Gas Warfare!

The auto industry is in shambles. The price of gas is like a see saw; up and down, up and down. The green machine is trying to force the car manufacturers to build green cars that will run on battery power for maybe 40 miles at a crack. The tax payer is being asked to fork over billions for this effort. Never mind that no one will buy the cars anyway. At least not here in northern Idaho where pick ups are required equipment. And a forty mile drive may just get you to the grocery store before you'd have to recharge to return home. It needs a tad more study.

On the other hand, as is the way of the government, they are looking at charging farmers fees if they have gas producing animals! Okay, the technology for capturing gas from cows and pigs hasn't been perfected, but is it fair to fine those who raise them for a habit that comes naturally?

Yep. The Environmental Protection Agency officially states that greenhouse gases emitted by belching and flatulence is air pollution!

Here is the fee schedule: more than 25 dairy cows - $175 each; more than 50 beef cattle - $87.50/head; more than 200 hogs - $20 each.

That is estimated to cost a modest sized ranch upwards of $30,000 a year when they can barely buy food for the critters to begin with! Then there is worry that it might extend to chickens and other farm animals leading to our having to import them rather than raising them therefore putting another whole industry into more trouble than it already has and we already subsidize! Whew. That was a tough sentence to get out!

We best keep an eye on this or it could adversely affect we humans too. Not from a consumers point of view but from a consumption point of view. Think about how Uncle Charlie relaxes after too much Thanksgiving dinner? Think about what the boys around the TV emit after consuming too many beers while watching the big game!

It could turn ugly. They could charge me a fee for having Bacchus. He's been known to let loose on occasion. What about my fish? What's in those bubbles they blow?

Where will it stop? Where will it stop? As Kermit the Frog once said, "It isn't easy being green." Indeed. I'm turning green just thinking about it!

Republican Wins Good For The Country

Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss has won his bid for re-election. Many thank Sarah Palin for his win. That is a bit frightening and says little for the strength of the candidate, but he did prevail. Al Franken is trying every trick in the book and then some to deny Republican Norm Coleman a win in their recount but Coleman still leads by the most narrow of margins. I sincerely hope Coleman wins.

This from the person who practically bled blue this past election cycle? Yep. I bled blue for Obama; not a filibuster proof Senate. Even before the election was decided and there appeared to be a possibility that the Democrats would make huge gains, the warning flags went up. The Democrats didn't even try to conceal their hubris. It concerned me.

With comments from Barney Frank regarding the economic melt down suggesting we'd just print more money to the Senate Democrats giving Joe Lieberman a complete pass on his infidelity with the Republicans, I knew instinctively that bi-partisan co-operation was not a part of their game plan.

Now they are going to have to work a bit harder to get their legislative agenda passed. That could mean huge wins for us. We, the people. They are going to have to write it in such a way Republicans will vote for it which means more centrist than either side would like.

We may have been promised change from the top, but these old war horses in the House and Senate aren't going to change their ways unless we threaten them with the glue factory.

We see a strong cabinet being put together; huge egos aside, it contains a powerhouse of expertise and ability. That's the Executive Branch. We can't change Congress quite as quickly but we can make inroads until they too realize there is too much at stake for us to tolerate their shenanigans. Al Franken, you might take note, should you win.

So once again, it's as it should be. Power divvied up so no one party holds it all. Two years from now they'll get their report card and the administration will get a not so sneak preview of how they're doing. We may not really be able to send them to the glue factory but we sure as heck can keep putting them out to pasture!

Political Expediency Trumps Party Loyalty

Man, I feel like I'm watching the political version of the Sopranos with Joe Lieberman as Tony! A man with no scruples, no honor, loyalty only to his own ambition.

I liken it to the Sopranos rather than the Godfather because the Democrats seem to have lost the part of their collective anatomy that would have kept their voices deeper. I'm also beginning to worry about the "new" politics. I've heard of "turn the other cheek" and "forgive and forget". Nice platitudes all, but this is ridiculous. All because the Democrats need Joe Lieberman's vote. It's disgusting.

It really began back in the 2006 primaries. Ned Lamont beat Lieberman so Lieberman ran against Lamont, and a very weak Republican as an Independent. When he won he labeled himself an Independent Democrat so he could caucus with the Democrats. That should have been the handwriting on the wall.

So what happened? Chairing the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee wasn't enough? He wanted a bigger leadership position since he had been a failed Vice Presidential candidate? The grass looked greener?

Ah, yes, there was that fateful kiss. Such a kiss usually has dire implications, but true to the Bush administration's inability to get it right, the one who was doomed was the one who planted it!

