the proverbial ox, I was yoked (like the ox) into a job and/or work that didn’t leave a lot of time for the work that I loved. Don’t get me wrong. I loved my job, was good at it and it gave me a strong sense of worth. But it wasn’t the same as what I get from working in the garden.

          I guess the lesson I need to take from this blog post is that it doesn’t matter how long a project will take me, but that I persevere until it is complete, while also taking into great consideration my abilities and strengths. If I can manage only two hours, then I need to pat myself on the back for those two hours and not lament the other ten hours I didn’t have the strength and/or stamina to continue.

          It’s a hard lesson to learn and I’m still in the process of learning it. Rather than be satisfied with what I can and do accomplish, I often choose to beat myself up over the lack of accomplishment. Beginning with these sunny days, I need to, and will remind myself often to, concentrate on what I’ve completed rather than on what’s left. They say practice makes perfect, so perhaps by the end of the week when the rain returns, I’ll be much closer to perfect.

CHAPTER 3

 

CHAPTER 3

Tuesday morning went by pretty much the same way Monday morning had. They began in Ms. Forsythe’s office where even her name plate listed her by her last name. Maddie had already noticed that the other name plates she’d seen held only a first name.

Sharon once again assumed her position behind the desk and motioned Maddie to take the chair adjacent. Before she could begin issuing orders, Maddie asked, “Ms. Forsythe, would you mind answering a few questions about the information provided yesterday. I don’t have many, but would appreciate the clarification.”

The woman stared at Maddie, raised an eyebrow, glanced at her computer screen, and after staring at the screen with clenched jaw, more or less graciously acquiesced. This took less than half an hour and then she began explaining and showing Maddie the various files in her desk as well as the materials in the few files that were against the wall on the other side of the door to the inner sanctum. They were just about finished with those when a commotion erupted and a big and very angry man practically ran into the office.

“God dammit, I want to see Lorax now, this minute, right now. I’m tired of getting the runaround.” He went over and began to hammer on the inner door.

Annie ran right in behind him, flushed and saying, “I tried to stop him, but he just wouldn’t listen. Somehow, he knew about the door lock and pushed it himself. In fact, he pushed me to get to it. I’ve called for security.”

Sharon got up and went to the man. Her face showed only anger and tight lips as she said sternly, “If you don’t leave immediately, the police will take you out of here. Now. Leave.”

“I ain’t leaving until I see Lorax. He’s not going to fuck me over, make me lose my company. He promised and I aim to make him keep that promise.” He turned back to the door and began hammering again, adding a couple of kicks for good measure.

Maddie walked over to stand beside the man. She smiled as she placed a hand on his arm and looked up. “Sir, sir, please. Mr. Lorax isn’t here right now and he won’t be back today. I’m his Executive Assistant, and I know if he made you a promise, he intended to keep it. Could we sit down some place quiet and talk about your problem? Maybe I can help solve it.”

The man looked down at Maddie. He was quite large and made her feel quite small. Hopefully, he wouldn’t hammer her with his huge hands. She looked up at him, eyes wide open, continued to smile, kept her hand on his arm and asked, “May I know your name sir? I really would like to help if I can. In fact, being Mr. Lorax’s assistant, I’m sure I can help.”

The man appeared to relax a bit and told her his name was John Kennedy just as two of the security staff entered the room and started toward the them. Maddie moved between them and said imperiously, “Tom, Jeff, we don’t need you after all. I’m going to deal with Mr. Kennedy on Spence’s behalf.” She was thankful she’d met them the day before and knew their names.

Ignoring Sharon, Maddie turned to Annie and asked, “Is the little conference room free?” To Annie’s wide eyes and head nod, she said, “Oh, good.”

She turned around to face Mr. Kennedy and asked, “Sir, would you like coffee, tea, a soft drink or just some water?”

Tom, Jeff, Annie and Sharon were all looking at her as if she’d grown two heads. She ignored them and asked, “Annie, Mr. Kennedy would appreciate some coffee with cream and perhaps you could bring in some water and a couple of those pastries I saw earlier this morning. Thank you.

Then, Maddie turned to Mr. Kennedy and said, “Shall we, sir? Let’s see if we can solve that problem of yours.”

