With their hats in their hands and a shine on the shoes, like an old Motown blues band -he Big 3 auto executives are in town crooning the Detroit Blues. Singing about "I got no love and I got no money." Boo Hoo. These guys learned how to work both sides of the grift from their idol Henry Paulson.
Let us look at some history first. In 1973 we have a severe oil shortage [because we helped Israel in the yom kippur war] the price of gas does not go up, but you can not get it. This starts the rush to small fuel efficient cars and the start of Japenese imports. Another trend starts because of the severe recessions of the 1970s cities as they start cutting back on their road maintance and pot holes the size of moon craters start swallowing the small cars. People started buying trucks because supposedly they were more durable and useful as most twenty somethings were buying their first homes and remodeling them.
Like everything else in America we had to make it bigger, faster, and more expensive, so we end up in 2008 with ageing baby boomers driving Hummers, Escalades, and huge pick-up trucks that only a major contractor would need. It is like in 1980 we took this fork in the road that took us to the edge of excess in everything and then stopped at a dead end. Now we are turning around and driving back to 1979.
In 1988 America was rated 14th in the world in math and science test scores. Well twenty years later here we are with three auto companies whose cars are poorly engineered and technolgicaly stagnant. While the Japanse auto makers here in America are prospering because their cars are so well made and technolgicaly advanced. The so called Big Three auto companies are in trouble because they make lousy cars and people will not buy them. Giving them billions of dollars to keep making lousy cars and paying auto workers not to work is the equivilent to passing a law forcing people to buy cars they do not want. So much for the free market.
Here is another falsehood the auto workers will suffer. GM and Ford have been closing plants and shipping jobs to Mexico for 15 years. There was 50,000 auto workers in Flint Michigan in 1985,now there are 12,000 and decling daily those jobs were going to Mexico anyway, that was the plan. Here is an idea, instead of giving the Three Amigos billions - let us give every UAW member who gets laid off an unemployment check for two years. We could save billions and feel good about it.
General Motors is lying about running out of money, GM is building a 300 million dollar SUV plant outside of Moscow. How would you feel about helping to pay for that? GM makes lousy cars and too many of them. GM owns DiTech who gave mortgages to anyone and is now drowning in debt. That is why GM needs so much money so fast, but it is only the tip of the iceberg. Let them go into managed bankrupcy. Tough love, dude.
Chysler got dumped by Mercedes-Benz for a good reason - the company has no future because it is out of ideas and engineering and it was going bankrupt. Chysler has peaked and can not figure out what to do next. The Cebrus Capital group which owns 80% of Chysler has declared it will not put anymore money into the company even though it has millions on hand. What this really means is that Cebrus Capital does not know anything about building cars and does not want to know anything. All Cebrus wants to do is milk every nickel of equity it can out of the Chysler brand name before it goes under.
Ford is running a short con here. Ford has plenty of money mostly because it stuck to just making cars. They just joined the group to see if they could get their share of all that taxpayer money that is on the table. Ford has a future because Mazda makes all its small cars and trucks.
Anyone who has owned one of these company's cars and shoveled money into it because it was just such a lousy car can only feel outraged that these auto smoothies are standing up in front of the congress and trying to scam the american consumer and taxpayer one more time.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Shall we take the next step into the next century?
The big election is upon us, people who never voted before are waiting in line for hours to vote early, and the choice has never been more important. I have heard a lot of talk through the years about there being very little difference between the Democrats and the Republicans. Not this time Obama and McCain could not be more different if they tried. The consequences of Americas choice could not be more severe if we make the wrong choice.
Rush Limbaugh Republicans who are addicted to the propaganda on talk/hate radio truly believe that asking wealthy individuals and corporations to pay their fair share of tax's is the first step down the road of socialism. Even after they have watched their 401ks and IRAs melt away they still refuse to acknowledge they have been ripped off by the very people they truly believed were the engine of economic growth. The real howler is that they want to vote for John McCain and lose what ever they have left. Not to worry they will be put out of their misery sooner than they think because under McCain they will have no health insurance and dental insurance will be a fond memory. They will be meeting John McCain in heaven because he does not look like he will survive his first term. Heil Frau Palin.
The Obamites will have their own version of hell to live with as all the different groups of Americans voting for him have very different expectations of what he will deliver. the first item Barack Obama is going to have to deliver is jobs. The economy is slowing fast you can almost hear the tires screeching. The public is going to be scared and angry when the layoffs start and do not stop that includes Joe the Plumber and Joe six pack. They will not care about party policy and economic theory when they are trying to feed their families. Believe me these people are going to be dancing to the music of the man who can give them a job.
The people at the bottom of the economic ladder are expecting a ride up. Unfortunately all they are going to have is more company at the bottom. The kind of socialism Barack Obama is going to be bringing is the New Orleans type where the poor get to live in little trailers provided by the Feds and line up for their food rations everyday. While the contractors and investors have their arms into the trough up to the shoulders. It should be interesting to see how millions of hungry homeless families and indivuals are going to define the word socialism.
Mr. Obama is also going to have to preside over the biggest technological investment and growth in history. We are stepping into a new phase of history and and it can not be stopped or slowed. Since the industrial revolution with the assembly line and the clock on the wall we have multiplied the pace of change with every generation it can not be stopped now.
The choice we face Tuesday November 4Th is to choose to be brought voluntarily into the next century and everything good and bad that is going to bring or we can be dragged in screaming kicking and fighting it. Which will only make it longer and more painful. So when you walk into the voting booth you will be walking into the future or clinging to the past like drowning man. Who ever gets elected hold on tight because the ride is just starting.
Rush Limbaugh Republicans who are addicted to the propaganda on talk/hate radio truly believe that asking wealthy individuals and corporations to pay their fair share of tax's is the first step down the road of socialism. Even after they have watched their 401ks and IRAs melt away they still refuse to acknowledge they have been ripped off by the very people they truly believed were the engine of economic growth. The real howler is that they want to vote for John McCain and lose what ever they have left. Not to worry they will be put out of their misery sooner than they think because under McCain they will have no health insurance and dental insurance will be a fond memory. They will be meeting John McCain in heaven because he does not look like he will survive his first term. Heil Frau Palin.
The Obamites will have their own version of hell to live with as all the different groups of Americans voting for him have very different expectations of what he will deliver. the first item Barack Obama is going to have to deliver is jobs. The economy is slowing fast you can almost hear the tires screeching. The public is going to be scared and angry when the layoffs start and do not stop that includes Joe the Plumber and Joe six pack. They will not care about party policy and economic theory when they are trying to feed their families. Believe me these people are going to be dancing to the music of the man who can give them a job.
The people at the bottom of the economic ladder are expecting a ride up. Unfortunately all they are going to have is more company at the bottom. The kind of socialism Barack Obama is going to be bringing is the New Orleans type where the poor get to live in little trailers provided by the Feds and line up for their food rations everyday. While the contractors and investors have their arms into the trough up to the shoulders. It should be interesting to see how millions of hungry homeless families and indivuals are going to define the word socialism.
Mr. Obama is also going to have to preside over the biggest technological investment and growth in history. We are stepping into a new phase of history and and it can not be stopped or slowed. Since the industrial revolution with the assembly line and the clock on the wall we have multiplied the pace of change with every generation it can not be stopped now.
The choice we face Tuesday November 4Th is to choose to be brought voluntarily into the next century and everything good and bad that is going to bring or we can be dragged in screaming kicking and fighting it. Which will only make it longer and more painful. So when you walk into the voting booth you will be walking into the future or clinging to the past like drowning man. Who ever gets elected hold on tight because the ride is just starting.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Welcome to cash country/or goodbye plastic fandango
Cash is king. That's the word on wall street or it least it is until the hyperinflation from injecting what will turn out to be more than a trillion dollars in to what has become a world economy hits like a heat wave. This is going to be a strange economic depression. Our money will be worth less , but the demand for goods will also be a lot less We already have it all. This is what happens in a cash economy the market really does regulate itself. Because there is no hallucinated wealth [credit] to distort it.
This is the big hole in Johm McCains free market theories. Giving money to individuals or small companies who in turn hand it over to big companies to build everything from houses to malls to office parks based solely on the profit made from building. With nothing more than wishful thinking about the real demand for it is so foolish as to defy belief.
This is the huge irony. In an economy based on consumption all the big multinational corporations hire marketing firms to tell them what the demand for their products. will be in the near and far future. Yet it seems to the marketing gurus that demand will always keep rising so keep it coming. The Hummer is a great example. Why would anyone think that a huge expensive truck that can carry very little would sell like Honda civics. So it was a real shock to GM executives when they ended up with thousands of unsold Hummers.
let us look at two examples of what is happening economically right now. Latino day laborers all over the country are going back home because there is no more work here. All the Starter Castles have been built. There enough people unemployed or under employed that they are doing their own gardening, cooking and cleaning their own houses, and best of all rasing their own children.
Across town banks have hired moving companies to clean out foreclosed houses. It seems shocking but understandable when you think about it. That people who are losing their homes and going bankrupt are probably going to be living in a 2 bedroom apartment and have no room for all the consumer goods they stuffed into a 3500sq ft house not to mention the garage. So these moving companies are taking furniture, electronics and everything else to landfills and burying it.
What a ironic contradiction. The people at the bottom are in a depression just like the 1930s and so are the people in the upper middle class too. The middle class is hanging on because they bought houses and cars they could afford and have some real job skills. Just like in the Great Depression people will have to move to find work. Oh do not worry the rich are still rich, just not as rich.
So in the cash economy it does not matter if you do not have a credit card because you went bankrupt or you have a credit card but you are not using it because you are afraid of going bankrupt the effect is the same. No more economy based on ever increasing consumption, and what an economy it will be.
Here are some of the positive effects. The immigration problem will solve itself. No more work illegale immigrants will go back home. More leisure time. If we are not out spending like drunken sailors on leave and working like Hebrew slaves to pay for it all. Perhaps we will spend more time doing the activities we really enjoy. Reconnect with family and friends since we will not be playing the keeping up with the Jone's game anymore. Oh and the cost of higher eduction will come down to where people can really afford it. Which means more people will be going to or back to college. That is good for the whole country. Perhaps we will even start to manufacture our own trade goods again. What a novel idea.
We are Americans and we have had enough of the positive thinking and attuide propaganda all our lives that we will be able to make lemonade out all these economic lemons we are getting and will continue to get for years to come. Welcome to cash country my Friends. :-)
This is the big hole in Johm McCains free market theories. Giving money to individuals or small companies who in turn hand it over to big companies to build everything from houses to malls to office parks based solely on the profit made from building. With nothing more than wishful thinking about the real demand for it is so foolish as to defy belief.
