Happy Daze!

Man, I can't wait to hear Jay Carney crow over this!  Unemployment is down to 6.3% according to the administration.  288,000 new jobs were created according to the administration.  Never mind that an additional 806,000 people left the work force.  Their policies are working!

What else?  Angela Merkel is in town telling the Prez that Germany businesses have said no more sanctions on Russia.  It's hurting Germany more than Putin.  Now the Prez doesn't have to make that hard decision as to what more and to whom. Syria is still bombing kids but who's watching that any more?

Sam Champion of the weather channel is in Louisville taste testing Mint Juleps in anticipation of tomorrow's Kentucky Derby. The D.C. week end weather forecast is 73 and mostly sunny. Perfect golf weather. What more could the President ask for?

The Friday evening news dump may not be so rosy but so what? No one pays attention because the week end is looming. Heck, Darrell Issa is thinking about subpoenaing John Kerry to answer questions about the Benghazi e-mail.  Kerry, who wasn't at State at the time.  John Boehner is thinking, finally, of forming a select committee to study Benghazi and  Toronto's Rob Ford is going into rehab.  Did you catch that last one?  See?  It's Friday and you weren't paying attention.

Oh well, let them crow.  Monday begins a new week and a new news cycle and the Friday dump will start getting some attention.  And the revisions to those statistics will start coming out.  Never-the-less, everyone should be able to dance to the drummer once in awhile - even if it is a different one.

Hillary

Even though it isn't yet time for all Hillary all the time, I've been thinking about her a lot lately.  I'm wondering how she's going to run.

Forget her health and all the negatives and say she gets the nomination. Can she, as vaunted, as she is really win?  Or are the voters so sick of this administration they'll vote for a Republican no matter what?  Or just stay home?

I worry about that because that would really open the door for her.  Another thing I worry about a lot is the inability, or unwillingness, of the Republicans to quit squabbling and put together something of substance on which to run.

Sure, individuals do but they can't seem to form a coalition.  Then too they've become scandal prone of late, something they can ill afford.

Back to Hillary.  If the Republicans can come up with a viable candidate, can that candidate be beaten by another personality.   We've got one now and it hasn't worked out too well.  Would she break ranks with the President and run on a less progressive platform? The progressives have been trying for years to have it their way.  In this President they do even though many of them don't think he's far enough left. Thank heaven for small favors!

What has become apparent is that their grand philosophies haven't helped the country but hurt it.  Of course a President who doesn't have any convictions and refuses to govern doesn't help their cause.

Too, I wonder if Hillary can re-establish our stature in the eyes of the world.  Can she rejuvenate our economy? Can she create the jobs still needed?  Can she make the ACA palatable and affordable?  Would she rid us of over regulation?  Would she reform the tax code? If so then I ask how she would plan to do so.

Will she work with instead of against Congress? Of course that depends on whether or not we have a Congress worth working with!  Does she care more about the welfare of the country than her own fame and fortune?

One other point bothers me.  She has no experience governing.  We have one of those in office now.  Dare we chance another?

I dare to say no.

Survey Spin - When Outstanding Really Means Average

Every once in awhile I receive an online survey and if not too lengthy usually answer them.  That's usually the end of it.  I have no idea what is done with the results but I've always assumed they take the information to find areas of weakness so it can be improved or determine where ones taste or interests lie.  Never ever have I had a follow up except a thank you for participating.

Until a few days ago.  I received a survey from my car manufacturer via the dealer I go to for service.  It was a series of questions on the service, cleanliness of the facility and the car upon return, etc.  You've all probably had them at one time or another.

It was a first, however, to receive a follow up, rather frantic phone call from the service manager who I dealt with asking what they could have done anything better so as to please me. Somewhat taken aback, I told him the service was fine. Well, he asked, why had I only checked average to all the questions?  What would it take for an "outstanding" response.

Something outstanding, said I.  The service was exactly what it should have been.  No better, no worse so I marked average.  I always do.  I don't tend to exaggerate that which I expect.

I was told that the manufacturer  demands better than average and if the criteria isn't met it means all sorts of training sessions, explanations and the like that with which the dealer obviously didn't want to be tainted.  Nor was it called for as far as I was concerned.  He went on to explain few people actually respond to their surveys, it's disheartening when those who do don't rate them higher than I did.

