Back to the Future????

We've long thought that it takes extremes to move the mass. In the 60's the tension between groups like the John Birch Society and the Students for a Democratic Society polarized debate about the war in Viet Nam and some social issues. This dichotomy of ideas influenced the end of the war and the domestic policies of LBJ--the Great Society which incorporated civil rights and Medicare into our society. The mass in the middle needs the radical fringes to motivate it.

But what happens when those radicals become the voice of the people in a republic like ours?? What outcomes can be expected when the radical fringe assumes control?? We poked a little fun at the Hutaree Militia but the underlying threats posed by religious cults and right wing domestic terrorists is palpable. Remember Jonestown and Timothy McVeigh. A conservative group called Guardians of the Free Republics is under investigation for sending threatening letters to governors.

Most of these groups, and others in the conservative movement, rail against the growth of so-called big government. The latest documents from the Guardians talks about returning to the pre-1933 form of government. Let's see, wouldn't that be a return to the Great Depression??? Wonder if they'd provide dime a gallon gas and $.07 loaves of bread as well. Somehow we believe the circumstances of the world economy wouldn't permit that, nor would people work for the same wages. The poverty threshold in 2008 was higher than the average wage in 1932!!

The federal government grew with jobs programs, Social Security, and other innovations to get the country out of an economic meltdown in the period from 1932-1934. (In truth, full recovery and full employment came about because of World War II.) But the government interventions in the '30s moved the economy in the correct direction. The recent economic slowdown was exacerbated by the shrinking of government regulation since the 1990s. Wasn't the Republican Party, the conservatives led by Newt Gingrich and George W Bush in charge of the economy and government then? Isn't the lesson of history that less government intervention in the economy a recipe for disaster---see the history for 1929 and 2007 for examples.

So let the tea-partiers continue their tea-bagging and let Rush bombast to his heart's content. But don't for a minute believe them----we would NOT be better of if we revisited 1932!!!!!

Death in D C

Mourning time hath come.

On two issues the Democrats have proven why they cannot govern, even with the change agent the people elected in November 2008 as their leader. It is truly time to change the name of the American capitol from the "District of Columbia" to the "Dysfunctionality of Congress."

The latest fiasco by the Democratic leadership is the Senate's alleged leader Harry Reid doing all he can to strip a bill fashioned by---hold your breath---a Democrat and a Republican to boost jobs. The details are too much to go into here---see the N Y Times piece. Suffice it to say that once again Reid has managed to sabotage the president's initiatives in trying to get the Republicans to participate in rather than stonewall his program.

Reid's blunder follows on the heels of his and the House speaker Nancy Pelosi's total mismanagement of health care reform, which degenerated into health care insurance reform, which is now nowhere. I know there are those who say good riddance and keep the government's hands off my medicare, but most economists, even those of the conservative ilk, take the position that unless health care inflation is brought under control, deficits at the federal level never will be and future generations will pay and pay as America's position as the world's economic engine sputters into decline.

I almost wish I lived in San Francisco because if I did, I'd be working to get a new representative----Where is the "Draft Gavin Newsom, Dump Pelosi" movement. He'd do more good in her seat than following the Gubernator............

Nothing's Easy

After all the flap about the peace prize, we really need to get serious about blaming the current administration for things. Onion has a piece about Obama negotiating with a forest fire--guess he CAN do anything!!! Today the news broke that American kids are even worse at math than last year after we elected what we thought was a REAL education supportive president. There's tsunamis in the Pacific and Dylan was right about SoCal---"a hard rain's gonna fall" and all those multi-million dollar homes the elite built on those recently denuded-by-fire hills may come tumbling down like Jericho's walls. Barack, blow that trumpet!!!!!!!!

But the ultimate insult, worse than H1N1 swine flu, is H3N8!!!! Obviously this plague has been visited upon us by Yahweh as punishment for our electing Obama. What, you didn't hear about this?? The ultimate apocalyptic event, worse than a Vince Vaughn movie or a Mayan prophecy?

H3N8 is a virus that infects horses. Apparently it can be transmitted to dogs, causing pneumonia in man's last and only best friend. Vets are recommending vaccinations for the K-9 population to protect them. Holy spiraling health care costs, and right on top of the swine flu vaccine issues!!!!! Barack, Barack, why hast thou forsaken us???? After nine months in office, all there is for you is blame---- blame for the wars you didn't start and the deficit you didn't create. Bet you even support Limbaugh's buying the St Louis Rams!!!! Don't worry, someone is sure to paint you with that brush,too......