This is the huge irony. In an economy based on consumption all the big multinational corporations hire marketing firms to tell them what the demand for their products. will be in the near and far future. Yet it seems to the marketing gurus that demand will always keep rising so keep it coming. The Hummer is a great example. Why would anyone think that a huge expensive truck that can carry very little would sell like Honda civics. So it was a real shock to GM executives when they ended up with thousands of unsold Hummers.
let us look at two examples of what is happening economically right now. Latino day laborers all over the country are going back home because there is no more work here. All the Starter Castles have been built. There enough people unemployed or under employed that they are doing their own gardening, cooking and cleaning their own houses, and best of all rasing their own children.
Across town banks have hired moving companies to clean out foreclosed houses. It seems shocking but understandable when you think about it. That people who are losing their homes and going bankrupt are probably going to be living in a 2 bedroom apartment and have no room for all the consumer goods they stuffed into a 3500sq ft house not to mention the garage. So these moving companies are taking furniture, electronics and everything else to landfills and burying it.
What a ironic contradiction. The people at the bottom are in a depression just like the 1930s and so are the people in the upper middle class too. The middle class is hanging on because they bought houses and cars they could afford and have some real job skills. Just like in the Great Depression people will have to move to find work. Oh do not worry the rich are still rich, just not as rich.
So in the cash economy it does not matter if you do not have a credit card because you went bankrupt or you have a credit card but you are not using it because you are afraid of going bankrupt the effect is the same. No more economy based on ever increasing consumption, and what an economy it will be.
Here are some of the positive effects. The immigration problem will solve itself. No more work illegale immigrants will go back home. More leisure time. If we are not out spending like drunken sailors on leave and working like Hebrew slaves to pay for it all. Perhaps we will spend more time doing the activities we really enjoy. Reconnect with family and friends since we will not be playing the keeping up with the Jone's game anymore. Oh and the cost of higher eduction will come down to where people can really afford it. Which means more people will be going to or back to college. That is good for the whole country. Perhaps we will even start to manufacture our own trade goods again. What a novel idea.
We are Americans and we have had enough of the positive thinking and attuide propaganda all our lives that we will be able to make lemonade out all these economic lemons we are getting and will continue to get for years to come. Welcome to cash country my Friends. :-)
Sunday, September 21, 2008
those orginal recipe chickens are coming home to roost
The wall street meltdown that all the Internet gurus have been predicting for at least two years, and been timing it down to the very day the past year has happened. The drive by media of course just discovered this fresh crisis when Bernake and Paulson started flipping out, and went public with the truth. So now we have the 24/7 CNN death watch on wall street, Fox news Nazis are spinning the whole crisis and blaming it on the liberal congress. Which is a real howler.
There are many people responsible for this mess. The list is long it is filled with faceless federal administrators who should have been overseeing all this . The list also includes the CEOs of the banks and investment houses going broke. Who knew all along the Geo.Bush and real president Dick Cheney would bail them out. While all the wall street royalty are getting golden parachutes and blaming everyone else. So their feelings will not be hurt and they will not have to admit failure. The rest of us are watching our houses become worthless and the real dollar value of our retirement funds melt away. What a cruel irony.
A recent poll states most Americans are oblivious to the wall street melt down. The poll also states that is is because it is to complicated for most Americans to understand. Bullspit. The average American understands very well what is going on, but there is nothing the average American can do about it. Everyone is betting on the next president. People who vote and there are many more each election. Know this is very critical choice.
No matter what you may think or feel about Obama and McCain Americas choice is going to really change the future this time. The real answer is jobs. The republicans say the government can not create jobs. Well the Republican presidents we keep electing have helped send millions of American jobs out of the country. How about putting Americans to work.
When are we as a nation and a culture through our elected Representatives going to make corporations and their God-Almighty CEOs understand they do not run this country. When are we going to stand up and make our elected government put Americans first. That's right, Put the people who live in this country who work and pay tax's and abide by the law first. That is the person we should be voting for.
A couple of side notes: Pollsters complain they are having a hard time judging the accuracy of the polls regarding racism in this country because white people are not honest with the pollsters and do not revel how they really feel. My question is. Is that not what we have been trained to do? How many times have white people seen and felt that they have been victims of reverse racism, and could do nothing about it.
Dick Cheney lost in court. The court decided he can not make up the law as it suits him. That he has to make public all his records as vice-president. His argument was that the vice-president is exempt from the laws that govern the president, because the vice- president is actually the chief of the senate. What has this megalomaniac got to hide?
Geo. Bush not to be out done went to court to fight releasing the visitors logs for the white house. He lost, but again the question screams for an answer. What do these men have to hide? We have a right to know!
There are many people responsible for this mess. The list is long it is filled with faceless federal administrators who should have been overseeing all this . The list also includes the CEOs of the banks and investment houses going broke. Who knew all along the Geo.Bush and real president Dick Cheney would bail them out. While all the wall street royalty are getting golden parachutes and blaming everyone else. So their feelings will not be hurt and they will not have to admit failure. The rest of us are watching our houses become worthless and the real dollar value of our retirement funds melt away. What a cruel irony.
A recent poll states most Americans are oblivious to the wall street melt down. The poll also states that is is because it is to complicated for most Americans to understand. Bullspit. The average American understands very well what is going on, but there is nothing the average American can do about it. Everyone is betting on the next president. People who vote and there are many more each election. Know this is very critical choice.
No matter what you may think or feel about Obama and McCain Americas choice is going to really change the future this time. The real answer is jobs. The republicans say the government can not create jobs. Well the Republican presidents we keep electing have helped send millions of American jobs out of the country. How about putting Americans to work.
When are we as a nation and a culture through our elected Representatives going to make corporations and their God-Almighty CEOs understand they do not run this country. When are we going to stand up and make our elected government put Americans first. That's right, Put the people who live in this country who work and pay tax's and abide by the law first. That is the person we should be voting for.
A couple of side notes: Pollsters complain they are having a hard time judging the accuracy of the polls regarding racism in this country because white people are not honest with the pollsters and do not revel how they really feel. My question is. Is that not what we have been trained to do? How many times have white people seen and felt that they have been victims of reverse racism, and could do nothing about it.
Dick Cheney lost in court. The court decided he can not make up the law as it suits him. That he has to make public all his records as vice-president. His argument was that the vice-president is exempt from the laws that govern the president, because the vice- president is actually the chief of the senate. What has this megalomaniac got to hide?
Geo. Bush not to be out done went to court to fight releasing the visitors logs for the white house. He lost, but again the question screams for an answer. What do these men have to hide? We have a right to know!
Monday, September 1, 2008
and the band played on
The 2008 democratic convention was supposed to be a celebration of 46 years of hard work that made Martin Luther Kings Dream real, the nomination of the first African American president. The funny thing about dreams is they never turn out the way we think they should.
I tuned into the democratic convention quite a few times last week.It was like a birthday party where the guest of honor never shows up. Michelle Obama jetted in gave a speech and jetted out again. Barak appeared for a few minutes on a huge TV screen. He stopped by to pick up his nomination. Next time we see him is at mile high stadium. We were all grateful he could spare us an hour. Is this what MLK would have done?
Back to the convention most of the time there was a large and very talented band playing with appearances by many young and popular singers. The convention was very segregated with people who boogied in the aisles and talked about the quality of the buffets at the hotels. What ever happened to hammering out the partys platform?
The segregation went like this . The rich liberals who were there because they believed in principles and something more than money for nothing , chicks for free. They were not as interesting as what was going on the convention hall itself. There was a huge section of Hilary people who were taking a dose of medicine named Barak Obama and they were not liking it. The most interesting dynamic was the white Barak Obama supporters and the African American supporters. Both sides are crazy for Barack, but both have very different expectations of what he is going to do for them. This was not Chicago 1968 where the feeling was it is the people against the establishment. This is 2008 and the feeling is what is in this for me. Funny how people change.
It is easy to understand why Barak skipped the convention. The Democratic party has become the party of victimolgy. It is the party of many different groups who each have one issue. Gay rights, Black rights and anything else you can think of. I got some news for the Democrats, We won the race everyone has their rights and those rights are fully protected by the law. It is time to move on. Barak knows this and the democrats had better know it or they will keep losing elections.
Now John McCain has picked a VP that I think really represents the ideals of the Republican party. The Republican leadership assumes that the only reason that women voted for Hilary is because she is a woman, and that they are so stupid they will vote for any woman, but being extra clever they made her young and pretty so the stupid men who voted for Hilary will vote for her too. It is beyond the comprhension of the Republicans that people really liked Hilary and felt after 20 years of hard work she deserved to be president.
This is so typical of the republicans. All sizzle and no steak. Short term patching instead of long term solutions, slogans instead of truth. when you see the pictures of John McCain and Sarah Palin together it looks like a promo for a network TV show. Old man and young pretty woman. Right now she is McCains arm candy, but who will turn out to be smart , vibrant and witty. There is only one thing wrong with this pretty picture. This is not TV this is real life.
America is going through tough times and it is going to get worse before it gets better. We need courageous leadership and a real change in the way we live and work in America. It will be interesting to see what happens November 4th. Will it be a subtle shift or a major change?
I tuned into the democratic convention quite a few times last week.It was like a birthday party where the guest of honor never shows up. Michelle Obama jetted in gave a speech and jetted out again. Barak appeared for a few minutes on a huge TV screen. He stopped by to pick up his nomination. Next time we see him is at mile high stadium. We were all grateful he could spare us an hour. Is this what MLK would have done?
Back to the convention most of the time there was a large and very talented band playing with appearances by many young and popular singers. The convention was very segregated with people who boogied in the aisles and talked about the quality of the buffets at the hotels. What ever happened to hammering out the partys platform?
The segregation went like this . The rich liberals who were there because they believed in principles and something more than money for nothing , chicks for free. They were not as interesting as what was going on the convention hall itself. There was a huge section of Hilary people who were taking a dose of medicine named Barak Obama and they were not liking it. The most interesting dynamic was the white Barak Obama supporters and the African American supporters. Both sides are crazy for Barack, but both have very different expectations of what he is going to do for them. This was not Chicago 1968 where the feeling was it is the people against the establishment. This is 2008 and the feeling is what is in this for me. Funny how people change.
It is easy to understand why Barak skipped the convention. The Democratic party has become the party of victimolgy. It is the party of many different groups who each have one issue. Gay rights, Black rights and anything else you can think of. I got some news for the Democrats, We won the race everyone has their rights and those rights are fully protected by the law. It is time to move on. Barak knows this and the democrats had better know it or they will keep losing elections.
Now John McCain has picked a VP that I think really represents the ideals of the Republican party. The Republican leadership assumes that the only reason that women voted for Hilary is because she is a woman, and that they are so stupid they will vote for any woman, but being extra clever they made her young and pretty so the stupid men who voted for Hilary will vote for her too. It is beyond the comprhension of the Republicans that people really liked Hilary and felt after 20 years of hard work she deserved to be president.
