Three Dog Night

I have made my thoughts clear on rock-n-roll. At age 54, I find it tiresome and sometimes comical. It is an art form that has lost the 20-somethings and many of the 30-somethings. It is kaput. Don’t get me wrong, it had a good run. From Fats Domino to Radiohead? Extraordinary. But now, the image of a bunch of middle-aged folks—or seniors—rockin’ out? It’s become an occasion for sadness, if not hilarity. When classic-rock FM finally disappears, the world will be a better place.

That said, I occasionally post something from the world of the rock-n-roll. And I would like to do that again here. The American band Three Dog Night in 1974 released an album entitled Hard Labor. It’s a wonderful collection of songs.

The cover art both weirded me out and fascinated me when I was a kid. (Those feet! That creepy mask!) At the time (1982?) there was a huge Band-Aid graphic covering the “birth” of the warped record. At the time of release, the cover was actually deemed controversial, and the album came in a manila sleeve obscuring most of the cover art.

My favorite tracks are “I’d Be So Happy” and “Play Something Sweet.” But the rest of the album is also a joy.

Forget about what you usually listen to and give this a try. Good stuff. It might just put a smile on your face.

Problem

 

My Friend Leah—Update 11

Leah recently pointed out to me, “You haven’t exploited me for content in a while.” I have been accused of this by others—I kid you not—and now we joke about it. “Oh my God, it has been a while!”

So, here we are. Update 11.

I suppose I have not written about Leah in a while because I’m frustrated with all the specific details about her life that I cannot share. I’ll throw in small deets once in a while. But 85 percent of her life I can’t. And I’d love to. I would really like you to get to know her.

It’s been a crap year in the pets department; she’s lost quite a few. Petco gave (yes gave) her a couple of tortoises a small while ago. The damn things escaped from an enclosure she had in the back yard. So, she has been on tortoise patrol lately.

She remains hopeful; upon inspecting some recent gardening, she noticed there were nibbles taken out of the leaves of some new hostas. “They’ve been here!” So, they might turn up yet. Good thing it’s summer.

I’m not sure if they have names. I do not believe they do. I suggested “Sears & Roebuck.” Leah vetoed this idea. “Dolce & Gabbana”? “Stop.” [sigh]

And just today (June 29) Leah noticed a her male veiled chameleon named Francisco whom she adores was not doing well. Leah was very upset. I tried to be consoling, but made a hash of it. The less I say the better sometimes. 

The chameleon died tonight on the way to my place, after a day of going on a last adventure; Francisco got to feel the sun, meet kids, and touch plants. Leah took it hard—another reminder that beyond buying sneakers and books for her, I can do nothing.

Her reading continues on a warpath. She is reading Aristotle, Heidegger, Doctor Zhivago, War and Peace, an immense history of WWII, and some more Aristotle. A lot of Aristotle. And as noted, she carries these books around like a kid that brings her toys everywhere. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Her enthusiasm is infectious. I used to pile up books and read five at a time; but these days I focus on one, then move on to the next. Not anymore. I, too, am reading Doctor Zhivago, a huge biography on Albert Speer, and I just started the complete works of Primo Levi.

Oh, did I mention I’m writing a book on Adam Smith?? Who do I think I am? Leah reads about five-times faster than I do, so I’m in a Hyundai Sonata trying to keep pace with a Formula 1 car. But will that stop me? I think you know me by now.

Leah has done nicely staying out of the hospital—knock on wood. She does have bad days and bed-ridden days, but I am quite proud of her increased strength, which continues to floor me.

She went through a bad withdrawal with Xanax about a month ago. Her prescription got messed up, and she was in serious pain. I could see it in her eyes, the darkness of agony. And yet, she tried to smile through it. Pain, smile, pain, smile. I was on the verge of tears and just told her everything was going to be alright, my arms tightly embracing her. I have never met a stronger or kinder human being.

I hate the pain she is occasionally in. I hate the lost days when she can’t get out of bed.

She has a birthday coming up. She will be 36.

We were going to sing happy birthday at the Peninsula in Chicago. But we had to cancel. I guess it’s going to be a Christmas thing. So, we’ll sing at a nice restaurant. A mutual friend suggested Pop’s. I countered with Taco Bell. Because of course I did.

You Are Probably a Liberal

 

Democratic Socialists

I found this article interesting. The reason I found it interesting is that the New York Times, in its review of the positions held by Democratic Socialists, never mentions that most Americans hold these views.

Most Americans are centrist liberals. Most Americans are aligned with or to the left of Bernie.

Here are the points the NYT summarizes:

1. End military aid to Israel
2. Expand the social safety net
3. Government healthcare
4. Tax the rich
5. No expansion to police budgets
6. Raise the minimum wage

. . .

1. This is about half of Americans. As I have said for many years, if the coverage was better, this would be in the 90s.

2. Major support. Most Americans want the government to do more. It depends on the specific issue, but support in general is over 60 percent—sometimes well over.

3. Over 60 percent. And has been higher. This one’s easy. Do you love your health insurance company??

4. Almost 70 percent support. Also a no-brainer. The position that if we take care of the rich, they will create jobs, etc. is pure, unregenerate nonsense.

5. Almost 60 percent of Americans want to see major changes and reforms with regard to the police. But the “defund” word is a mistake.

6. Over 60 percent support. Duh.

CONCLUSION: Most Americans are just fine with Democratic Socialism and would like to see the United States become more like Denmark or Norway.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/us/politics/heres-what-it-means-to-be-a-democratic-socialist.html

Whatabout

Socialism

I self-published this essay eight years ago. The topic of socialism continues to crop up. And what I hear is very strange.

I’ll admit, the word is somewhat ambiguous. It has been all but scrubbed of meaning. In the classical sense, the workers would assume control and ownership of the means of production. The employees of Apple would own Apple.

Americans have been drowned with Cold War ideology, conflating Sovietism with communism. The poster boy here is Karl Marx. All of this is wrong. The Soviet Union was not a communist worker’s paradise. And Karl Marx would have detested what happened in Russia in the early twentieth century.

Nevertheless, the Soviets wore the black hat, and we wore the white hat. Of course. And now, that’s communism/socialism.

However, this has all passed through the prism of American politics. Criticizing socialism is an opportunity to be racist without having to say so. Criticizing socialism is also an opportunity to feel like a scholar, by (inaccurately) citing historical chapters.

We are a nation that believes in boot straps: working hard, being smart, and making good decisions. If you’re poor, you have failed in life. If you’re a millionaire, you’re really smart and the embodiment of success. And socialism, the thinking goes, rewards the losers and punishes the winners.

Never mind that this is false. Never mind that poverty does not mean failure. Never mind that many wealthy people in this country receive free money all the time. And never mind that most of the population doesn’t really understand what capitalism even is, and therefore have no idea what they’re cheering for. (I thought being smart was held in high regard.)

Would poverty alleviation, universal healthcare, and universal basic income be so bad? And we could have those things and still remain “capitalist”—which we are not.

. . .

https://gregoryharms.blogspot.com/2018/08/more-socialism-than-socialism.html

[I have also included a 2023 essay on the subject.]

https://gregoryharms.blogspot.com/2023/01/random-thoughtsocialism.html