BY DANVALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JAN. 24, 2018) — THE PLANET extends congratulations to all involved in negotiating a bipartisan agreement to end the federal government shutdown. The temporary funding measure expires on Feb. 8, four days at The New England Patriots Invitational — what used to be called The Super Bowl.

The Kraft-Belichick-Brady Patriots have made their dynastic domination of the EnEfEl so thorough that rubbing it in became obsolete years ago. Philly rioted after the Eagles won the NFC. Boston and New England do not celebrate Conference championships. We act like we’ve been there before, because we have, year after year for many years now.

That made look like an aside, but we relate it to the actions on the government shutdown. The Patriots have become a case study in management at the Harvard Business School and elsewhere for their exemplification of organizational stability.  When you have it, you win. When you don’t have it, you lose (how many coaches and quarterbacks have the other 31 teams gone through since New England won the 2002 Super Bowl?).

Clearly, the federal government hasn’t had stability since the days of LBJ — Richard Nixon if you want to get out the slide rule. This disintegration has spilled down to the state and local levels. How else, for example, could the states botch health insurance and Medicaid? How else could a once-respectable and proud city like Pittsfield turn into an embarrassing spittoon?How else could inept politicians and bureaucrats such as Linda Tyer, Matt Kerwood, Kristen Behneke, and Kathy Yon be put into fiduciary positions? How else could a city throw virtually all its money into a broken down department (public schools), starve every other department, ignore every other responsibility to citizens, and claim that department was underfunded? How else could a city be so stupid as to be rope-a-doped into a highly suspect water treatment deal that will funnel $75 million or more into the hands of consultants and The Connected?

Repeat after THE PLANET‘s sages: There is no collusion. There is no collusion. There is no collusion. There are no kickbacks. There are no kickbacks. There are no kickbacks.

Once again tracing the tributary back to its mouth, how did the collection of fools in Washington manage to iron out a “bipartisan” funding deal? THE PLANET has the exclusive. The Republicans traded Nixon’s 18-and-a-half-minute gap, one of Mitch McConnell‘s chins, and a bribe to be named later for Chuck Schumer‘s tube of hair gel. That’s why Schumer appeared so mussed early this week. He craved then caved on the Dreamers. They turned into the Nightmares. Of course, they are illegal and needed to be weeded out. If it can’t be done individually on a case-by-case basis to retain any of the 8 million who may have proven productive, then it must be done in bulk by running the arm up to the elbow across the table and sweeping all out of the country. Sadly, this is the real world. It pays no heed to Ezra Pound‘s greatest dictum: “Generalities are not binding.”

If Feb. 8 comes with a real deal on funding the federal government, great. If not, let the games continue. Either way, as it is in the state and the city, you — Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski — are in for a royally screwing.

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“I mean, it’s not like he had open heart surgery” — Bill Belichick, on Tom Brady‘s record performance in the AFC Championship Game.

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.

The Usual Disclaimer.