Red State Blue State

My entire focus on red and blue states recently have been my garden.

Everything political is in limbo until situations shake out.  I can only write about my disgust and disappointment and frustration so many times.

Last night, however, I indulged myself in the FOX Republican debate. Not much else was on.  Hub wasn't interested so he cleaned up his office while I had complete control of the remote and was able to watch the entire debate uninterrupted.  That in of itself was a rare pleasure!

Anyway, to parallel my gardening efforts, you can see Red is ripe for the picking and Blue, well they've proved themselves not yet ready for prime time.  Nice fruit though, don't you think?

I have some strong feelings about who I would not support yet none on who I might.  Just for the record and future reference, this is how last night struck me.

Bachmann - she said nothing of substance other than she is a fighter for her principles.  I had to agree with Santorum when he said fighting for a stance and losing time after time does not show leadership.  She's a featherweight at best though I know people love her.  I don't.

Pawlenty - lacks anything approaching charisma.  I don't think the exchanges between he and Bachmann stood him in good stead.  He just doesn't light my fire.

Romney - is Romney.  He does have business credentials and government credentials and has potential.  He certainly wants it bad enough.  But again, he doesn't get my juices flowing.

Huntsman  - interesting background.  I think he'd be more solid on foreign policy than any of the others.  And again, a good business and governmental background.

Paul - a very angry and frustrated man.  I agree with him on some of his stances, others I consider undoable because of being more extreme than voters will accept.  I'm not quite a Libertarian I guess.

Santorum - he wants it but I'm not sure what he stands for.  Another one who just doesn't touch me.  A bit too socially conservative for me also.

Newt - wow!  He did well.  He is a very bright man and certainly had the back story on everything he espoused.  I agree with him on the issues discussed but wonder if his baggage will be the deciding factor.  He certainly doesn't take any guff from the press.  His wife may be problematic too.

Cain -  I like him though I don't think he has a chance.  My guess is we'll be back to bland white men for awhile.  He should at least get a high profile cabinet post should the Republicans win.  He's smart and precise and has a great sense of humor.  He's the most refreshing candidate out there. I think, though, his lack of government involvement may hurt.  I'd like to think I'm wrong.

So that's it.  I've got to go pick those raspberries now.  I do know what to expect from them!

The Downgrade SHOULD Be A Wake Up Call

The possibility of a down grade in the U.S. credit rating has been like a ticking bomb for months.  It has been downgraded long before now by others than S&P but no one paid much attention to it.  At least it wasn't widely reported in the press.

Now all of a sudden the reality has hit and what do we do?  We look for someone to blame.  It's the Tea Party's fault.  It's the Democrats, the Republicans, Obama's  and of course George Bush.  Pick one.  How about all of the above!

So what do we do.  We attack Standard and Poor.  They are immature and foolish.  Their numbers are wrong.  Of course they've never been wrong before as long as they gave us the AAA rating. And they warned us. As have the others.  Moody's and Fitch. The market answered by taking a nose dive even though it was only one of three rating agencies.  But as I pointed out the other two haven't given us a pass.

So what's it all about?  We spend more than we take in and we've passed our limit.  We've borrowed so much that default looms unless we borrow even more and the lenders are saying, "Awww, I don't know how they're ever going to get ahead enough to repay us.  So we'll charge them higher interest to protect ourselves."  Of course that's a double edged sword and if we did default, they'd be out.  Debt forgiveness?  I wouldn't hold my breath.

When you boil down all the rhetoric, what we're being told is the rating agencies see no sign that we're able to get beyond our partisan bickering to put forth a budget that shows a plan for the way back.  Heck, the Democrats haven't put out a budget for two years. There is a law against that.  So what?

The President rejects everything that's been put forward whether it was good or bad plus offering no guidance on how he sees a fix.  The rest of the world is  now wondering where it can go for a stable currency.  Switzerland comes to mind.

So the President is going to move on to jobs.  I've got a clue for him.  With the economy in the tank there will be no jobs.  Tea Party take note.  You took us to the brink, making us look like fools and got nothing for it.  Democrats take note.  Put out a budget.  Republicans take note. Work with the Democrats ~ and vice versa including the Tea Party.  Of course being on vacation for the month we've heard little from you.

We've not heard much from the candidates either.  But Standard and Poor is hearing something loud and clear.  We've no act to get together.  I hate to say we deserve what's happening, but we're the ones who put the people in office.  Strange, isn't it, that we elected an administration and Congress who are deaf, dumb and blind.

A wake up call is only helpful if it's heard, the issue talked about as a national problem rather than a partisan pain in the neck and seen in the first place.  I fear that alarm may be a silent one.   The gang of twelve yet to be appointed will probably have a great deal to do with what Moody's and Fitch decide in the not too distant future.  I've heard little optimism from financial experts.  What an endorsement of our government!

What happens if they fail?  I fear Nancy Pelosi's dramatic statement about saving life on the planet as we know it may become a very haunting refrain.

Taiwan ~ Between A Rock And A Hard Place

It has been said that California is too big to govern.  I sometimes wonder if the same isn't true of this country.  As we look back on the theater that had been going on in Congress that has netted us nothing positive, we sigh with relief that at least it has been put to rest for awhile.  I expect nothing positive to come out of the committee of twelve that will be assigned to find budget cuts.  It's rather hard to do with no budget.

Another distraction has been the hype beginning to form around the upcoming Iowa straw poll.  I watch the ground swell around Michele Bachmann and wonder if we will ever learn that personality alone does not equate presidential material.

Meanwhile, back in the rest of the world, countries are struggling with their own financial problems - and wars.  I wonder if the people of Syria are wondering where the United States is.  Doing what we seem to do best.  Posturing.

