Make new friends, but keep the old . . .

Spending time with old friends is one of the joys of retirement and my age. However, meeting new people and hearing their stories is fun too. (It's challenging for us oldsters to listen--we'd rather talk-- but it's good practice.) At our retirees luncheon on Friday at the OSU Golf Club I sat by another OSU library faculty retiree, Barbara, who had come on staff the year I retired (2000), so we'd never met. She's had a fascinating career with many twists and turns. I'd prepared packages of homemade cookies, and passed out our Christmas card with Bob's painting of the Marblehead Lighthouse in the snow.

Then on Sunday I chatted across the dinner table with a new friend from church, Carol, who told me all about the Winona Public Library where she'd worked in college. I've checked out the links she gave me--fabulous architecture, and like many community libraries it started as a lyceum and private organization with paid memberships and then a wealthy donor. Going to Minnesota is not on my bucket list, but if you're in the neighborhood, it would be worth the visit.

Today is our book club December gathering at Carolyn A.'s home.  We'll be discussing The Annotated Alice,The Definitive Edition by Martin Gardner. 

 
 I've never read Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, don't care much for fantasy, and his fascination with Alice Liddle, from what I'd read, seemed a little creepy viewed from our 21st century sensibilities.  And to make it worse, Martin Gardner was a mathematician (he died at 99 in 2013), and my skills in that area were never strong, and are now zip, nada, zilch.  But I did read in the introduction that Carroll began this whole adventure making up stories to amuse the three Liddle sisters on boat rides and later wrote them down and gathered them into a gift book. Makes me wish my mother had written down the stories she told me while braiding my hair when I was little (to keep me from screaming in pain!).  The ladies of the club are dear, and my goodness, what bibliophiles and scholars they are! And eclectic tastes.  I'd never read a mystery nor would have found Maisie Dobbs which my husband adores if it hadn't been for this lovely group. 

Wednesday is our Conestoga Christmas Party at The Boathouse at Confluence Park, which has a gorgeous view of downtown Columbus, with reception at 6 and dinner at 7. Dancing has been taken off the menu--either we're all too old or it got too expensive.  Conestoga is a friends group or auxiliary  established in 1986 to enhance support for the Ohio History Connection (aka Ohio Historical Society). To date, its members have raised over $500,000. Conestoga members participate in a wide variety of social and educational events, tours of historical sites and museums and lectures. Membership currently costs $100 for a single membership and $150 for a couple membership. Dues include admission to all regularly scheduled Conestoga social events and educational programs, as well as all the benefits of the Plus Family membership.

On Thursday the Pregnancy Decision Health Center, all locations, is having its annual Christmas get together at the Amelita Mirolo Barn in Upper Arlington about 2 miles from here. It can be rented for banquets, parties and weddings/receptions.  I've been to several events there, which is located in Sunny 95 park.  The original barn was constructed in 1838 near Reed and Fishinger roads before there was suburban development for Columbus. In December 1928, it was moved to Lane Road to replace a barn that had burned down on the McCoy family farm. It was used as storage for about 40 years. I remember driving past it many times on Lane Rd.  Residents could even purchase eggs from the location. In 2007, the City of Upper Arlington was planning the new Sunny 95 Park  and an organization was created to save the barn and move it. Mainly it was the timbers and framing--doesn't look much like the old barn. I'm just blown away by the commitment and love exhibited by the staff and volunteers of PDHC. All I do is answer the phone, greet clients, and assemble some papers and sort baby clothes. They do the really tough things, and often can only save one baby out of ten, but they don't get discouraged.

Monday Memories--Tax year 1962

American taxpayers can claim a Child Tax Credit (federal) of up to $1,000 for each child under age 17. The credit is reduced by 5 percent of adjusted gross income over $75,000 for single parents and over $110,000 for married couples. In 1962 the personal deduction, which included yourself, your children, steps, cousins, blind grandmother (if you supported them) was $600. Using an inflation calculator, that would be $4,730.50 today. I down loaded the 1962 instructions to check. It was only 4 pages.

In 1962, if you had income over $200,000, (about $3.5 million today) that portion was taxed at 91%. Although, based on what I've read, almost no one paid that because of various ways to shelter income. When top marginal rates were lowered by JFK and Reagan, the government actually got more money.

