A Large Regular

Interesting post about Lyndon Baines Johnson and how he may have been the model for political corruption today. 

When Johnson entered Congress, he was dirt poor and obsessed with money. He remained an elected federal official until his term as President ended in 1969 - an unbroken string spanning more than three decades - and yet managed to retire with a fortune that would be valued well in excess of $100 million today.

You could replace the name "Johnson" with the name "Pelosi" and the statement would be equally true today.

Normalization of behavior like Johnson's has led to a continuing debasement of US politics to the point where scandals that would have previously ended careers are now routinely blown off as standard operating procedure.

Well maybe depending on which party the offending elected officials belongs to. You can even sleep with Chinese spies or employ a Chinese spy as your personal driver for years if you're a Democrat.

As the cancer of corruption grows , so too does the government's need to corral the outrage and the activities of ordinary citizens.

That's where the censorship of social media, the drive for a government controlled digital currency and other means of government control comes in. I hope Americans don't stand for it.

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Did you get a "free cruise" robocall? You might be owed up to $900

- Heh heh

- Very cool - Mike Bossy's letter to my younger self

- Heh heh. Busted!

- I saw this picture of LBJ and I thought "Jeez Oliver Stone looks like crap!" I think the real conspiracy theory is that LBJ is actually Stone's father.

Chris Jones is a very good writer. That's what makes efforts like this piece on Bobby Valentine all the more disappointing.

Jones must be wading through Robert Caro's epic biography of LBJ which somehow made him  think Bobby V is LBJ-like. The comparison is stupid. Jones might as well been stealing money from ESPN instead of passing off that piece as any sort of effort that required even the minimum of thought.

Lyndon Baines Johnson as an allegory for Bobby Valentine? What's next? Dustin Pedroia as John Quincy Adams?