Coffee poured and served, a pastry and napkin provided, Maddie sat on the other side of the table and listened and made notes while Mr. Kennedy poured out his tale of woe.

“I met Spence about five months ago when he came to visit my little company. We make small parts for small planes. I prefer getting my parts from companies that make them in the United States. That way, I know I’m almost always getting a quality product.”

Mr. Kennedy stopped to take a sip of coffee and a bite of his Danish. “Say, this is quite good. I’m not much for sweets, but this reminds me of something my mamma used to bake.”

“They are quite good aren’t they. If I ate one every day, I’d gain weight and look like kin to an elephant. Now, please Mr. Kennedy, continue.”

“You don’t have to call me Mr. Kennedy. You can call me Ken since that’s what Spence called me. Anyway, Spence assured me his company could provide mine with all the parts I need to hold two other parts together. Since I had a decent supply at the time, I waited to order, and when I did, I was told they were out of stock and I couldn’t get any for four months. In four months, I’ll be out of business.”

“Did Spence indicate there would ever be a problem in obtaining what you need?”

“No Miss. Spence said I’d get them in less than a week of my order whenever I decided to order.”

“Okay, Now, why do you say you won’t get them?”

“First, I got an email from the supply department telling me what I’ve just told you. I tried to call Mr. Lorax, but was shunted off to someone named Tyler. He told me it would be impossible to provide the parts and when I demanded to speak to his supervisor, he connected me to someone named Dave who told me I’d get my order filled in four months as I’d already been told. When I continued to fuss, the bastard hung up on me. That’s when I decided I had to speak to Spence in person.”

“I’m sorry he’s not available, but maybe I can help.”

“You have any idea how many times I’ve tried to get as far as his office door? This is my third try and I only succeeded because the security guy was tied up and I snuck on the elevator. I apologize for upsetting everyone, but I can’t let my company, the company my great-great-grandad began back when he was a smithy go under because I can’t get the one little part I was promised in good faith.”

“Okay, Ken, please enjoy your coffee while I round up a few items I’ll need to get you squared away.”

Maddie went out into the hallway and down to her office. Sharon was sitting there looking a bit smug. “So, did you get it handled?”

“Not yet. I need my company tablet and my cell phone. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Back in the little conference room, Maddie used the company tablet to look up the names of staff. “Please be patient Ken. This may take a bit of time.”

She found the name she was looking for and used her cell phone to dial the extension. “Hi Tyler. This is Maddie, Spence’s new assistant; and I’m sitting here with Ken, make that Mr. Kennedy.”

She heard Tyler laugh. “Yeah, I heard he stormed the Bastille. Glad he moved up the chain because I was really tired of his phone calls.”

“Yes, well, the buck stops here to use an old saying. Please explain to me why Ken isn’t getting his connectors on time as promised by Spence. Are we totally out of stock?”

“Well, no, not exactly.”

“Exactly? What does that mean?”

“We have 500,000 in stock, but they’ve all been promised to The Nelson Company.”

“And, when was that order placed.”

“Um, let me see…it was placed ten days ago.”

“And how long has Mr. Kennedy been requesting his supply?”

“About two weeks or so.”

“Okay, and how many did he order?”

“100,000 units.”

“Then, let’s short the other company’s order with a promise to send as soon as available and ship Mr. Kennedy his 100,000.”

“I can’t do that. I don’t have the authority.”

“Who does?”

“Mr. Lorax and Dave Fielding.”

“Thank you, Tyler, appreciate your help.”

Maddie pushed the end button, looked up and dialed the extension for Dave Fielding.”

He too, greeted her with a laugh about poor Mr. Kennedy, but the laughter soon dried up as Maddie employed her no-nonsense voice.

“Mr. Fielding, I’m sure you know by now that Mr. Lorax won’t be in the office today. I’m sure you also know, and I can double check the files, that Mr. Lorax promised Mr. Kennedy and his company whatever component was required when the time came. I’ve already talked to Tyler and know we have 500,000 units on hand. So, here’s what we’re going to do. You are going to ship 100,000 units to Mr. Kennedy’s company today. Not only that, but you are going to overnight them regardless of the cost. If Mr. Lorax were here, I know he would authorize this because he wouldn’t want Mr. Kennedy’s 100-year-old family company to fail after promising our company would provide the units he needs when needed. Then, you can ship the other 400,000 units to the other company with the explanation that we’ll provide the other 100,000 as soon as possible. And, when do you think that possibility might be?”