Book Comment

I recently read Myths, Illusions, & Peace by Dennis Ross and David Makovsky. It's a fascinating study of the relationship between the US and the Middle East, especially Israel and Iran. Some parts seem to be self-serving, almost as if Mr. Ross is polishing his resume. He was a negotiator for Palestinian-Israeli peace talks under H W Bush and Clinton and while an adviser to Obama, might he wish for a more active role? Anyway, the book is illuminating and well worth the read if one is interested in the Middle East. One of the final paragraphs pretty well sums up the pathetic incompetence of the last eight years:

"Truth be told, credibility is a function of many facets of our behavior. Are we effective? Do we tend to preserve the moral high ground? Do we frame issues or objectives in a way that others internationally or regionally accept? Do we shape policies in which our objectives and our means are in sync, or is there always a wide gap between them? Do others believe that we will do what we say we will do, or are we likely to put those who join with us in an exposed position? Do we avoid surprises that raise questions about our purposes or judgment, or both? Ultimately, credibility boils down to reliability and effectiveness. After the ineffective policies of the Bush Administration, its successor must recognize the importance of being able to produce on the objectives it proclaims. "

~Dennis Ross, David Makovsky: Myths, Illusion, & Peace, p. 319

So if there is a lesson to be drawn from this book and the experiences of the past few years it is in our national interest to regain our credibility in the world and re-establish our claim to the higher moral ground we have ceded by our actions in the "war" on terror. The actions recommended by Messrs. Ross & Makovsky might not be out of place in our domestic discussions on health care, Afghanistan, and firearms as well.

Short Week

Last week marked the traditional end of summer--Labor Day. This week usually seems very packed with events for such a short-work week. It's the traditional back-to-school week; the time to prepare for the harvest and start the process of stocking up for winter; car sales; and that last summer week-end of irresponsibility.

This year the week seemed even more densely populated with events.

Tuesday had the presidential brainwashing of America's youth with socialist clap-trap. Horror must abide at the very thought of encouraging these impressionable minds to endeavor to fulfill their potential. Far better for our democracy that the next generation be dull and easily swayed by the demagoguery coming from the speakers of their radios and televisions. Just imagine what, say, Rush Limbaugh's or Fox News channel's ratings would be if their listeners or viewers were capable of critical thinking or schooled in the intricacies of logical debate. No wonder the hue and cry to prevent the president from addressing the nation's students about their opportunities if they stay in school, eschew gangs and drugs, and learn to think and evaluate issues and arguments.

This week, the Economist had two articles of note. First is the Lexington column that basically called health care reform a non-starter because American are afraid of rational public discussions about death. Second was an article titled "The nanny state" that addresses the issue of public spending on child well-being and how it misses the mark more often than not. The US is pretty much in the bottom half of OECD countries when it comes to effective use of public spending on childhood well being. It's tragic that we rank 24th of 30 countries in the health and safety of our children.

Wednesday brought the much awaited address to Congress on health care reform. Except that wasn't the topic. Health insurance reform was and it really looks like that's all we'll get. And I feel betrayed. I have very good health insurance through my employer. But if I retire before Medicare kicks in, which I hope to do, I need to feel anxious about the cost of any coverage. Basic health insurance will cost me about 5X what I presently pay per month!!! And like many retirees, my income will be less than it is at present. Doesn't take a genius to see this is not a good outcome. So while I appreciate the efforts of congress and the administration to attempt insurance reform, that's sort of like the cart before the horse. What is needed is health CARE reform. Health care providers should be paid for results, not number of tests prescribed. Certain screenings like HPV, mammograms, colonoscopies, cholesterol screening, prostate screens, should be, if not free, than at least at a minimal cost. Prevention and wellness are the keys to cutting medical costs and there is little beyond platitudes coming from congress to address these issues.

Last time I looked, the candidate who got the majority in the electoral college becomes president. Of all of the United States. So whether one might consider him a liar, a socialist, a reactionary, etc, he is still the president. Nixon was---lots of truth there, right?? LBJ was, another paragon of virtue. Bill Clinton---what can I say, Monica?? "W"--as in "Weapons of mass destruction"---even more truth telling. So I guess my comment to all those who say the current person residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is "not my president" is to go where your type president lives---maybe Russia, with Medvedev and Putin; or France with Sarkozy; or Zimbabwe with Mugabe?? I was prepared to go to Canada rather than serve under Johnson in Viet-Nam. I guess I'd say to you the same thing I heard back then---America, love it or leave it.