Then there is China and it's ongoing ambition to crush the independence out of Taiwan.  We have an agreement with Taiwan, the Taiwan Relations Act, to supply them with the weapons needed to defend themselves against China's aggression. They need F-16s, badly.  They have old ones, but they are no longer adequate to do the job.  We have been asked to commence the sale, but so far, as seems to be a habit with this administration, have turned a deaf ear on the request.

Admittedly, we do have a problem.  China does not want us to sell Taiwan the F-16s.  So what to do?  Risk war with China in defense of Taiwan or leave Taiwan as a sitting duck with inadequate air power?

According to The Wall Street Journal , Mr. Obama is leaning against the sale.    He doesn't want to risk irritating China.  We all understand why.  As he cuts our defense budget, the Chinese have grown theirs some 70% over the last five years!  Ouch!

The order would also provide American jobs to produce the plane, perhaps even saving the production line that's due to close down in 2013.  So what to do?  A word bandied about quite a bit that has often been empty.  Compromise?  Refurbish the old planes but don't sell any new ones.  Why do I doubt that would bring the aircraft to speed?

What does it tell the rest of the world?  That the U.S. won't stand up to a bully no matter how important it is to a friend?  Bullies.  Let me see.  Russia.  China.  The Saudis. Iran. Syria. Libya. Maybe that's the idea.  How many more need be added to the list before we won't have any friends left for which to stand?

The President's Mirror On The Wall

The debt ceiling has been raised.  What that means is the government is now able to spend more money.  Yet the country's unemployment rate still hovers just under 10%.  Future prospects remain dismal.

So what does the President do to empathize with the people he governs?  Throws a birthday bash where it costs ten grand to have a picture taken with him and over thirty five thousand to gain entry to the dinner.  Just one of many celebrations to be held around the country hosted by various insiders.  Of course it's a campaign event.  So why the heck would he want to burden the rich with more taxes?  It would mean less for him.

Him.  Him.  Him.  It's always him.  I used to think he was just uninformed when it comes to matters of protocol.  That he has a tin ear.  Returning the bust of Churchill to the Brits the day he took office.  Giving the Queen an i-Pod filled with his own speeches.  Bowing to every world leader who lacks the stature to deserve it.  Never mind that we bow to no one.

If you love the guy it makes no matter.  But one does at times wonder why he won't release his college transcripts, or the flap over his birth certificate.  If it was by design to add to the aura of mystery.  There has to be some reason why he is referred to as the 'Sun King' or the 'Annoited One' even though it's by his detractors.  It alludes to ego and arrogance.

Then I cam across an article by  Israeli psychologist Sam Vaknin who suggests Obama may have narcissistic tendencies if he isn't an outright narcissist.  Dr. Vaknin is considered an expert on personality disorders  in general and  Narcissistic Personality Disorder in particular.

If you sometimes wonder what makes our President tick, this is an interesting read and explains a lot.  It may also explain the way Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu reacts to him since it is his fellow countryman who has noted the parallels.

Many of you will totally disregard this premise, others might see a glimmer of truth in it. I found the parallels interesting and food for thought.

Do We Really Want To Soak The Rich?

Let's face it.  Everyone wants to be rich.  I find that thought rich with irony.   Let's face it.  An awful lot of us, when we're not thinking tax implications, we're playing lotto or the slots or the ponies or whatever else on which one can wager.  Always hoping.

We know the President wants wealth to be shared.  I have a problem making someone who has worked hard to earn it have to share it with those who have not.   That, however, could be a completely different post.

But let's look at it.  Those billboards that tell you what the current jackpots for Powerball and Mega Millions are.  Let's look at a recent Mega Millions jackpot worth $85,000,000.  A nice tidy sum to be sure.  How much of that would you actually get if you want the lump sum? First, because you take the lump sum you get whacked for an amount the takes it down to $56,000,000.  Whew!  Than the tax man shows up.  The Feds want 25%.  A cool $14,000,000 taking you down to $42,000,000.  Then the states want their share.  In Idaho where I live, it would be 7.8%, another $4,368,000 leaving you with $37,360,000.  Now that's nothing to sneeze at, but neither is what has been subtracted for the tax men!

At $37 million you would definitely be considered rich.  Since it's over $10million, you'd be among the 5% of taxpayers paying 50% of the taxes.  And they would tell you you're not paying your fair share.

It's also interesting to me that 231 of 535 members of Congress are millionaires and 55 of them are over that $10 million mark.  The most wealthy is a Republican, Darrell Issa, who's worth is in the vicinity of $300 million.  Rounding out the top three are  Democrats Jane Harman at $293 million, thanks to her husband's efforts and John Kerry, thanks to his wife's former husband's efforts, the late John Heinz.

If they think the wealthy aren't paying their fair share than they should write a check to the treasury!  Though it seems Kerry was reluctant to pay the taxes on his yacht, docking it in neighboring Rhode Island where taxes are less burdensome than his home state of Massachusetts.  The yacht cost a mere $7 million.  Massachusetts wanted $500,000.

Does he figure what's good for the goose isn't necessarily good for the gander?  Who knows.  I just got to wondering how it would feel if the shoe were on the other foot.  Unless I win that lottery, I'll never know.  I can't even imagine having the dollar amount of what they pay in taxes as income.

I don't resent them.  We're comfortable.  I'm  sure they have tax breaks and loopholes that I couldn't begin to name.  Some should undoubtedly be snugged up; especially if they aren't available to everyone.  But to say they don't pay their fair share.  I'm not so sure when in 2009 47% paid no federal taxes at all.

The next chapter is about to begin.  The President wants to "invest".  He has to pay for investments by raising revenue.  That means taxes.  It's only money. But whose?