There was silence on the other end and for a minute Maddie was afraid the factory foreman had hung up. “Are you sure Spence would approve this? Absolutely positive. I don’t want to lose my job over 100,000 connectors.”

“Mr. Fielding, I’m absolutely positively sure this is a go. Now, please get it done immediately. I’ll tell Mr. Kennedy he can expect his parts tomorrow morning at the latest. Thank you.”

When Maddie pushed the end button, she wanted to slump over. She had no idea if she’d just screwed herself royally or not, but she was the EA and she’d taken care of Mr. Kennedy’s problem. She wasn’t sure if it was what Mr. Lorax would have done, but it was done now and the man across from her had a face with a huge smile.

“You may be a little bit of a thing Ms. Maddie, but you sure know how to take care of business. That’s some voice you’ve got there. If you’d been talking to me, I certainly would have complied with the request. And, I want to thank you so very much for listening to me and taking care of my problem. I have to admit I’ll sleep much better tonight than I have the last couple of weeks.”

“It was my pleasure to help you Mr. Kennedy, I mean Ken. The Lorax Company was once a much smaller company and it is clients like you that have helped it grow.”

“That and your boss’ promises. I am so very grateful now that I decided to buy locally rather than from back east. We need to keep our home-grown companies here working for our communities. That’s pretty much what Spence said that convinced me to switch suppliers. Well, that and climate change and carbon footprints.”

“Please, allow me to show you to the elevator. I’d give you a business card, but they haven’t been printed yet. Whenever you need to call The Lorax Company, just ask for Maddie and they’ll put you right through.”

With some thank-yous and good-byes, the elevator door closed on Mr. Kennedy and Maddie slumped against the doors. Annie got up from behind the reception counter and brought her a bottle of water that was so cold it was sweating.

“You look like you could use this.”

“Oh my God, yes.” Maddie exclaimed as she twisted the top off and poured the entire bottle down her now dry throat.

“Thank you, Annie. I really appreciate your help with this little problem. Of course, it may be a big problem tomorrow, but for now, I’m going to consider it a success.”

“I don’t know what happened or what you did, but I’m sure the company grapevine will soon let me know. Besides, to see Ms. Forsythe, muttering and clenching her teeth…well, I consider that alone a big success.”Tuesday morning went by pretty much the same way Monday morning had. They began in Ms. Forsythe’s office where even her name plate listed her by her last name. Maddie had already noticed that the other name plates she’d seen held only a first name.

Sharon once again assumed her position behind the desk and motioned Maddie to take the chair adjacent. Before she could begin issuing orders, Maddie asked, “Ms. Forsythe, would you mind answering a few questions about the information provided yesterday. I don’t have many, but would appreciate the clarification.”

The woman stared at Maddie, raised an eyebrow, glanced at her computer screen, and after staring at the screen with clenched jaw, more or less graciously acquiesced. This took less than half an hour and then she began explaining and showing Maddie the various files in her desk as well as the materials in the few files that were against the wall on the other side of the door to the inner sanctum. They were just about finished with those when a commotion erupted and a big and very angry man practically ran into the office.

“God dammit, I want to see Lorax now, this minute, right now. I’m tired of getting the runaround.” He went over and began to hammer on the inner door.

Annie ran right in behind him, flushed and saying, “I tried to stop him, but he just wouldn’t listen. Somehow, he knew about the door lock and pushed it himself. In fact, he pushed me to get to it. I’ve called for security.”

Sharon got up and went to the man. Her face showed only anger and tight lips as she said sternly, “If you don’t leave immediately, the police will take you out of here. Now. Leave.”

“I ain’t leaving until I see Lorax. He’s not going to fuck me over, make me lose my company. He promised and I aim to make him keep that promise.” He turned back to the door and began hammering again, adding a couple of kicks for good measure.

