Happy New Year And Make A Resolution.

Well, it's nearly New Year's Eve. Time to make our annual resolutions. Does anyone remember what they resolved to do or not do, last New Year's Eve? I recall that I resolved to not eat rutabaga. It was easy to keep. I can't stand the stuff. I may try again to abstain. What about our elected officials. Both in Washington and in state capitals? Do you suppose they make resolutions too? I can hear it now. "My fellow Americans, I pledge to lower taxes and increase services in the coming year". Don't ya just know it? In closed door sessions, they pledge to increase corporate "gifting" to legislators through the fine upstanding residents of K street. I speak of our corp of money launderers known as lobbyists. True, they do speak on behalf of the needs of their employers. Therein lies the problem. If our elected officials really wanted to do the right thing, they'd give no more attention to these folks as they do to regular citizens. That is to say, they should pay no attention to lobbyists at all. Now, I understand how improper that would be, not to mention, it would be rude and inconsiderate to ignore lobbyists like they ignore John Q. Public. After all, the lobbyists foot the bill for everything of importance to our democracy. They provide free transportation, housing and meals, tee times, overseas junkets and most importantly, campaign contributions including to the PACs that have become so important and indispensable to the electoral process, to our legislators. After all, if it were not for these funds, who would tell you how terrible and vile and incompetent their opponents are? I for one applaud both our elected officials and the lobbyists who endeavor to keep them in office.

Not The State Legislatures. Please. Please. Please.

There is a move underfoot, mostly by the Tea Party, to give state legislatures veto power over the federal government. Now, on the face of it, that sounds like a good idea. After all, some rather poor legislation can occasionally come out of our Congress. Having said that, I'm not so sure the idea of giving veto power to many state legislatures is a better idea. Take a look around at your state legislatures. Anybody see one they'd want to replace our national government with? If you're not sure, take a look at a map of your state that shows the political districts. If you think that map makes no good sense, just imagine your state legislature making decisions that affect the whole country and even the whole world. The problem with most state legislatures is that they're far more political then Congress. And being political doesn't necessarily translate into an honest representation of the population. How can that happen? Easy. A sweep by one party nationally, in any given election, at the right time, can get some real boneheads elected on the state level. If it happens near the time of reapportionment of electoral districts, right after a census, one party or the other can wind up with the ability to make it much more likely that in the next election they'll win more seats, both state-wide and nationally. It's a broken system and giving this system the opportunity to cause more grief just isn't the answer. If grief is what you want, why not just fire everybody and then walk away. A taste of no government will quickly refocus your mind on the need for national health. And I'm not talking about medical needs. To give states the veto power, would make the federal government virtually powerless. In fact there would be no point in having a national government under those circumstances. The Tea Party has a few good ideas. This is not one of them. They need to pay attention to what they wanted in the first place and watch out for those who want to radicalize and those who want to co-opt for one side or the other. Tea should be nonpartisan. Coffee too.

Merry Christmas To ALL.

Well it's Christmas day so I guess I should saw something meaningful and celebratory. I'd like to say that I'm thankful for so many small things. Like the fact that there's still some wine left after everyone's gone. In the peace that follows a holiday as important as today, I read in the Washington Post that a reader feels that people who are not Christians should stop celebrating Christmas. My hat's off to this Scrooge for his or her sentiments. But after hearing our pastor speak at Christmas Eve services last night, I think the reader has it wrong. After all, Christmas is for everyone. That's the whole point of Christianity. If you don't believe that, how can you think of yourself as a Christian. After all, Christ did look to the outsider, the sinner, not the religious leaders of his time. That may well be the problem with our society today. We seem to think of ourselves as the chosen people, when in fact we're the outsiders trying to get in. If we really want to be chosen, we need to accept others. Well, so much for my sermon, have a Very Merry Christmas and I hope there's some wine left at your house. If there is, give me a call, if not, the liquor store will be open on Sunday.

So Which One's The Winner? Not You Or Me.

I just watched a couple of 'so called experts' being interviewed on TV. One was a Democrat and one a Republican. They were being asked about the 'lame duck' session of congress. The Democrat was falling all over himself telling the viewers how the Democrats and President Obama were creating some great work that will help them down the road because they've been able to force Republicans to cave in on many issues allowing for passage of some great legislation. The Republican pointed out how his party has finally been able to force Democrats to face up to reality in this session knowing that in the next session, Republicans be in control and will be able to repeal any unwanted and wasteful laws the Democrats sneaked through. Now this isn't an exact qoutational report of the interviews, but it gets the point across. What point, you ask? The point is that, both these people truly felt that his party had triumphed over the other party in this last couple of weeks. What they don't realize is that which party triumphed over the other is of absolutely no importance. What they don't realize is that the American people are losing in this struggle. There doesn't seem to be a single politician in Washington that really understands that every one of their actions directly and all too often, adversely affects millions of people. That fact isn't even on their radar. It's as though you and I decided to block the entrance door to the only supermarket in town in order to be the first ones to get at the lobster going on sale tomorrow. What if somebody needs some food to put on their kids plate tonight? Doesn't that matter? These politicians fight over who's going to get the upper hand while people go without food and shelter or medical attention. Is it really more important that some rich guy gets to keep his tax break then that some hungry family finds a job or some First Responder gets his medical bills paid for an illness he got responding to a 911 call at the twin towers? I have to say, the folks we've elected to do the nations business seem only capable of doing funny business. I'm ashamed of them all. It's too bad we don't have term limits. It's almost as bad as the upcoming reconfiguring of political districts. Which will become a scam and a sham.

An Explaination For High Gas Prices.

Have any of you folks noticed the increased gasoline prices of late? Well, I contacted Mr. B.P. Von Hexxon, noted oil impresario. Mr. Von Hexxon, can you answer my and my friends question as to why gas prices are so high? I mean, they just sort of sneaked up on us. Vell, Mr. Snowbeard, the prices are not so high as you suggest. They have only gone up slightly and that is a result of several factors. First you must remember that last spring, we had to gear up to meet demand for Summer driving habits. Then in the Autumn, we had to switch to home heating oil. Both of these factors created shortages in supply. Then there is the problem that we cannot drill more wells in the Gulf of Mexico because the government has stopped us because of the oil spill. All of this also created additional shortages forcing prices slightly higher. But Mr. Von Hexxon---- Oh please Mr Snowbeard, call me B.P. We're becoming fast friends. Well, B.P., how come prices didn't jump up when the oil spill started, and how come you need more wells just to produce the same amount, and how come prices didn't come down after you switched over and how come they didn't come down when driving decreased from Summer to Autumn and Winter and how come you think it's only a slight increase when the price is well over $3 per gallon? Huh? How come B.P? Please Mr. Snowbeard, my name is Mr. Von Hexxon. Well, tell me this, Mr. Von Hexxon, what does the B.P. stand for? Bigger Profits, Mr. Snowbeard. Oh, I get it.

Shame On The Senate!

Wouldn't ya just know it. Everyone running for Congress this last Fall exclaimed their disgust with "earmarks", especially Republicans courting the Tea Partiers. Well, now that the elections are over, Congress is ready to pass a Trillion plus dollar  spending bill, with well over $8 billion in, guess what? Earmarks. When questioned about their promises, several Republican Senators who have earmarks in the bill tried to squirm out from under it by promising to vote against the bill. Talk about snakes. But here's something even worse. With all the hullabaloo about legislation, the Senate is unable to pass a bill that would help fund medical costs for First Responders to the 911 sight in Manhattan. It seems the Republicans, who constantly use the 911 card whenever they feel it will help their cause to mention it, are holding up the bill from coming to a vote. So they have time to add earmarks to other legislation and are willing to claim brotherhood with these First Responders to help themselves get elected, but don't have time to pass this bill to help the folks who are suffering all sorts of diseases directly related to their work at ground zero. Ain't ya just proud of these politicians. The House of Representatives already passed the bill. But not the Senate Republicans. And lets not forget the Democrats. They could easily force a vote that would require the Republicans to stand up and face up, but are too timid to force the vote. Ya want my opinion? Well here it is anyway. Not one single Senator in Washington is worthy of anything but our scorn and disgust. Shame on them. SHAME ON THEM.  SHAME ON THEM! I just hope that we all remember those who stand for reelection in two years. In the meantime an email to your Senator is timely and appropriate.

A Bonus For Teachers.

OK. So here's where we are. We owe China a gazillion dollars which we can't pay back, we can only get the rare earth metals we need from china and wouldn't be able to change that for at least 15 years if we wanted to, and we certainly should want to, we're about to get another $900 billion of debt with the tax law which will almost surly pass both houses, we have 15 million people unemployed while industry is sitting on two trillion dollars instead of investing it in upgrading, our educational system has fallen far behind most of the rest of the industrial world while our most prestigious colleges are bringing in foreign nationals from China and other countries who may not be our best buddies instead of accepting our own young people, our infrastructure is rusting and rotting away from under and around us. Our congress is more interested in playing footsie games with each other and corporate America than it is in solving our problems. All in all we're in exactly the kind of shape our leaders want us. That is to say, we're completely beholding to them and we'll let them do just about anything they want to us and for themselves. Does anyone feel like a chump? We're all mad at Bernie Maddof for his ponzi scheme, but don't seem to mind our Congress pulling an ongoing ponzi scheme on us. So what does that make us? Dumb Chumps. Maybe that's what the DC in Washington DC means. So, what's the answer? You wouldn't like the answer if anyone told you. But let me tell you that extending tax cuts for the wealthy and seeing school districts across America lay teachers off is just plain dumb. If we had a hundred billion to spend on education, I'd use it to pay big bonuses to teachers who excel. I'd make the bonuses tax free to boot. And that's just for starters. How would I know which teachers to give the bonuses to? I wouldn't know. I'd ask the students and their parents. They know.

