Hand-picked and farm-fresh–
⇒Linked articles in bold purple

◆ It’s the Ides of March

◆ Sometimes, you just need good news. Well, here it is

McDonald’s employee, Pedro Viloria, jumps out the drive-thru window to save unconscious police officer.

First-responders later revive her (Local 10 Miami)

Comment: Mr. Viloria’s decency and quick-thinking saved her life.

◆ Trump’s Taxes (on Rachel Maddow): A Nothingburger

Except for the destruction of confidentiality, which we all expect for our taxes

Knowing they were about to be shown on Maddow, Trump released something just before she showed them, which she did in a breathless, hour-long pseudo-event. The “news” was so meaningless that some Democratic activists speculated in social media that Trump himself must be behind this. Unlikely, but a good indication of their impact.

Slate, a reliable indicator of progressive thinking, called it “a cynical, self-defeating spectacle” (Slate)

Trump, of course, blasted MSNBC for revealing these 2 pages of decade-old documents. (Fox News)

Comment: Maddow’s “revelation” was trivial, but we do have two legitimate interests here:

1.  Office Holders’ Conflicts of Interest: We need to see Trump’s returns so we can judge questions about conflicts of interest
2.  Confidentiality by public agencies and private professionals: We expect everyone’s taxes to be kept secret by the government and private tax preparers, legally bound to confidentiality

We can–and should–demand transparency but we should be revulsed when public agencies or private tax preparers break bright-line fiduciary rules of confidentiality. Same for doctors’ responsibilities of privacy and confidentiality.

◆ Failure to pass healthcare could jeopardize other big elements of Trump agenda, says Washington Post

Comment: Exactly.

That’s why the Administration and Republican leaders will push so hard for it. But there is a lot of resistance on the right (about locking-in health-care entitlements) and understandable concern that weakening those entitlements would kill the bill in the Senate, where it needs votes from centrist Republicans.

The WaPo is right in saying a lot hinges on this, beyond healthcare itself.

◆ A microwave can’t spy on you (yet), but plenty of other internet-connected appliances can  (Popular Mechanics)

Comment: I’m not just depressed about the spying. I’m depressed my appliances are smarter than I am. Except my blender. I am smarter than my blender.

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