Maddie walked over to stand beside the man. She smiled as she placed a hand on his arm and looked up. “Sir, sir, please. Mr. Lorax isn’t here right now and he won’t be back today. I’m his Executive Assistant, and I know if he made you a promise, he intended to keep it. Could we sit down some place quiet and talk about your problem? Maybe I can help solve it.”

The man looked down at Maddie. He was quite large and made her feel quite small. Hopefully, he wouldn’t hammer her with his huge hands. She looked up at him, eyes wide open, continued to smile, kept her hand on his arm and asked, “May I know your name sir? I really would like to help if I can. In fact, being Mr. Lorax’s assistant, I’m sure I can help.”

The man appeared to relax a bit and told her his name was John Kennedy just as two of the security staff entered the room and started toward the them. Maddie moved between them and said imperiously, “Tom, Jeff, we don’t need you after all. I’m going to deal with Mr. Kennedy on Spence’s behalf.” She was thankful she’d met them the day before and knew their names.

Ignoring Sharon, Maddie turned to Annie and asked, “Is the little conference room free?” To Annie’s wide eyes and head nod, she said, “Oh, good.”

She turned around to face Mr. Kennedy and asked, “Sir, would you like coffee, tea, a soft drink or just some water?”

Tom, Jeff, Annie and Sharon were all looking at her as if she’d grown two heads. She ignored them and asked, “Annie, Mr. Kennedy would appreciate some coffee with cream and perhaps you could bring in some water and a couple of those pastries I saw earlier this morning. Thank you.

Then, Maddie turned to Mr. Kennedy and said, “Shall we, sir? Let’s see if we can solve that problem of yours.”

Coffee poured and served, a pastry and napkin provided, Maddie sat on the other side of the table and listened and made notes while Mr. Kennedy poured out his tale of woe.

“I met Spence about five months ago when he came to visit my little company. We make small parts for small planes. I prefer getting my parts from companies that make them in the United States. That way, I know I’m almost always getting a quality product.”

Mr. Kennedy stopped to take a sip of coffee and a bite of his Danish. “Say, this is quite good. I’m not much for sweets, but this reminds me of something my mamma used to bake.”

“They are quite good aren’t they. If I ate one every day, I’d gain weight and look like kin to an elephant. Now, please Mr. Kennedy, continue.”

“You don’t have to call me Mr. Kennedy. You can call me Ken since that’s what Spence called me. Anyway, Spence assured me his company could provide mine with all the parts I need to hold two other parts together. Since I had a decent supply at the time, I waited to order, and when I did, I was told they were out of stock and I couldn’t get any for four months. In four months, I’ll be out of business.”

“Did Spence indicate there would ever be a problem in obtaining what you need?”

“No Miss. Spence said I’d get them in less than a week of my order whenever I decided to order.”

“Okay, Now, why do you say you won’t get them?”

“First, I got an email from the supply department telling me what I’ve just told you. I tried to call Mr. Lorax, but was shunted off to someone named Tyler. He told me it would be impossible to provide the parts and when I demanded to speak to his supervisor, he connected me to someone named Dave who told me I’d get my order filled in four months as I’d already been told. When I continued to fuss, the bastard hung up on me. That’s when I decided I had to speak to Spence in person.”

“I’m sorry he’s not available, but maybe I can help.”

“You have any idea how many times I’ve tried to get as far as his office door? This is my third try and I only succeeded because the security guy was tied up and I snuck on the elevator. I apologize for upsetting everyone, but I can’t let my company, the company my great-great-grandad began back when he was a smithy go under because I can’t get the one little part I was promised in good faith.”

“Okay, Ken, please enjoy your coffee while I round up a few items I’ll need to get you squared away.”

Maddie went out into the hallway and down to her office. Sharon was sitting there looking a bit smug. “So, did you get it handled?”

“Not yet. I need my company tablet and my cell phone. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Back in the little conference room, Maddie used the company tablet to look up the names of staff. “Please be patient Ken. This may take a bit of time.”

She found the name she was looking for and used her cell phone to dial the extension. “Hi Tyler. This is Maddie, Spence’s new assistant; and I’m sitting here with Ken, make that Mr. Kennedy.”