Vote For Me. I'll Take Care Of You.

Well, it's decided. I'm going to run for office. But unlike Pat Paulson, a comedian from the 60s or 70s who ran for president as a comedic gag, I'm running for Congress. Paulson's problem was that he set his sights too low. See, Congress is where the real money is. What with PACs and slush funds and junkets and corporate largess it's a dream come true. Not only that, but if you become a congressman, after one term, two years, you can retire to a life of ease with full benefits. Or you can take the full benefits and become a lobbyist. The nice part about that is that you get complete access to everything from the exclusive restaurant that is off limits to all but current and former lawmakers. So now I have the gear up for 2012. After all, most of my competition is already in full swing. In fact they're in full campaign swing 24/7/52 every year. Well, I've come up with a slogan for my campaign. "A VOTE FOR ME, IS A VOTE FOR ME!" Catchie, isn't it. I believe in Truth In Campaigning. We'll worry about what I say or do after the elections, after the elections. For now, I want to be completely truthful. Well at least as far as anyone will be able to tell. The real difficulty is in determining just what people know and whether or not they'll talk. The rest is a cake walk. I plan on doing all my campaigning in corporate boardrooms. Never mind the cigar smoke, I'll wear a mask if I have to. The next question, which has nothing to do with which corporate boardrooms, is which state and district to run in. I'm looking for someone in the House of Representatives who is ready to retire and has no "up and comer" waiting in the wings. I'd especially be interested in a district with an opponent who is in favor of laws to help and protect the working man and the poor and who is opposed to any legislation to give tax breaks to business and industry. I'm also interested in someone who is against gun ownership rights. That would be like manna from heaven. So if you know of such a place, let me know. There may be a place for you on my staff.

One Person! That's What Congress Needs To Understand.

Have you been watching the rioting in England by students who are upset over the proposed tripling of tuition for college in the country? Ya know, I have to agree with them. Not the violence, there's never justification for that, but for education to go up three times from what it is now is surely a bad idea. After all, it really is education more then anything that will create jobs and prosperity. You have to wonder how much of an increase in the taxes on the wealthy in England has been proposed. Do you think their taxes were tripled? I wonder how long it'll be before people in this country are fed up with the rich getting all the breaks and the rest of us being told to "eat cake". Some wealthy folks in France acted like that a couple hundred years ago and lost their heads for it. I don't advocate any such thing here, but a little rallying and even peaceful rioting just might be in order here. The Tea Party started off on the right foot, but they got hoodwinked into thinking they should be Republicans. They shouldn't be either party and they should be both parties. What they should be, is against the continuing and increasingly rapid transfer of wealth into the hands of fewer and fewer  ultra-wealthy people. What we need is an honest, uncorrupted, clear-thinking Tea Party. And then we need to let our elected officials know in no uncertain terms that the free lunch is over. No more support from the wealthy and Corporations will be acceptable. One person ( a corporation is not a person) one vote. And one person at a time gets the ear of any elected official. One Person.

This Is Great Legislation

Ahha. Once again the Republican have shown that they alone run our government. That's right folks, it has nothing to do with how many of which party are elected or who holds the majority, it only matters who has the courage to stand up against the wishes of the party in power. Well, that and which party has the most wealthy backers, which is almost without exception, the Republicans. So, here's the deal they are offering; in return for their vote on unemployment checks and continuing the Bush tax cuts for the middle class, the Democrats must give those tax cuts to the folks who need them the most. That is to say, the wealthiest people in America. That would be bad enough, but they also require an increase in the inheritance tax credit to $5 million, additional tax credits for business and industry so they won't have to pay taxes at all and a tax cut on Social Security payments. The reason for that seems to be because Social Security is in danger of running out of money. So obviously the cure for that is to lower the amount being paid into Social Security. Does that make sense to you? It does? Then how about explaining it to me because I can't figure out how that works. I do know that it has long been the goal of the Republican party to dismantle Social Security, Reducing the income for SS will certainly help accomplish that goal, but I don't see it doing anything else. Now the "new Republican" President Obama is pleased. So much so, he has shown surprise that the Democrats in Congress are upset. In fact, he has sort of balled them out for not happily voting for the bill. Now, don't get me wrong, the Congressional Democrats had a chance to pass legislation to allow the "Deficit causing Bush Tax Cuts" to expire for the top 2% of Americans, the wealthiest in America, but they blew it. So they are entitled to some sort of spanking. But just remember, It's the Republicans that are in charge. Have been all along.

NO More Tax Breaks For The Wealthy!

I keep hearing people say that this deal President Obama has worked out with the Republicans is the best deal anyone can expect. Really? This is it? The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. That's the best deal we can expect? If it is, we're really in trouble. First off, the assertion that if folks earning over $250,000 per year don't get to keep this tax break, they won't create jobs. Well, they've had this tax break for ten years and haven't created any jobs yet. When is this saving grace going to start? This isn't a good deal for anyone except the wealthy. And anyway, it misses the important part completely. Like how come our educational system is doing so poorly compared to the rest of the world? If you didn't know that little tidbit, you haven't been watching the news at all. So the deal is, the wealthy get their tax break, they get another on the inheritance tax and a few more. If they get any more tax breaks, pretty soon we'll be paying them just to be here. Hey, maybe we already do. I fact, I'd be willing to bet we do. So, what's the answer? Well, unpleasant as it will be, we're all going to have to suck it up some, and the wealthy are going to have to suck it up a whole lot. Then we'll have to start paying a whole lot more attention to our kids and their education. My grandchildren come home from school quite often with no homework. NO HOMEWORK!. They get a study hall in school to do it. We pay taxes so the kids can do homework in school instead of at home. I don't think we're going to catch up with the current approach. And a deal with Republicans on tax breaks for the wealthy won't help.

Heads I Win, Tails You Lose.

Hey, I'd like to talk about a less controversial subject. I'd like to, but I'm not going to. No, I want to talk about the blackmail going on in Washington right now. Here's a little background. In 2001 President Bush pushed through a big and irresponsible tax cut for everyone. The Republicans wanted it only for the rich, but couldn't pull that off, so the made it for everyone. They still couldn't pull it off, so they made it temporary. It ends 12-31-2010. President Obama and the Democrats would like to extend it for 98% of the people, but not for the richest. The Republicans want it for the richest. It can't get done without the Republicans. If it gets done, it will increase our deficit by $700 billion. The Republicans have decided that they will not compromise and they will not allow any other legislation to pass. That means the country could default. But the Republicans believe that President Obama and the Democrats will give in and allow the tax break for the rich. Now, the question is, do you think the Republicans would actually allow the country to default and wind up in bankruptcy and allow the government to shut down? Or do you think they would give in? If you checked with Los Vegas, the would give odds that the Republicans will win. Probably two to one. The thing is, if Obama gives in, he might as well just pack up and move out so the Republicans can move somebody into the White House next week. That's because they'll own him anyway. They'll know he can be scared into doing whatever they want him to do. The other problem is that other countries would then begin to think they can push him around too. Do we really want to be the target for every bully in the world? So, now, what would happen if the President said no to the Republicans? Well, one of two things. Either the country would go out of business soon or a little bit later. See, if these tax cuts get extended for everyone, we won't be able to overcome the increased indebtedness and soon we we wouldn't be able to borrow money even from China. Then we'd have to just print money with no value. Eventually you'd need a wheel-barrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread. If the Republicans backed down, we'd still have a lot of debt, but at least we'd be able to begin paying that down. This is a simple case of a winner and a loser. Either the Republicans win or the Democrats win. (A) you lose, (B) you win. It's not always so clearly divided. Just remember, we need to have at least two parties.

Money Still Talks. It's About All That Does.

So President Obama held a meeting with leaders of congress. They all agreed the meetings were very helpful. There was a feeling of being able to work together, of potential bi-partisan friendship and the need to understand the desires of each other. In other words, nothing is changed. Neither party is w3illing to agree to anything the other wants to do. The Republicans realize they are in complete control of the federal government now and will not agree on any measure the Democrats bring up. For their part, the Democrats will continue to try to force Republicans to accept all Democratic initiatives. Like I said, nothing has changed. Except that this continued childish nonsense is bringing our country to it's knees. These poor souls don't seem to care. Unless they get their own way, neither party will do the right thing. Meanwhile, unemployment continues to climb, those out of work for extended periods of time will apparently be set adrift with no help. Taxes could rise for everyone unless cuts are given to everyone, especially the very rich. In the meantime, teachers are being let go so that our education, which is already falling behind, will continue it's slide to mediocrity. Jobs and industry continues to be shipped overseas by an uncaring management. Actually that's not quite true. Management does care. It cares that it continues to receive obscene bonuses and salaries for shipping those jobs overseas. It's a heck of a world, isn't it? Actually, it's a heck of a country isn't it? Do you still wonder why I think term limits are a great idea? How do you go about getting the attention of these folks that are supposed to be representing us? I guess there's only one way to get their attention. Give them a million $$$ donation for their reelection campaign.

Oh, Tommy, Tommy.

