Paul’s Daily Ration: 08/05/21 – Radically Rational

Paul’s Daily Ration: 08/05/21

Wouldn’t it be great if Ron DeSantis turned at least a little bit of his nastiness on the virus? Florida has had 110,000 new infections in the last week.

Nothing for you to get cocky about, Abbott. Texas cases are up 200 percent over 14 days.

Smart people, including smart governors, are open to reconsidering their stances in the face of overwhelming facts. Arkansas Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson now says he regrets earlier approving a statewide ban on mask mandates. Hutchinson has called the Arkansas Legislature into special session to consider amending that law. That was a rational act, proving he has no political future in today’s GOP.

As of this writing, we have lost 614,342 Americans to COVID-19. Computer models, which have been remarkably accurate, predict up to 20,000 more U.S. deaths in the next three weeks. Every single one of them will have been avoidable.

We’re 17 months into this pandemic. And we’re right back in the boiling cauldron of virus and ignorance.

I am a pragmatist. I like things that work. I don’t like things that don’t work. “Rugged Individualism” has been a dismal failure for a year and a half. Community action is the only way to stop the spread. That’s not “Communism” or “Socialism.” It’s biology.

Masks are the only protection our under-12 kids will have as they head back to school. Yes, as virologist Paul Offit puts it, “We are failing our children.” That represents societal collapse.

Mandatory vaccinations for all active-duty U.S. military personnel? Absolutely. This is a national security issue.

SEC score update. Arkansas leads Mississippi 25-6 in available ICU beds. Late fourth quarter.

Quit, Cuomo. Or wait to be impeached, convicted and removed. And some of the allegations corroborated by the NY Attorney General’s investigation go well beyond “hostile workplace sexual harassment.” Some of them are straight-up criminal sexual assault.

Finally, yes. There is conclusive, open-and-shut evidence of an effort to steal the 2020 presidential election. It was engineered by Donald J. Trump. It might have succeeded had it not been for heroes in the DOJ.

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Paul's Bio

I clearly have the attention span of your median fruit fly.Look! Airplane!

Sorry. I’m back.

It’s both a curse and a blessing. I’ve never bought this stuff about, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” But I do think that a wide range of life experiences helps us grow as people, and helps us better relate to other people. I’ve been fortunate. And I am beyond grateful.

I show up on time. I go like hell. I’m a good listener. I hold myself accountable. I own my mistakes. And I have a natural and an insatiable curiosity. I’m never afraid to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t. But then I try to find out.

The flip side is I’m a lousy ballroom dancer and my clothes sometimes fit me funny.

Stuff matters to me. I care. But while I take that stuff seriously, I try hard to never take myself seriously. As a result, I have sometimes been told, “Paul, it’s hard to tell when you’re serious and when you’re just having some fun. Which is it? Serious or fun?”

My answer is “yes.” But I think that is a legitimate criticism. I promise I’m going to work on that.

This has been the quickest and strangest half-century I’ve ever experienced. During that period, I’ve been afforded amazing opportunities in news and sports journalism across all platforms. I have taught wonderful students at the high school and collegiate level. Always, I learned more from them than they did from me. I’ve been a high school administrator. I spent ten seasons as a high school varsity football coach. I’ve been an advertising executive. I’ve hosted nationally syndicated television entertainment shows. In maybe the biggest honor I ever received, I was selected by NASA to be “Chet The Astronaut” for the “Land The Shuttle” simulator at Space Center Houston. (All I can say there, is “Do as I say, not as I do.” I put that thing in the Everglades more often than not.) Most recently, I just wrapped up a decade as a television news director, during which time our teams distinguished themselves in holding the powerful accountable, achieving both critical and ratings success.

What does all that mean? It means I am profoundly grateful. It also means I’m ready for “next.” So here we are. Radically Rational. It’s an idea I woke up with in 2017. I scribbled “Radically Rational” on a piece of notebook paper and used a magnet to stick it on our refrigerator. I saw it every day, and it just would not leave me alone.

I am second in charge at Radically Rational, LLC. My wife, Jo (also known as BB), is the president. Clearly, I have failed in my attempt to sleep my way to the top of this organization.

I hope you will learn that I’m loyal as a Labrador. But I will admit that this doggie can bite every now and then. My promise to you? I will show up on time. I will go like hell. I will listen to you earnestly and attentively. I will hold myself accountable. I will never be the least bit hesitant to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t.

But then I’ll try to find out. Let’s do it.