This is so typical of the republicans. All sizzle and no steak. Short term patching instead of long term solutions, slogans instead of truth. when you see the pictures of John McCain and Sarah Palin together it looks like a promo for a network TV show. Old man and young pretty woman. Right now she is McCains arm candy, but who will turn out to be smart , vibrant and witty. There is only one thing wrong with this pretty picture. This is not TV this is real life.
America is going through tough times and it is going to get worse before it gets better. We need courageous leadership and a real change in the way we live and work in America. It will be interesting to see what happens November 4th. Will it be a subtle shift or a major change?
Monday, August 25, 2008
virtual education the conservative dream
People like to talk about the way it used to be. These people are not always wrong about the past. For the past 4 decades schools have been slowly cutting back on programs for students. Of course this is not the way it is explained. The educational poobahs Have a lot of great new programs to cover up the fact that less education is being provided.
This is happening because of a subtle shift. The idea of public education is a fairly new idea in America. It is only about 150 years old. Public education used to mean the government provided a school and teachers. Your child came and learned, if your child did not learn that was the parents problem and ultimately the students problem.
Over the past four decades and especially Geo Bush's No Child Left Behind law. Schools have now been forced to accept the responsibility for the problem of kids who will not learn. Which is a problem that can only be solved by the student and his family. This in addition to the fact that every student is an individual who is better in some subjects than others. This is a hard fact to accept in an educational system who's mantra is every child can do anything if they try hard enough. I wish that was true. So school districts have tried to implement any program that can be dreamed up so every student can achieve and succeed at something. So we can have equality of outcome.
There is no such reality as equality of outcome. There is only the opportunity to improve yourself and your quality of life, and the lives of your loved ones. It does not matter where you live in the free world this truth does not change.
Let us look into the future. The two biggest expenses for any school district are teacher salaries and the physical infrastructure. Suppose in twenty five years the schools offer all their classes on the Internet. Save a lot of money that way, and deliver the educational product as a efficient and productive system that can be updated quickly and is available to all the people all the time. Sounds good!
What about those people who do not take advantage of the educational service/product being offered by the government free of charge. What happens when we have millions of people who are barely literate? Could these people be the cheap source of labor that will bring manufacturing back to America? We could have are own private Mexico right here. Which means we will also have the gangs, crime and rioting they have there.
There are no easy answers to this problem, It will be interesting to see how this shift in education will play out. This is the fascinating aspect of history. How subtle shifts cause major changes in a society, and what comes next!
This is happening because of a subtle shift. The idea of public education is a fairly new idea in America. It is only about 150 years old. Public education used to mean the government provided a school and teachers. Your child came and learned, if your child did not learn that was the parents problem and ultimately the students problem.
Over the past four decades and especially Geo Bush's No Child Left Behind law. Schools have now been forced to accept the responsibility for the problem of kids who will not learn. Which is a problem that can only be solved by the student and his family. This in addition to the fact that every student is an individual who is better in some subjects than others. This is a hard fact to accept in an educational system who's mantra is every child can do anything if they try hard enough. I wish that was true. So school districts have tried to implement any program that can be dreamed up so every student can achieve and succeed at something. So we can have equality of outcome.
There is no such reality as equality of outcome. There is only the opportunity to improve yourself and your quality of life, and the lives of your loved ones. It does not matter where you live in the free world this truth does not change.
Let us look into the future. The two biggest expenses for any school district are teacher salaries and the physical infrastructure. Suppose in twenty five years the schools offer all their classes on the Internet. Save a lot of money that way, and deliver the educational product as a efficient and productive system that can be updated quickly and is available to all the people all the time. Sounds good!
What about those people who do not take advantage of the educational service/product being offered by the government free of charge. What happens when we have millions of people who are barely literate? Could these people be the cheap source of labor that will bring manufacturing back to America? We could have are own private Mexico right here. Which means we will also have the gangs, crime and rioting they have there.
There are no easy answers to this problem, It will be interesting to see how this shift in education will play out. This is the fascinating aspect of history. How subtle shifts cause major changes in a society, and what comes next!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
the chinese century and you can take it with you
Watching the opening ceremony for the 2008 Olympics one could only be thoroughly impressed with the Chinese. It was a truly incredible and moving show, but it also showed us a lot about the Chinese we did not know.
There has been a lot written about the 1.3 billion people in china. Our biggest corporations have gambled a lot of time and money to the Chinese market. The old joke was that a billion people would need a lot of deodorant. Ha Ha.
Well after seeing the technology and the huge number of people who all performed flawlessly in the opening ceremony's. It is clear while we have been selling them right guard they have been developing technology way beyond anything we have, and organizing into a country that can meet the goals it sets for itself. It all began in the 1980s when we started building factories in china to build our computers. It would appear that they kept a few computers for themselves. Of course it was the height of American arrogance to think the Chinese would stay our manufacturing slave colony forever.
The 21 century belongs to china. One important reason is her enormous population. It is historical fact that for a country to prosper it needs a large, healthy, and educated population. While America has refused to consider universal care and has dumbed down public education and made Private education so expensive it has turned into a survival of the fittest scenario. The Asisn countries have done the opposite and have prospered. Perhaps instead of figuring out new ways milk every last drop of equity out of anything possible and leave only debt in our wake. We should try putting America back on track with that quaint old fashion idea " Made In America "
On a totally different subject. There has been a subtle population shift in America. As more suburban homes have gone into foreclosure. more and more of these homes have been rented to section 8 people. This has resulted in a rise in crime in what used to be expensive suburban communities. Which has resulted in lowering already falling home prices.
The main motivator in this is the federal section 8 program. Which subsidises 60% of the rent for the poor people in the program. It has the unfortunate effect of putting the local police in position of having to deal with big city crime that never would have occurred if it had not been for a federal program that gave people something they did not earn. It also puts the local school districts in a position where these districts have to deal with problem students, and more of them.
The interesting part is that the federal government has from forced busing to forced integration now to forced housing imposed programs on the states and municipalities. That only move the problems from the inner cities to the suburbs. The question " is this fair to anyone involved and has it worked " This is an issue that is at the heart of the racial problems in this country. Is this they way to solve this problem?
There has been a lot written about the 1.3 billion people in china. Our biggest corporations have gambled a lot of time and money to the Chinese market. The old joke was that a billion people would need a lot of deodorant. Ha Ha.
Well after seeing the technology and the huge number of people who all performed flawlessly in the opening ceremony's. It is clear while we have been selling them right guard they have been developing technology way beyond anything we have, and organizing into a country that can meet the goals it sets for itself. It all began in the 1980s when we started building factories in china to build our computers. It would appear that they kept a few computers for themselves. Of course it was the height of American arrogance to think the Chinese would stay our manufacturing slave colony forever.
The 21 century belongs to china. One important reason is her enormous population. It is historical fact that for a country to prosper it needs a large, healthy, and educated population. While America has refused to consider universal care and has dumbed down public education and made Private education so expensive it has turned into a survival of the fittest scenario. The Asisn countries have done the opposite and have prospered. Perhaps instead of figuring out new ways milk every last drop of equity out of anything possible and leave only debt in our wake. We should try putting America back on track with that quaint old fashion idea " Made In America "
On a totally different subject. There has been a subtle population shift in America. As more suburban homes have gone into foreclosure. more and more of these homes have been rented to section 8 people. This has resulted in a rise in crime in what used to be expensive suburban communities. Which has resulted in lowering already falling home prices.
The main motivator in this is the federal section 8 program. Which subsidises 60% of the rent for the poor people in the program. It has the unfortunate effect of putting the local police in position of having to deal with big city crime that never would have occurred if it had not been for a federal program that gave people something they did not earn. It also puts the local school districts in a position where these districts have to deal with problem students, and more of them.
The interesting part is that the federal government has from forced busing to forced integration now to forced housing imposed programs on the states and municipalities. That only move the problems from the inner cities to the suburbs. The question " is this fair to anyone involved and has it worked " This is an issue that is at the heart of the racial problems in this country. Is this they way to solve this problem?
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
credit crisis/or doing the "Float"
Welcome to the credit crisis.It is the end of a long road that started in the good old days 1960-1970. It all started with the " Float ". The float was the period of time between when a bank borrowed money from the Federal Reserve and than paid it back . This normally a period of 30 days. So what ever money the bank could make in that 30 days was profit made from the " Float ". This what the IRS does with our tax refunds. The IRS keeps the excess tax it collects, Than gives it back later. The " Float works best when a big sum of money is used. That is when you can make a healthy profit. If done right with no risk.
Then came the Plastic age . The ordinary person could get a credit card and have 30 days to pay off the balance and pay no interest. It is a good deal if you can do it. finally the little guy could play the " Float " This worked especially well for small business. If they could buy merchandise and sell it with in 30 days they could pocket the profit. Like all good plans this has a flaw . It is called Reality.
The Reality that over the years Americans have become more dependent on the float for everyday living {gas and groceries}and has found it increasingly difficult to pay off the balance every month. So much for the " Float " . Our good Friends at Visa and Master charge are here to help. You can transfer your balance from the bad old high interest card to the new friendly low interest card. With Friends like these you do not need any enemies.
So it began transferring balances around never actually paying the balance off, always paying interest. Remember this easy wealth building trick. Make interest , do not pay interest, this really works ,at any income level. See it is easy to be a finical advisor . Some brokers will charge 300.00 for that kind of shrewed analysis. Anyway it is not a hard or complicated trick but, With the price of the afore mentioned gas and groceries going up at a dizzying rate. It will be even harder to pull off.
How did it get this way. Think about this, up until the 1980s most of the goods consumed in America were made in America. From industrial to personal goods, This kept a balance. We consumed about as many goods as we manufactured. By the end of the 1970s most corporations were planning on moving the manufacturing out of America, to places where labor was cheap and few if any annoying pollution laws.
The Exodus started and never stopped. helped along by President Clinton when he signed the NAFTA agreement. One can only surmise that Mr. Ross Perot has a hearing defect. That huge sucking sound he heard had been around since 1980. The sound he heard was corporate America rushing to the profit trough.
Long story short. This produced an excess of goods to be purchased. What to do, Americans still had the same amount of money. The path was clear give them more credit. Buy today , pay tomorrow. This has grown to buy now to pay next year. It resulted in people who should have never been given credit were given far to much. Home buyers were forced into paying way to much for homes. The value of the homes was based on a shortage of houses and the belief the price could only go up . So if you wanted in on this bubble you had pay ante up big time.