Lastly, Bertequila spent Tuesday night thru Thursday morning at the vet. Time to get him neutered. But even though he now has no balls, he's still got more cojones than the screamers and bloviators.

Ranting

So it's like every time I go to the doctor there's something else wrong---high blood pressure, high glucose, overweight, arthritis, blah, blah, blah.  $200 for this test, oops what's your out-of-pocket, oh, we'll satisfy that with this test, don't need to give blood---bleeding dollars!!!!!!!  Take diabetes, they give you a stupid test, prescribe a monitor meter, tell you to test 3 X a day for 8 weeks, come back for a consult.  Insurance covers part of the meter but the freaking test strips are like $24.00 for 20 and that's at Wal-Mart!!!!!  And by the time of the consultation, the glucose count ain't even close to out-of-range (which is 120-140 before breakfast).  So it looks like the diabetes is now under control----of course, I didn't make any changes, just got a tattoo on my fingertip from the bloody tester.............Wonder what the doctor or nurses tests would have looked like if they'd been force fed a trillion milliliters of glucose suspended in syrup and had a blood glucose reading every hour for 4 hours.

So now my tri-glycerides and cholesterol are above normal range.  So we're looking at the diet.  I'm going to try some "heart smart" cereal for breakfast.  It's loaded with fiber and anti-oxidants.  Probably will taste like something scraped out of the Klingon Kats' litter box too.

Speaking of anti-oxidants, these are vitamins/minerals to limit the body's free radicals.  Tell you what, the way the news has been lately and some of the idiocy I've sen on t v and in those chain e-mails, we could use a whole lot more radicals freed!!!!

For instance, if capitalism is about winners and losers--a company either makes it or not, right?--why are we bailing out the losers??  But if government is about providing a minimum safety net for all citizens---no one should be allowed to starve or be illiterate in the richest country on the globe,right??-- how can they allow major employers to fail, causing the employees to lose their homes and ability to feed themselves and their families?  Ah, the paradox of capitalism in a liberal democracy. (Notice I won't get involved with health care here---it's pathetic enough that this country ranks below some third world states in child deaths per thousand population.)

So some Republican southern governors are actually advocating secession??  Now there's an apple that done fell several light-years from the tree.  If I recall my history, didn't the Republicans start as the party that elected some cat named Abe to PRESERVE THE UNION when the (same!!!) Southern governors wanted to secede...........

But the latest greatest is the flap over whether the CIA lied to Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives.  Maybe they just mis-informed her??  Who cares!!!!!  CIA is a government agency, Congress is a government agency, you-name-it in Washington and it's probably a government agency.  After the last 40 years---Viet-Nam, Watergate, Iran-Contra, Clinton, Iraq war----is there really anyone left who believes anything the government tells them without checking it out for themselves first??

Please give me back my bacon and eggs and sausage and free them radicals!!!!!!

Tortured

Listening to the Grand Old Pissants Newt, John, Rush, Eric, etc. call the president a socialist and now a fascist-----torture

Listening to the foo-fah on MSNBC about the failure of the administration to prosecute either the agents of the CIA who performed "enhanced interrogation" or those who authorized it--torture

Realising that the Dept. of Justice is responsible for investigations and decisions on whether and whom they should prosecute---anyone remember the rules going back to the Watergate investigations that the DOJ was independent of the White House and the president's offices so as NOT TO BE POLITICIZED IN THE PERFORMANCE OF ITS DUTIES---and isn't that exactly the meat of this issue---that the Bush appointees to DOJ were political hacks and eroded these rules with their memos of opinion on the legality of various acts of torture??  It took a while but Nixon and the plumbers were brought to justice.

Honestly. Obama, his cabinet, and his advisers have to solve a lot of things before prosecution of Bush administration torturers hits the main course on their plates.  So let's let DOJ do its thing now that we have a REAL Attorney-General and I bet we see justice prevail in the next couple of years.  Congress should work on the bills needed to get us moving ahead economically and also let DOJ do its job.  We want to see the truth and let the perpetrators be found guilty---we don't need a partisan side-show.

Pirate Tea

So April 15 is when all the tea parties to protest the massive tax increases happen.  Now, I get paid a couple of times a month, the 15th and last day to be precise.  So I just got my first pay stub post-Obama's plan (went into effect April 1).  My net was an increase of about $26.00, not a king's ransom or TARP money, but certainly not a tax increase---that deducts from the net, right???  So what exactly are these people protesting against??  The tax rates imposed by the LAST administration---as in Republican George W. Bush------and I'm not even going to get onto "teabagging"------------------but whatever floats your boat I guess.