Have you ever heard of Tom Delay? He was a Republican strongman who has just been convicted of money laundering in Texas. Now, I call him a "strongman" not to belittle the Republican Party, but to belittle the Delay style of politics. Goodness knows there are strongmen in and out of both parties. These are the politicians who give politicians a bad name. And it takes some doing to be worse then a politician. See, in politics today, you have to make sounds like you want what the folks back home want all the while giving corporate sponsors exactly what they want. See, corporations don't care about what the folks back home need or want. They want special consideration for their actions. They want to be able to break laws and ignore regulations without being penalized. Now we all know they can't just do those things without getting in trouble with law enforcement, so they give huge amounts of money to politicians through organizations like PACs. If your favorite politician wants to keep his job, he doesn't have to do what you want him to do. He only has to pretend he does. But what he does have to do is exactly what the corporate dogs tell him they want him to do or he won't get the money. That it will go to his opponent so he'll lose his job. That'll get his attention. Anyway, Delay had another motive. He wanted more Republicans to get elected. The problem was that too many Democrats in many districts wanted Democrats to get elected. So he got money from the corporations . Then he gave that money to local Republicans to help them get elected. Once they did, they reconfigured all the districts so that most would have enough Republican votes to send more Republicans to Congress. So there are still as many Republicans and Democrats in Texas, they just vote in different districts now. It was clever enough to get him arrested and found guilty.  A once in a lifetime event.

Our Own Young People Need That Education.

I read that there are more Chinese and other foreign nationals attending our universities, especially elite colleges, then ever before. Is that a good use of our educational system? I mean, should we be spending our national treasure on educating our competition? If anyone thinks our national treasure isn't spent on these institutions, just ask these folks how they would arrive at these institutions of higher learning but for the roads, and airports built by our taxpayers. Find out if they can get any learning with the lights out, no phone lines, no heat, no running water or sewers. Who do you think provides these things. Did you know that these schools aren't required to pay property taxes? Taxes that pay for public safety, snow removal where necessary and repair everywhere.Tax payers pay for all these things, including the utilities which were made possible because our government (s) helped make them possible with grants, loans and a whole lot more. Now don't get me wrong, I think that people from around the world should be allowed all the education they can acquire. I just don't think we should have to pay for it without being reimbursed. Here's a thought. How about educating our own young people first. Then secondly, educate our out of work, under skilled workers. Then, if there's any room left, help some third world struggling folks get a shot at those educations. And if that means we have to pay a little more in taxes, well so be it. That would be preferable then giving people making over $250,000 a year a tax break. After all, it's those tax breaks that he turned a multi, multi hundreds of billions of $$$ surplus into a multi Trillion $$$ deficit. And let me tell you, if anyone in the world can afford to pay a little more in taxes, it's the Wall Street / Bankers elite. And this nonsense that it's all the small businesses that would get hurt is just bologna. There are very few small businesses that fall into this particular category.

Hey Kim. What's Your Problem?

Good ole Kim. So North Korea has, once again, tried to push things around for no good reason. Well, I suppose they crave the attention and hope some good will drift their way out of it. What to do? What to do? Everyone says that China is the answer, but China is always unwilling to lift a finger. And to be honest, it's probably not in China's best interest to yank Kim's chain. So maybe it's time to make it China's best interest.  There's this island off the coast of China that we've been supporting since the end of WW11. Nationalist Chinese were beaten by Mao Tse Dung and they retreated to Taiwan. China wants it back in the worst way. Now, I'm not suggesting we help them get it back, but whenever we've helped them out, China squeals like a stuck pig. Fair enough. Maybe now's the time to make a big public statement about additional help to Taiwan. Of course we'd need to first alert the Taiwanese of the ploy. Like planning on stationing an aircraft Carrier group there permanently. When China complains, and they surely will, then we hit them with a compromise. Like cut North Korea off until it falls in line, or Yankee sailor-boys will be cavorting around all over Taiwan. It's the Teddy Roosevelt strategy. "Speak softly, but carry a big stick" or maybe it's the carrot on a stick approach. Whichever, it would likely get the desired results without really costing anything. As for Taiwan, I doubt they'd want our Carrier group there on a permanent basis anyway. However you slice it, China is the only way to get North Korea to quit with the nonsense and China only responds to what's in China's best interest. They don't give two hoots about anyone else. It's time to make China care about others and it's also time to kick some sense into Kim and his son. In fact it's past time for both to grow up and act responsibly.

To Screen Or Not To Talk About It.

Have you been following all of the frenzy on airport screening? I suppose if you don't watch cable news you may not even know what I'm talking about. They all talk about it like people were being strip searched on a public stage, complete with warm up acts and judging. Not only that, but they're talking about it every other snippet. You get something about the deficit then the screenings, then they interview two people you probably never heard of before about the subject. Then they interview somebody who you do know but only if that person doesn't like it. Then they interview somebody who ran a pole on the subject, then it's back to the deficit. Then they interview somebody else who doesn't like the pat downs. Then it's on to someone who is afraid of the xray, then it's somebody who assures us that the searches don't work, the screening doesn't work either. I once saw somebody say he didn't mind it and couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. You'll never see him again. Now, don't get me wrong, I suppose there are some wrinkles to iron out, like not needing to check crew and being careful with people who have medical conditions. Careful, but not ignored. Otherwise, I see two possible alternatives. You can decide not to fly or they can eliminate the security measures altogether. Personally I like to drive anyway. You don't get to see much of the country when you fly. But for those who don't like driving, there's always the trains or even a bus. I'd pass on the bus though. I took a long  bus ride once and I think walking is preferable. But a train ride could be fun. Anyway, maybe we should first decide if we want security. If we do then maybe we should stop whining.

Pet Peeve Previews.

I love "pet peeves", don't you? I have quite a few, but two of my current favorites are gasoline prices and corporate greed. As far as gasoline prices are concerned, I notice the price has risen to about as high as it's ever been and ya know what? Nobody is saying a thing. Now back during the Gulf oil spill crisis, it would have been the natural time for oil companies to raise the prices, but they stayed pretty much the same and some were even a little lower. Then there was the annual switch to making fuel oil for heating when prices jump and oil execs claim it's because of the change. Still nothing happened. Now, although slowly, they've climbed way up. And not a word. How come? That's what peeves me about gasoline prices.; They sneak it up on us and pretend nothing has happened.
My other pet peeve is corporate greed. Remember when many companies, not just General Motors, Chrysler and Ford, were in trouble? What did they do? They laid off a whole bunch of employees and got concessions from the rest to lower their pay. That made sense and most unions, if not all, agreed. Most companies made other adjustments that were long overdue anyway, like mismanagement. Well now those companies are becoming profitable again. Management agrees and understands that it was, in no small measure, because of the concessions made by labor. What they don't seem to agree with is that they have a moral responsibility to share in the good fortune with labor for allowing it to happen. That's what peeves me about corporate greed. They don't show any gratitude for the help they get but even more disturbing is that they won't give anything back they're not forced to. And then only with a fight. 

Ahhh. Washington. Now There's A Reason To Exist.

OK, the elections are over, we're in a lame duck session and the Republicans have decided to say no to anything the Democrats propose unless they do exactly what the Republicans tell them to do. The Democrats, on the other hand, have decided to push their own agenda with no input from the Republicans forcing them to either completely agree or vote no. That's what we all voted for. Change we can see. The leadership in both houses of Congress, both Democrat and Republican will be unchanged. Again, change we can see. Based on this, my guess is there will be no change in Washington. For sure, the rhetoric won't change. Don't ya just love it when things go the way you wanted them to go? I can see it in 2012. Since the Republicans haven't changed Washington, it'll be time to give it back to the Democrats. In 2014, back to the Republicans and so on. Have you noticed how nothing changes except the two parties keep trading back and forth? Do you suppose there's a fix in? I mean, unless you know the formula, you can't win the bet. The formula is easy enough for the insiders to figure out. Here's how it works. Once your in, you got it made. every two years you're in charge. Every year, your in the chips. What's to stop an insider from making out like the infamous bandit? Of course if you cross the line, if you violate the ethics rules, you could be censored. You could be scolded and told you are a bad boy, or girl, before you can continue screwing the public. Now don't get me wrong, I loves the politicians. I surely do. But I swear, they are the hardest hearted group of humans on the face of the earth and I can find no reason to keep electing them.

This Is Not The Time To Waste Time.

Well, the Presidents Debt Reduction Commission has given it's report. The commission is as non-partisan as possible. The Liberals hate it, The Tea Party and other Conservatives hate it, although not for the same reasons, and the moderates on both sides are afraid to say anything. It looks like it's just right. In fact it's nearly perfect in it's recommendations. So will it pass? Pass what? If you mean will it pass by the Congress and go straight to the dumpster, then, yes. It will go to the dumpster. So what does that mean for the rest of us? The 99.99%? It means that nothing good will come of the current Congress. Back in 2008 the Democrats had a mandate to pass some far reaching legislation for the good of all Americans. The Republicans were convinced they had a mandate to just say no to anything the Democrats proposed. Now in 2010, the Republicans have a mandate to stop and reverse everything the Democrats did during the last two years. The Democrats are convinced they have a mandate to keep the Republicans from doing any such thing. What do you think will get done during the next two years? Not much. At least not much that will be in our best interest. If the Republicans are successful, they will have rendered the last two years as wasted and the next two years as also wasted. Is this a good time to waste time? It is a good time to think seriously on the proposals of the Debt Reduction Commission and pick the top few ideas in your opinion and the top few ideas you're against and agree to pass all of them. It's called compromise. It's how sane government works. If the Democrats and the Republicans and the Tea Partiers all refuse to compromise, then none are fit to govern. Of course I've felt that to be the case for some time.  Yes, I'm on the "Term Limit" crusade again. Is there any truly good reason to give these folks more time then is actually necessary to do the right thing. If they don't, you don't have to anguish over them loosing their jobs prematurely. They're out. Period. Time to give somebody else a shot at getting it right.

Traffic Woes.

