Much has changed since 2016

Victor Hanson wrote a short essay for amgreatness.com, his title continues, "not that Trump will get credit."

I read Hanson in the spirit of a student knowing he will be tested.

1) List four recent things the news obsesses over.
   a) recent government shutdown
   b) latest Mueller arrest
   c) fake news from BuzzFeed
   d) smears of Covington students

2)  List ways the world has dramatically changed since 2016
   a) awareness that China rigged trade laws is now commonly accepted and they pose as serious threat and require a strong response like temporary tariffs.
   b) the Iran deal is a yawner.
   c) So is moving the Israel embassy to Jerusalem
   d) growing consensus the economic boom is from tax cuts and deregulation and better trade deals and tax incentives to bring back offshore capital, and dramatic rises in energy production.
   e) millions are back working, especially minority youth.

3) What has changed significantly for the future?
   The Supreme Court and federal judges are a lot more conservative. And they are young.

4) Explain the current status of immigration policies.
   Most Americans favor a grand bargain compromise. The public agrees that conservatives should get more border fencing or walls in certain places and an end to new illegal immigration and deportation of undocumented with criminal records. And liberals should get green cards for immigrants here illegally but who have a work history and no criminal record.

5) How has sentiment about foreign policies changed?
   Americans are tired of overseas interventions and perceptions of American weakness. The public supports withdrawal from Afghanistan and Syria. While also approving of the bombing of ISIS and a stron effort to denuclearize North Korea.

   Americans used to think European Union and NATO were status quo institutions that could not be criticized but there is growing agreement that NATO must pay their fair share.

6) How is Europe torn?
   Eastern European anger at open borders and Soiuthern European resentment at German banks and harsh negotiations over Brexit.

   Most Americans conclude that EU is increasingly postmodern, anti-democratic and unstable.

7) Has Trump's campaign reputation of being mercurial, crass and crude changed? If so, how?
   No.

8) Has the press changed? If so, how?
   They used to provide empirical reporting, but now they're unhinged. 90% negative, false stories.
American assume mainstream media cannot be relied on for honest reporting.

9) Has Trump's popularity changed? If so, how?
   No.

10) Does the news affect the public support of Trump's policies?
   No.

Victor Hanson has a particularly scholastic way of saying, "be of good cheer for all is well. Enjoy the history you're in."

You should read it.

Then his commenters like to think they're equal to him.

Louisiana school ↓


At Barksdale AFT, moving from on-base to off-base meant another change in school.

The second school had less AF brats and was rougher. Some of the dudes were punks. Incidentally, the AFB gave this school one its older flight simulators.

What high school had an AF flight simulator? Huh?

It was ridiculous. You had to actually mix the richness of fuel by moving two levers. But we did learn the flight controls. But that was after Barry and I already learned all that on-base through their Civil Air Patrol program. Another uniform. Another insistence of proper haircut, grooming, shined shoes, another deal with marching, standing at ease, flag ceremonies. And a whole bunch of technical crap that I didn't have a mind for back then, like weather. Weather, weather, weather.

I'd rather take a ceramics class.

Technical stuff and uniformity and conformity were not for my mind.

No wonder I was unhappy.

At the new school my usual ingratiation techniques were not so successful. I was getting tired of changing schools. I was not so flexible anymore. I did not fit in so quickly.

Finally in one of the later classes I saw a beautiful girl who looked like Marsha Marsha Marsha. Symmetric features, nice figure, long straight blond hair, well dressed, well presented. Sitting alone. The guys in the class did not hover around her desk as they do everywhere else. What is it with this bird anyway?

I approached her and poured on my naturally occurring charm and she rebuffed me with a sharp repost and I'm all wtf? I tried again and received the same treatment. I tried again and received the same treatment.

Go ahead, drop a house on me. I cannot seem to take a series of hints.

I didn't accept it. I received her bazooka repulses with humor. I kept at it until I made her laugh. I would not be driven away.

Somehow she accepted me. I passed her powerful defenses.

Her dog had just delivered puppies and she invited me over to see them. Shortly I met her family. They all liked me.

We had one class together, Louisiana History. Of all the classes I've taken through all of the schools, that was the most remarkable due to its dedicated teacher. A big fat guy with scrubbed skin and heavily starched white shirts. He was the hardest teacher I've ever had.

The girls name is Elaine Stutco.

Her father was a major at the AFB. That's how we hit it off so well.

Elaine got straight As and I was a lazy student. I carried my book back and forth from school to home  but never actually read it. I thought we were book transporters. I didn't know we were expected to study them. I read the words under the pictures but that's all.

I asked Elaine how she got such good grades.

She told me, "Whatever the teacher writes on the chalkboard, I write it down word for word."

What?

"Yes. He writes the same thing for each of his classes. He fills the board each day with his notes. His notes come from previous years. For him it's the same thing year after year. And all that material is on his tests. Each test comes from what he writes on the board. Learn everything on the board and you'll get an A."

Jesus.

"And I read the book."

What? You actually read that thing?

"Yes. When I come home I re-write my notes so they're neat."

What? I don't know if I'm cut out for this.

And before the test I re-read my notes.

Sigh. Okay. I hereby forswear my previous ways and swear to adopt yours. I will copy what you do.

My grades improved immediately. We two were the teacher's pets. Through all those schools, none of them taught me how to study. Oh, they bossed me around good enough, but nobody actually explained how to study. Until I encountered Elaine.

God bless you, Elaine. You changed my life significantly just by teaching me how to study and giving me something to study for. Because if I was to hang around with  Elaine then I'd have to improve my grades.

I moved to Denver. Elaine's uncle lives here. I saw her again when I was twenty. Her brother and I rode our bikes to Morrison. Elaine stopped in to see my apartment. She was fat. And unphysical. There was no way she could cycle that far. There was no way she would get out in that heat. I was disappointed. Elaine, smart as she is, had let herself go.