I remember my uncle "Gramps" Miller helping me itemize that year. We had purchased a duplex in the fall of 1962 and he showed me how to itemize every little thing that went toward the rental half of the house, and also the miracle of double depreciation. I learned then, that although owning a home residence was money poured down a hole, if you bought income property, it could pay for itself.  In fact, if we hadn't bought that run down duplex in a shabby neighborhood, we wouldn't be where we are today.

40 years after we bought 108 E. White St., it had deteriorate badly  

 

How I missed it in 2008

I didn't vote for Barack Obama in 2008, but there were two things I thought were positive about the choice other Americans had made; I thought finally we could put that nasty racist label behind us, and I also liked his positive family image for young men in our society who've eschewed marriage as a viable lifestyle. Then by 2012, I'd wised up. Race relations were far worse, and marriage was redefined and a political issue. I neglected to realize in 2008 that the anti-Americanism that had infected our campuses and celebrity culture was the air he breathed his whole life and it would not stop just because a bi-racial liberal with a handsome family was living in the White House. Gen-X and millennials had been learning for years the U.S. was a country of prejudice and class domination, founded on violence and theft from Indians, a population of victims.

 

No. Racism was ramped up during the Obama years.  Not by whites, although that did happen, but by the professional racialists, multiculturalists, inclusion and diversity mavens who were now left with nothing to accomplish. No federal grants if the trouble and bad feelings were resolved. They were down for the struggle, but not the success. So they increased the reparations talk, challenged even the most sensible voter protections, lied about the white on black crimes, especially by police, and expanded the victimhood blanket to cover all manner of differences, including a fraction of the 1% who are gender confused and called it "civil rights." 

 

Instead of working together as Obama had promised during his campaign (by the way, Hillary also won that popular vote in 2008), he decided to poke Christians in the eye, especially Catholics, by announcing programs and executive orders on their college campuses which were in violation of church teaching. He celebrated Planned Parenthood. He took on the police because they responded to a call about a house break-in, and the perp turned out to be the black owner who had forgotten his key. 

 

He created the most massive social program in our history by taking over 1/5 of the economy with empty promises and no votes from Republicans. He called the murder of soldiers on a U.S. military base by a Muslim officer  "work place violence." He whined to his friends in media and blamed President Bush or the American people for everything he couldn't do. The war in Iraq was virtually over at the end of 2008 and Afghanistan had been quiet for years, yet he foolishly decided to not follow recommendations on how to keep it that way, and midwifed ISIS with his Secretary of State in 2014. Criticizing the climate mafia or eating a chicken sandwich virtually became a hate crime, and bathrooms became an issue.

 

So now it's payback. There's a new sheriff in town much to the surprise of most of us, especially those who didn't vote.  Now Obama's followers are frighteningly angry and filled with rage, proving why we have the Electoral College and not mob rule. He stirred a hornet's nest, but his surrogates in the news media and social media who are getting stung are blaming racism, homophobia, xenophobia, misogyny, yada yada, and any other words they can spit in frustration.

The thought police on the Left--in journalism, academe, politics and even the spice store!

If you think the Left/Democrats/Progressives are hard on people who believe in the thousands of years old definition of marriage accepted by all religions and cultures, look what they do to people who don't bow to the gods of the relatively recent religion of climate change (formerly known as global warming):

"I believe climate change is real and that human emissions of greenhouse gases risk justifying action, including a carbon tax. But my research led me to a conclusion that many climate campaigners find unacceptable: There is scant evidence to indicate that hurricanes, floods, tornadoes or drought have become more frequent or intense in the U.S. or globally. In fact we are in an era of good fortune when it comes to extreme weather. This is a topic I’ve studied and published on as much as anyone over two decades. My conclusion might be wrong, but I think I’ve earned the right to share this research without risk to my career." Because he questioned certain graphs in IPCC reports, he was labeled a "climate change denier."

It would be fanciful to think a President Trump could hold back the gestapo thought police and the ideological czars. This began before the Obama years and the high priest Al Gore. Both parties have contributed to the destruction of careers when academics and researchers stray from the thought plantation.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/my-unhappy-life-as-a-climate-heretic-1480723518

And then there's Penzeys.  The nice little spice company. There is a Penzeys store within walking distance of my house, but it might as well be on the moon due to the hate and bigotry of the owner/CEO. Just Google the name and add in the word political, and you'll see what I mean. He doesn't want you as a customer if you didn't vote for his party and his candidate. He's selling finger wagging sermons to spice up your kitchen cabinet. Mr. Penzey, if you use the -ist and -ic terms on me, and I'm tossing them right back.