Traffic, traffic. Ever get stuck in traffic? That's silly, of course you have. No, I'm talking about really getting stuck in traffic for too long a period of time. Like when you're on a two lane road and one lane is shut down. So a Flagman, oops I mean a flagperson or is it flagger. I'm just not sure of the proper form on this. Anyway the person with the portable stop sign stops you and two thousand other cars for twenty three hours so that four cars can come from the other direction. Then there's the four lane construction site where one lane is shut down. Traffic in the opposite direction is backed up for a mile because people slow down to see what's happening. In your direction, traffic is called upon to merge into one lane. This is accomplished by 99% of the cars moving to that lane while the other two percent use it as an opportunity to get ahead of the 98%. So you wait in line for sixteen hours in order for these more important people to sneak up ahead of you. I say sneak because it's a sneaky thing to do. But if you happen to be one of those V.I.P.s who can't afford to loose the time waiting in line, you take a cut. That is, you cut in line way up front. Want to see some really upset folks? Watch an eighteen wheeler block that lane. You will always see smoke or steam rising from the cars backed up as a result of this maneuver. In your lane, on the other hand, awards are presented to that trucker. I also like the so-called "Sunday Driver" who on a Tuesday travels at half the posted speed until there's a passing zone at which time they rev up to well over the speed limit. They create what is affectionately called a wagon train or convoy, depending on what part of the country you're from. Anyway, my hat's off to these uncaring misfits of society. You see, getting your blood pressure is healthy in small doses, so smile, be happy, you will arrive at your destination, someday.

The Recent Election Improves Nothing.

In the NY Times this morning there's an editorial that suggests the Republicans aren't ready to lead. They don't have an agenda the article states. Really? Does anyone think they haven't had an agenda for the last two years? Does anyone think that has changed? Does anyone think the Democrats were ready to lead on 2008? Or that they're ready to lead now? The answer to the first two questions is that the Republicans only wanted and still want to get rid of Obama, and the second two answers is that the Democrats were not and are not ready to lead. So where does that leave the American people? Two more years of likely deadlock. Little improvement in Unemployment, no improvement in income ratio between the rich and the rest of the country, or perhaps an even more lopsided gulf between the two. The recession is over for the rich. It is unlikely to be over for the rest of America for the foreseeable future. How can that be? The goal of the real conservative movement is for more opportunities for the rich to get richer. For that to happen, there must be fewer opportunities for the rest of us to get ahead. That's because there are a limited number of financial opportunities available that can be manipulated. On the other hand, the goal of the real liberal movement is..... Ya know what? The real Liberals don't exist but if the did, they still wouldn't have a single unifying goal. It's because the Liberal faction is very fragmented.
There's no real consensus. How in the world can such a fragmented group ever find itself in a position to govern? It can't. For proof just look at the last two years. The things they accomplished, they couldn't agree on which is why it took so long to get health care passed and why it's so poorly constructed. It took too many compromises. The Republicans would have passed a bill is short order. It would have undergone few changes from the original. So what's up for the next two years? More of the last two years like I said. Haven't you been listening? Problem is, while our government will do little, if we are not to fall farther behind the rest of the world, there's a lot to be done. It really is time to wake up

Ahhh. Democracy And The Microphone.

Hi folks. I'm so happy that the Republicans won every seat in the House of Representatives and Senate. It seems that the Democrats also won all of the seats in both houses as well. How is this possible, you may ask? Oh that's easy. All you have to do is listen to the rhetoric coming from the leadership of both parties to realize they both think they're in complete control or our destiny. everybody realizes they have won either a mandate or a received a lesson and they are ready to lead based on that information. Wait a minute. Don't they realize neither party has a mandate to do anything except help to create jobs and to lead us out of this economic turmoil? Short answer - No. The Democrats are in denial and the Republicans actually think all Americans are deeply in love with them. The Fact of the matter is that the Republicans won because there wasn't a third party choice and the Democrats lost because they had two years to get started on the fix and concentrated on Health care, a worthy goal but not the most important at this time, and on other secondary goals. It is and was time to lead and there is no one now ready to actually do that. I would, but I have an appointment to have my hair dyed. I know a couple of other people who could do the job, but I'm not sure they're interested. After all, for a person who is actually capable of doing the job of leading this country, they must be willing to have a large group of unqualified people bad-mouthing them and trying to second guess them at the same time. There are two traits which this country is well blessed with; nut cases and extra smart leader types. The problem is, the nut cases always seem to be holding the microphone and the leader types really just want to lead. They don't want to have to deal with the slime they would have to crawl through to get to the leadership position. I't too bad that dictatorships are such poor alternatives. They would be great if it weren't for the dictators.

You Want Ice Cream With That Pie?

The Republicans won a tremendous victory last night in the Mid-term Elections. My deepest sympathy goes out to them. What do I mean by that? The Democrats won two years ago with a broad mandate or so they thought, and a coalition they were unable to hold together. Now the Republicans will have to try to hold together an even more unwieldy coalition. What coalition did the Democrats have, you may ask? The Democratic party is a coalition to begin with and then they were joined by Independents and disaffected Republicans. Now the Republicans have the right and moderate wings of their own party, the Tea Party, Independents and disaffected Democrats. Good luck with that group. Brings to mind herding cats. Anyone think they can keep all their promises and make everyone happy? Like herding twice as many cats. It's not that I want them to fail, it's that I don't think anybody could succeed under the circumstances. First off, a lot of people don't really know what it is they do want. Only that they don't want the Democrats and Obama's agenda in particular, but I don't think they really want the Republican's agenda or the Tea Party's agenda either. All people want is high paying jobs for everyone, lower taxes, win both wars or get out without any danger of terrorist attacks to America, stop buying foreign oil, drill more and dig more coal, stop pollution in their own backyards, pay off our debts, stop mortgage foreclosures, eliminate Obama care, make sure their own health care insurance is reasonably priced, a strong defense but lower defense spending, better schools in their neighborhoods, but lower education spending, no new immigration, no more illegals and make those already here disappear and a host of other things including Mom's apple pie. Don't people realize Mom stopped baking years ago and buys her pies at the super market?

How Come The Rich Are Getting So So Much Richer?

There's a new book out by professors from both Yale and U. Calif. Berkley titled "Winner - Take - All Politics: How Washington made the Rich richer - and Turned it's back on the middle class". The Tea Party has it all wrong. The very wealthy has basically purchased government without anyone realizing it, including government. And nobody is there to stand up to tell government to stop giving all the money to them. Deregulation, tax law, and corporate governence laws have handed the rich the keys to the candy store. Sure some of the problems of the working class has to do with globalization and technological advances, but mostly it's new laws over the past few decades, while labor unions have lost their strength and can no longer be the watchguard for the middleclass. So, Tea Party, you should be looking at the corporate boardroom and the local country club instead of the local politician. Not that you should forget the politician, but it's the money, not the Party. That's not to excuse the Democrats or the Republicans, but after all, they're only human or nearly so. Now if the Tea Party wants to really make a difference, then listen to what any Congressman or Senator or even better, what any corporate leader like the National Chamber of Commerce is telling us we need and figure it should be the opposite.

Banker vs Homeowner = Taxpayer

You can call me  a blankety-blank liberal if you want, but if we don't do something about the foreclosure crisis, we'll be in for an even rougher ride then we've already seen. See, the thing is, if debtors don't keep on spending, then there will be less demand for products, which means fewer jobs, which means less demand, which means fewer, oh you see where I'm going. You may not like helping someone that overspent and neither do I, but just because someone has a mortgage doesn't always mean they over spent either. But what if somebody bought a home at a fair price two or more years ago they could reasonably afford and then the market tanked and now it's worth less then they owe on it and maybe lost their job or had to accept a reduction in pay to keep it??? So you say that not everybody is a victim. Well of course not, but many are. If they loose their homes to foreclosure, it's going to cost all of us a lot more then if they get some relief and get to stay in it and keep paying their bills. Besides, we can't afford to build and fund more homeless shelters. So would you really rather pay more taxes so some banker can make extra profit by foreclosing or would you rather pay lower taxes, screw the banker and keep more people in their homes and buying all sorts of products that might help get the economy rolling again? Oh, come on the question isn't that hard.

What In The World Is A Kettle Of Fish?

OK. The elections are this Tuesday. If you're not going to vote, I have nothing to say to you except "shame". Having said that, on Wednesday we'll see little or no change in Washington or Harrisburg or almost any other state capital. In Washington, Republicans will still rule the roost except with a little more actual muscle. But the rancor will certainly still be there and with $4 billion plus spent on the election, somebody owes somebody some favors. Not just favors, but a real, under the blankets, "yessiree, anything you want" kind of respect. If you want the ear of a member of Congress, you'd better be ready and able to show them the money trail that leads to the secret money you gave to a PAC in their favor. And I don't mean a fin (that's a $5 bill). We're talking big time money, because that's what Washington is all about and will be until the Supreme Court's permission slip on secret spending is stopped. For that to happen, Congress will have to pass legislation outlawing it. Care to hold your breath? After all, Congress has been promising to pass such legislation for a long time without any progress. Well actually that's not true, they once did pass some laws, but those are the laws the Supreme Court stomped on. So the future of our government will be controlled by very wealthy people with agendas and corporations from who knows where and political action committees willing to falsely attack anyone they're told to. It's a fine kettle of fish they've gotten us into.