Opportunity once again raised it's head. The real possibility of becoming a Vice Presidential candidate once again. He glued himself to Republican McCain's side even more tightly than Cindy or Lindsey Graham. Alas, the fates were against him. McCain couldn't choose him and McCain lost. No cabinet position here.

But there is hope and change brewing in Washington. A new type of politics! Is there a place for Lieberman to resurrect himself once again?

Yes! His own party (Democrat again, if you're having trouble following this) said, this is "not a time for retribution." And, "He is one of the most progressive members to come from the state of Connecticut and that says a lot." What? What does that say? Maybe Chris Dodd can explain it to me!

Man, what other profession can one enter where you can call your own shots, decimate the candidate from your own party and be welcomed back with no penalty.

Joe Lieberman. You are a good example why people have little taste for politics. And you Democrats who allowed all this largess for the sake of his vote are a close second.

Good Night, Ladies!

I'm in a lyrics mode these days but so many remind me of us. For instance, take these from the Music Man :

"Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little,
cheep cheep cheep, talk a lot, pick a little more"

Isn't it time we start getting over ourselves? Between the articles on the Huffington Post and the headlines on the news sites, we women have become more partisan than the partisan politicians we've been trying to unseat!

If Hillary is not chosen for Secretary of State there may be some very good reasons other than the fact she is Hillary. One is Bill's financial arrangements with those supporting his Global Initiative that could shadow her potential effectiveness; the other being the perceived effectiveness of a woman trying to deal with cultures that truly are sexist!

Now before you all get mad at me, I think she will take the job if offered and will be formidable. Not because she's a woman, but because she is able.

I'm reading where the feminists are up in arms over the possible choice to bring Lawrence Summers back to Treasury. Not because he isn't able but because he once made a statement that suggested, to put it simply, most women are not as scientifically nor mathematically inclined as most men. That may or may not be entirely true but there is in fact a predominance of men in those fields. It's not a good reason to keep him from Treasury.

I'm reading complaints that the Cabinet and staff is heavy with testosterone. Come on now. One thing Obama promised us is that he would look for the best people possible,regardless of Party, for those positions. If they happen to be men then he should choose men.

Women are doing just fine. Being a political appointee is not the end all of success. I would rather have a qualified man in place than a Sarah Palin because she is a woman any day.

Arm chair quarterbacking is easy. Actually getting out and qualifying for the team takes a lot of hard work. It's time we look in the mirror, doff the silly hat and drink and admit that most of us couldn't do it on a bet. Those who can, do. Those who can't, pick!

Religious Dictates Versus Critical Thinking

One thing I have never understood about organized religion is why, if it's teachings are for the glorification of it's God and His teachings, do they find it necessary to threaten it's members with eternal damnation for thinking for themselves.

When it comes to the blurring between church and state, it seems the thinking individual comes up the loser.

On one side there is the very vocal Christian Conservative movement that has made worshipping God seem like a secondary cause to trying to influence legislation. Trying to translate what they choose to believe into law that we would all have to follow. Dictating from the pulpit how individuals should think, even vote. The antithesis of what this country is about. Freedom of religion is also freedom from religion should one so choose.

Now, I'm not a student of the intricacies of the various religions but I know overkill when I see it. There is the categorization of "sins" by the Catholic church from venial (forgivable) to mortal (a complete separation from God leading to eternal damnation). There is confession and penance which usually involves praying the rosary.

Now let's have a look at critical thinking. By definition:

Part of Speech: n
Definition: the mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion

How can a person who chooses to think be faithful to his/her church? Take the example of the South Carolina priest who told his parishioners that if they voted for Obama they had taken a spiritual risk. This is what he said, "Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exists constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil..." and "...the unholy slaughter of children in this nation is the greatest threat to the peace and security of the United States and constitutes a clear and present danger to the common good."

Talk about having nothing to fear but fear itself! That's all there is. Fear. Are religions so insecure in their beliefs and so afraid themselves that their members may actually think, all they can do to keep them in line is to instill fear?

What I don't understand is how a thinking person can buy into something as blatantly symbolic as praying the rosary to exonerate sin. Does it, in the eyes of the church, exonerate a Catholic who practices birth control then receives communion? Or for that matter, one who voted for Obama for a multitude of reasons more important to that individual than the fact that Obama believes in a woman's right to choose?

I understand, full well, why I have opted to exercise my spiritual side by recognizing and appreciating everything that surrounds me is so because of a power greater than my ability to understand. I'm quite comfortable with my little place in the universe and all that may be beyond. I've thought it through.

Bill And Hill - A "Two For" Again?