Well we all know how this whole credit and housing bubble is falling apart. This is one possible result. What if credit was frozen. This would be the great equalizer. Everyone from the lowest wage slave to the top 3% richest Americans depends on the " Float ". If everyone had to pay cash for everything it would slow consumption down and eventually it would come back into balance again. Remember the problem we have now it to many goods chasing to few dollars. This is called Deflation.
To base an economy on consumption was madness that the American government supported with our tax dollars. Corporate America knew this could not last forever, but they wanted to milk it for every nickle of profit possible. So the coming slowdown or depression is really just a leveler to put us back in balance. It is going to be hard . Let us hope we can learn from this and come out smarter. Could be bright new future if handled right. Who can do it McCain or Obama?
Then came the Plastic age . The ordinary person could get a credit card and have 30 days to pay off the balance and pay no interest. It is a good deal if you can do it. finally the little guy could play the " Float " This worked especially well for small business. If they could buy merchandise and sell it with in 30 days they could pocket the profit. Like all good plans this has a flaw . It is called Reality.
The Reality that over the years Americans have become more dependent on the float for everyday living {gas and groceries}and has found it increasingly difficult to pay off the balance every month. So much for the " Float " . Our good Friends at Visa and Master charge are here to help. You can transfer your balance from the bad old high interest card to the new friendly low interest card. With Friends like these you do not need any enemies.
So it began transferring balances around never actually paying the balance off, always paying interest. Remember this easy wealth building trick. Make interest , do not pay interest, this really works ,at any income level. See it is easy to be a finical advisor . Some brokers will charge 300.00 for that kind of shrewed analysis. Anyway it is not a hard or complicated trick but, With the price of the afore mentioned gas and groceries going up at a dizzying rate. It will be even harder to pull off.
How did it get this way. Think about this, up until the 1980s most of the goods consumed in America were made in America. From industrial to personal goods, This kept a balance. We consumed about as many goods as we manufactured. By the end of the 1970s most corporations were planning on moving the manufacturing out of America, to places where labor was cheap and few if any annoying pollution laws.
The Exodus started and never stopped. helped along by President Clinton when he signed the NAFTA agreement. One can only surmise that Mr. Ross Perot has a hearing defect. That huge sucking sound he heard had been around since 1980. The sound he heard was corporate America rushing to the profit trough.
Long story short. This produced an excess of goods to be purchased. What to do, Americans still had the same amount of money. The path was clear give them more credit. Buy today , pay tomorrow. This has grown to buy now to pay next year. It resulted in people who should have never been given credit were given far to much. Home buyers were forced into paying way to much for homes. The value of the homes was based on a shortage of houses and the belief the price could only go up . So if you wanted in on this bubble you had pay ante up big time.
Well we all know how this whole credit and housing bubble is falling apart. This is one possible result. What if credit was frozen. This would be the great equalizer. Everyone from the lowest wage slave to the top 3% richest Americans depends on the " Float ". If everyone had to pay cash for everything it would slow consumption down and eventually it would come back into balance again. Remember the problem we have now it to many goods chasing to few dollars. This is called Deflation.
To base an economy on consumption was madness that the American government supported with our tax dollars. Corporate America knew this could not last forever, but they wanted to milk it for every nickle of profit possible. So the coming slowdown or depression is really just a leveler to put us back in balance. It is going to be hard . Let us hope we can learn from this and come out smarter. Could be bright new future if handled right. Who can do it McCain or Obama?
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Barak we hardly knew you
Barak Obama is not happy about the new yorker magazine cover showing him and his wife as the Republicans have tried to paint them. The magazine cover express in a cartoon all the word pictures the Republicans have drawn of Barack and Michelle Obama in the past nine months. It exposes the use of fear in politics. It could be viewed as a good idea to expose the myths about Barak and Michelle. Hold these myths up to the ridicule of satire. This is the intelligent view.
Unfortunately Mr. Obama and his followers have taken the outrage view. while has-been Rev.Jessie Jackson who illustrates how the old civil rights crowd who is no longer civil nor alive most of them, feel about the new civil rights crowd. It is hard to understand how Mr Obama can be talking down to Blacks when he tells them they need to take more responsibility for their lives and their children's lives. Could it be that the Rev. Jessie Jackson represents the entitlement generation. While Mr. Obama represents the opportunity generation?
One of the untalked about problems is that the prisons in America are full of African American men and women. So short of taking their children to jail with them it would be difficult for them to take more responsibility for them. Coupled with the fact there has developed a prison culture among in the African American community which glamorizes gang and prison life. Creating even more crime and prison sentences. A cycle of failure. Whew no wonder no one is talking about this.
The other untalked about problem started 150 years ago after the Civil War the federal government made an attempt at that time to correct racial injustice. The Feds called it Reconstruction. It gave favorable treatment to former slaves,who not having a basic education were unable to take advantage of these opportunities.Were exploited by white promoters. This is where we got the term " carpet baggers" The exploiting of Black contractors who get preferential treatment in bidding for government contracts, by Bigger white contractors still happens everyday. This is where we get the term Diversity. It does not take much imagination to understand how white Southerners who lost literaly everything they owned in the Civil War felt about this.
So after 150 years of trying to use legislation, the courts, and often the police to create and enforce racial justice. We have arrived at a point where. White America no longer cares about the problems of the African- American community, The African Americans still feel they are entitled to something. Though obviously they can not agree what that " something " is. While the Hispanics just want to take California back to Mexico.
This is where the outraged Barack finds himself. It is ironic that he does not seem bothered by the fact that Hilary Clinton has been dragged through the mud a hundred times by the media. Depicted in every negative way possible. But she is still smiling and fighting for what she believes in.
Is this what we can expect from President Obama. Outrage and Indignation every time the media runs a critical cartoon of him or his wife? Is this the inexperience Hilary talked about? Is this all because Barak and his wife are Black? Is it a Black thing, Whitey can't understand?
These are questions that we should all hope are answered by the time the Democratic convention rolls around. FYI. Barak is giving his acceptance speech at Mile High stadium in Denver instead of the convention hall. Draw your own conclusions about that.
Unfortunately Mr. Obama and his followers have taken the outrage view. while has-been Rev.Jessie Jackson who illustrates how the old civil rights crowd who is no longer civil nor alive most of them, feel about the new civil rights crowd. It is hard to understand how Mr Obama can be talking down to Blacks when he tells them they need to take more responsibility for their lives and their children's lives. Could it be that the Rev. Jessie Jackson represents the entitlement generation. While Mr. Obama represents the opportunity generation?
One of the untalked about problems is that the prisons in America are full of African American men and women. So short of taking their children to jail with them it would be difficult for them to take more responsibility for them. Coupled with the fact there has developed a prison culture among in the African American community which glamorizes gang and prison life. Creating even more crime and prison sentences. A cycle of failure. Whew no wonder no one is talking about this.
The other untalked about problem started 150 years ago after the Civil War the federal government made an attempt at that time to correct racial injustice. The Feds called it Reconstruction. It gave favorable treatment to former slaves,who not having a basic education were unable to take advantage of these opportunities.Were exploited by white promoters. This is where we got the term " carpet baggers" The exploiting of Black contractors who get preferential treatment in bidding for government contracts, by Bigger white contractors still happens everyday. This is where we get the term Diversity. It does not take much imagination to understand how white Southerners who lost literaly everything they owned in the Civil War felt about this.
So after 150 years of trying to use legislation, the courts, and often the police to create and enforce racial justice. We have arrived at a point where. White America no longer cares about the problems of the African- American community, The African Americans still feel they are entitled to something. Though obviously they can not agree what that " something " is. While the Hispanics just want to take California back to Mexico.
This is where the outraged Barack finds himself. It is ironic that he does not seem bothered by the fact that Hilary Clinton has been dragged through the mud a hundred times by the media. Depicted in every negative way possible. But she is still smiling and fighting for what she believes in.
Is this what we can expect from President Obama. Outrage and Indignation every time the media runs a critical cartoon of him or his wife? Is this the inexperience Hilary talked about? Is this all because Barak and his wife are Black? Is it a Black thing, Whitey can't understand?
These are questions that we should all hope are answered by the time the Democratic convention rolls around. FYI. Barak is giving his acceptance speech at Mile High stadium in Denver instead of the convention hall. Draw your own conclusions about that.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
the dumbing down of america
There has been a noticeable trend over the past twenty five years, it has become more apparent in every election cycle that it costs more money to win elections. It is staggering the millions it costs to run for even mayor of a big city. This is really old news. The interesting question is why.
Let us turn the clock back to 1976. Before this time, political contests were usually decided in smoke filled back rooms where the Big Money Boyz called the shots. This started to change after World War 2 when servicemen and women started using the G.I. Bill to go to college. This was the first time the working class was given access to higher education. This was expanded after the Korean war. The effect was that America had an army of engineers to win the space race against the Soviets.
During the Vietnam war draft deferments were given to men in college and thanks to LBJ. Student loans were easy to get. So the colleges were full with so many young people getting a liberal education. It was only natural that as these young people grew up and learned how the government was supposed to work, they became increasingly dissatisfied with how the government really worked. So began all the movements.
The civil rights, environmental, and war protest movements. The environmental movement has been the most enduring of the all the movements. The government made the movement official by creating a Department of the Environment. Which has been in court battles with the Congress to enforce the environmental laws ever since. Draw your own conclusions about that.
So a well educated and healthier population decided to take a more active role in elective government. Barack Obama being the most dramatic example of this grass roots movement. Barack will run against McCain who will be backed by the Big Money Boyz, But Barack will win. Because we are at one of those important turning points in history where the old system no longer works and is replaced with a new system, and only history will tell us whether it works better than the old system.
There is a trend that has been developing for at least the past twenty years. The cost of a college education for the middle class has gotten more expensive and the government is paying far less. Veterans were the first to feel it as the military started scaling back on how much college it would pay for. Even as good paying manufacturing jobs started leaving America. The American middle class was required to pay for more of their children's higher education. If you happened to be divorced the government will force you to pay for your child's education, but if you stayed married your child is on his own. How is that for irony.
America is way behind in the math and sciences which means engineering and anyone who can read knows that. Has the government done anything special to improve this situation? The answer is NO. Most middle class young men and women even with scholarships graduate with crushing debt in student loans. Could it be that the government or the Big Money Boyz are tired of all these young people knowing how the system should work and trying to change the way it does work. Trying to take back the power of the people.
Hilary Clinton proposed universal health care in the early 90s and has been vilified and murdered in the press ever since. Is it just a conspiracy theory? Or is there a movement by the powers that run this country to dumb-down America? The public schools are a shambles. Those who do not get an education have a very good chance of ending up as guests of the justice system. Not everyone of course, but enough people that the states can not afford to house them.