You Can Take China's Assurances And @%#&*

So China just assured America that it will always be willing to ship "rare earth minerals" to the world. Really? What good is that assurance? The next time they get officially mad at us and decide to slow or stop shipments like they recently did to Japan, what good will this assurance be? Is this something we can take to any corner convenience mart and get a loaf of bread? China controls 97% of rare earth minerals and almost 100% of production. Rare Earths are needed for hybred cars, most electronics and things like guided missiles and the so on. How good of an idea is it to have China be the only country in the world able to produce these minerals? We used to produce them but like so many other industries, we allowed that one to slip away too. Now if we want to build a robotic plane to stay in the air for long periods searching for terrorists and then pinpoint bomb them, we have to ask China for the rare earths necessary to build the thing. Is that a good idea? Next thing you know, we'll have to say pretty please. Letting our industry disappear from our shores, in fact rewarding companies for packing them up and shipping them to other countries, doesn't seem to me to be a wise decision. Of course there are the apologists who favor industry and tell us it'll be OK, that we still have the edge in technology even though our educational edge is fast disappearing. But will it really be OK? We had a technological edge because we had the best educational institutions both public and private in the world, from K-12 right on through doctorates. But we've fallen dangerously behind. As our educational foundation goes, so goes all of our edges. In Technology, research and industry. Oh, we'll always have a need for burger flippers and we'll always need cleanup in isle six, but the products in isle six won't be "Made in the USA". Of course by then we won't be able to afford them anyway.

Don't Say Goodbye Just Yet.

Well this Tuesday is election day. This Wednesday the Democrats will begin moving out of Washington. Actually that won't happen until after the first of the year, but there's not much they'll be able to do after Tuesday. At least until January 2013 when they should be back in charge again. Say what? The Republicans have made themselves and the American people some big promises. Promises they can't possibly keep. But then that's nothing new for either party. The problem this time is the economy and that's not likely to be all roses in just two years. Especially if the Republicans keep their biggest promise. That is to do everything they can to get Obama ousted in 2012. To do that, they can't accomplish anything good because by default, it would make him look good. That was a dumb promise to make. You can want something too bad sometimes. And if you do, it usually comes back and bites you.So what does this mean for all of us? It probably means more bad news, more difficult times and even some backward steps. In other words, our elected officials will be doing what they always do. Screwing up the works. Don't ya just wish for once there weren't any parties? I mean, if there weren't any Democrats or Republicans or Teaparties or Independents, we could actually get things done in a thoughtful, helpful way. Ya. How long would that last?

Here's Your Supreme Court

I just read up on the Supreme Court. Did you know that the constitution states only that there will be one Supreme Court. It doesn't say what it's supposed to do. Maybe that's what the Robert's Court should be doing. Nothing at all. That way they wouldn't screw things up so much. You may have guessed that I'm not a fan of our current court. Actually I would be if they weren't such activists. See right now, they seem to think corporations should have more rights then people. Of course that may be because they actually think that corporations are people. I don't mean the living, breathing sort of course, but people just the same. With the same rights. Except that if they have more money then people, they can exercise more rights, which actually puts a price tag on our rights. So, the rule is, not surprisingly, if you have enough money, you can do pretty much whatever you please. And if you can't, then go complain to the court and they'll fix it. What is it that I don't like about these good folks on the court? They have opened the doors for corporations to fund political attack ads secretly. So even if they aren't in your state and don't even do business in your state, they can still lie about one of your candidates and you won't know who is actually saying it. Does that sound right to you? Me either.

Education? What Education?

I was going to talk about the bank fraud called the foreclosure system, but something even more important is our educational system. Now I'm not calling it fraud because it's not so much the educational system that's screwed up as it is our political system that's screwed up and that's what's got our educational system screwed up. You don't agree? How about Texas where the state determines which textbooks schools can buy and the content in them, like calling slavery in colonial America a three way trade system. And since Texas is the largest buyer of textbooks in the country, what Texas buys is what everybody has to buy. Publishers don't print anything else. We've fallen behind in education to where we're ranked 27th in industrial nations in proportion of college students with science or engineering degrees, 11th in the fraction of 25 - 34  year olds with a high school degree, 48th in K-12 quality of math and science education. In 2005 a bi-partisan group of Senators asked our National Academies to list 10 actions the Federal Government could take to improve our science standings. It's second report came out in September of this year. Have any of you heard anything about it from our politicians this campaign season? Isn't this the best time ever to talk about it? How come none of the candidates have mentioned it? How come nothing is being done about it in congress? Some things have been proposed by Obama and some have been implemented, but this is how we get ourselves out of the rut we're in and into real prosperity in the future. I guess if you're a Congressman or Senator you're already prosperous so there's no real point in talking further about it. And if you're aspiring to become a Congressman or Senator, campaigning is all you want to talk about. You know. Say something bad about the incumbent. Truth isn't a factor. In fact truth seems to be a liability nobody wants to carry.

Ahh. Who To Vote For?

Wouldn't ya wonder why anyone would want to be a lawmaker these days? What with the cost of running for office being so high and all the problems with the economy and all, being a Congressman or Senator would be very difficult work with not a whole lot of profit in either money or fame. More likely you'd wind up with a bad name because you couldn't solve the many problems. So how come we have so many folks who keep wanting to get reelected? Well, aside from the graft, some folks are just gluttons for punishment. But how about the opponents? Have you looked at the selection of misfits running against the incumbents? You go from a woman who assures voters she's not a witch, to a gal who sees headless horsemen or at least headless corpses in the desert, to a hitman from New York (where else), to a lady wrestler or more appropriately, a kick boxer, to an ex-CEO who sent a hundred thousand jobs overseas and was fired, to a guy who worked for Wall Street and on behalf of China, and how about the one who fired the maid because she was an illegal but the candidate knew it all along,  to a lady bear who quit her job as governor presumably because she saw Russia in the mirror, to a..... The list goes on and on. How come so many basket cases? Maybe it's because nobody sane was willing to run for office. But I like to think it's because they all drank from the same pot of tea.  It's not so much that these folks are running as it is that many of them have a real shot at winning. What does that say of the ones they're running against? These weird people have been telling their foes to "man up" or "put on your man pants". Well maybe they should have done that last year when they had the majority to do whatever they wanted. There are some "bluedog" Democrats who are really conservatives. In other words they should have been Republicans, but they won office because of Obama's coattails. They owe their office to him but seemed to have been afraid to vote with him for fear of loosing their seats. Now they're sure to loose them without having accomplished anything. Smart thinking, I say.

Liars Lie And Cheaters Cheat.

Multi-national American corporations are sitting on about one trillion $$$ "off shore" and they'd like to bring it back into the U.S.of A if only our government would lower the taxes on it to about, oh I don't know, maybe next to nothing would be nice. They promise to spend it on investments and create jobs along the way. The problem is, they did exactly the same thing in 2004. They promised to invest and create jobs with the money if we lowered taxes on it to 5.5%. Almost all that money ended up in investors pockets instead. Oh no, wait. That was different money. Not the same money they brought back for 5.5%. Doesn't this bring shell games to mind? Anyway, no jobs were created from it. Maybe we should promise to lower taxes to 1% and then when the money is back here, tax it 100%. It's all a matter of trust. I trust large corporations to lie about things like that. I expect big banks and insurance companies to lie like that. I expect politicians to lie like that. I wonder who taught all these folks to lie like that? Was there a course in college called "telling whoppers 101" or "lying like that 102"? It's never been published or promoted that I know of. Must have been spread by word of mouth. If companies who have all this money offshore, as they claim, really saw an opportunity to build, invest and create jobs here, it would only be because they saw an opportunity to make a profit. And believe you me, nothing would stand in their way to get the money here and build, invest and create jobs. Not even high taxes would stop them if there's a profit to be made. No, I think we should write some new laws that say, any money you're holding offshore, you must pay the same tax as onshore plus a transport fee. And if you move you're whole company offshore, then anything you export back to us, we'll put a 100% tariff on it. The reason I think this, is because I think it's time to get tough with these whiners and wieners.

The State Of Health Care.

Ya know, I had an appointment with a specialist the other day. They had sent me a four page questionaire to fill out and a panphlet. Have you ever read a panphlet from a doctor? Well, I didn't read it. When I got to the office, the receptionist asked if I got the questionaire and if I filled it out. I said I did. She asked if I read the panphlet. I said no, I don't read instructions when putting things together. She smiled. She asked if they had my permission to mail me information. I said they already had. The questionaire. I think it was a test. She smiled and said I'm the first person to ever catch that. She took my insurance card, co-pay, drivers license, phone number, date of birth, address and my mothers maiden name. I think she was stealing my identity. She told me to have a seat, I would be called shortly. Two articles from family circle later, a door opened and a nurse hollored "Eddie". I followed her to a well lighted closet with a high gurney and a rickety chair and a small sink. She took the same information the receptionist took plus all the information on the questionaire. Why did they ask me to fill out the questionnaire? Was this a test? Did I pass? Now let me stop here. I never told these children they could call me Eddie. I don't know them at all. How come I'm not Mr. Snowbeard any more? When I was in my twenties, I was Sir or Mr. Snowbeard. And that pamphlet they sent me along with the questionnaire? I know a guy who always follows the directions that come with anything to be put together. He actually follows them until he has to call somebody who goes over and plugs the new toaster into the wall outlet. They call him Mr. Fixit. Not Tommy. No, the guy who couldn't figure out how to make the toaster work is... No, I better not say. He's liable to sue me . Wadda ya think about law suits? Ahh, that's a for another day. I'll send you a questionnaire to fill out on the subject. And a pamphlet.

Oops. It's A Recession. Again? No, Yet.