I'm beginning to worry about myself. I think I may actually have morphed into a full fledged political junkie. I'm finding the post election intrigue absolutely fascinating.

The Washington Post , among many other sources, has reported that Hillary Clinton is being considered for Secretary of State. I doubt that she'd take it if offered because two women have already held the position, but the idea of it is rife with possibilities.

Especially if Bill should become the Special Envoy to the Mid East. Add to the mix Tony Blair who holds the same position for the European Union! What a power play.

Just think, Bill would be able to truthfully say he has the Secretary of State's ear. Hillary would be able to say she has the Special Envoy's ear. They both, of course would have the President's ear. And remember Tony and Bill got along famously before he went on to become Bush's "poodle"! Think of the "bad cop, good cop" scenarios that could play out! If this duo and Blair couldn't bring all those pesky factions into line, they could sure confuse the bejabbers out of them!

It could be economical too. They could share a plane! Ah, the Clintons. The world is their stage. I wonder how many curtain calls they have left!

He's A Man, He's Just A Man...

Remember these lyrics from Jesus Christ Superstar?

"...I've been changed, yes really changed.
In these past few days, when I've seen myself,
I seem like someone else.
I don't know how to take this.
I don't see why he moves me.
He's a man. He's just a man.
And I've had so many men before,
In very many ways,
He's just one more".

We'd best keep that sentiment in mind. The euphoria still runs high over the ascension of Barack Obama to the Presidency. He ran a nearly flawless campaign and the transition is exceeding expectations. However, as with all "highs", they end.

Even the Republicans are giving Obama good marks. To date he appears to be everything we who supported him had hoped. We must remember, however, he is not yet in office. That will be the true test beyond the window dressing we are now witnessing.

He himself reminded us in his acceptance speech, solving the problems that face the country won't be easy nor immediate. There will be false starts and bad decisions.

As much as we want a knight in shining armor to whisk us away to utopia, the sooner we settle down from this high the better. The Ingrahams and Hannitys and Limbaughs haven't let up nor will they. The most minute gaffe will be seized upon and beaten to a pulp. Sarah Palin should take a lesson from what's coming. If she thinks she was roughed up during the campaign, she hasn't seen anything until she actually assumes a highly visible office.

I have no doubt Obama is well aware of what's coming as he assumes office and ownership of the trials and errors that are inevitable. Those of us who feel he has emancipated us need a good dose of reality too. If we are as zealous in his defense for those inevitable missteps as we are in celebration of his election, everyone will take sides and we'll end up right back where we started. Bickering, bitter partisans.

Obama deserves better. We owe him better. We can begin by remembering he is a man, a very capable one, but never-the-less, he's just a man.

The Right To Pursue Happiness Unless You're Gay

Well, we've overcome one hurdle in this country. The ability to consider a person's ability and substance over skin tone. Will the next one be Gay rights? Don't you think it's time?

The Gays in California are coming out in force to protest the banning of gay marriage. It is my feeling they have every reason to do so.

Our Declaration of Independence says, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Unless you are Gay and want to get married. Or at the very least have the same rights as married couples.

The major argument put forth by all who are not Gay seems to be the definition of marriage. Our religions, I'm told, tell us it is an institution to be shared by one man and one woman. I can buy that. I can also buy the opposing point of view.

As with all serious issues, there are no clear cut answers. Just like the argument of when life actually begins, so rages the controversy of whether one is born Gay. Those arguments will continue as long as man resides on earth for there is no defining criteria other than the opinion of one set of "experts" pitted against another.

I should like to think the time has come to accept the fact that we are not all the same. Depending on the division of those pesky little genes we have different proclivities. Some of us are more attracted to our own sex. Even to the point of falling in love. Have you ever tried to not fall in love? Should how people who fall in love and want to spend their lives together be legislated by those who oppose their lifestyle?

It can't be easy being Gay. I read the column in the Spokesman written by a Lesbian. She has a partner, a couple of kids and they've just bought a home. The owner of the house they bought warned the neighbors about "them". What a great start in a new neighborhood!

Gays are becoming more and more forthright about their lifestyle. They are pioneers in a cause not unlike Martin Luther King's quest for equality. Is it not time that be granted?

As with any cause, there are those within the ranks that do more harm then good. Like the "gangsta" image put forth by many Blacks. It's an "in your face" posture meant to intimidate and it does. The same goes for the "I'm here and I'm queer" in your face Gays. They are their own worst enemy. There's a limit to the effectivness of the squeaky wheel!