It is simple but true that a well educated and healthy population benefits everyone. When the least of us do better we all do better. Politicians always talk about the American spirit of innovation. This means more than devising ways to borrow money and create hallucinated wealth. It means having a well educated and healthy people who have the tools to create and engineer solutions to the big and very serious problems that face this nation and the world. Which movement are you a part of?
Let us turn the clock back to 1976. Before this time, political contests were usually decided in smoke filled back rooms where the Big Money Boyz called the shots. This started to change after World War 2 when servicemen and women started using the G.I. Bill to go to college. This was the first time the working class was given access to higher education. This was expanded after the Korean war. The effect was that America had an army of engineers to win the space race against the Soviets.
During the Vietnam war draft deferments were given to men in college and thanks to LBJ. Student loans were easy to get. So the colleges were full with so many young people getting a liberal education. It was only natural that as these young people grew up and learned how the government was supposed to work, they became increasingly dissatisfied with how the government really worked. So began all the movements.
The civil rights, environmental, and war protest movements. The environmental movement has been the most enduring of the all the movements. The government made the movement official by creating a Department of the Environment. Which has been in court battles with the Congress to enforce the environmental laws ever since. Draw your own conclusions about that.
So a well educated and healthier population decided to take a more active role in elective government. Barack Obama being the most dramatic example of this grass roots movement. Barack will run against McCain who will be backed by the Big Money Boyz, But Barack will win. Because we are at one of those important turning points in history where the old system no longer works and is replaced with a new system, and only history will tell us whether it works better than the old system.
There is a trend that has been developing for at least the past twenty years. The cost of a college education for the middle class has gotten more expensive and the government is paying far less. Veterans were the first to feel it as the military started scaling back on how much college it would pay for. Even as good paying manufacturing jobs started leaving America. The American middle class was required to pay for more of their children's higher education. If you happened to be divorced the government will force you to pay for your child's education, but if you stayed married your child is on his own. How is that for irony.
America is way behind in the math and sciences which means engineering and anyone who can read knows that. Has the government done anything special to improve this situation? The answer is NO. Most middle class young men and women even with scholarships graduate with crushing debt in student loans. Could it be that the government or the Big Money Boyz are tired of all these young people knowing how the system should work and trying to change the way it does work. Trying to take back the power of the people.
Hilary Clinton proposed universal health care in the early 90s and has been vilified and murdered in the press ever since. Is it just a conspiracy theory? Or is there a movement by the powers that run this country to dumb-down America? The public schools are a shambles. Those who do not get an education have a very good chance of ending up as guests of the justice system. Not everyone of course, but enough people that the states can not afford to house them.
It is simple but true that a well educated and healthy population benefits everyone. When the least of us do better we all do better. Politicians always talk about the American spirit of innovation. This means more than devising ways to borrow money and create hallucinated wealth. It means having a well educated and healthy people who have the tools to create and engineer solutions to the big and very serious problems that face this nation and the world. Which movement are you a part of?
Sunday, June 22, 2008
oils well that ends well/ the real plan
Mission accomplished again. Real President Dick Cheany is working on the last step of his energy plan. Open the American coasts for oil drilling! This is the plan that was worked out 7 years ago when Real President Dick Cheany met with oil executives in an energy summit. It was a closed door summit and what was discussed was never revealed. Even though Congress held a special session to force Dick Cheany to reveal the energy plan. He just flipped them off.
So for the past 7 years we have had an energy plan, but no one was allowed to know what it was. Let us look at what has happened. A war in Iraq. According to Geo. Bush (who, by the way, was not at the secret energy summit), the Iraqis were going to pay for their liberation with their own oil. It has happened alright, but it happened like this. Iraq made a record amount of money selling their oil in the last year, but the profit all went to American contractor Haliburton who has supplied all the equipment and services for a war no one wanted. How nice of Haliburton to set the stage for thousands of people to die on. While they supply all the props necessary at a healthy profit of course.
Phase 2 of the energy plan. Keep all oil priced in dollars. Ron Paul is right since we went off the gold standard. The value of our money has been backed by oil. It is the only currency OPEC accepts for their oil - who said they hate us. What they hate is how well we live. 80% of the Arab world lives in poverty and ignorance, while the sheiks live in unimaginable luxury. That is why the people will kill for Islam because they have nothing to live for.
Phase 3 Gas at 3.00, then 4.00 dollars a gallon. The Saudis have said that oil should not be selling for more than 70.00 a barrel and they have agreed to pump even more oil this summer.This will not help because China and India will suck up the excess. In these countries and Mexico the price of gas is subsidised. Americans are one of the few countries that pay market price thru the nose.
The oil companies are making record profits and Duyba and Dick are after all oil men. Do you really think these two and all the rest of the oil executives care how the average American pays for gas and food. Remember they tell themselves that we will just have to work harder and sacrifice a little more. No problem for the American spirit.
Phase 4 Open both coasts and Alaska to drilling for oil and natural gas. This was the ultimate goal right from the start. The oil companies are not turning the profits towards exploration for new sources of oil because they already know where it is. It is right off of the coasts of this country. The oil companies say they can not build new refineries because of the environmentalists. Believe me they will not build a new refinery until they start drilling in Alaska and off the coasts.
Apparently they did not let Governor Arnold Shartznegger in on the plan because he has said he will fight until the end to prevent the drilling off the California coast. He has further stated and he is absolutely right. That all this is going to do is further our dependency on oil and delay alternative energy solutions, and ruin miles of beaches kill millions of birds and fish when the inevitable oil spills happen. That is why drilling was outlawed in the first place. Because of a oil spill off California in the 1980s. Oil rigs are floating disasters waiting to happen and do eventually . Just ask the Mexicans on the west coast of the gulf.
Everyone knows that the oil companies can not get the oil off the coasts to market for a least five years. That means it would not become gasoline for 5 years. So this national emergency that was created will not be helped. What will be helped is profits. I hope our next president is not a creature of corporate America. Where profit is the only mission.
So for the past 7 years we have had an energy plan, but no one was allowed to know what it was. Let us look at what has happened. A war in Iraq. According to Geo. Bush (who, by the way, was not at the secret energy summit), the Iraqis were going to pay for their liberation with their own oil. It has happened alright, but it happened like this. Iraq made a record amount of money selling their oil in the last year, but the profit all went to American contractor Haliburton who has supplied all the equipment and services for a war no one wanted. How nice of Haliburton to set the stage for thousands of people to die on. While they supply all the props necessary at a healthy profit of course.
Phase 2 of the energy plan. Keep all oil priced in dollars. Ron Paul is right since we went off the gold standard. The value of our money has been backed by oil. It is the only currency OPEC accepts for their oil - who said they hate us. What they hate is how well we live. 80% of the Arab world lives in poverty and ignorance, while the sheiks live in unimaginable luxury. That is why the people will kill for Islam because they have nothing to live for.
Phase 3 Gas at 3.00, then 4.00 dollars a gallon. The Saudis have said that oil should not be selling for more than 70.00 a barrel and they have agreed to pump even more oil this summer.This will not help because China and India will suck up the excess. In these countries and Mexico the price of gas is subsidised. Americans are one of the few countries that pay market price thru the nose.
The oil companies are making record profits and Duyba and Dick are after all oil men. Do you really think these two and all the rest of the oil executives care how the average American pays for gas and food. Remember they tell themselves that we will just have to work harder and sacrifice a little more. No problem for the American spirit.
Phase 4 Open both coasts and Alaska to drilling for oil and natural gas. This was the ultimate goal right from the start. The oil companies are not turning the profits towards exploration for new sources of oil because they already know where it is. It is right off of the coasts of this country. The oil companies say they can not build new refineries because of the environmentalists. Believe me they will not build a new refinery until they start drilling in Alaska and off the coasts.
Apparently they did not let Governor Arnold Shartznegger in on the plan because he has said he will fight until the end to prevent the drilling off the California coast. He has further stated and he is absolutely right. That all this is going to do is further our dependency on oil and delay alternative energy solutions, and ruin miles of beaches kill millions of birds and fish when the inevitable oil spills happen. That is why drilling was outlawed in the first place. Because of a oil spill off California in the 1980s. Oil rigs are floating disasters waiting to happen and do eventually . Just ask the Mexicans on the west coast of the gulf.
Everyone knows that the oil companies can not get the oil off the coasts to market for a least five years. That means it would not become gasoline for 5 years. So this national emergency that was created will not be helped. What will be helped is profits. I hope our next president is not a creature of corporate America. Where profit is the only mission.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Barak Obama is he the MAN
He has that old black magic, excuse the racial pun no offense intended. It is ok because Barak can take a joke. But what about the rest of the African - Americans? One question I have not heard asked is how do black people in this country feel about a black president?. I work around a lot of Afican Americans, I have never heard them talk about it except that they are sure Barak will be assasinated before he gets elected.
In Kenya last Wednesday, the biggest newspaper in the country ran a full front page picture of Barak Obama with the caption "America finally walks its talk " . The Europeans love Barak. The only problem is that it creates the illusion that there is racial equality in America. America is more segragated now than it has ever been. No one talks about it anymore. Everyone knows the score and stays on their side of the invisible line.
Forty years ago in 1968 this country was coming apart at the seams. There were riots, peaceful demostrations and civil rights marches. In 1968 there was the Bobby Kenndy and MLK assainations. At a protest against the Vietnam war at Kent State, 4 college students were shot dead by the National Guard. 4 dead in Ohio. The race riots injured and killed even more.
The reason this is important is the economic crisis we are sliding into is going to make the issue of rights very important again. What is going to happen when there are gas riots and food riots? Think it cannot happen? It is happening all over the world right now. What will Barak do about civil unrest - call out the National Guard, or go declare a national emergency and start rationing. I think once Barack is sworn in you are going to see him exercise presidential powers we did not know existed.
Mr.Obama is a very charismatic man. Perhaps he can rally the nation around the themes of conservation and effcient use of resources and the devlopment of alternative energy sources. I love that phrase - it really says 'technolgies that have not been invented yet'. Perhaps he can give it the space race feel of the 1960's. But he is going to have to set down rules. Rules that some people are going to feel are wrong. Suppose Barak cuts the speed limit to 55 mph everywhere and goes to odd and even gas purchasing like we did in the early 1970s. Do most motorists feel it is their right to go 65mph?
You can see how this is going to work. Even the simplist restrictions on people's mobility is going to produce howls of protest and indignation. People in America today have a pretty good standard of living. It is going to interesting to see how nasty and outraged people are going to get when the going gets tough.
Barak Obama enjoys seeing others get the spot light and the love. I believe this is his greatest strength. He is going to have to manage the worst crisis in America's history and he going to need good people in positions of power and let them shine. It is going to be a rough four years. I have felt from the first time I heard Mr. Obama speak he had a undenible destiny. I hope for my sake and the sake of the country that he really is as special as he seems to be.