She heard Tyler laugh. “Yeah, I heard he stormed the Bastille. Glad he moved up the chain because I was really tired of his phone calls.”

“Yes, well, the buck stops here to use an old saying. Please explain to me why Ken isn’t getting his connectors on time as promised by Spence. Are we totally out of stock?”

“Well, no, not exactly.”

“Exactly? What does that mean?”

“We have 500,000 in stock, but they’ve all been promised to The Nelson Company.”

“And, when was that order placed.”

“Um, let me see…it was placed ten days ago.”

“And how long has Mr. Kennedy been requesting his supply?”

“About two weeks or so.”

“Okay, and how many did he order?”

“100,000 units.”

“Then, let’s short the other company’s order with a promise to send as soon as available and ship Mr. Kennedy his 100,000.”

“I can’t do that. I don’t have the authority.”

“Who does?”

“Mr. Lorax and Dave Fielding.”

“Thank you, Tyler, appreciate your help.”

Maddie pushed the end button, looked up and dialed the extension for Dave Fielding.”

He too, greeted her with a laugh about poor Mr. Kennedy, but the laughter soon dried up as Maddie employed her no-nonsense voice.

“Mr. Fielding, I’m sure you know by now that Mr. Lorax won’t be in the office today. I’m sure you also know, and I can double check the files, that Mr. Lorax promised Mr. Kennedy and his company whatever component was required when the time came. I’ve already talked to Tyler and know we have 500,000 units on hand. So, here’s what we’re going to do. You are going to ship 100,000 units to Mr. Kennedy’s company today. Not only that, but you are going to overnight them regardless of the cost. If Mr. Lorax were here, I know he would authorize this because he wouldn’t want Mr. Kennedy’s 100-year-old family company to fail after promising our company would provide the units he needs when needed. Then, you can ship the other 400,000 units to the other company with the explanation that we’ll provide the other 100,000 as soon as possible. And, when do you think that possibility might be?”

There was silence on the other end and for a minute Maddie was afraid the factory foreman had hung up. “Are you sure Spence would approve this? Absolutely positive. I don’t want to lose my job over 100,000 connectors.”

“Mr. Fielding, I’m absolutely positively sure this is a go. Now, please get it done immediately. I’ll tell Mr. Kennedy he can expect his parts tomorrow morning at the latest. Thank you.”

When Maddie pushed the end button, she wanted to slump over. She had no idea if she’d just screwed herself royally or not, but she was the EA and she’d taken care of Mr. Kennedy’s problem. She wasn’t sure if it was what Mr. Lorax would have done, but it was done now and the man across from her had a face with a huge smile.

“You may be a little bit of a thing Ms. Maddie, but you sure know how to take care of business. That’s some voice you’ve got there. If you’d been talking to me, I certainly would have complied with the request. And, I want to thank you so very much for listening to me and taking care of my problem. I have to admit I’ll sleep much better tonight than I have the last couple of weeks.”

“It was my pleasure to help you Mr. Kennedy, I mean Ken. The Lorax Company was once a much smaller company and it is clients like you that have helped it grow.”

“That and your boss’ promises. I am so very grateful now that I decided to buy locally rather than from back east. We need to keep our home-grown companies here working for our communities. That’s pretty much what Spence said that convinced me to switch suppliers. Well, that and climate change and carbon footprints.”

“Please, allow me to show you to the elevator. I’d give you a business card, but they haven’t been printed yet. Whenever you need to call The Lorax Company, just ask for Maddie and they’ll put you right through.”

With some thank-yous and good-byes, the elevator door closed on Mr. Kennedy and Maddie slumped against the doors. Annie got up from behind the reception counter and brought her a bottle of water that was so cold it was sweating.

“You look like you could use this.”

“Oh my God, yes.” Maddie exclaimed as she twisted the top off and poured the entire bottle down her now dry throat.

“Thank you, Annie. I really appreciate your help with this little problem. Of course, it may be a big problem tomorrow, but for now, I’m going to consider it a success.”

“I don’t know what happened or what you did, but I’m sure the company grapevine will soon let me know. Besides, to see Ms. Forsythe, muttering and clenching her teeth…well, I consider that alone a big success.”