But for all the others still closeted, or those we live and work beside who have inched out, we owe them more then they're getting. If they'd be willing to compromise language for rights I really believe most people would be satisfied. What's the matter with having a civil union? Many heterosexual couples have civil unions if you will. They wed in the eyes of the law but forego a religious ceremony.

Had Hub had his way, that's what we would have had. I just don't think tinkering with constitutional amendments in the fever of fear and anger is the way to solve the problem. It won't make it go away. It will just stoke the fever of hatred. Haven't we had enough?

At the very least they deserve consistency. How, in good conscience, can a state and the people within okay Gay unions, marriages if you must, then take them away? They're not living in sin, they're living in limbo. It's unconscionable.

An Open Comment to The Democrats

Today is Sunday. For the past couple of days the polls have been tightening. It has also been reported Obama has his inaugural speech already written and that his campaign is going to charge the media to park their trucks and equipment at Grant Park for the election night festivities.

If any of this is true remember you haven't won it yet. If any of this is true, you're arrogance is showing.

P.S. To the Democrat congressional delegation, if Obama wins, remember he ran on the promise of across the aisle cooperation. If those are your lips I hear smacking in the background, barely containing your desire to run roughshod over the Republicans, remember that. Many of us have strongly supported Obama for the man he is more than the party he represents. If you don't comply with the promise of cooperation many of us will regret that support and, be sure, we will let you know.

National Security Questions Unasked

National security questions seemed few and far between during the campaign. Other than whether one was or was not suited to be commander-in-chief and when and how to end the Iraqi war, I heard little about domestic issues. This seems strange to me because the over kill in airport security has contributed a great deal to the demise of our economy.

I resist flying at all cost. I'm a white knuckle flier to begin with. Pair that with the anxiety of the personal scrutiny by total strangers, not being able to complain when it goes over board, the chance prescriptions and other valuables may disappear from luggage and not being able to take even essential grooming supplies with you has made the experience one I can do without.

Now the TSA is testing the see everything x-ray machines at airports. I believe they are already being tested in Phoenix. Bet McCain doesn't have to go through them. Oops. He has access to Cindy's company jet. Oh well.

Why has no one ever asked the candidates if they intend to retain these oppressive security tactics? Have enough potential terrorists been deterred to justify the cost to the economy? Airlines are dying. So are hotels and resorts that are destinations and in turn the retailers that cater to the tourist. We're not flying within our own country and foreign visitors are opting for other choices for the same reasons.

"Out there" a ray of hope shines. Germany has said they will not join in the practice. While already used in some European countries with the blessing of the European Commission, EU lawmakers have put forth a resolution criticizing them saying they are equivalent to "a virtual strip search" raising serious human rights concerns.

If there is a country in the free world that understands the downside of war, terror and human rights abuses it would be Germany.

Is anyone in the TSA paying attention? Are the candidates?

No Wonder Congress Is In The Tank!

Wow. We haven't even gotten through this election and the run has begun for 2010!

Joe, whose real name is Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, the Plumber, who is not even a licensed plumber, wants to buy a company he claimed would earn over $250,000 a year. According to Ohio records it's estimated taxable revenue is under $100,000. He earns around $40,000 and has a lien against him for non-payment of taxes even though he may not know that little tidbit. He wants to run for Congress!

Yep. So says a brief article on The Hill's Blog Briefing Room. Laura Ingraham was quoted as saying, "There is a movement afloat to draft you to run for Congress. Joe, let me tell you something: you decide to run for Congress and I'll help you with your PR, I'll help you do your ads, I mean I'll volunteer to help you."

You know what? She probably would. Talk about not vetting a candidate!

Okay, the generational divide in me has surfaced. Here is a man who asked a good question of a candidate and the candidate's answer was less than it should have been. I'll give the story that, but that's as far as it should go. But who is this guy and why on earth would you want him in Congress? To follow in Ted Stevens' or William Jefferson's footsteps?

I've often thought that throwing the whole sorry bunch out and starting over again was a good idea. Not if this is what we're going to get!

The media gets blamed for a lot. Slanted reporting. Absolutely. MSNBC has turned into FOX left. I used to like MSNBC but they are just as slanted now as FOX only in the opposite direction. Talk radio is even worse. That is where the majority of the hate mongering is happening. Rush Limbaugh. Laura Ingraham.

What's it all about? Ratings? That this man be glorified even after learning about his credibility? The same as Sarah Palin was placed on a pedestal before we even had a look at her?

A week to go. This go round will be over. When it is, whoever wins will have my support. He will be our President. We owe that to the office. It's serious business to me. A leader will be chosen for those of us on Main Street as well as those on Wall Street. As important, if not more so, a leader for the world.