Crazed Hillary supporters threatening electors

It probably doesn't fall under "fake news" when Vox or The Daily Beast or The Huffington Post write prejudiced paranoid posts about alt-right or white supremacists or The Tea Party, but I wonder if they will take responsibility if one of their readers believes them and actually does kill one of the electors pledged to Trump. They are being threatened and their names and addresses are being published. Or, what if they don't kill them, and just terrorize them into changing their vote? The Left is so full of hate and bigotry it will stop at nothing to prevent this election process.

How Indiana and the U.S. benefit from the Carrier deal, guest blogger Jennifer

Jennifer Rymer Krawsczyn writes:

I figured this out using my OWN research, not spin from other sites. I will share the sites I used below. The $7 million tax break is over 10 years in tax incentives from Indiana (not the federal government). That is a $700,000 per year tax break over 10 years.

So if the average Indiana income tax paid for someone making $23/hr for a 40 hour work week (average listed for Carrier, link below) is $1,452 (link below), and you multiply that by 1100 people, Indiana brings in $1,597,2000 per year just in STATE INCOME TAX. 

Thus they will still be bringing in $897,200 in state income tax ABOVE the tax incentive. There is probably city tax and of course federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare paid as well.

On the other hand, if these jobs were lost, many of those people would be put on unemployment, which is money out. And don't forget that the company pays taxes, the workers pay sales tax and buy things to keep the economy going, the company buys products from other companies. It's a good deal as far as I'm concerned.

 https://smartasset.com/taxes/indiana-tax-calculator#MW0B90gzKw

http://www.ibj.com/articles/57162-carrier-plans-to-lay-off-1400-indy-workers-in-mexico-move

America's safety net and Paul Krugman

Paul Krugman, who hasn't been right about anything in the last two decades, claims without any evidence, the white working class is due for a rude awakening when the safety net is shredded under President Trump and a Republican Congress. I guess he thinks blacks, Asians, and Hispanics are either too rich or too poor to be included in his bullying of the working class--some members of which earn more than college grads who are paying off their loans.

Speaking of jobs, how does Krugman keep his? If he paid attention, he'd realize that the so called "safety net" has always been bi-partisan but has 80 overlapping programs causing graft and waste. (Obamacare which mandated purchase of insurance or jail and a fine was supported just by Democrats, and not even all of them.) Krugman should know that a job is always better than a government program. And Donald Trump has promised Americans they can keep their jobs. Perhaps it will be an empty promise like "keep your insurance," or "you can keep your doctor," but he's made a good start by promising tax relief to encourage American companies to come home.

The left keeps pouncing on "the white working class" which they've made synonymous with white supremacists even though exit polls show Trump only got about 1% more of the white vote than Romney did, whom the left portrayed as a rich elitist appealing only to the wealthy. Trump picked up the traditional Democrat stronghold in the so-called "rust belt" (ugly name, blue wall is better) which got no relief in 8 years of Obama whom they voted for--TWICE. Meanwhile, Mrs. Clinton lost a lot of the most liberal Democrats to spoiler Jill Stein. Plus, people don't like being called racist, homophobic and deplorable just because they want a good job. All the left promises is a bigger safety net, higher minimum wage, and retraining. That doesn't pay the mortgage or the college tuition for the kids.

 A lot of the so called "safety net" programs benefit the middle class most. Welfare benefits going to single parents with incomes less than half of the poverty level have decreased by 35 percent over the 1983 to 2004 period, whereas benefits to single parents making almost twice the poverty level have increased by 80 percent. 

“America’s safety net can sometimes entangle people in soul-crushing dependency. Our poverty programs do rescue many people, but other times they backfire.” Nickolas Kristof.

 https://medium.com/2015-index-of-culture-and-opportunity/total-welfare-spending-63802c3b021b#.oh96ujy43

 http://www.heritage.org/research/testimony/2012/05/examining-the-means-tested-welfare-state

Sexist, Intolerant, Xenophobic, Homophobic, Islamophobic, Racist, Bigoted.

