We normally share an obituary or two in this space on Saturdays, and almost always they come from the Times Free Press. Today, we reach a little broader.
Today we offer a too-late thank you to Dave Frishberg, a songwriter any of you close to my age will know even if you didn't know his name.
Frishberg, you see, was part of the crew who penned a huge part of the Saturday morning soundtrack children growing up in the '70s and '80s heard. He is, in fact, the reason I know my conjunctions - and their junctions and functions - and still recite the preamble to our Constitution with an accentuated pronunciation of "tranquility."
Frishberg was the lead writer for the "Schoolhouse Rock!" songs that came between cartoons on Saturday mornings - that glorious couple of hours when we all got a full block of uninterrupted viewing designed just for us.
He died Wednesday. He was 88.
Nice alliteration
So, the Build Back Better bill has lots of Bs in its title.
I wish it did in its price tag. That's right - the old-school billion-dollar federal handouts and boondoggles are giving way to trillion-dollar government freebies under the umbrella of infrastructure.
Sure, there are several pieces of legislation that will go a long way to improving our roads and bridges, but this B-scam became a barnacle-carrying barge leaking money the way the Exxon Valdez leaked oil. So as we barrel at breakneck speed toward ballooning debt, how will we build back from being broke?
Let the games begin
OK, for the better part of the last 10 days, Aaron Rodgers' name was not associated with quarterback greatness or even the Discount Double-check move he made famous as a pitchman for State Farm Insurance.
Nope, the future Hall of Fame Green Bay Packer had become the latest famous person caught in the crossfire of political posturing around COVID-19.
Rodgers lied/misled the media during the preseason when asked about being vaccinated. He said he was "immunized," which should have set off red lights. Rodgers tried to get a waiver from the NFL saying his private doctor's immunization efforts met the collectively bargained guidelines between the league and the players association.
The NFL rightly said no to Rodgers' immunization mirage. For all we know, Rodgers could be seeing CoCo the Witch Doctor or Tom Brady's cellphone repairman or even Robert Craft's massage therapist for "extra special" COVID protocols.
Rodgers then shrugged his shoulders at the agreed-upon protocols for the unvaccinated and after handling the whole ordeal like a preteen middle-school boy, well, he got bent out of shape that there was blowback.
Still, he hardly was punished. So like a spoiled child, there's blame for all involved - the rotten tot and the failing parents.
Because Rodgers, for lying and putting his personal wants over the protocols - again, which were collectively bargained - was fined by the NFL a whopping $14,000.
Rogers will be paid $27 million just for playing football this year. By comparison, a $14,000 fine for Rodgers is akin to a person making $56,000 being fined $3. Yes, 300 pennies.
And to make it even more nonsensical: A week before Rodgers' fine was levied, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb was fined $20,000 - for not having his jersey tucked in during the previous Sunday's game.
Say what?
I am so pleased that there is so little for our national elected officials to be focused on or working through that Ted Cruz can get his Texas drawers in a knot because the Library of Congress has decided to change the term "illegal alien" to a couple of offerings, including "illegal immigrant."
Yeah, no growing concerns about a possible holiday virus spike. Or the aforementioned Build Back Better bill. Or, hey, China. And Taiwan.
Or even actual immigration concerns.
Nope, we need to be worried about word choice and how the Library of Congress is renaming its Dewey Decimal System. (Ask your parents.)
Hey, Ted, if that's worthy of your time, then you are wasting your time - and the taxpayers' money - regardless of which side of the aisle you sit when you're not running off to Cabo for a weekend at the beach.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com.
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Jay Greeson