For those whose homes are in foreclosure, things are about as bad as they can get. But for those with "money in the bank" or more accurately, invested, they may be thanking the homeowner who's loosing his home. Say what? Well, investments in such things a law offices that specialize in foreclosure work and banks, the money is flowing in, in fact it's flooding in. Is that a good thing? Should people with jobs be profiting from people without jobs? That's one of the hard facts about the free market system. That's why bankers love people who are about to loose their home to foreclosure. Thar's profit in them thar homes. Or to be more accurate, there's profit in that foreclosure. Now it's important for banks and all companies to make profits. After all, that's how they can afford to hire workers to clean their pools or mow their lawns or flip their burgers and ask if you want fries with that order. Where the problem comes in, is when people who used to earn a good comfortable living in manufacturing are now cleaning those pools and etc. Then companies earning huge profits, isn't such a great idea. In America's system, everyone is supposed to have a fair chance to "make it". But when the deck is stacked against you, our system doesn't work. People wonder how come we're in a recession. Well, when you trade good, high paying manufacturing jobs for low paying service industry jobs like America has done, who can afford to buy the products that used to be made here but are now made more cheaply elsewhere? There's two ways to make a buck. Sell one widget for a dollar more then you paid for it or sell ten widgets for ten cents more then you paid for them. either way you make the buck and the workers can afford to buy what you made. Send the factory overseas where you can sell it for two bucks more then you paid for it, is OK until nobody can afford to buy it at any price. That's a recession.

Turnips,Wars, Recessions And Lost Industry.

Have you ever heard of my Turnip Truck Theory? Well I won't go into it, but you'll get the idea in a minute. Take a look around. In Iraq, they still don't have a government after I don't know how long. In Afghanistan we have to deal with the Taliban to get anywhere, while hoping that the corrupt regime there won't just sell out for the money. In Pakistan, the government is still supporting Al Qaida and the Taliban. Meantime we're sending our military there at great cost in human lives and our treasure. Isreal still can't get along with it's neighbors. Here at home we're still in a severe recession in spite of our government assuring us we're out of it. There's a greater disparity between the rich and the poor then at any time since records have been kept and the gulf is getting bigger. We have so many kooks running for national office that even if you took off your socks you still wouldn't be able to count them all. And some actually have a chance to win. China continues to dominate the import/export industries, all the while shipping out defective and contaminated products and garnering the market on rare earth minerals and now controls 97% of them world wide. They also are hacking the computers of our country and those of our industries. Mining for secrets, technologies and plans. It's national and industrial espionage. We don't know how to deal with smart countries who are willing to play innocent while picking our pockets clean. In the meantime, we have allowed our industries to ship their jobs and technologies over seas and still reward those companies for doing it, which is why our middle class is disappearing. And it's not like this is something new. It's been happening for decades. In fact since the 1970s. I sort of feel like we have fallen off that turnip truck. Meaning we're so dumb we allow it to happen and don't do anything about it. Actually we're afraid to do anything about it. Can you imagine, we're supposed to be the last superpower and we're afraid to hurt anybody's feelings. Maybe our government's right. We've lost so many industries that we might not be able to make it on our own. At least in the short term. Do you think we could redevelop our industrial base in a couple of years time? Whatever would we do in the interim? Depending on the information age, ain't maken it.

Woodwork Candidates

Have you been following the riots in France lately? Now admittedly, France is a country that has long seemed to be somewhat paranoid. Or at least it's people do. I mean, just because people were starving, they beheaded Marie. Poor gal. And all she wanted is for folks to eat cake. Back to the present. The French are as mad as wet hens because the government wants them to work two more years. Yep, you heard it right. Retirement age is to move from 60 to 62. Why, you'd think they were being asked to eat cake again. So why do they have to work longer? It's the economy. It's bad just like ours, who knows maybe worse. Anyway one problem is there are too many retired French people collecting pensions. So instead of using a guillotine, they're making people work longer. It looks like the French would prefer the guillotine, though. Now here in America, we're much more civilized. We would never think of rioting. Well, almost never. Instead, we're taking it to the election booth. By that I mean we, as a country, we have decided to nominate and try to elect the biggest group of space jockeys we could possibly find. They seem to be coming out of the woodwork. And it's knotwood woodwork. Now, I know that some time ago I suggested we elect Miss Piggy and Big Bird and the Cookie Monster, but come on folks. I didn't think you could ever find the likes of these candidates. Look, if you want to elect Angle or Paul or O'Donnell or Miller or Fiorinna and the rest, maybe you should think about rioting instead. The after shocks will be far less painful.

From China To Delaware.

Can you imagine? Two articles in the papers today about China and Iran. It seems Chinese companies and banks are dealing with Iran to help with it's nuclear program against U.N. Sanctions and in the other both countries are trying to steal secrets from private U.S. companies. Ya know, it's not bad enough that they steal jobs from America, but now we find out they've been stealing our corporate technology simply by buying it from employees. Presumably employees who's jobs haven't already been shipped to China. Ya gotta hand it to these folks. They're not timid. That and they know pushovers when they see them. I mean like us (as in U.S.). I do so mean us. We may have the best equipped, best trained, most dedicated military, but look who runs it. Our government, that's who. Now if you want to talk about how well trained our leaders are, check out what John McCain's daughter said about the O'Donnell woman running for the Senate in Delaware. Called her a nut case, that's what. Said she is making a mockery of our electoral system. Ya know what? She's right. And O'Donnell isn't alone. In fact I 'd say well over half the folks running for office are unfit to serve. But some will win. Maybe more then just some. When your only claim to fame is being blessed by someone who quit her job as Governor before half her term had expired, because you look like a grizzly bear, are you sure you're the right person for the job? If I'd known that, I'd have quit my job years ago. I can't quit now. I'm retired.

Newt Gingrich Is Back. Lock The Refrigerator.

Ya know, I've read a couple of history novels about the Civil War that Newt Gingrich has co-written. If you don't know who Newt Gingrich is, he was once the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives and came up with the GOP's "Contract with America". He's a history professor in real life. I don't know how good he is, but his books aren't too bad. In fact I enjoyed them. Having said that, I must tell you he's not real good for America. For instance, he's very much in favor of keeping the Bush tax cuts for multi-millionaires at a cost to American taxpayers of something like 800 billion $$$, but he's against food stamps for the poor that generates $9 for every $5 in stamps. So in Newt's mind a whopping net loss to the American economy is good, but an economic generator is bad. Does that make sense to you? Maybe it was that kind of thinking that got rid of him before. Well actually it had more to do with infidelity then his lack of economic acumen. Anyway, he's trying to give advise to the Republican candidates this year. Can you imagine? If you're a Democrat, that might be a little good news. But whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, don't start thinking like Newt. We've got enough problems in America right now. Maybe he should go back to teaching. At a very small college. At a very small wage. He could then cut out his own food stamps. No, that won't work. He's in the 2% of income earners he's trying to protect.

Tax Credits My Foot.

Did any of you know that two separate tax cuts took place in 2001 and 2003? And with these tax cuts still in place and no thought of any change to that fact, the Great Recession hit in 2007? Hey, that can't be. It's true. So then, why does anyone think they will magically and miraculously pluck us out of the recession? For all of our information, they can't, they won't. So then why are so many politicians screaming bloody murder that the tax cuts will help? Maybe because they're politicians. At the same time, ending some of these tax credits won't cure the recession either, although nobody is claiming it will. What's being claimed is that allowing some of the tax cuts to expire will cure the debt problems and allow for spending on other things. That can't be either. You can use that money to pay down debt, or to spur the economy, but not both. But either way, nothing's going to happen quickly. And these cuts are only on 2% of the people. You know like Wall Street brokers and Bankers. Not too many other people fall into this category. The truth is we're going to have to continue to face tough times for some time to come and promising silver bullets isn't helping people to face the facts. The French minister of finance suggested, half in fun, that everybody should have a backyard garden. She may have been kidding a little, but she's closer to right then wrong.

So What's Wrong With A Little Support?

Well, our administration is "looking into" allegations that China is subsidizing it's clean energy industry. You know, what we should be doing, but are too stubborn to do. I think every other industrial country in the world is helping it's Green technology except the U.S. of A. Why is this you may ask? Well, the answer, that is the official answer from some quarters is that to do so would be to admit there's global warming brought on by humans. Some folks aren't ready to admit that. The claim is that the science does not fully back that statement. Really? There are probably a couple of hundred scientists who say it's happening to every one that doesn't. Remember back when the government was trying to cut back on smoking? Remember that there were scientists then who claimed it wasn't bad for you health? Of course they were employees of the tobacco industry. Check out these new naysayers. Anyway, for once China is probably doing the right thing and we're not. Why is that? It would mean so many new jobs that it's mind-boggling. Meanwhile we can't even get a clean energy bill through Congress. WE can't even agree that fuels like coal and oil pollute. Are you kidding me?

Mortgage Foreclosures

I don't know if you have any interest in the home mortgage foreclosure business that's been in the news of late, but I've been following it some. Now don't stop reading, because it's important. After all, you might have a mortgage and if not you might still be affected. See, here's the thing. The big Mortgage handlers are JP Morgan Chase, Welles Fargo, Bank of America and Ally (GMAC) all said they'd put a freeze on foreclosures except Wells Fargo who kindheartedly decided to continue full speed. How come there's a problem? Well they hired "Burger King Kids". No kidding that's what they called them, young men and women who got no training, to sign off on foreclosure paperwork stating that it was all "in order" so it could go to court where judges were signing off just as quickly. How Quickly? In September there were 347,000 foreclosures. That's an increase from August of about 10,400. Now if you only think of them as buildings, it's no big deal. But what you really need to do is to think of them as 347,000 families. That's maybe 1,400,000 people. In one month. Put out of their homes. Are there really that many deadbeats in America or is there a problem that needs to be addressed by government. Why not let the banks handle it? Oh, you mean the same banks who had to go begging the government for bailouts but aren't willing to give any help to families? Families who bailed them out? There's just one problem. The Congress is unwilling to help and the Administration has asked the banks politely to play nice. The banks haven't. Obama still won't step in. How come? I realize we need to tread carefully so as not to cause more problems, but asking politely doesn't work. It's time to step boldly. Will anyone do so?

What Monsoon?