But we've been forewarned. The fun and games will continue. Personality outweighs substance. The gravity as I see it is apparently not shared. You'd think 9/11 and the current economic meltdown would have taught us that politics is not a game and the penalty assessed for not playing it well can be catastrophic.

Yet ugliness and thoughtlessness rules. Don't worry though. Just go shopping. One VP nominee did and seems none the worse for it.

A Few Observations From Middle America

We've been to the banks of the Mississippi and back this past week and the trip was an eye opener.

First though, about the photo from my last post. Tropigal gets the gold star. The half body of the drinking fountain, the legs, standing in front of the Body Shop. Maybe you had to be there! The thing is I hadn't noticed the irony until I had the picture developed.

Okay. Middle America. Observation number one. This probably has to do with the time of year one travels but I had no idea how many sunflowers are grown in the Dakotas. Field after field of drooping heads all along the Interstate. It must have been spectacular a month ago.

More middle America.

If one is to go by the campaign signs McCain is going to win in a landslide. We did not see one single Obama sign from Idaho to Iowa. Even in the university towns of Ames and Iowa City the signs posted were all McCain/Palin. University towns, other than in Idaho, are usually bastions of liberalism.

There cannot possibly be one skunk left living between Idaho and Iowa; the highways at times seemed to be paved with them.

Ranchers and farmers do not like Obama's "spreading the wealth" idea one bit. It's easy to understand why. For them it's feast or famine depending on their harvest. If they are heavily taxed in a good year they'll have nothing to carry them through a bad one.

Our first night out we were having dinner in Miles City, MT. The debate was on the TV in the bar. While fully visible from our table we tried to ignore it and enjoy our meal but the cowboy at the next table was exercised. Finally he had to get it out of his system and spent the remainder of our time there extolling everything wrong with Obama's thinking. It was an interesting lesson in the economics of ranching.

That first evening turned out to be the norm. No matter where we were or where we ate, the dinner table conversations surrounding us were all about Obama and his economic plan. None of those conversations were applauding it.

I found out just how many people drive gray or silver cars when I watched who passed us in fog so thick we couldn't see the fog line.

Once again I was reminded again of how beautiful western Montana is this time of year. It is the peak season for the Tamarack warriors resplendent in their gold armor advancing up the mountain sides.

We're home safe and sound. Bacchus was a real trooper. The laundry is in progress.

Oh, yes, one last thought and apologies to Al Franken. Rush Limbaugh is still a big fat idiot. He should be hung and quartered for the hatchet job he did on Colin Powell yesterday.

Portrait Of A Frustrated Voter

I was sorting through some family keepsakes, getting things gathered to donate to the museum in my folks hometown, when I came across an old World War II ration book. Along side the coupons are tokens, a schedule letting you know when you could get certain items and an old civil defense volunteer armband.

I got to thinking maybe I should explain why I am so passionate about the upcoming election and frustrated with what I've been seeing. You see, these items belonged to my Mom and Dad. I was very young at the time but not so young that I don't remember what sacrifice meant to everyday Americans. And why that sacrifice was necessary. We were just coming off the Great Depression and entrenched in World War II.

We had strong leadership then - Roosevelt. He knew how to soothe or persuade - whichever was necessary. He never told us to go shopping. In fact, he prevented us from doing so! He talked to us.

I remember working in the victory gardens everyone in the neighborhood had. I developed a taste for tongue and heart and liver because we could get organ meat and Mom was a fantastic cook. She could and did make everything taste good. She made all my school clothes. There were no $100 Nikes, iPods or cell phones. If there had been no one would have bought them and the technology would have been applied to the War effort first.

As I grew up my interest in politics waned as one might expect. The war ended, the country stabilized. There was so much of interest going on. I loved school and band and my dance band and Friday night football games. Yes. I was a kid then and I loved every minute of it. I look back and treasure those memories. Today's kids are growing up so fast. Sex and drugs far too soon. One mistake and poof, no more childhood. And oh, my, what they missed. Being a kid.

My college years were a mixed bag. Our worst vice was maybe taking up smoking or guzzling 3.2 beer on the weekends. Even then loose girls were received with a raised eyebrow.

On the serious side I remember Nikita Khrushchev visiting our campus and men in trench coats prowling around roof tops with strange looking cases. The fervor over John Kennedy. Many of my classmates were veterans of the Korean War attending school on the GI bill. We had a large international presence. I dated Iranians, East Indians, Egyptians and Africans without giving it a second thought, yet I would not go out with a black basketball player from New York. Questions began to stir within me. I was learning how to look at myself, who I was and what options lay before me.

