MacArthur Park | Miami Herald

Really? Worst ever? MacArthur Park?

I agree, the times were different. Some of us were about to be involuntarily sent to battle in rice paddies 10,000 miles away, against an enemy fabricated by politicians.

So we listened to Harris’ moaning and the awful lyrics as an escape from what fate awaited us.

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I guess you were not among my peers 50 years ago. But “worst ever?”

Have you tried to parse the vulgarities in some hip-hop songs?

Ever listened to the Chrysler commercial using the lyrics to “Back that ‘thang’ up” as an analogy for their self-parking device?

There are many obscene and foolish things on the air today far more reprehensible than Webb’s effort — each of which carries no import to the listener.

Yes, I must be old — and might have certain feelings about the newest generation. Much like I respected what the WW II generation had done for mine, perhaps you can look more kindly on the reasons for the choices made by the 60’s generation, and our angst — and those songs that help us to momentarily escape from those days and nights.

Just an alternate view.

Worst ever?

Rubio’s admission

Marco Rubio’s admission that the Republican tax bill is not helping workers is a drop of candor in a sea of mendacity, and cold comfort. He and his colleagues know full well that it is the fiduciary responsibility of all CEOs to direct excess profits to the shareholders (mainly the rich), and the crumbs workers are supposed to be grateful to see in their paychecks represent a small fraction of the giveaway.

To make matters worse, the cuts made in a tight labor market were inflationary, causing interest rates to rise (driving up costs for credit cards and mortgages), while wages remain stagnant. And calls to pay it back through entitlement cuts and middle class tax increases have already begun.

This begs the question, for whom does this Make America Great Again?

Historic stadium

Just wanted to complement and thank Miami Herald reporter Andres Viglucci for the April 17 article, “Miami Marine Stadium makes the national historic honor roll. But will it ever reopen?”

I grew up in Miami and was very involved with boat racing. I was one of the first drivers to race at the Marine Stadium when it was built. Wonderful memories and I hope it can be saved.

Question time

Months ago, we saw a reporter in the Rose Garden ask President Trump about his willingness to speak with Robert Mueller. Before that question was even finished, our president interrupted him with “100 percent.” How’s that working out now?

At a crossroads

Last week, I was forced to use public transportation three times and the experience was terrifying.

I waited about one hour for the bus. The horrible connections, not to mention a marathon during rush hour, created complete chaos in the downtown Miami area. I have concluded that premeditated extermination of old and poor people is going on; if you do not die from sunstroke, you will get pneumonia after entering an ice-cold bus.

I am not poor; I pay high property taxes. But what do I get from the so-called “Magic City?”

I am flying soon to civilization, where buses and trams — like the ones in Vienna, Kracow, Warsaw — keep schedules to the minute.

A prize for Trump

In his April 29 letter to the editor, “Prized Trump,” Victor LaPorta suggests that if the Trump administration persuades North Korea to abandon their nuclear weapons, Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Two facts about the Nobel Prize selection are important to know. President Woodrow Wilson won it for his idea creating the League of Nations, which the U.S. Senate rejected. Bob Dylan won it for Literature and he didn’t want it.

President Obama did not seek the Nobel Prize, and he clearly stated that he did not feel he deserved the honor. Perhaps if LaPorta reads Obama’s acceptance speech he will understand why he was chosen that year. Unfortunately, racism is such an insidious problem worldwide that the election of the first black president in U.S. history was a meaningful symbol of peace to many people in the world.

It remains to be seen if North Korea will abandon their nuclear weapons, but there is hope now. The world will applaud President Trump if he is awarded the prize in the future.

Ocean trash

Shame on the cruise lines.

On a weekend of fishing on the waters off the Bahamas and the Florida Straits, I counted more than 20 party balloons floating at the surface. It is time the cruise lines take responsibility for this problem.

Rubio a mensch?

I have been a constant critic of Senator Marco Rubio due to the numerous times he has toed the party line in his quest for higher office. His constituents’ needs should come before his needs.

But I must take this moment to admire and appreciate the fact that he is the only Republican senator to date to admit that the new tax cuts won’t improve blue collar workers’ bottom line.

When he ran for president, I saw him as just another politician who required a survey on his desk before announcing where he stood on any given issue.

I hope that his refreshingly honest appraisal of the farce that this tax cut represents is a new chapter in his interesting journey. He has a lot to offer if only he stops gauging the wind before he dares to open the windows. He now has shown the courage to do that.

When he runs for office again, he will have earned my consideration as I cast my vote.

Thin-skinned

Following the last State of the Union Address given by President Trump, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders criticized U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi for her demeanor during the address, saying that Pelosi needed to smile more.

Now, Huckabee Sanders needs to take her own advice and smile more. Like her boss, Trump, Huckabee Sanders is a thin-skinned bully who can dish it out but can’t take it. So sad!

Prayer and politics

As to all the words in John Crisp’s May 1 op-ed column, “And let’s get rid of the chaplain in the House, too,” I have only one: Exactly!