Speaking of boats,  the Pirate Dogs salute the US Navy Seals.  Good shots.  But they are laughing up their sleeves at the rest of this issue.  Those Somali pirates have seized at least four vessels since the weekend and have now delayed Captain Phillips'  homecoming by attacking another US flagged vessel and forcing the destroyer Bainbridge, with Phillips on board, into diverting to protect this other ship.  Just imagine, those were kids that held him---teenagers.  The UN really needs to do something to give options to these Somali kids.  It's worse than an inner city in the US!!

A quick poll question---- given that Bo (left) looks like Capt 'Roid (right),

should Bo Obama be made an honorary Pirate Dog???????  Needs to lose the lei though.

Finally, did any of you see the pictures of John Demjanjuk?  He's the 89 year-old accused of being a Nazi concentration camp guard who allegedly killed some 29,000 people.  I'm not a holocaust denier and maybe this guy is guilty.  But is it right to deport him after all these years he worked here in America?  And there are rabbis talking about justice being done, etc,etc.  Well, to my simple mind, war crimes are war crimes---if John D deserves trial, what about the Israeli leaders who rained rockets and chemicals on the people of Gaza?  What about the Bushies who attempted to justify and did condone acts which on the surface seem to violate the Geneva convention?  All these people should be presumed innocent but all should have their day in court if any one of them has to............Can anyone say "justice?"

Republican redux

So the Obama budget passed both houses of Congress by the biggest margins since the 1990's.  And the Republican counter-budget had 38% of that party's members vote NO.  I find it hard to understand how tax cuts for the upper-most 1% and a five-year spending freeze are good for the present economy and the situation in which most Americans who aren't super-rich find themselves.   Haven't we just been through eight years of these policies that didn't work?? And how does Mitch McConnell, Senate Republican leader, seize the moral high ground on spending?  Wasn't it the Bush administration with a Republican majority in BOTH houses of Congress that turned a multi-million dollar surplus into a trillion-dollar deficit and that's with the Iraq and Afghan wars OFF THE BOOKS---not included in the budget numbers!!!!  A significant part of the present budget's deficit is putting those conflicts' costs into the budget.

So I guess it's Republican Red Ducks, not redux.  And Sarah the avionic wolf butcher wants to have a special election in Alaska now that Ted Stevens has had his conviction vacated.  Wasn't it the Justice Dept. under Bush that blew that case so badly??  Might be time to bring back the Whigs---after all, slavery has been abolished legally and the Union has been preserved---Now the Republicans can truly say "Mission Accomplished."   And go away.................

And after the latest tragedy in Binghamton NY, isn't it long past time we made assault weapons and other forms of automatic weapons illegal??  After all, I don't know of one hunter who thinks it's sporting to go after deer with an AK-47. 

A Bonus

I've been having an email discussion with a person close to me about teachers and their compensation.  I pretty much espoused the same positions I took over my 10 years on a school board, negotiating several collective bargaining agreements.  They had a lot to say about the unfairness of merit pay systems and the poor preparation of many children who do not come into the classroom ready to learn.

So I think the government has provided an answer----massive money for education as part of the stimulus and retention bonuses for teachers.  If AIG is too big and too important to fail, and we, the taxpayer/owners of the corporation have no say in compensation, how much more important is the huge education industry??  And surely no one would argue that we should ever, in any way, short-change the children.  So my solution is to get back all the AIG bonuses, or at least the half of them that their C E O requested they repay, and divide that money among all the teachers----no questions asked, just like in the financial sector's compensation where performance apparently does not matter.  And if the government wants to be really generous to these people who make such a difference, they'd make these bonuses exempt from income tax as well!!