I remember Kent State with students lying dead, shot by our own National Guardsmen for protesting; I remember the National Guard being called out in cities across the country to quell race riots. Kennedy's death. I was watching live TV when Lee Harvey Oswald was murdered by Jack Ruby; Martin Luther King's death, the attempt on Gerald Ford, the attempt on Ronald Reagan. All unsettling times.

I remember Vietnam and the young men who came home. One friend, still in the Army, couldn't look at rice nor hear a car backfire. He had problems. He saw a letter from a male friend on my desk and threatened to break a chair over my head. That was the end of that relationship. My own brother-in-law came back with an alcohol and drug problem that caused his untimely death. It was a tough time for those who served. It would seem we still haven't learned the lesson that was taught.

Time marches on and maybe it's an old fogey thing. I'm not sure. But when I listen to the pundits on radio and television calling the events of this election like it's a play by play on Sunday afternoon football I get mad. Nothing going on today is a laughing matter. It's bad enough they don't handle it with the seriousness nor the depth of understanding it deserves, but it's worse that they don't appear to understand much of it themselves. There is really no one to explain it to those who are going through some of these things for the first time. Those of us who try either do not articulate it well enough or are considered less then credible because - what? We're old?

McCain, who lived through these time, isn't explaining things. Who better could? And why isn't he? Chanting he knows how to fix everything doesn't cut it. Where has his leadership been all these years?

Obama isn't explaining either. How can one lead us into the future without an understanding of our past? Is it okay that they, along with the rest of us, are bewildered by this massive breakdown and the speed with which it seemed to occur? Of course, in reality, it wasn't speedy at all. Everything just culminated all at the same time. Where was everybody?

It is not okay to pretend they know all the answers. They do not. I would rather hear that admission along with a pledge to do the best they can to find the right people, regardless of party, to get it l sorted out. The posturing and blame gaming of Barney Frank and his ilk does not inspire confidence in me. Many in Congress were part of the problem in the first place.

Every one of us is concerned about how and when things are going to shake out. We're angry and we're attacking anything that moves - in anger, without rationale. It is disturbing to witness. It's like the entire country is on the brink of a nervous breakdown and our shrinks are running around in little tight circles, the worst of us all!

The wars are not going to end tomorrow. Humans seem never to learn the cost and futility of them. They will continue to drain our treasury which really isn't so much ours any more. It will continue to kill our young men and women. A drain on our future talent. This is no laughing matter.

If ever there was a time for a clear head and a steady hand , one that realizes the seriousness of the circumstances in which we find ourselves and the courage to be honest about how difficult extraction from these circumstances is going to be, it is now.

This is why I'm so frustrated with the tone of the campaigns and the caliber of the candidates. We are walking on very thin ice. I've been there, I've seen it; I've lived it. Lessons not learned. Actions not taken or taken merely to give the appearance of doing something. This is nothing new. History has a way of repeating itself because our attention span is short if we pay attention at all.

There was a question in one of those "man on the street" columns just this last week. It asked the participants what they thought of Sarah Palin. Out of six only one even knew who she was and he was Canadian. The other five are all of voting age. Where have they been? Do you want them to vote?

Writing this hasn't really made me feel any better but it does bring to mind a question; can there be worse things than rationing books? You bet. In a time of national crisis there can be a lack of them.

There's No Lipstick On The Senate Pigs

The three big pigs and their bailout bills. My version. We started with a three page bill from the administration's little pig, Treasury Secretary Paulson. It was made of straw. The big, bad wolf of a House huffed and puffed and blew it off.

Then they morphed into pigs themselves and build a bill of wood. The problem was they couldn't decide on what grade of wood; solid or full of knotty holes. So they huffed and they puffed and blamed each other and blew it off. Their bill had grown to 116 pages.

Now it's the Senate's turn. Being a wise, deliberative body, they noticed the pig shtick didn't work so they morphed into hogs and produced a bill of brick. 451 pages long!

Hub had the PDF waiting for me when I got home from errand running. Every lobbyist in the world that wanted to get something into a "must pass" bill got into this one.

Here is the said purpose of the bill:

The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to immediately provide authority and facili-
3
ties that the Secretary of the Treasury can use to
4
restore liquidity and stability to the financial system
5
of the United States; and
6
(2) to ensure that such authority and such fa-
7
cilities are used in a manner that—
8
(A) protects home values, college funds, re-
9
tirement accounts, and life savings;
10
(B) preserves homeownership and pro-
11
motes jobs and economic growth;
12
(C) maximizes overall returns to the tax-
13
payers of the United States; and
14
(D) provides public accountability for the
15
exercise of such authority.