In the movie Cold Mountain about the Civil War, there's a line when one of the women finds out her father's been shot, she says " They say this war's a cloud on the land. But the men caused it to rain and then stand out in the rain and say, Oh, it's raining. It's a good movie and that was a powerful line. We've got a cloud over the land now. There are some who would say we're in three wars and our economy is in the toilet. Fortunately we've got a Congress that's right on top of things. They're in recess. But before they left Washington they solved all our problems. As I've stated before, they voted unanimously to require TV commercials to be played quieter. Well I for one am greatly thankful. Our sensitive ears won't be attacked by loud noises. So now with the political PACs running vial attack ads, we only have to worry about our sensitive sensibilities. The thing is, most people don't see these wars as a cloud. That's because most people aren't directly affected by them. In fact the majority isn't even affected by the recession either. So Congress can pretty much ignore it. Oh, they like to talk about it as though it was the other party's fault. It was brought on by the Republicans. The Democrats have done nothing to resolve the problem except spend money. The Republicans stymie any attempt by the Democrats to fix the problem. The Democrats hold sufficient numbers to override any attempt by Republicans to stymie them, and can't get the votes to do it. Unfortunately, no matter what the outcome of the mid term elections, nothing will change. There's no cloud over the land, there's a monsoon. And we're the cause.

No Recession Here.

In spite of what the statistics say, we're still in a recession. Now, bankers and Wall Street would beg to differ. They're doing quite well, thank you very much. And well they should be. They're all making gigantic bonuses again, they're hoarding tons of money (in the case of bankers) that they got for nothing or next to nothing and Wall Street is back into junk bonds which is sort of what got us all into trouble in the first place. And although there's danger in junk bonds, for that very reason, there's huge profits to be made. Then there's all that money the banks are holding. Now a banks job is to loan money. It's how they're supposed to earn money. No loans, no interest, no income, right? Apparently, although that used top be true, it's not true any more. I'm not sure I understand how keeping money under the mattress or in the vault makes profits. I think it doesn't. I think they're loaning it to people who are making huge bets in junk bonds and the like. That's sort of what happened before. Bankers aren't dumb when it comes to smelling a buck or two. And they're pretty sure that if they get into trouble again, Uncle Sam will bail them out again. What they're not thinking about is that Uncle Sam 'ain't got no' money left to use to bail them out again. Might just serve em right if it weren't that we'll all suffer if it happens again. So what are our politicians talking about this campaign season? It ain't about the problems we're facing. Only a little lip service.

From TARP To Elections.

We should talk more about the TARP deal. A lot of people aren't very happy about TARP. It stands for troubled assets relief program. Those who voted for it think it helped the country stay out of a depression. Maybe so, maybe not. We'll never know. One thing we know is that a whole lot of people are mad as the dickens because the bankers are still making obscene bonuses and they're not giving out loans. They're holding a ton of money. How come? Because they got it for free and are still getting it for next to free. So instead of lending it out cheap, they're holding on to it cheaper or lending it overseas for more money. We don't know. We don't even know if they're funding political attack ads, because they're secret. Nobody knows who's paying for these ads. For instance there's one PAC called "over 60" or "60 Plus" or something. Now that doesn't mean it's funded by people over 60 years old. It doesn't even mean there's more than 60 donors funding it. It's just a phony name that's meant to sound like it's helping seniors. For all we know it could be a bunch of 30 somethings from Wall Street or the banks or Tehran or who knows where. So!!! If you listen to any of these attack ads, and believe any of them, what does that make you? Smart? A deep thinker? An honest voter? An informed voter? Or none of the above? If you're not listening to the candidate to find out what he or she believes or wants to do, you are "none of the above". If you're listening to the candidate tear down somebody else, you are "none of the above". I don't know about you, but I think I'd rather be one of the informed voters. Now I can understand why candidates don't mind these attack ads. At least the ones against the opponent. But how come the Supreme Court likes them? What's up with them anyway? Can that possibly be what the founding fathers had in mind when they wrote the Constitution? Lots of lies ? In secret? Well if not, then how come the Supreme Court allows it?

Can The Court Answer This?

I don't know. Maybe I've been too hard on the Supreme Court. After all, they're just plain, down home country barristers, who have answered their countries call to be interpreters, right? That's right, they agreed to spend the rest of their lives telling us what we can and can't do. By that I mean they agreed to interpret the Constitution and tell us what it means, right? Well, no. Actually they agreed to compare what people do and tell us if that's what the Constitution told us we can do. And if we aren't supposed to do that, they tell us why they think we're wrong. Of course, nobody can tell them if they're wrong, because apparently they're never wrong, except when the next Supreme Court says they are. This gets more confusing all the time. Anyway, our current Supreme Court, which was put in place because the last one was said to be making law instead of interpreting the Constitution, has been busy writing law. See, here's the thing. They decided that Corporations can, because they're citizens too, they can spend as much money as they want on elections and they can do it in secret. What the court didn't think of is how it affects our elections. For one thing it means that our elections will no longer be decided by voting. They will be decided by who spends the most money. And it doesn't matter where the money comes from. It can come from corporations who have broken the law many, many times and are mad at a Senator or Congressman, or even from a foreign country. How can this be? Because it's all secret. For instance, the TARP program that bailed out a bunch of banks and bankers. Now those bankers who got billions from the government for free can spend any amount of that money to buy elections and nobody will know. Ya know who's getting the most money? The Republicans. Next time around it'll probably be the Democrats. What I don't understand is how come the Supreme Court allowed these corporations to do this in secret? So, how come?

There's Another Ad Coming To Your TV Today.

Hey! Tomorrow is 10-10-10. I have no idea if that has any significance, but I thought it was neat. Well anyway off to the races. Some people don't feel it's any big deal that political attack ads are financed by individuals or entities who's identities are kept secret. After all, both sides do it. But the problem isn't that one side or the other does it. Nor is the problem that we have to endure all these miserable ads, and they are miserable. No, the problem is that because of these ads, we will not know the truth about any of the candidates because we can't tell if there is any truth to any of the information being blared at us night and day. Even the candidates themselves aren't really telling the truth when they run down their opponents. What we get is outright lies or partial statements taken out of context. Which is the same thing as a lie to me. How about you? I mean If I say "good morning and how are you" to you. Then say "It's supposed to rain on Tuesday". You could play back "rain on you" which would sound like I was saying something unpleasant to you. Now, maybe I felt like saying that to you, but I didn't. And that's about as nice as you'll hear on any of these ads they're running. The big problem though is still that they're being paid for by corporations or countries that you probably don't like very much. If they were proud of what was being said, don't you think they'd be putting their names on the ads? I mean they sure put their names on commercials that show their products or services in a good light. So if they really believe in the content of these ads and are proud to say so, how come they do it in secret? How come our government allows them to keep it secret? Oh, that's right. Our Supreme Court thinks it's a good idea. And since it's campaign time, the politicians think so too. Do you think that after the elections, congress will put a stop to this secret stuff? Or unlimited amounts of money being used? Well, if it works for them, they sure won't.

What's Wrong With Our Political Campaigns?

I don't know about you but I'm worried about our electoral process. I mean, I understand that here in America everyone has the right to free speech, even corporations, though I don't understand how they're people like you and me. But how come you get to have more free speech if you're a rich corporation, even if you might be a foreign corporation, or even a foreign government. And I particularly don't understand why you get to keep it a secret. Why, a hog farmer from Idaho, or a chicken rancher from Kansas can spend tons of money on attack ads against a candidate from Pennsylvania or Florida and doesn't even have to say who they are or where they're from or what business they're in. How come they can do that? Oh I know the Supreme Court said they could, but why? What was the reason the court gave for this nonsense? If they want to influence somebody, let them influence their neighbors and let them put their name on the line. How do we know if they're even legal citizens? Ya know, even if they're saying something you like to hear, that doesn't make it right. And how come the Supreme Court decided that the more money you have, the more right to free speech you should have? It seems to me that free speech isn't free after all. Free speech belongs to the folks with the most money. Is that right? Is that the way we should decide elections? Only multi-millionaires need apply? Next thing you know it'll be, only multi-billionaires need apply. Does anyone think that only very wealthy people have any brains? That's not to say that wealthy don't have brains. Of course they do. But so do regular folks. The problem is that it's getting so if you're not rich, the only chance you have to get elected is to sell your soul to the devil. And it looks like some of those rich folks already did.

Detention Explained.

Ya know, Thanksgiving is just under two months away, but there are things we should be thankful for now. Like the fact that Congress is in recess for a month and a half. Although, I'd be even more thankful if they were in detention. In Fact they should have been in detention for the last decade or so. While we're at it, the Supreme Court should be in detention too. There are some other things we should be thankful for though. Like our democratic process that allows us to choose our leaders. Maybe they should be in detention too. The leaders, not the process. But our process allows for the freedom of speech. How it got changed around so that corporations are treated the same as people, or maybe even better then people when it comes to freedom of speech, I'm not sure. They have freedom of speech but they can do it secretly. In fact other countries can take advantage of this freedom and influence our elections secretly. See, if it's secret, then nobody knows who's doing it. That's what secret means. So China can tell lies about a candidate in order to get him or her defeated and we'll never know it, because they have freedom of speech, because they're people too, at least according to the Supreme Court. See what I mean about the Supreme Court? I like our system of government, I just don't like our system of government. By that I mean I like the freedoms we have, but I don't like to have to share those freedoms with corporations and countries who are trying to beat the system. I'm thankful for a judicial process that insures that I have the right to prove my innocence, or at least my non-guilt, but I'm not happy that judges aren't always honest or that lawyers and police sometimes lie because they think it furthers the truth. I think they should get detention for doing it, and some do, but not enough. Come to think of it, I'm thankful for detention. It's a very useful place. Too bad it's used so sparingly everywhere but in school.