AN IMPORTANT ARTICLE

   

           In a January post, I suggested that the billionaires who support the white-house idiot be the ones that are removed. I had no idea then who those idiots were…although how can I refer to them as idiots when they have billions…actually were. Today, Robert Reich wrote an article about the movie, “Melania,” wherein he listed all those individuals. The point of his article was these individuals should all be consigned to the innermost fires of hell…I heartily agree.

          Leading the charge or list of billionaires who have accepted bribes or in some way benefited from the largess of the idiot in charge is Jeff Bezos…what a shock. I don’t know the man, but I do know he’s the richest among men and does absolutely nothing to improve the lot of any one person, let alone civilization. In case you missed the article, here it is:

Melania: The Movie. The Bribe. The Shame.

Bezos's illegal payoff

By Robert Reich, published February 2, 2026

Friends, I haven’t seen it. I hope you don’t, either. This, from one of the kinder reviews: “Across some 104 minutes, the first lady delivers these blatantly scripted and meaningless narrations with all the conviction of someone who just woke up from a two-hour nap and can’t remember what day it is.” Manohla Dargis of The New York Times sees a “glossy, curiously impersonal” portrait of a woman who “rarely drops her Sphinxlike deadpan.” Nick Hilton of The Independent calls the first lady a “scowling void of pure nothingness in this ghastly bit of propaganda.” Guardian critic Xan Brooks says it “doesn’t have a single redeeming quality” and compares it to a “medieval tribute to placate the greedy king on his throne.” Not since The Washington Post music critic Paul Hume observed that Margaret Truman’s singing voice in Constitution Hall in 1950 was “flat a good deal of the time” has a performance by a member of a sitting president’s family generated such averse reviews. Yet because the The Washington Post is now owned by the man who spent $75 million on the movie ($40 million to make it, $35 million to promote it), I somehow doubt The Post will crap on it. (At least Monica Hesse, in her review for The Post, had the honesty to confess that “if you suspect I have come here today to trash a movie about the wife of a notoriously thin-skinned, anti-journalist president, which was bankrolled by the company owned by the man who also pays my salary — NOT TODAY, SATAN. Do you think I’m a moron?”) My purpose today is less to highlight this inane excuse for a film than to talk about its real excuse — allowing Jeff Bezos to give a big fat bribe to the president of the United States. Why would Bezos bribe him? Please. Bezos, one of the richest men in the world, owns Amazon and many other businesses that depend on the whims of the sociopath in the Oval Office. (Trump sold the idea of the documentary to Bezos when he dined at Mar-a-Lago in December 2024, just after the election, according to the The Wall Street Journal.) Bezos’s Amazon Web Services has a $1 billion agreement with the General Services Administration for cloud services, which presumably Bezos would like renewed. His rocket company, Blue Origin, has over $2.3 billion in contracts from the U.S. Space Force. Several of Bezos’s companies are subject to potential tariffs on goods from China. Amazon is under the cloud of a major antitrust lawsuit brought by the Federal Trade Commission (when the FTC was still independent — before it came under the putative control of the Oval Office). The trial is expected in 2027. And so on. Friends, when the history of this sordid period of America is written — assuming it’s not written by historians trying to curry favor with a future fascist regime — I hope the leaders of American business are condemned to the hellfire they deserve for helping destroy American democracy. The outer ring of hell will be reserved for CEOs who stayed silent so as not to rile the narcissist-in-chief. Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase will reside here because, notwithstanding his assumed role as spokesman for American business, Dimon has uttered no criticism of Trump other than to suggest, in the vaguest possible terms, that Trump’s attack on the Federal Reserve’s independence “is probably not a great idea.” The middle ring will be reserved for business leaders who surrendered to Trump’s extortionist demands for personal payoffs. The Ellisons, père Larry (the world’s third-richest person) et fils David, will be there, along with Shari Redstone and the board of Paramount, for paying Trump $16 million to settle his utterly baseless lawsuit against CBS. Also in this middle ring will be Bob Iger, CEO of Disney (which owns ABC) and Debra OConnell, the president of ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks, for giving Trump $15 million to settle his equally spurious lawsuit against ABC News. In the inner ring, where hell fires burn especially hot, will be business leaders who went beyond acquiescing to Trump’s extortion and decided to pay him big fat bribes. Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, will have pride of place here, after spending a quarter of a billion dollars getting Trump elected. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, will get a spot here for lavishing on Trump a custom-designed glass plaque mounted on a 24-karat gold base. We’ll also find here the CEOs who coughed up $300,000 each for Trump’s ballroom — including crypto magnates Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, oil tycoon Harold Hamm, Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, and every Big Tech mogul. But Jeff Bezos, with his $75 million bribe of Trump, will deserve a special place in the innermost ring of hell. The $40 million he paid Melania Trump’s production company is at least $35 million more than the cost of typical high-end documentaries. (By way of comparison, Magnolia Pictures and CNN Films produced “RBG,” a documentary about the late Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, for around $1 million.) Melania Trump pocketed more than 70 percent of that $40 million — or more than $28 million — the Journal reported. The additional $35 million Bezos shelled out for marketing “Melania” is 10 times what other high-profile documentaries spend on marketing. The promotional budget for “RBG” was about $3 million. (To be sure, Melania Trump is no Ruth Bader Ginsburg, so I suppose you might argue that Melania needed a larger promo budget. But this much larger?) All this, at a time when Bezos is slashing the newsroom at the Post — it’s heart and soul — in order to “economize.” Forget the inner ring. Bezos deserves to be at the center of the inferno. The promo money apparently worked, at least in the U.S., where opening-weekend ticket sales for “Melania” totaled $7 million. But let’s be realistic. A $35 million promotional budget will get people into theaters to see paint drying. If all goes well — given that opening weekend is usually about 25 percent of total box office and that movie houses pocket half — Amazon could end up with about $14 million on its $75 million investment. A pittance. Yet this was never a financial investment. It was an investment in kissing Trump’s derriere. As Ted Hope, who was instrumental in starting Amazon’s film division, wondered aloud to the New York Times: “How can it not be equated with currying favor or an outright bribe? How can that not be the case?” Of course it’s an outright bribe. If America still had a Department of Justice, Bezos would be indicted for bribery of a public official pursuant to 18 U.S. Code § 201, which criminalizes offering or giving anything of value to a public official with the intent to influence their official actions. Penalty: imprisonment for up to 15 years. (Also note: The U.S. Constitution lists taking a bribe as an impeachable offense for a president.) There’s a statute of limitations for criminal prosecution of such bribes: Prosecution must begin within five years of the deed. So, my friends, if America gets a true Justice Department starting in January of 2029, Bezos’s inferno may become a reality.