Twilight of the Gods

Kronos, the Titan, begat Zeus in Greek mythology. The Roman version had Saturnus fathering Jupiter. The titan father, the head of the gods, the son.
So GM begat Saturn to change the way it did business. Gone were the crippling, profit-sucking union contracts. A whole new philosophy of management was the key to the future---GM would show it could compete with those upstart Japanese: Toyota, Nissan (nee Datsun), and Honda. The future would be operations like Saturn.
Fast forward to 2009---Saturn regurgitates recycled Opal products. GM succumbed to the high profit low future gas guzzling GMC Sierras, Hummers, Escalades. GM needs to re-organize and present a viable business plan to the US government before the end of February to keep its loan package and attempt to qualify for future taxpayer largess.
Let it GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The plan as announced this week jettisons its once shining star, Saturn. It also includes the sale of Saab, once a company noted for its technological innovation. It will make Pontiac--maker of some of the greatest cars GM ever produced (Grand Prix, G T O, Firebird Trans-Am)-- a sub-brand of one of the remaining marques---Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC. At least those inefficient beasts with a moniker that reminds one of a slang term for fellatio (Hummer) is consigned to the garbage heap. That's only one right out of eight. Given that track record, what are this corporation's chances of survival? Slim and none is overly optimistic. Let GM go bankrupt. A little more short term pain will benefit us in the long run if the management sees this type of reorganization as saving this company and making it a viable concern for the 21st century.
It was once said that what was good for GM is good for the US. No longer. As Captain Kirk said in the Star Trek episode "Who mourns for Adonais", humans have outgrown the need for gods. Or corporations that believe they are gods.
So mourn for Saturnus and the company named for that Titan which might once have been the competitive rebirth of the American auto industry. And feel sorry for all those workers who need to be retrained. Hopefully the government will do what's right--allow a poorly run corporation without the management vision to right itself fail as the market dictates and then use the government's fiscal clout to absorb the losses and redirect the efforts of these workers into productive and sustainable occupations.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

When John Lennon penned that song, he was accused of using code for an acid trip--Lysergic Acid Dithylamide--LSD.  It used to be the best way to fly, certainly better and with less hassle than today.   The Establishment, back in the 60's and 70's, were terrified of the psychedelic and alleged mind-altering effects of acid, as it was called.  Jerry Rubin and Abby Hoffmann, leaders of the Youth International Party (Yippies) threatened to taint the public drinking water supply system with the drug to get the Establishment to become enlightened and free, or at least to loosen up and maybe enjoy a colorful diversion.  The government actually put troops around reservoirs to guard against this heinous act.

So today---- Picture yourself on the Washington Metro/With auto execs and lobbyists there/Someone is speaking/He's asking for money/A liar with lots of black hair...

Or is it the Senator he appointed who told the Illinois legislature he didn't get involved with Blago fundraising, there was no "pay for play", he deserved the appointment did Mr Burris and he was honest and clean and on and on and on and on...

OR---Picture yourself with a job in California/Where the State is cutting out benefits/You feel you're safe after all it's a state job/Then along comes a Senator/Wanting state jobs cut...How about those CA Republicans??  First they get a slew of cuts to Medi-Cal, unemployment and health benefits as part of the "budget deal"then they refuse to vote for this devil's bargain because there aren't any job reductions in state agencies like the ones in private industry!!!  

Does anyone out there think that maybe the Yippies really pulled off that injection of LSD into all the drinking water sources and the reaction is just delayed and we are all on an acid trip right now??  Anyone got a better explanation for this lunacy????

I remember purple snow and really neat color wheels. I much prefer those visions to the ones in my checkbook, 401-k statements, and savings account rates.  What, after all, is the purpose of government but to provide some safety net and some recourse for the average citizen after the markets fail?

  Oh Lucy, why hast thou forsaken us?????

Inauguration Day

Since everyone else in the world is commenting on today's inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama,  we might as well too.  I heard the speech live and no specific phrase really jumped out at me, nothing like "nothing to fear but fear itself" or "ask not what your country can do for you..."

Some sentiments, like toughness presented to those who might wish us harm, working together to solve problems, a commitment to improving the environment and education, but no real blockbusters.  I'm sure after the spinners and talking heads get done, hopefully by Memorial Day, we'll all have some phrase extracted from the speech to anchor their pretensions.

In the meantime, as the man said, time to get to work.  And hope this dream doesn't turn into anything like the nightmare this nation just woke up from.  It really sounded great the first time I heard some commentator on NPR speak the phrase "former President George Bush."  Now the words made famous by those persecuted in Chicago in 1968 will come full circle and rather than being an indictment of an oppressive government, a phrase that reflects the new-found confidence of a country renewed: "The whole world is watching." 

Happy New Year???