S.I.X.H.I.R.B. Until the last eight years, I had no -isms, -bics or -ists directed at me. But Obama fundamentally changed the country’s attitude toward race and sex. I plan to give it back. If you criticize a white president, son of an immigrant, just because you don't like him and not because of his policies, you're a racist. If you're putting out fake news about a so-called white supremacist with 30 followers, I'll point and laugh.  If you need a safe space because you were taught that you're a victim of or the cause of white microaggression I'll give you the raspberry and suggest you get a job and stop using my tax dollars.

Our own census department can't figure out who is white--are Mexican Americans whose great grandparents immigrated from Spain white or Hispanic? Are Brazilians with German grandparents white or Latino? Is Nikki Haley white or Asian? In any case, whites are globally a minority, so I can play that game too. I'm a minority.

Unreasonable fear

Democrat voters. Stop torturing yourselves with visions of gas chambers. Donald Trump isn't the problem--it's your party's platform and your president's policies. We've got race riots, snowflake blizzards, falsified VA wait times, IRS scandals, mass shootings at malls, military bases, office parties and gay night clubs, millions suffering because of Obamacare, bathroom rage, increasing assaults against police, unaccompanied children up 78% this year, schools failing our kids--and that's with YOUR team, the current administration. Trump is selecting his team--you probably know most of them, and they haven't arrested or imprisoned you in their current jobs, so calm down.

And now President Obama is blaming Fox for his own failures.  For eight years Obama has been whining about Fox. He's got ABC, NBC, CBS, NPR, MSNBC and CNN--even ESPN has flipped, plus the online Daily Beast, Huffington Post and Vox among other millennial run bases, but he wants all the marbles. Democrats have no bench, and he and Pelosi are the reason. They've relied on his popularity (not his policies, which have failed), and they've got nothing.  He's got the biggest bully pulpit in the world, even has his tantrums at the UN and in foreign nations, but it's Fox's fault? And they say Trump is childish!

I don't hang out in bars, where he says Fox plays all the time.  And I don't think he does either. On our Friday night dates it's only sports events on the screens at Rusty Bucket. At the airport and the doctors' office, it's always CNN or ads.  You ridiculed the very people who elected you, and I think at least a few remembered that and learned from it.

I'm missing Thanksgiving: G-BOMBS

After four days of wonderful meals (Thursday + leftovers through Sunday) it's now beans and rice with mushrooms and onions on lots of greens. We had turkey, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberries, roasted squash, green bean casserole, deviled eggs, relishes,  pumpkin pie, apple pie, and beverages at our daughter and son in law's home, we got to bring a lot of it home, and with careful planning, we had some parts of it the rest of the week. But now the fun is over.

G-BOMBS  Greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, seeds 

Dinner looked like this, but it's a stock photo

Doing what guys do--watch football on Thanksgiving

So now it's time to cut back and get ready for the various Christmas time activities.  The OSUL retired librarians are meeting for lunch on Friday at the OSU Golf Club and I'm the hostess, then that evening we're going out with Ned and Rosalie.  On Sunday our church small group is getting together for lunch at the Zimmers after church.  On Wednesday, Conestoga (Friends of Ohio History Connection) are meeting for our Christmas dinner at a nice restaurant and we're bringing our friend Mary Frances as our guest. On Thursday the PDHC is having its annual Christmas dinner at the Amelita Mirolo Barn in Upper Arlington.  Our condo association will be having a roaming drop in at three decorated homes (I need to check the date for that one). Then things seem to quiet down.  This year Phil will be playing in the band at his church, so for the first time that I can remember, we won't have Christmas Eve dinner together, so the rest of us may go out to eat and then to church services at 9 p.m. at Lytham Rd. campus of Upper Arlington Lutheran Church. On Sunday, December 25, we're serving communion at church, then having dinner here, but I haven't planned the menu yet. No plans in place for New Year's Eve.  Probably in bed early and stay off the streets.