In Kenya last Wednesday, the biggest newspaper in the country ran a full front page picture of Barak Obama with the caption "America finally walks its talk " . The Europeans love Barak. The only problem is that it creates the illusion that there is racial equality in America. America is more segragated now than it has ever been. No one talks about it anymore. Everyone knows the score and stays on their side of the invisible line.
Forty years ago in 1968 this country was coming apart at the seams. There were riots, peaceful demostrations and civil rights marches. In 1968 there was the Bobby Kenndy and MLK assainations. At a protest against the Vietnam war at Kent State, 4 college students were shot dead by the National Guard. 4 dead in Ohio. The race riots injured and killed even more.
The reason this is important is the economic crisis we are sliding into is going to make the issue of rights very important again. What is going to happen when there are gas riots and food riots? Think it cannot happen? It is happening all over the world right now. What will Barak do about civil unrest - call out the National Guard, or go declare a national emergency and start rationing. I think once Barack is sworn in you are going to see him exercise presidential powers we did not know existed.
Mr.Obama is a very charismatic man. Perhaps he can rally the nation around the themes of conservation and effcient use of resources and the devlopment of alternative energy sources. I love that phrase - it really says 'technolgies that have not been invented yet'. Perhaps he can give it the space race feel of the 1960's. But he is going to have to set down rules. Rules that some people are going to feel are wrong. Suppose Barak cuts the speed limit to 55 mph everywhere and goes to odd and even gas purchasing like we did in the early 1970s. Do most motorists feel it is their right to go 65mph?
You can see how this is going to work. Even the simplist restrictions on people's mobility is going to produce howls of protest and indignation. People in America today have a pretty good standard of living. It is going to interesting to see how nasty and outraged people are going to get when the going gets tough.
Barak Obama enjoys seeing others get the spot light and the love. I believe this is his greatest strength. He is going to have to manage the worst crisis in America's history and he going to need good people in positions of power and let them shine. It is going to be a rough four years. I have felt from the first time I heard Mr. Obama speak he had a undenible destiny. I hope for my sake and the sake of the country that he really is as special as he seems to be.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Magic Bus/or fast forward to 1973
The marketing boyz have started to wind up the propaganda machine. This time for a very good cause. CSX the railroad company is advertising how cheap it is to ship by rail. Like we used to do. RTS is advertising a dollar a day fare to ride the bus. Small cars are starting to sell at a premium . While the SUVs sit on dealers lots like sleeping giants. It is interesting in 1973 the Cadillacs and the Lincolns were the big gas guzzlers that rotted on dealers lots.
The marketing boyz are doing a good job this is one issue where good[propaganda]marketing helps everyone. The only way to really find a solution to the energy crisis is if we are all on the same page. We need to realize that we are all in this together. We are all equals at the gas pump.
Staycation is the new Buzz word in marketing. It means staying home and enjoying all the toys we have been buying for years. It is a good idea. I do not think the retailers are going to like it much. I think Americans are going to like this new lifestyle. Life is going to slow down and become more routine. Money will still be spent. Who knows maybe we will be forced into a cash society again. Instead of spending hallucinated wealth. Maybe we will be relaxed instead of stressed. Think how nice it would be to work from home or work 4 days a week.
So the baby boomers stumble senile like back into the 1970s as we again have gas crisis, stagflation and are fighting a war we can not win. The good news is that we have some positive factors in play. We are going to have a president who is going to radically change the way we operate.
Because of the low birth rate there is now a shortage of skilled and technical labor. Everything from auto mechanics to lab techs and insurance claim processors ect. Most important we have a generation of young people who are ready, willing and able to make change happen. America has been a country that belongs to the young. I only hope that the Baby Boomers will have the grace and diganty to know make way the changes that are coming,
The marketing boyz are doing a good job this is one issue where good[propaganda]marketing helps everyone. The only way to really find a solution to the energy crisis is if we are all on the same page. We need to realize that we are all in this together. We are all equals at the gas pump.
Staycation is the new Buzz word in marketing. It means staying home and enjoying all the toys we have been buying for years. It is a good idea. I do not think the retailers are going to like it much. I think Americans are going to like this new lifestyle. Life is going to slow down and become more routine. Money will still be spent. Who knows maybe we will be forced into a cash society again. Instead of spending hallucinated wealth. Maybe we will be relaxed instead of stressed. Think how nice it would be to work from home or work 4 days a week.
So the baby boomers stumble senile like back into the 1970s as we again have gas crisis, stagflation and are fighting a war we can not win. The good news is that we have some positive factors in play. We are going to have a president who is going to radically change the way we operate.
Because of the low birth rate there is now a shortage of skilled and technical labor. Everything from auto mechanics to lab techs and insurance claim processors ect. Most important we have a generation of young people who are ready, willing and able to make change happen. America has been a country that belongs to the young. I only hope that the Baby Boomers will have the grace and diganty to know make way the changes that are coming,
Friday, May 23, 2008
The Bush- Cheney Double Talk Express
Real president Dick Cheney has been to Saudia Arabia twice in the past 12 months to ask the king to pump more oil to help out his old friend the Americans. The king smiled and said NO. The kings answer is the world is well supplied with oil and perhaps his good Friends the Americans should stop driving such big gas guzzling vehicles.
This must have been very hard on Mr. Cheney as he is not used to asking nice for anything.[he demands] and he sure is not used to hearing the word NO from anyone. Not even the Pope. When the Pope was giving his farewell speech at JFK airport in NY sitting right behind him was Mr. & Mrs. Cheney. I guess Dick was praying for more oil. Perhaps he is not wealthy enough yet.
So our President George Duyba himself goes to Saudia Arabia and asks his good old Friend the king to pump more oil, But again NO. So Mr. Bush holds a press confrence where he tells the Press that because of the environmentalists America has not been able to build any nuclear power plants, nor have we been able to drill any new oil, because of the environmentalists. I only have one question does Duyba really believe this or is he just reading it off a teleprompter?
Here is the truth. The reason new nuclear power plants have not been built or new oil fields drilled is this. The companies that want to engage in these commercial ventures do not want to follow the regulations of the the government agencies to protect the people and the environment from the greedy profit is God corporate mentality. Trust me the big oil companies do not have a very good record.
The nuclear power industry has fallen dormant because of the expense of building a safe nuclear generating plant[ask the Russians about this] and the legal liability of disposing of the contaminated waste. Why not send it to mars?
Perhaps it has slipped the minds of the current Republican administration that Government[the people] Regulatory Agencies were set-up [by the people] to protect us[for the people] from abuses of a so-called free market economy.
We all know the answers to the energy situation. We discuss them until our lips are blue . But when are we as a country and a culture going to make a real change for the better. Do we have to wait until the marketing people decide that there is profit in energy conservation before we see real progress. Let us elect a president who can and will change the status quo and stand behind him.
This must have been very hard on Mr. Cheney as he is not used to asking nice for anything.[he demands] and he sure is not used to hearing the word NO from anyone. Not even the Pope. When the Pope was giving his farewell speech at JFK airport in NY sitting right behind him was Mr. & Mrs. Cheney. I guess Dick was praying for more oil. Perhaps he is not wealthy enough yet.
So our President George Duyba himself goes to Saudia Arabia and asks his good old Friend the king to pump more oil, But again NO. So Mr. Bush holds a press confrence where he tells the Press that because of the environmentalists America has not been able to build any nuclear power plants, nor have we been able to drill any new oil, because of the environmentalists. I only have one question does Duyba really believe this or is he just reading it off a teleprompter?
Here is the truth. The reason new nuclear power plants have not been built or new oil fields drilled is this. The companies that want to engage in these commercial ventures do not want to follow the regulations of the the government agencies to protect the people and the environment from the greedy profit is God corporate mentality. Trust me the big oil companies do not have a very good record.
The nuclear power industry has fallen dormant because of the expense of building a safe nuclear generating plant[ask the Russians about this] and the legal liability of disposing of the contaminated waste. Why not send it to mars?
Perhaps it has slipped the minds of the current Republican administration that Government[the people] Regulatory Agencies were set-up [by the people] to protect us[for the people] from abuses of a so-called free market economy.
We all know the answers to the energy situation. We discuss them until our lips are blue . But when are we as a country and a culture going to make a real change for the better. Do we have to wait until the marketing people decide that there is profit in energy conservation before we see real progress. Let us elect a president who can and will change the status quo and stand behind him.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
A gas guzzzling , pump nuzzling son of a hummer
Gas prices getting you down? Of course they are. In the past two weeks I have heard every wild and sane theory about why gas prices are so high. Even our clueless president says it is not an easy issue. The answers are simple though. There are two reasons why gas prices are going up and will continue to rise.
All the oil producing countries have pumped out the easy to get oil. Now they have to go much deeper. even under the ocean. Global warming is a gift for the oil and shipping companies. When the Arctic ocean thaws. It will open a short trade route between China and America. What is even better there is a ocean of oil under the Arctic ocean, and to top it off there is a huge oil field in N Dakota.
What could possibly be wrong with this picture. Well all this oil is going to cost alot more to get out of the ground to transport and refine. This means the price of oil is only going to go up.Of course demand is going up world wide at 8% a year It is only natural that the third world wants their peice of the pie.
Which brings us to simple reason number two . The American public believes it is only natural that we should have cheap gas. We have done nothing in twenty years to do anything to start serious conservation programs or develop alternative energy sources.
More seriously, We have created a car culture of excess. With bigger and longer vehicles to transport ourselves and our " children" . I love the way people pimp their kids as an excuse to buy a SUV . The family minivan which has become a fixture soccer moms love to hate. Does not get good mileage. It has become a fixture though because , unless we have our children enrolled and involved in more organized activities than is good for them , then we are not doing enough for them. Unfortunatly mom is reduced to the role of taxi driver and Dad a money pump, Married or divorced
It amazes me the number of professional sales people I see who are driving SUVs or cars that use premium gas only and get lousy gas mileage. if you ask them they will tell you " It is the cost of doing business " The rationalizations go on forever, but the bottom line is gas is going to get more expensive going forward. The high cost of owning a home and feeding ones family has squeezed most peoples budgets to the limit.
I believe five dollars a gallon is going to be what it takes to bring Americans to their senses. Five dollars a gallon is what it will take before we get serious about everything we should have been doing since the 1970s when gas prices were so high.
This what a Global Economy is all about , now we are paying what the Canadians and the Europeans have been paying for decades. We have no one but ourselves to blame for this crisis. And there is no one but us to step up to plate and do what we have to do use the resources we have wisely and efficiently. I hope for Americas sake we have the will power to do it.
All the oil producing countries have pumped out the easy to get oil. Now they have to go much deeper. even under the ocean. Global warming is a gift for the oil and shipping companies. When the Arctic ocean thaws. It will open a short trade route between China and America. What is even better there is a ocean of oil under the Arctic ocean, and to top it off there is a huge oil field in N Dakota.