Leave it to the current US government and the scientists in their employ. Have you ever in your life experienced such a heartless crew? 2008, in almost every respect, absolutely sucked as years go. War, famine, bi-polarism run rampant, increases in crime rates, unemployment rates, oil and gas prices. The only thing that went down was the assets of the middle class----their 401-k, their houses, their pay......And the government is ADDING a second to 2008 to get all the atomic clocks in tune or some such gibberish!!!! And they claim waterboarding isn't torture?? Compared to what 2008 has wrought, they might be right. They couldn't have let that second get added AFTER midnight so 2009 was a second longer?? Wonder how much my 401-k will lose in that extra second........

Check out this video--the Pirate Dogs and I found it amusing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWiXy55OHyY .

The Pirate Dogs and their family wish that you and yours all have a Happy, Peaceful, and Prosperous New Year!!!!!!!!!!!

Questioning My Vote??

The Pirate Dogs are still howling unbelievably about the local church and some of its clientele. So they aren't participating in this posting.

To read the newspapers and listen to cable news is to begin to doubt the wisdom of my vote for Obama. He promised change and a joining of the American people in the middle, an end to the extremes of partisanship and red-vs-blue. Can't we give him a chance to get inaugurated and start work before bringing out all the insignificant b.s that drives the wedges between our peoples??

Take the cabinet choices---no Southerners. Well, the government representatives from that region's record hasn't been very positive in the Bush years. And as a whole, it's not Obama territory. We also do not have any good information on those he might have contacted that decided to continue in their present jobs rather than sign on to the new administration. A lot of Obama supporters are governors who might be of more benefit to the country and their states if they stay in their present circumstances. The other "big deal" about the cabinet is lots of Clinton people. Anyone have any non-Clinton folks with experience in a Democratic administration?? Ever consider we need people who know their way around Washington to really effect the change we need and Obama has promised?

Next is the kerfuffle about Rick Warren. Now I personally can take or leave him and the evangelical movement. Lots of gay rights groups are howling Obama let them down. Would they prefer Jeremiah Wright? Or how about Pope Benedict, who says homosexuals aren't evil but their acts are sinful? Let's give Obama a pass---he's trying to UNITE us, people, and what better way than to have as many of our disparate beliefs and foibles as possible represented in his administration and in the pomp and circumstance of his inauguration. We finally got it right---let's stop the nit-picking and move on!!!!!

Of Pirates and Spinners

Captain 'Roid is really pissed off. When last seen, the intrepid Captain was begging her mother to make a new flag for the CPS Nargle proclaiming the "End of the United Nations." According to a report on tonight's BBC America newscast, the UN has signed some declaration allowing countries to pursue the pirates onto Somalian land. Now admittedly, Somalia is a failed state and its sovereignty is open to debate. But to allow other countries, including Iran, China, Great Britain, and the US (talk about politics and pirates making strange bedfellows!!!!) to invade in pursuit of the pirates?? Hopefully all those military men will review Blackhawk Down before doing the same foolish thing.....And why does the US, beacon of religious freedom and defender of the right to democratic processes, so fear an Islamic government in Somalia?? Isn't Islam one of the "Great Religions" alongside Christianity, Judaism, Taoism, Buddhism, etc?? Or is all this "Islamic terrorists are radical extremists" just a smoke screen and the US is really at war with Muslims-----shades of Richard the Lion-Heart and the Crusades...........

Do you remember The Spinners from the '70's and that massively "great" song "Rubber Band Man"?? Actually, I detest that song but all the "oldies" stations seem fixated on it.

But those aren't "the spinners" I'm writing about. I'm thinking about the auto-bailout/union busters and whether the Kennedys are more deserving of power as a dynasty than the Clintons, if MSNBC be believed.

GM and Chrysler are doing worse than Packard did in the 1950's. They hemorrhage cash, blowing through billions a month. Their management has been about as in tune to the needs of the average buyer and the concerns about the deleterious effects of automotive emissions on the decaying of the Earth's atmosphere as Bush and Cheney have been to telling the truth about Al-Qaeda in Iraq, let alone the total misinterpretation of the WMD intelligence.
Now, depending whom one reads, we are either headed for, or are already in, the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. The government has bailed out the financial fat-cats but balks at doing the same for the auto-making fat-cats. The problem is that there are a lot of not-so-fat-cats that would be a lot more hurt by the death of the Big 3. About 1 in 10 American jobs is tied to the auto industry---from parts providers to transportation firms to the workers at the car plants themselves. If we want to see Great Depression type unemployment numbers (like around 25%), then let's allow the Big 3 shut down and add that 10% who lose their jobs to the present 11% without jobs. (I realize the current "official" unemployment rate is about 6% but that does NOT include part-time employees who'd like full-time jobs or those who have stopped trying to find work. That number is over 11%.) That's 21% unemployment. Wouldn't take many, if any, more Citibank job cuts to put us well over that 25% threshold.