Immigration major focus of federal enforcement

I'm not sure what this means: Is this administration much harder on immigrants than the media have told us; or, are there just a lot more criminals during the Obama years to investigate than we thought? Criminal prosecutions of immigrants are down 15% from 2013, but up 85% from 2006

“Immigration remains the major focus of all federal criminal enforcement efforts. The latest available data show that criminal prosecutions for illegal entry, illegal re-entry, and similar immigration violations made up 52 percent of all federal prosecutions in FY 2016. During the 12 months ending September 30, immigration prosecutions totaled 69,636. This number compares with just 63,405 prosecutions for all other federal crimes — including drugs, weapons, fraud, and violations of the thousands of other criminal provisions that the federal government is responsible for enforcing. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) within the Department of Homeland Security was the lead investigative agency for 86.9 percent of these prosecutions." 

 http://trac.syr.edu/tracreports/crim/446/

 

The terror attack at Ohio State University

More is coming out about the handsome young Somali refugee, a legal resident, who wounded 9 with his car and a butcher knife at OSU yesterday and was then killed by a policeman. He had what millions of refugees in Syria (over 4 million Syrian refugees in Jordan alone) and Africa want. He'd already graduated from Columbus State, was enrolled at OSU (don't know how this was financially arranged, but that's quite advanced for an 18 year old), lived in a nice apartment complex and lived in a city with the 2nd largest Somali community in the U.S. He was also a "graduate" of a training camp in Pakistan as a young teen--so he must have been quite young when radicalized or the records have been mixed up. 

From his social media site he revealed he was unhappy with American troops in Muslim countries, with not being able to find enough prayer rooms on our huge campus, and feeling he was stereotyped (ironic, I know, since he fulfilled the worst stereotype of young male Muslim refugees). He doesn't mention the thousands of Muslims killed by ISIS, Boko Haram, al-Qaeda, al-Shabaab, etc. Millions are waiting to come here who just want a safe, better life. He took their place. They could stay in their home countries and be killed by fellow Muslims. al-Shabaab is a clan based jihadist group based in Somalia responsible for the deaths of thousands of Somalis through bombings and suicide attacks.

Some bystanders at the crime scene reported on the goodness of the OSU students. Several rushed to help him get out of the car when they thought he was simply in an auto accident--for their concern, he attacked them with a knife. And in typical good heartedness, some OSU officials are concerned for the undocumented students who might not be able to continue at Ohio State after Trump becomes president.

Leftists can overlook a lot, but not North Carolina bathrooms

Leftists can look past torture, starvation, imprisonment, gulags, gay "re-education" (and executions) and ignore hundreds of millions of deaths caused by Marxist dictators like Fidel Castro - but lose their minds over a North Carolina governor who wants to keep perverts and gender-confused boys out of girls' restrooms, a Christian baker who doesn't want to bake a cake or a photographer who refuses to photograph a same-sex wedding. (Michael Smith)

Canadian Prime Minister honors freedom loving Fidel Castro

Can you imagine a chief of state of a free, democratic country saying these things about the death of Stalin or Hitler? Yet what is the difference? Jailed or tortured for thought crimes. Killed for defying the state. Public parades with forced adoration. Reeducation camps for political dissidents. Suppression of religion. Equal opportunity poverty except for state officials who own vast real estate holdings and gorgeous palaces which they stole from the owners who fled the country. 

“It is with deep sorrow that I learned today of the death of Cuba’s longest serving President.

“Fidel Castro was a larger than life leader who served his people for almost half a century. A legendary revolutionary and orator, Mr. Castro made significant improvements to the education and healthcare of his island nation.

“While a controversial figure, both Mr. Castro’s supporters and detractors recognized his tremendous dedication and love for the Cuban people who had a deep and lasting affection for “el Comandante”.

“I know my father was very proud to call him a friend and I had the opportunity to meet Fidel when my father passed away. It was also a real honour to meet his three sons and his brother President Raúl Castro during my recent visit to Cuba.

“On behalf of all Canadians, Sophie and I offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends and many, many supporters of Mr. Castro. We join the people of Cuba today in mourning the loss of this remarkable leader.”

 "Today, the media take a brief time-out from worrying about Trump being a dictator to praise Fidel Castro." – Anne Coulter

Double Overtime Ohio State wins

Michigan 27 Ohio State 30 

A thought for Thanksgiving

"Suddenly it seemed to me that I looked back from a great distance...on all the days we had spent here together. What was I going to do when such days came no more? There could not be many; for we were a family growing old. And how would I learn to live without these people? I who needed them so little that I could stay away all year -- what would I do without them?" Jetta Carlson, Moonflower Vine.