What could possibly be wrong with this picture. Well all this oil is going to cost alot more to get out of the ground to transport and refine. This means the price of oil is only going to go up.Of course demand is going up world wide at 8% a year It is only natural that the third world wants their peice of the pie.
Which brings us to simple reason number two . The American public believes it is only natural that we should have cheap gas. We have done nothing in twenty years to do anything to start serious conservation programs or develop alternative energy sources.
More seriously, We have created a car culture of excess. With bigger and longer vehicles to transport ourselves and our " children" . I love the way people pimp their kids as an excuse to buy a SUV . The family minivan which has become a fixture soccer moms love to hate. Does not get good mileage. It has become a fixture though because , unless we have our children enrolled and involved in more organized activities than is good for them , then we are not doing enough for them. Unfortunatly mom is reduced to the role of taxi driver and Dad a money pump, Married or divorced
It amazes me the number of professional sales people I see who are driving SUVs or cars that use premium gas only and get lousy gas mileage. if you ask them they will tell you " It is the cost of doing business " The rationalizations go on forever, but the bottom line is gas is going to get more expensive going forward. The high cost of owning a home and feeding ones family has squeezed most peoples budgets to the limit.
I believe five dollars a gallon is going to be what it takes to bring Americans to their senses. Five dollars a gallon is what it will take before we get serious about everything we should have been doing since the 1970s when gas prices were so high.
This what a Global Economy is all about , now we are paying what the Canadians and the Europeans have been paying for decades. We have no one but ourselves to blame for this crisis. And there is no one but us to step up to plate and do what we have to do use the resources we have wisely and efficiently. I hope for Americas sake we have the will power to do it.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
The terrible texas travasty or nothing is sacred
I can only assume that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights does not apply in the state of Texas. First it was David Korash, and that really was an abomination of our right as citizens of the United States of America. David Korash was a nut and his followers must have been just as crazy to believe his rantings and build a compound in the desert. The point is the Branch Davidans were bothering no one. Our government forced a confrontation where 53 adults and 21 children died. Only in the land of the free.
Now we have the Yearning for Zion people. Where 416 children were taken from their mothers. The state of Texas has decided that everyone on the Zion ranch has to be DNA tested,though no one have not been accused of committing a crime or breaking the law. Thwn the children will be put up for adoption[auction]. I ask Why? I cannot think of any reasonable argument that can be made for this bludgeoning of the civil rights of American citzens. Apparently 460 lawyers could not accept this outrage and our working for free representing the mothers and their children.
The official reason given for entering the the Yearning for Zion ranch is a 16 year old girl called child protectives and reported she was being beaten and raped by her 50 old husband. This girl has not been found, nor did any of the sect members know of her. The latest report is the girl lives in California and has a history of this kind of action.
The Texas police claimed they observed pregnant girls under the legal age of consent. That is why they waged an Iraqi style offensive against people who stood there and sang and prayed. It is worth mentioning that it was only this year that the Texas Governor Rick Perry raised the age of consent for girls to marry in Texas from 14 to 16.
Following the logic of the Texas police, I assume that they will be raiding public housing projects because there are pregnant girls under the age of consent living there. That would be something to see - the Texas police busing teenage girls with their children out of public housing projects and housing them in stadiums.
The question of whether polygamy is right or wrong is not the issue. The issue is how can children be taken from their mothers by force when there is no evidence of neglect, violence or abuse. By abuse, I mean the kind that kills children all over this nation everyday. I have read many stories and I am sure you have too about children whose mothers are drug addicted prostitutes, who live in filthy, dangerous homes. Even after the children are removed from these homes they are ultimately returned to the unfit mother. I can only assume this does not happen in Texas.
This is about people who choose not to participate in our greedy, violent and promiscuous culture. The state of Texas wants to adopt out 416 children to people who will force them to live in a society that has rejected Christian principles. Is the state of Texas going to force their mothers to shop at mall so they can learn to participate in a cycle of consumption we all know is unsustainable? These women know it too. That is why they rejected it.
This is about a police state that suspends the Constitution and the Bill of Rights whenever they feel like it and invent reasons to take away the rights and freedoms of other people [Iraq]. This is a creed Geo. Bush should be comfortable with.
Why are the presidential candidates not talking about this issue? Because they already know the truth, our constitutional rights are an illusion. The reality is we have very little freedom and if you choose a different path it will not be tolerated. Remember Friends - those famous words, "I am from the government,I am here to help."
Now we have the Yearning for Zion people. Where 416 children were taken from their mothers. The state of Texas has decided that everyone on the Zion ranch has to be DNA tested,though no one have not been accused of committing a crime or breaking the law. Thwn the children will be put up for adoption[auction]. I ask Why? I cannot think of any reasonable argument that can be made for this bludgeoning of the civil rights of American citzens. Apparently 460 lawyers could not accept this outrage and our working for free representing the mothers and their children.
The official reason given for entering the the Yearning for Zion ranch is a 16 year old girl called child protectives and reported she was being beaten and raped by her 50 old husband. This girl has not been found, nor did any of the sect members know of her. The latest report is the girl lives in California and has a history of this kind of action.
The Texas police claimed they observed pregnant girls under the legal age of consent. That is why they waged an Iraqi style offensive against people who stood there and sang and prayed. It is worth mentioning that it was only this year that the Texas Governor Rick Perry raised the age of consent for girls to marry in Texas from 14 to 16.
Following the logic of the Texas police, I assume that they will be raiding public housing projects because there are pregnant girls under the age of consent living there. That would be something to see - the Texas police busing teenage girls with their children out of public housing projects and housing them in stadiums.
The question of whether polygamy is right or wrong is not the issue. The issue is how can children be taken from their mothers by force when there is no evidence of neglect, violence or abuse. By abuse, I mean the kind that kills children all over this nation everyday. I have read many stories and I am sure you have too about children whose mothers are drug addicted prostitutes, who live in filthy, dangerous homes. Even after the children are removed from these homes they are ultimately returned to the unfit mother. I can only assume this does not happen in Texas.
This is about people who choose not to participate in our greedy, violent and promiscuous culture. The state of Texas wants to adopt out 416 children to people who will force them to live in a society that has rejected Christian principles. Is the state of Texas going to force their mothers to shop at mall so they can learn to participate in a cycle of consumption we all know is unsustainable? These women know it too. That is why they rejected it.
This is about a police state that suspends the Constitution and the Bill of Rights whenever they feel like it and invent reasons to take away the rights and freedoms of other people [Iraq]. This is a creed Geo. Bush should be comfortable with.
Why are the presidential candidates not talking about this issue? Because they already know the truth, our constitutional rights are an illusion. The reality is we have very little freedom and if you choose a different path it will not be tolerated. Remember Friends - those famous words, "I am from the government,I am here to help."
Friday, April 11, 2008
oils well , that ends well
4.3 billion barrels of oil in North Dakota. that is a lot of oil. Happy days are here again. GM can start up the Humvee assembly lines again and Ford can start designing the Ford expedition XL [extra large]. Industry will thrive again [what industry the factory is in china now]. We will not have to wait fifty years to feel the effects of global warming. We can have it much sooner. How American! Hey but do not let me spoil the party . This is good news.
It is good news because it could give us breathing room. America could get out of Iraq, and we could tell our good Friend OPEC [terrorists] They can shove their oil up their nose. While this may all be fun to talk about. We miss the real point.
We could move out of the oil age and into the new age of alternative energy. we could get the railroads running again. Trains would be an excellent place to try new technologies. This big oil strike could be part of a ten year national effort to find new technologies. Perhaps we could put off that space trip to mars for ten years and use NASA to help find a way to use the full light spectrum for solar energy. which by the way may help them get to mars.[why mars?]
Which presidential canadidate would be able to persuade the nation to change a life style that depends on cheap oil.To a lifestyle built on conservation and thrift. A economy that is based on consumer spending is unsustainable. Our Chinese Friends will find this out in about thirty years when every Chinese cit zen is living Beverly Hills lite. Would John McCain sell the Chinese our oil? To keep them as happy as the are with Geo Bush and company.
Which presidential candidate can forge an alliance with central and south American[oil rich] . Instead of treating them like slave colonies. Bill Clinton tried and the Big Corp Boys screwed him and the American worker, white and blue collar.I did not personally believe there was any cheaper labor in the world until the Chinese discovered Africa .The Chinese are building industrial factories in Africa and treating their African employees as associates.Look and see this is the future of industry.
If the next president could fashion a real power alignment between north and south America. We could rule the world again Along with Europe. We could help the free world step into a new reality. Which by the way the Japanese are living right now. Looks like the really did win the war in the end. Oils well,that ends well.
It is good news because it could give us breathing room. America could get out of Iraq, and we could tell our good Friend OPEC [terrorists] They can shove their oil up their nose. While this may all be fun to talk about. We miss the real point.
We could move out of the oil age and into the new age of alternative energy. we could get the railroads running again. Trains would be an excellent place to try new technologies. This big oil strike could be part of a ten year national effort to find new technologies. Perhaps we could put off that space trip to mars for ten years and use NASA to help find a way to use the full light spectrum for solar energy. which by the way may help them get to mars.[why mars?]
Which presidential canadidate would be able to persuade the nation to change a life style that depends on cheap oil.To a lifestyle built on conservation and thrift. A economy that is based on consumer spending is unsustainable. Our Chinese Friends will find this out in about thirty years when every Chinese cit zen is living Beverly Hills lite. Would John McCain sell the Chinese our oil? To keep them as happy as the are with Geo Bush and company.
Which presidential candidate can forge an alliance with central and south American[oil rich] . Instead of treating them like slave colonies. Bill Clinton tried and the Big Corp Boys screwed him and the American worker, white and blue collar.I did not personally believe there was any cheaper labor in the world until the Chinese discovered Africa .The Chinese are building industrial factories in Africa and treating their African employees as associates.Look and see this is the future of industry.
If the next president could fashion a real power alignment between north and south America. We could rule the world again Along with Europe. We could help the free world step into a new reality. Which by the way the Japanese are living right now. Looks like the really did win the war in the end. Oils well,that ends well.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
the russian bear or fear of flying
Vladimir Putin was giving George Bush a lesson in politics this week. Comrade Putin made it clear there would be no return to the cold war, that there is no ideological differences between America and Russia anymore. This is wonderful.
I am afraid what our President is missing is that Russia wants to become part of NATO. This a natural realignment of world power. There are two huge aggressive forces in the world right now. that is Islamic fundamentalism and China. Neither shares any history or christian values with the west. Russia could be a powerful Friend against these two forces.