Here are some of the provisions:

Subtitle A—Renewable Energy Incentives

Subtitle B—Carbon Mitigation and Coal Provisions

TITLE II—TRANSPORTATION AND DOMESTIC FUEL SECURITY
PROVISIONS

TITLE III—ENERGY CONSERVATION AND EFFICIENCY
...and on and on. I don't like to cut and paste but did so to give you an idea of where this is going.

I'm sorry but this bill should not be passed nor should the President sign if it is. Here we are agonizing over the result of what we've been told is greed from the home buyer on up to our largest financial institutions. It has and will have an effect on our lives for a long time to come. The purpose is to borrow from the taxpayer to re-establish liquidity within our financial institutions; not to fund every pet project under the sun!

Now is the opportunity for both candidates to shine. I'd like to hear them defend or discredit, provision by provision, every provision in this bill that has nothing to do with the bailout. Yes. It would take hours. It would also mean they would have to actually read it. That would be novel.

Gentlemen?

What Was Pelosi Thinking?

The gavel had barely fallen when the Republicans were out in force blaming Nancy Pelosi's speech at the end of the rescue plan debate for causing the vote to fail.

If ever there was a time for leadership to take a conciliatory stance this was it. Especially with so many house members facing re-election. But no. She had to use it as a campaign diatribe of her own blaming the Bush administration for everything and touting how wonderful the Democrats are. Not even all of them agreed with her. Ninety five Democrats voted against it! That's leadership?

The Senate comes next. Oh, boy.

Back to Pelosi. Here we have a woman, a seasoned politician and Speaker of the House leading the way on a serious and delicate matter. Where was the deft hand? Instead of encouraging the vote why did she have to throw it in the administration's face? This was not the time for politics as usual.

A seasoned, experienced politician. An extremely partisan politician. A slip up of major proportions. These things happen. They shouldn't. I expect our leadership, no matter the party, to know when to be prudent.

McCain claimed that by his presence all was well. It was not. Another seasoned, experienced politician. Do we really want a light weight waiting in the wings?

We've potential wars looming all around the middle east, we've natural disasters on our own turf we have yet to figure out how to handle, the next President will have the responsibility of getting this financial mess back on track. I want that President to have a number two that can look all these issues straight in the eye and know how to deal with them.

What I don't know is what we will get.

Small Town Politicians And Wannabes With Ambition - Beware!

I have often wondered if corruption in government trickles down from the top or begins at the local level and creeps upward. I believe an AP investigation has answered my question.

As I mentioned a few posts ago, we have a very fractured community with a very active watchdog group. While I think their obsession with finding all things wrong is unhealthy for the community, it is also true that they are not always wrong. My major complaint with them is that they never seem to applaud what is right.

That being said, if there are any local politicians with ambitions for higher office, beware. What you do today, how you vote, what the perception is, be it correct or not, in this age of You Tube and blogging it is quite likely to come back to haunt you at the least opportune moment!

Just look at Sarah Palin. Regardless of what the McCain campaign would like us to believe, they did not properly vet her. Had they done so I doubt she would have been chosen regardless of her youth and gender. Ah, yes, her history of small town politics.

Asking for a zoning exception to sell a house, accepting an "awesome" facial, asking for the loosening of rules for a snow machine race at the time she was a co-owner of a store that sold snow machines. These may appear innocuous enough but they lead to a pattern.

Our town is not unlike many others. The movers and shakers public lives intertwine with their private ones. Sometimes it's difficult to separate the political from the personal and this is where the difficulties begin. As our watch dog group points out day in and day out.

There is a lesson to be learned for both sides from what Sarah Palin is now having to endure. If you hold public office and want to climb the ladder you will be under the most invasive of scrutinies. Like going through airport security every moment of you life with your neighbors wielding the wands.

On the other hand, those doing the watching aren't above risking their own perils. Inaccurate accusations, character assassination, grudge bearing and self righteousness can also come back to haunt. Especially if the intent isn't so much for the good of the community as is preached, but an ambition to take the places of those you disparage as you move them out - or they move on up the ladder.

Show Me The Money! Here's A Reason To End The Iraq War!

Does anyone have any real sense of the dollar any more? I was listening to Obama's press conference at noon and heard him tell how he will able to pursue all the programs he has promised in his campaign because they are paid for. If the American public buys into this rhetoric from either candidate, we're dumber than I think.

A seven billion dollar bailout isn't chump change and it is tax payer money. Our money. Lump that together with the approximate $9 billion per month its costing to wage our little war in Iraq and you're looking at a hefty chunk of change! Not Obama's change, mind you. Monetary change, as in pocket change - of which there is none!