But some Senators blame all the failings of the auto industry on the wage disparity between the union workers up north and the non-union laborers in the foreign plants south of the Mason-Dixon line. Taking a real crisis and scapegoating people who will lose their livelihoods to avoid taking action while changing the focus of the argument to something totally non-related is major SPIN!! Even if a UAW member makes $71.00 an hour, that's only $150,000/year!!! And that's nowhere near what an executive at either an auto maker or a financial firm makes!!!! As a matter of fact, it's 1.5% of the 10-million dollar paychecks and bonuses common in executive suites or a Major League Baseball locker room. So let's not blame the union. Deny the bail-out if you don't think management can turn around these companies but let's stop the b.s.

So Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg threw her hat into the ring for the US Senate seat formerly warmed by former first-lady Hilary Clinton (all this assumes she gets confirmed for Secretary of State and resigns). Caroline has a lot going for her. First, her maiden name is Kennedy. She's the only surviving child of JFK and Jackie. She's a major upgrade in looks from Mrs. Clinton and I think she's also better looking than Sarah McPalin (remember her??). So give her the job already. But first we need to watch interminable hours of every Clintonista with an axe to grind and all the MSNBC "analysts" and commentators who need to justify their salaries since the election is over stir up controversy. Who cares if Andrew Cuomo is divorced from one of Caroline's cousins?? What possible effect does it have on her qualifications for the Senate, which are about the same as Hilary's when she was first elected----a member of a family that was in the White House as well as being a lawyer. And Caroline even had a pony at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue!!!!
So enjoy "Rubber Band Man" when you hear it and wish we only had to deal with the musical Spinners instead of the bozo spinners masquerading as learned gentlemen. Hang on to your money and hope January 20 comes faster. But keep your shoes handy just in case...........

Bail---in or out????

How about them Somali Pirates?????????? 12 ships in 7 days from an area of the ocean patrolled by the US Navy, Her Royal Majesty's Navy, the EU, the Emirates, and Kingdoms of the Gulf!!!! YeeHAW!!!!!!!!!!! The Pirate Dogs hope they get to keep their loot and that they use it to improve the standard of living in the Horn of Africa, one of the poorest and most badly governed places in the entire world.
I need to correct the last post---There were a couple of inconsistencies in the sources. Apparently the ship was taken in the Gulf of Aden and is now anchored in the Indian Ocean some 450 miles from Mombasa, Kenya. Capt. 'Roid apologizes for the misinformation.
Now that the Somalis have bailed out their ships, how about the bail-out in DC of the BIG 3? I thought this was a capitalistic nation, not a welfare state. If I ran my business with as little forethought and lack of planning as that exhibited by the CEOs of the Detroit mega corporations, I'd deserve to be fired or run into bankruptcy. Now I fully appreciate that we cannot allow the auto industry to go the way of the airlines. There's always places to go and someone to take the risk and fly there. No sane person would buy any major asset from a company in Chapter 11. Cars last years and anyone purchasing one wants to make sure he can keep his investment on the road. But a free ride out of their hole is the last thing we should support as taxpayers or citizens.
I believe that successful people should get the fruits of their hard work. And executives who can't formulate a decent forward-looking business plan should go back to the business correspondence school they came from for a refresher course.
Memo to our representatives----
NO BAILOUT!!! No LOANS to the auto Industry without STRINGS!! WE THE PEOPLE need to see how OUR money will be used to sustain the industry and IMPROVE the performance of its products----MORE MPG, MORE environmentally friendly, NO MORE loans or taxpayer dollars after this ONE time.
After all, if a bunch of Somali pirates can outperform the navies of the allegedly advanced economies, our congress, senate, and captains of capitalism should be able to give us some bang for our buck in a car that gets 50-plus MPG, is safe and fun to drive.
Let's get our people in WaWa DC this message!!!!!

Economics PD3

Most of the attention the Pirate Dogs pay to economic issues consists of sitting in the kitchen whenever a person goes there, hoping for food to be either given them or dropped on the floor where they can scarf it up. Pretty simplistic and operating at a very basic level.

Now the three of them, joined by my wife and I, watched the President-elect and the stage full of economic heavy hitters do a press conference. We liked the part about the shelter dog the best---the Obama girls really deserve a Sharprador (even if Leny would out-cute them) and wouldn't the Humane Society so benefit from the exposure!!! But the serious issue of the economy did get us thinking......