From my Bookshelf blog.

is residing on my bookshelf at our lake house. Jetta Carleton (d. 1999) must have been a one book wonder (Simon & Schuster, 1962). This novel may be the best you'll ever read with a midwest setting (Missouri).  I read it in the early 80s when it was reissued in paperback, after its best seller status in 1962. My copy is a hardcover Book Club edition with a nice cover that I picked up at a book sale for $1.00. The paperback copy I started with disappeared on one of its many loans to friends.

"Jetta Carleton's autobiographical novel captures the mood and times of midwestern rural life and brings it to life. From the idyllic, heartwarming beginnings springs dark and hidden truths; truths only the reader will see and know. The gentle revelations of the secrets, fears and heartaches that drive these wonderful and endearing characters is storytelling at its best. THE MOONFLOWER VINE received the International Book Award in 1963 and became a Readers Digest Condensed Book and Literary Guild selection. Author Jetta Carleton (1913-1999) only published one novel, putting her in a club with other unique woman writers like Harper Lee and Margaret Mitchell. You might be wondering why anyone would bother to review an out of print book but it is for that reason it was chosen. Don't let the opportunity to read an endangered book slip away." from a review by Barbara Fielding.

Later in life, Jetta Carleton and her husband developed a private press, The Lightning Tree.

Discrimination against Trump voters

Many Hispanics, blacks, Muslims and women voted for Donald Trump.  Therefore, I'm surprised by the posts and articles I see on the internet recommending discrimination against Republicans or Trump supporters on the basis of their politics or party affiliation, based on the "values" of the company or CEO. One in New Mexico has claimed he will no longer accept Republicans as customers. Democrats/progressives are still lying about the basket of deplorables.  Donald Trump's edge with white voters was barely above Romney's in 2012 and his advantage over Clinton was luring minorities and women off the diversity plantation to escape to freedom of thought. In Wisconsin it was a swing of about 8% moving from Obama voters to Trump voters. And this was the case in several "blue wall" states.  During the last 8 years they were ignored except when brought out as trophies. At  this moment we have on-going riots, property destruction and an uptick in violence against police, who are over 1/3 minority.  Maybe it will be the same with Trump, but what have they got to lose?

Advantages of books over the internet

 
I read a lot--but more and more it's on a screen, which encourages skipping, wandering off to another topic, and the flicker is bad for the eye sight.  I'm trying to read a difficult book and keep putting it down.  Then I came across an old blog that suggested 15 minutes a day of doing anything can help develop a habit.  So I'm setting the timer and sitting down to read this book--away from the computer.

 

Past Thanksgiving holidays

I'm drawing a blank about what my parents may have said about their Thanksgiving holidays.  And for myself as a kid, I don't remember much until I came home from my freshman year in college and found myself teary to see aunts and uncles and cousins all gathered for a big meal. I'm not sure we even had any traditions or styles of celebrating that needed to be blended.

I used to think, based on family Bible records, that my immigrant ancestors came around 1730. After starting genealogy a few years ago I found a few from England in the 1600s. I think they did miss the first Thanksgiving between colonists and native Americans.  My German ancestors had to sign pledges of loyalty to the King of England; the British and Irish who were already subjects didn't. There was a lot of discrimination against both Irish and Germans in the mid-19th century.--by the same groups that had come a generation or two before them. My grandmother whose family had come from the area of Europe that later became Germany had German immigrant women as household help.  It's my recollection from stories my mother told that Grandma thought they weren't very assimilated to our customs.  But when you're trying to fill up a country and find soldiers, the requirements were rather lax. The various church groups helped them resettle, just as today, if they didn't have family; no programs from the government. Some were indentured to pay for their passage, it was sort of like the coyote system of today bring people out of S.A. and Central America. Had to work many years to pay back the cost.

Most of the links from this page to other articles are broken, but this is a good explanation of other countries' observance of Thanksgiving. 

Attending church is a nice tradition--after all, God is the One to whom we give gratitude.

 

Trump's cabinet picks

Photo from Daily Signal Nov. 23, 2016

 Only GWH Bush was faster than Trump, and he had 2 holdovers from Reagan.

New York Times is criticizing Trump for the sluggish progress.  Not surprising.  And who knew this was a race?