Thoughts for the Day, December 9, 2024: The music stopped 44 years ago yesterday

December 8, 1980, the day the music died

Yesterday was the 44th anniversary of the death of John Lennon, a day I remember like only a few other days in my life. Lennon was shot in the back outside his home in New York. Here is my Video of the Day, which was broadcast by ESPN on the 30^th anniversary of his death. This is a great video. It is worth your time.

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Quote of the Day: “Imagine there's no countries. It isn’t hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for and no religion too. Imagine all the people living life in peace.” John Lennon

A suspect has been arrested

Per the NY Times, a 26-year-old Maryland native has been arrested on gun charges and for questioning in connection with last week’s killing of a health insurance executive in Midtown Manhattan that prompted a manhunt up and down the East Coast, the New York Police Department said.

The man being questioned was identified as Luigi Mangione, the police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, said at a news briefing on Monday afternoon. He was arrested in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa., after an employee recognized him and called the authorities at about 9:15 a.m. The police had shared a steady stream of multiple photos of the man believed to be the gunman since the shooting.

“He was sitting there eating,” Joseph Kenny, the Police Department’s chief of detectives, said at the briefing.

Mr. Mangione was carrying a gun, a silencer and false identification cards…. Mr. Mangione showed the police the same fake New Jersey identification that the man believed to be the gunman presented when he checked into a hostel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on Nov. 24. The gun appears to be a so-called ghost gun, assembled from parts that may have been made from a 3-D printer, Chief Kenny said.

Mr. Mangione was also carrying a handwritten manifesto that criticized health care companies for putting profits above care, according to two law enforcement officials.

This case has brought out pent up emotions and frustrations patients have encountered trying to have services paid for by the insurance companies. Social media is loaded with posts saying the United Health Care CEO deserved what happened, which cannot be further from the truth.

I am sure the insurance companies are taking a hard look at their policies and at the security needed for high-level executives. The cold blooded murder of an executive, shot in the back with a gun attached with a silencer and bullet shells that have “deny”, “delay”, “defend” handwritten on them, will get everyone’s attention.

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I am not holding my breath waiting for this to happen

Per Bridge Michigan today, new proposals to "fix the damn roads" are gaining momentum at the Michigan Capitol, where legislative leaders and Governor Whitmer are ramping up negotiations in the last days of the legislative session. House Democrats — poised to lose their majority at year's end — this week introduced several new options, including a 19-cent fuel tax hike, which would take the state’s current 30-cent per-gallon rate to 49 cents. Other new bills would hike annual registration fees by $100 per vehicle and create a new tolling authority to consider adding tolls to some of the state's busiest freeways.

Those ideas come on the heels of a a plan advanced by incoming House Speaker Matt Hall, a Richland Township Republican who proposed shifting nearly all money generated by the state’s corporate income tax to road funding. Hall also wants to exempt fuel purchases from the state sales tax and increase fuel taxes by a similar amount to shift all taxes paid at the pump to road repairs.

That route may not sit well with Whitmer, however. Corporate income tax revenue funds her Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve program, a key part of her administration’s economic development strategy.

The governor and the legislature have a starting point from which a compromise should be obtained. Unfortunately, they only have two weeks to make it happen.

While they are at it, I hope they will also address the lack of transparency.

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Let’s talk sports

There is no sanity in sports salaries. The New York Mets signed outfielder Juan Soto to a 15-year $765 million contract. Soto is 26 years old, so he will get an average of $51 million per year until he is 41. I wonder how many World Series the Mets will win during his 15-year contract.

The University of Michigan football team announced that Chase Herbstreit, the son of the ESPN analyst — and a former standout Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit — committed to Michigan in a social media announcement on Sunday. His dad’s announcing career just got a little more complicated.

Michigan and Michigan State men’s basketball teams are both ranked in the top 25. Michigan jumped to #14 and MSU comes in at #21. Also, The Michigan and Michigan State women's basketball teams broke through the Associated Press Top 25 poll last week. The lady Spartans (9-0) jumped seven spots to No. 17 in this week's poll, released Monday, while the lady Wolverines (8-1) climbed three spots to No. 20. This is going to be a fun time for the next few months for local basketball fans.

In Buffalo Bills’ game against the Los Angeles Rams, Bills quarterback Josh Allen ran for 82 yards and 3 TDs and passed for 342 yards and 3 TDs, yet his team lost 42-44. Allen accounted for all six of the Bills’ touchdowns. This was a game for the ages, as two of the greatest gunslinging quarterbacks in history put on an aerial show. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The University of Michigan football team is headed to the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa against Alabama on December 31. This will be a rematch of last year’s national semifinal game which Michigan won in overtime. This is a great opportunity for Michigan to build toward next year regardless of the outcome of the game. It will show Michigan players what it is like to play against five-star recruits.

Major League Baseball is considering the Golden at Bat Rule which would allow each team to send any batter up to the plate at any time during the game. Each team could only utilize the rule once per game. Under this rule it could work like this. Tigers are down three in the bottom of the ninth when Riley Green comes to bat with two runners on base. Green then hits a three-run homerun to tie the game. Since the Tigers haven’t used their one opportunity for the Golden-at-bat yet, Tiger manager A.J. Hinch has decides to let Greene bat again. Green then hits another homerun to win the game for the Tigers. Sounds great for the Tigers when it works. However, under this rule Jose Rameriz of the Guardians, the all-time Tiger killer, would also be able to bat an extra time at any point in time during the game. Now it doesn’t sound so great, does it?

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Quote of the Day: It is worth repeating. “Imagine there's no countries. It isn’t hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for and no religion too. Imagine all the people living life in peace.” John Lennon

Orchid of the Day: The McDonalds’ employee who reported seeing the alleged cold-blooded murderer who shot the CEO of United Health Care in the back last week. Thank you for speaking up.

Onion of the Day: The Middle East. Peace in the Middle East is an oxymoron.

Question of the Day: Golden-at-bat rule. What do you think? See above under Let’s talk sports.

Video of the Day: (371) IMAGINE. (Ultimate Mix, 2020) - John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band (with the Flux Fiddlers) HD - YouTube

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