So here's my quandary. We're definitely on different planets here.  In the future should I join the majority and ignore the survey knowing it has to be skewed to be acceptable or go ahead and skew the answers against my own beliefs and answer as I know they prefer?

I honestly don't know which path I'll follow.  I do know that, in this case, the survey if answered truthfully isn't acceptable.

Must everything be spun?  Do I really have to say because they removed the protective mat they put on the floor of my car that the service was outstanding?  Maybe a free car wash and vacuuming every time I take it in, without an accompanying coupon, might get my attention.

But no.  The service was exactly as I expect from a service department.  No better.  No worse.  Average.

So Now We Have Boots On The Ground

While the President has been dining on $600 Sushi in Japan, 600 U.S. troops have been dispersed to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia plus a frigate is on it's way to the Black Sea.

The troops are supposedly engaging in military exercises.  The ship is "to promote peace and stability in the region."

With some 40,000 troops massed along the Ukrainian border, I'm sure Putin is quaking in his boots.

Is it reasonable to think these few troops under the pretext of military exercises will deter Russia from continuing it's aggression?

It is now apparent negotiations haven't had any impact.  Russia has just spun the language of the so called agreements to serve it's own purposes.  So now what happens?  If we're trying to make a show of strength it's a mighty weak one.  If we're trying to assure our NATO allies we have their backs, it is also mighty weak.

The Russians are getting more and more aggressive. The Brits, the Dutch and the Danes have all scrambled aircraft after Russian planes came to close to their territories for comfort. That does not bode well.

Obama thinks Putin is operating from a state of weakness.  I'd hate to see how he plays from a position of strength.  What will happen if he finds the excuse he's looking for to actually invade the Ukraine?  What will be expected of the U.S. because it has troops in the area, meager as they may be?
Will the U.S. be expected to step up to the plate? It would be another suicide mission the way things currently stand.  Or will those troops retreat back to Italy before things get really rough?  Who knows?  I'm not betting on U.S. foreign policy to be effective under any circumstance.

The idea of peace and stability in the region seems like a dream induced, perhaps, from smoking too much weed. To the people of the region I'm sure it's a nightmare. 

The Bundy Bungle

Ah, shades of the old west.  The good guys versus the bad guys.  Only this time the good guys wear both white hats and black and camo as do the villains.

The problem with the story about the ranchers as good guys versus the Feds as bad guys, it's wrong.  The ranchers are the ones breaking the law.  If you doubt me, it's well documented in this article on Breitbart.

Mr. Bundy does in fact owe the Feds a backlog of grazing fees and no matter how unjust or how much he doesn't want to believe the land belongs to the Feds, it does.

The complications arise with the involvement of Dingy Harry Reid and his cohorts being in cahoots with the Chinese who want to build a solar farm near by and possibly expand the enterprise onto the land used by the Bundy's sometime in the future.

As repugnant as Harry Reid is and as questionable as his character and actions are,  no one has as of now found any illegalities in what he's doing.

It's hard to look past him because of his nature and his history.  There is nothing likable nor sympathetic about him, but then the citizens of Nevada keep him in office.

Everyone is sympathetic with the Bundys.  Everyone responds to the innocence of the old west, cattle grazing peacefully on open range as far as the eye can see.  No one sympathizes with the Feds with guns drawn and tasers at the ready awkwardly trying to round up cattle.  Who's in charge of public relations here?  Obviously the Feds.  They're not very good at it.

Reid is correct.  This is not yet over.  Regardless of the disservice being performed by all the FOX entities by ignoring the facts of the case and trying to lionize the Bundys, the fact remains, a backlog of grazing fees are due the government.

If it's to end peacefully, I'd suggest Mr. Bundy pony up those fees then work to change the status of the land through legal channels.  The Reids do not own the entire justice system though with this administration they have the upper hand. They won't always and providing a path for change will take time anyway.

I believe Mr. Bundy is well intended and the Feds are acting like the bullies they portray so well. Still, nothing is gained by refusing to see the errors of their ways and getting their backs up against an unbeatable force.  Better to be smart about it.  This is one time where brains just might prevail over brawn.  One can hope so.  Yee Ha!