Here we are fussing around with how to make ends meet because Social Security is barely a safety net. We struggle to afford the premiums we have to pay for medicare; forget about the premiums for a supplement. And don't forget the donut hole in prescription med coverage if that's where you are! It isn't pretty.

On the other hand the campaigns are bringing in 40, 50 million dollars a month each just to get one of them elected. How many mortgages could that pay off?

What's a billion, or 50 million here and there? To most of us, it's beyond our imagination. It's not even a realistic American dream unless your a movie star, athlete or failed company CEO!

We, who've collectively made all of this possible, deserve more of a return on our dollar. More than bankruptcy court. More than promises that mathematically don't compute. And more than the officials, elected and otherwise, who continually tell us it does.

September Mourn!

As I watched the noon news crude has shot up $25 a barrel and the dollar is sinking against the euro faster then the Titanic. The financial solidity of this country is in deep kimchee, as the saying goes.

As I read the blogs I understand how little most of us understand the intricacies of what's going on. Worse, Congress, as is it's habit, has rushed into crisis mode and they probably know even less, collectively, than I do about all that's involved.

The last thing we need is Congress rushing in with all sorts of fixes until they figure out just exactly what needs fixed and I'm not sure they're the ones to do it anyway. Remember they're the ones who rushed Homeland Security into being and look at the mess that is.

I personally intend to take a deep breath and trust the financial professionals to sort it out. Yes. Without a doubt changes need to be made, regulations put back in place; but when Congress - mostly the Democrats at this point, come charging along threatening to limit executive salaries and bail out stupid people for acts of greed, they are treading on treacherous ground.

They cannot nor do they have the right, in my book, to dictate how corporations choose to compensate their people. Whether or not they can even rightfully limit rewards for non-performance is unclear. Given time and clear heads this will get sorted out.

Talking heads and Congressmen who have no more economic knowledge than McCain, by his own admission, would do us all a favor by proceeding with caution or as I said before, stepping back and letting the money people sort it out. The last thing we need is both sides politicizing it. That's part of the problem to begin with.

The Bailout As Political Hay

The campaigns are going nuts. There has been little on the talk shows other than finger pointing. The administration has come out with a plan. It is three pages long. This is of immense importance because now it goes to the House and the Senate. How much pork will be added?

It's important to understand that the posturing by both candidates is for naught. There is nothing either of them can do about the current financial meltdown. Forget that they both are party to the laxity that brought it about in the first place.

We need to know from each of them what their ideas are on how to prevent this from happening again. Some regulation will be necessary. How much and why? They can only speak to the future and we should make them do so.

If the bailout emerges from Congress with any more than the three pages it had going in, I want to know who added what and why. And why I should not vote them out of office.

My Political Quandary

Tonight, thank heavens, is the last night of the conventions. Hopefully McCain has practiced his speech to the point he can deliver it without putting me to sleep. It's important to hear what he has to say. After all, he is the nominee and he and his take on the issues are what need to be compared to Obama's. Not Sarah Palin's.

I'm going to be in a quandary now. As most of my readers know, I've been a Republican most of my adult life. I switched to Independent with somewhat Libertarian leanings when I became interested enough in politics to really pay attention.

So here is my quandary. There are a lot of Obama's programs and tax and spend philosophy I don't agree with. The poor house is already too close for this old lady. There is no way he can raise the monies necessary for his programs by taxing only the rich and closing corporate loopholes. What I do sense is genuine concern for us and sincerity about changing the way the government goes about it's business - which, of course, is ours.

On the Republican side, I have no idea what John McCain really believes about anything other than it seems to be his God given right to be President. The maverick in him scares me more than it represents change.

One thing to remember is that no matter who wins, he can do no more than Congress allows. Unless the Bush practice of signing statements, which in effect, allows the administration to ignor that which they have just signed into law, remain a common practice.

I would be happy if every incumbent in Congress was thrown out of office. Their performance is that dismal. Will the Alaskans sent Ted Stevens back to the Senate? Will Louisiana send William Jefferson back to the House? Both are under indictment and both are likely to be re-elected. I'm weary of the "throw all the bums out except ours" that keeps these people feeding from the public trough. Our trough.

So tonight is important. Will McCain give a speech of substance and delineate some actual policy or continue the sarcasm from last night? Time will tell. Obama, at least, still holds to his word to run a different kind of campaign.

No matter, however, it's time to pay close to the Congressional races too. The government tends to be totally dysfunctional when one party holds both the White House and the Congress. The question is who do we want where?