I'm Campaigning On Quieter TV Ads.

Isn't this a great time of the year? I mean the mountainsides are showing off their autumn splendor, fields and orchards and vineyards are offering their bounty. Even Congress is in recess. In fact, before they left for a month and a half, they unanimously passed a bill requiring all TV ads to be no louder then the programs they are interrupting. And you thought there could be no consensus within those hallowed halls. What more could we ask for? How could things be more perfect? Oh, I know. They left a lot of people out on a limb without extensions to unemployment benefits, and mortgage foreclosures increasing. But then, it is an election year which means endless, nasty attack ads bought and paid for by we know not whom. Very likely most are paid for by corporations and countries we would be truly unhappy to hear are running these ads. We don't know though, and the reason is that our Supreme Court told them it was OK to do it secretly. You know. The court that Pres. George W. Bush said was too actively involved with writing law and not enough interested in interpreting the constitution. Well, guess what Mr President. The new Supreme Court is so active, that over 100 years of precedent is being upended in favor of corporations and against the people. Come to think of it there's a lot that could have been done to improve the season. Like, oh I don't know, like energy legislation or job creation or two wars still going on or corporate leadership still pillaging their companies' pockets. I guess things aren't so hot after all. Maybe things will get better after the election. Then again, there will always be another campaign season and election and there will probably never be a time when the two parties will agree on anything more substantive then the volume of TV ads.

The Prophet Glen Beck, et al

Anybody watch Glen Beck on Fox or listen to him on radio? Well I just read about his first appearance of Fox's Bill O'Rielley show. He said I'm afraid the constitution is hanging by a thread. That doesn't sound like any big deal. Until you understand that he's a Mormon. One of the beliefs of that church is the White Horse Theory. See, Joseph Smith, founder of the sect back in the 1800s is supposed to have said that when the Constitution is in grave danger and hanging by a thread, the elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) will be called upon to save the Constitution. They will ride in on a white horse. So now Fox News has a preacher working for them. Beck is, it turns out, preaching the Mormon gospel at the same time he's slamming the Democrats and Obama in particular. It seems Fox is not above turning a profit from a prophet. Like the pun? Well it's said, anyway. Here's the thing, is Fox in competition with ABC, NBC and CBS, or are they in competition with Comedy Central? I mean, they have a lineup that's over the top and certainly not to be believed, with the possible exception of O'Rielly. You start with insinuations during the day from commentators that end up on the evening news as fact. And everybody is making a fortune. What a deal.

Apearing On A TV Station Near You.

Has anyone noticed that with only one exception, every single potential Republican candidate for president who does not now hold elected office, is now a paid commentator on Fox News? Yep, if a Republican wins the 2012 election for president, he or she will likely also be an employee of Fox News. It's also important to know that there is not one single Democratic hopeful employed by any news network. What does that tell you about Fox News' claim of "fair and impartial"? Oh, by the way, Mitt Romney is the only Republican not on Fox's payroll. What does that tell you about all the other news networks? Which ones are more likely to be "fair and impartial"? Don't get me wrong, I think unemployed politicians should be allowed to work. But should they be working for a TV network, as a political commentator? Especially if they plan to run for high office? This is a new precedent for any news agency so far as I'm aware. I have seen in the past where people working for a news agency have resigned as soon as they decide to run for office, but never have I heard of people being hired because they might run for office. So I guess if you are a Republican who would never consider voting for anyone who is not a Republican, Fox News is the place where your only choices are showcased. But if you're a thinking Republican, or anyone else who might want to see who else might run, or who else might be of interest to you, you'll just have to look elsewhere. It's not that Fox News is Biased. Most news networks are biased to some degree. It's that Fox News is rabidly biased.

The Answer Is Always With The Money.

My good friend Fred and I have come up with a solution to the problems associated with political campaigns. No, we're not recommending anyone be anointed king, nor are we suggesting anyone be elected to any positions for life. Not even the Supreme Court. I realize the court is already peopled by lifers, but I don't think it's all that great an idea. And while term limits are excellent ideas because if you can't get it done in about six years, you probably aren't up to the task anyway, they aren't a part of our plan. Another idea we aren't blessing is an aptitude test, although that would be a good idea as well. No, our plan is for the government to pass a law that requires all TV and radio networks and stations to review all political commercials before airing to make sure they are not lies. If the ad tells a lie, it cannot be aired. The part that makes this a viable plan is that if the network or station finds that the ad is a lie, it gets to keep the money paid in full, in advance for the ad. We all know that it's the money that drives the campaigns. There's no reason the money can't drive the cleanup campaign. I can see Political Action Committee's (PACs) going out of business entirely. After all, I haven't seen any PAC attack ad that isn't a lie, have you? The real perk to this law would be the fact that we would actually begin to find out what the politicians actually want to do and if they're competent and capable of doing it.

Boy, Have I Got A Candidate Or Two For You.

This campaign season is turning out to be the greatest show on earth. It includes more kooks then any campaign in history, I'm sure. I mean it can't have been any more strange any other time in history. Take for example Delaware's Christine O'donnell who doesn't seem to have a clue where or if she's been educated, to Arizona's Jan Brewer who keeps seeing headless bodies in the desert that aren't there, to Nevada where both candidates are equally despised and perhaps rightfully so. There are other states that deserve Kook awards like New York, Colorado, California, Illinois, and South Carolina. And these are only the high profile cases. But the worst is California, I think. It's where incumbent Barbara Boxer is up against Meg Whitman. Ms Whitman has spent over $100 million of her own money and is still struggling. Especially after, as an anti-illegal alien candidate, she fired her maid of many years for not having a green card. Turns out she, or at least her husband new very well the maid was illegal. Now, I know that elections bring out the sleaze in politics, or at least brings it to the surface, but this year seems to have brought out the worst of the worst. The creme de la creme, so to speak, of unworthiness. What I don't understand is how so many people can be so gullible. Would you vote for someone who said to a reporter, come near my daughter and I'll take you out and obviously meant it. Or one who claims to have taken part in an undercover drug ring investigation in another state that never heard of him? If you would, then this is, most certainly, your year.

I Hate It When I'm Right.

Ya know, I don't mean to find fault with America. It's a great place to live. For the time being. But down the road a couple of decades from now, it could very likely be a third world country. Now that doesn't mean that everybody will be adversely affected. I mean the wealthy will still be living the good life with their tax cuts and all, but the rest of you (I say rest of you because by then I'll be long gone), the rest of you will all be living hand to mouth and there won't be much in the hand. Take for instance green technology. I know, I know. Some of you don't believe in the whole climate change thing. And that's OK. But the rest of the world is gearing up to meet the demand for carbon neutral and renewable energy products for home and industry. Now, far be it from me to find fault with our political leaders. They've led us into and through some tough times. But the one thing they don't seem to be willing to do, is to buy into the idea that green means jobs. All you hear whenever the subject comes up in Congress is that it will kill jobs. Meanwhile, China has just surpassed the entire world in green technology investment. Can you imagine that? China! Maker of cheap, contaminated, poorly made products that other people thought of, is actually investing in technological research to the tune of $75 billion per year, four or five times what America is spending. Meanwhile back here on the ranch, all we hear is Bah Humbug. Well, the laugh is on us, as in U.S. Because many of our companies and brightest researchers are flocking to China, because that's where the work is. And also, that's where the money is. Interestingly enough, some of that money used to be ours. I have a suggestion for you. Invest in Chinese language classes. Or green technology. But time just might be short.

Have I got A Deal For You.

I read an article last week that didn't register at the time, but it's beginning to turn my thinking. We keep complaining that China is manipulating it's currency to their advantage and to our disadvantage. We don't like it and we're increasingly demanding they stop. Then Japan did the same thing. It devalued it's money to combat China. Then I heard there are other countries that are "managing" their currency. Soooo. If this is the wave of the future, how come we haven't heard of it before now? Why is it that we always seem to be the last in the family to know? That's what my wife asks me whenever I forget to tell her something. But it's a good question. What's wrong with giving China a little of it's own medicine? While we're at it, we should start sending them products that are contaminated with our unwanted poisons? We've got a bunch of coal ash we can let them have real cheap. And garbage. Wow. Have we got a pile for them. I don't mean to be hard on China. If Iran and North Korea want some of our stuff, we'll be happy to work out a deal. Even Russia could have a little, if they promise to back our demands on Iran. In fact, we've got some bedbugs in America, we'd be willing to share, if the price is right. How about a deal on killer bees and illegal aliens? Hey, I'm just trying to help.

Get Out The Map, I Think We're Lost.

Where the heck are we in this country? I've been wondering this a lot of late. We're still fighting two wars that nobody seems to know much about. They're not too much of a problem because only volunteers are involved. We worry about our health, but not enough to accept a national health care. We're unhappy about jobs going overseas, but not too much as long as we have our jobs. We want our kids to get the best education but don't seem to mind that our country is falling behind most other developed countries in math and science, and many kids are reading three or four years below grade level. We're mad as wet hens over taxes, and don't understand why our roads are in such bad condition. We want our fresh veggies and fruit, but don't want to pick it ourselves, but don't want illegals doing it. Republicans want tax relief for the wealthy and Democrats don't seem to know what they want. If I didn't know different, I'd think we've all fallen off the turnip truck. How come we have candidates in this country who won't speak to reporters but want donations for their campaign from everybody except from their own district or state? How is it that our government is run by the highest bidder? How can the Supreme Court state that it's OK to buy candidates and even judges? Does anyone actually think we're headed in the right direction? Does anyone think the Democrats are doing a good job of leading? Does anyone actually think the Republicans have a better idea?