            I like to read what Mr. Reich writes because almost all the time, I agree with what he’s written. Here, before us in this article, is a listing of all the people that we should make an effort to not further enrich. I don’t know if we can actually make much of a dent in a company like Amazon, but we could try…I’m going to try. In fact, I didn’t order one single thing from Amazon in the month of January and my bill is zero. Just imagine what harm…or improvement…we could do if we all stopped ordering stuff online.

          Anyway, I know this post ran long because I chose to include something I found important. I hope you found it important as well.

NOTHING

Would it be better to simply ignore having a blog post or would it be better to post something like this which is an excuse for not having my fingers dancer across the keyboard with lofty and semi-important words? I don’t know. I simply know that today, I have no words to share. 

JANUARY'S OVER...ALMOST

             

 Well, here I am, the last day of January 2026 and I’ve managed to post something every single day of the month. While none of it has been note-worthy, of any great significance, or merit republication anywhere else, I did stick to my determination to post every day.

          I feel as though I owe a sincere apology to you, dear reader, for whining, being depressed, lacking amusement or adding much to the pleasure of your day. Still, I am pleased with myself because I followed through. Perhaps now that the coldest and darkest (although the sun shone a lot here) month of the year is over, I’ll find better topics, my funny bone and who knows what else to share with you.

          So, it’s on to February tomorrow, a month that holds many precious memories, i.e., John and I met, our youngest son was born, it’s Valentine’s Day, the forsythia will begin blooming, daffs and tulips are already poking through the ground and pussy willows will be budding out.

          See, look at that…already I’m looking at and for the obviously pleasurable events to come.