The auto industry gets a lot of attention. It did in Mr. Obama's remarks before the media. It is probably, after the financial sector, the most needy segment of the manufacturing sector. But a bail-out or loan package MUST be tied to the long-term environmental needs of not only the country but the planet. There were autos that could get 30MPG twenty years ago. This is no longer a goal but an attainable standard. It's our belief that any aid package to the car makers have at the very least a fleet fuel economy standard of 50MPG or more and that this standard be attained within two years!!! Also the car makers should be encouraged to dedicate themselves to improving their core competencies, i.e, building efficient,competitive automobiles, and discouraged from ventures into mortgages and banking. GM Bank and Ditech (mortgages from GMAC) are examples of this phenomenon. If the talent is diluted into so many ancillary ventures, how can the manufacturer be competitive with the foreign companies who keep their eye on the ball. A certain financial acumen is necessary to assist buyers in financing their new (and probably over-priced) vehicle, but a mortgage company and a bank??????????

So by all means, let's put together a stimulus package. And let's support our domestic industries, the few we have left. But let's make sure that this support is aligned with the longer term goals of energy independence and reversing the damage we've done to our planet.

Time Travel

Driving on the highway the other day, a perfect confluence of events punctured the space-time continuum and transported me back to when long hair for men was ok and my guitar strap was red with white doves alternating with white peace symbols.

The radio was playing Ohio by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. As the vocal wailed "Four dead in Ohio" I passed a pick-up with a bumper sticker reading America, Love It or Leave It. Serious flashback, man.........................Today, we'd say Blue or Red, Joe the Plumber or "palin around with terrorists". ( I meant to spell it that way!!!!)

Why there are people who "'oppose your interests' and 'really believe that if they can make you afraid enough or angry enough, you can be tricked into voting against yourself. It is all part of the same contempt, and [on Election Day] you can show them the mistake they have made.' The debate wasn't between left or right, but between 'the politics of fear and the politics of trust. One says: you are encircled by monstrous dangers. Give us power over your freedom so we may protect you. The other says: the world is a baffling and hazardous place, but it can be shaped to the will of men...cast your vote for trust, not just in leaders or policies, but trusting your fellow citizens, in the ancient tradition of this home for freedom and, most of all, for trust in yourself."

If that don't sound like the Bush/Cheney era and the tone of the 2008 presidential campaign, I don't know what would. Divisiveness, the culture wars, an unpopular military action overseas, fear of terrorism and crime......The above is from Nixonland by Rick Perlstein on pgs.536-537. The context is a televised speech by then Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine exhorting voters to cast their ballots the next day for Democratic candidates. The fear-mongers were Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew. And their speeches and approaches would be so familiar to John McCain and Sarah Palin----because they are the same. And for me, Edmund Muskie's words ring as true today as when he spoke them on that evening in 1970.

Vote early if you can (I did) and please vote with your head, not your fears!!!!!

Another Roller Coaster

So another roller coaster week comes to a close. The president addressed the nation about the economy and caused the Dow to fall and our retirement investments to lose value. I'd estimate he's causing me to add 2 months to my planned retirement date every time he opens his fool mouth!!!!! Enough already----let's inaugurate the winner of Nov. 4 on Nov. 5 before W can wreak any more havoc.

Then Saturday Night Live---Sarah "'Cuda" Palin and Sarah "Tina Fey" Palin on the same screen. Holy secret identity crisis!!!!! That's like Superman and Clark Kent or Batman and Bruce Wayne appearing in the same frame!!!!!!!!!!!! Will this nation ever recover................

Next, there was Meet the Press on Sunday. Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama. But even more tellingly, he emphasized what America is all about. It makes no difference if a candidate is Arab, Muslim, black, or a veteran, old, white, and out of touch. As long as he's an American and eligible for the presidency. Powell showed more sense with his observations than either candidate has shown with their attacks. Maybe McCain's biggest error was not getting him for V.P. Or perhaps it's a sign of how low the Republican Party has sunk that it could not field him as their candidate.

Thursday night was miraculous. Not only do los socquitos rojos thrive on being 3 games down, they came back in 2 innings from SEVEN runs down as well!!!!! And they won Saturday!!!!! Isn't it a foregone conclusion who will win Sunday and sweep the Phillies in 4???? Like there's any suspense left to the baseball season.........