Russia has been selling Iran alot of nuclear technology and the right people to go with it. I think Russia is beginning to see that was a foolish thing to do. The Islamics have not forgotten the war in Afghanistan nor the wars of liberation that were fought in the old USSR satellites that were Islamic. Comrade Vladimir is beginning to see that that nuclear sword can cut on both sides of the Ural mountains. Hopefully our next president will see this and welcome our old allies from WWII back into the European family.
Let us not forget our Friends the Chinese. Whose name in America is pronounced Wal-Mart. Whose expanding economy needs oil and arable land more than anything else. China fields a 200 million man army and plenty of hungry people. Mother Russia has both oil and lots of good land for growing all the food bought from the USA. When the price of fuel to transport all that grain from here to there gets to expensive to make a profit. There will be alot more hungry angry people in China. Russia will then find out who the real enemy is.
Northwest airlines raised their prices significantly this week, especially for international flights. All the rest of the airlines are sure to follow. The sky rocketing price of oil is the official cause and It is a problem that is going to get worse not better.
I am somewhat skeptical . Even when was oil was cheap. The airlines were cutting back on maintenance personal and service people. They admitted that the had accidentally spent all the money in the pension funds so there would not be any, and oh by the way their top executives were making salary's and bonuses that made the Bear Sterns people jealous.
The airlines were deregulated in 1979, and they have been going down hill ever since. Flying used to be a pleasant experience Americans looked forward to. Now in 2008 it has become a nightmare that Americans dread.
The problem is two fold. The first is Profits by any means necessary. The second is Americans have come to believe for no logical reason Cheap air travel is a Right. Americans are outraged that they can not fly to Miami for 99.00. Americans are incensed because they have to wait so long in airport terminals. because they have to fly as cheap as humanly possible.
The price of oil going way up is the best thing that could happen to the flying public. Simply because less people will fly. Flights will be on time, it will be much safer and hopefully on schedule. This is the first step into the new reality that expensive oil is bringing to the world.
I am afraid what our President is missing is that Russia wants to become part of NATO. This a natural realignment of world power. There are two huge aggressive forces in the world right now. that is Islamic fundamentalism and China. Neither shares any history or christian values with the west. Russia could be a powerful Friend against these two forces.
Russia has been selling Iran alot of nuclear technology and the right people to go with it. I think Russia is beginning to see that was a foolish thing to do. The Islamics have not forgotten the war in Afghanistan nor the wars of liberation that were fought in the old USSR satellites that were Islamic. Comrade Vladimir is beginning to see that that nuclear sword can cut on both sides of the Ural mountains. Hopefully our next president will see this and welcome our old allies from WWII back into the European family.
Let us not forget our Friends the Chinese. Whose name in America is pronounced Wal-Mart. Whose expanding economy needs oil and arable land more than anything else. China fields a 200 million man army and plenty of hungry people. Mother Russia has both oil and lots of good land for growing all the food bought from the USA. When the price of fuel to transport all that grain from here to there gets to expensive to make a profit. There will be alot more hungry angry people in China. Russia will then find out who the real enemy is.
Northwest airlines raised their prices significantly this week, especially for international flights. All the rest of the airlines are sure to follow. The sky rocketing price of oil is the official cause and It is a problem that is going to get worse not better.
I am somewhat skeptical . Even when was oil was cheap. The airlines were cutting back on maintenance personal and service people. They admitted that the had accidentally spent all the money in the pension funds so there would not be any, and oh by the way their top executives were making salary's and bonuses that made the Bear Sterns people jealous.
The airlines were deregulated in 1979, and they have been going down hill ever since. Flying used to be a pleasant experience Americans looked forward to. Now in 2008 it has become a nightmare that Americans dread.
The problem is two fold. The first is Profits by any means necessary. The second is Americans have come to believe for no logical reason Cheap air travel is a Right. Americans are outraged that they can not fly to Miami for 99.00. Americans are incensed because they have to wait so long in airport terminals. because they have to fly as cheap as humanly possible.
The price of oil going way up is the best thing that could happen to the flying public. Simply because less people will fly. Flights will be on time, it will be much safer and hopefully on schedule. This is the first step into the new reality that expensive oil is bringing to the world.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
oh what fun we have when first we start to campaign
What a campaign! This is the first time since 1968. I have seen this much emotion in a presidential campaign. forget about the dirt everyone is digging up. Look at the attitudes, and the huge story that is being created. That is catching the news miesters by surprise. As hard as CNN and Fox working trying to create story lines. Reality is going in the opposite direction. Much to the chagrin of talking heads who are trying so hard to brain wash their viewers.
The image that the corporate media is trying to create. Is being torn apart every time the candidates speak directly to the people. My question is which candidate will still be talking directly to the people . After being elected and then cloistered , guarded like the Mona Lisa. Now the candidates do not use prepared speech's, or if they do they memorize them. Will it be the same soft shoe? when they are speaking directly from the oval office.
Up until now it has always been two or more old white guys droning on with the same old tired platitudes. Talking much, but saying nothing. This time around there is a entirely different dynamic. Three people with completely different backgrounds and agendas. This time around it is actually interesting. Mostly because of Americas obsession with putting " good feelings " ahead of reality. The candidates have to try and get the real message across in a way that does not offend anyone or "raise questions" .
Mr.Obama seems to have very sensitive feelings about any criticism . If nominated will he be able to handle the full frontal assaults the republicans will pull. If it is Mrs. Clinton the republicans will be replaying the '90s. Does America want to go thru the Monica Lewinsky scandal again. If the republicans pull this trick will it back fire?
This campaign has created such strong emotions among democrats. Some democrats say they will vote for McCain if their favorite is not nominated. Will they still feel the same way When McCain starts talking about the stain on that old blue cocktail dress? It is a good trick, it will get the Conservative blood boiling all over again.
It is fascinating that thru all the mud slinging and public spats. It still comes down to the question. Do we still keeping investing ourselves emotionally and finically in a national mindset that is unsustainable. Do we continue to squander our human capitol. While we fall behind the rest of the world? Do we keep letting corporate America keep running the show.
Do any of these canadidates really have the will of iron to make real change? Look what happened to the Kennedy's and MLK when they tried. Is this the real question. Do the American voters have the courage to stand behind their man or woman, When the going gets tough real tough. Believe me friends this country has a rough road ahead and who we pick in November is going to be the first choice we are going to have to make in a whole new world.
The image that the corporate media is trying to create. Is being torn apart every time the candidates speak directly to the people. My question is which candidate will still be talking directly to the people . After being elected and then cloistered , guarded like the Mona Lisa. Now the candidates do not use prepared speech's, or if they do they memorize them. Will it be the same soft shoe? when they are speaking directly from the oval office.
Up until now it has always been two or more old white guys droning on with the same old tired platitudes. Talking much, but saying nothing. This time around there is a entirely different dynamic. Three people with completely different backgrounds and agendas. This time around it is actually interesting. Mostly because of Americas obsession with putting " good feelings " ahead of reality. The candidates have to try and get the real message across in a way that does not offend anyone or "raise questions" .
Mr.Obama seems to have very sensitive feelings about any criticism . If nominated will he be able to handle the full frontal assaults the republicans will pull. If it is Mrs. Clinton the republicans will be replaying the '90s. Does America want to go thru the Monica Lewinsky scandal again. If the republicans pull this trick will it back fire?
This campaign has created such strong emotions among democrats. Some democrats say they will vote for McCain if their favorite is not nominated. Will they still feel the same way When McCain starts talking about the stain on that old blue cocktail dress? It is a good trick, it will get the Conservative blood boiling all over again.
It is fascinating that thru all the mud slinging and public spats. It still comes down to the question. Do we still keeping investing ourselves emotionally and finically in a national mindset that is unsustainable. Do we continue to squander our human capitol. While we fall behind the rest of the world? Do we keep letting corporate America keep running the show.
Do any of these canadidates really have the will of iron to make real change? Look what happened to the Kennedy's and MLK when they tried. Is this the real question. Do the American voters have the courage to stand behind their man or woman, When the going gets tough real tough. Believe me friends this country has a rough road ahead and who we pick in November is going to be the first choice we are going to have to make in a whole new world.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
the worst word you can say in america
The baby boomer's have been up on a diet of success gurus . People who promised us on TV that there was no limit to our potential for creativity, success, and health. From the " power of positive thinking" to Anthony Robbins " program for success" to Dr. Phil McGraw's many books on how to do everything from lose weight to raising your child's IQ . The satellite and cable channels are filled with paid programing to show you how easy it is to have rock hard Abs or the softest skin in America. How to make a fortune on the financial misery of others or how to show them the path to easy richs .
Even the TV preachers have gotten in on the act . Selling DVD and tape packages of their sermons on how to be healthy and wealthy with Jesus. Of course if you believe in the Good book and you somehow became middle class and have the usual medical problems. Your not right with the lord. how confusing this must be for Christians . I mean Jesus promised us he loved us no matter who we were.
The main theme for both these groups and even the main stream media is that there are No Limits. just ask Donald Trump he will tell you there is no limit to how rich he can be. If your a good American success it virtually guaranteed. no sweat.
Unfortunately now that the baby boomer's have reached middle age. Reality has begun to bite. The body begins to break down, and when you look in the mirror , you can see that father time is still winning the race. The fact is everybody has natural limits. physical, mental and emotional. This may surprise some folks , but that is what makes us all unique, it is what makes all valuable. It is the basis of our worth to ourselves are family's and our communities.
in our lemming like rush to all look, talk, and feel the way the Media tell us we should. We deny who we really are. We deny the very individual talents and creativity. That could be the key to our unlimited happiness. Remember when people worked jobs they liked instead of a job that paid the most.
It is in breaking free of the propaganda we are saturated with everyday. It is realizing our strengths and devoting our time and energy to that.Rather than trying and failing to over come our natural limitations. That we will find the potential for the real happiness everyone is looking for.
Even the TV preachers have gotten in on the act . Selling DVD and tape packages of their sermons on how to be healthy and wealthy with Jesus. Of course if you believe in the Good book and you somehow became middle class and have the usual medical problems. Your not right with the lord. how confusing this must be for Christians . I mean Jesus promised us he loved us no matter who we were.
The main theme for both these groups and even the main stream media is that there are No Limits. just ask Donald Trump he will tell you there is no limit to how rich he can be. If your a good American success it virtually guaranteed. no sweat.
Unfortunately now that the baby boomer's have reached middle age. Reality has begun to bite. The body begins to break down, and when you look in the mirror , you can see that father time is still winning the race. The fact is everybody has natural limits. physical, mental and emotional. This may surprise some folks , but that is what makes us all unique, it is what makes all valuable. It is the basis of our worth to ourselves are family's and our communities.
in our lemming like rush to all look, talk, and feel the way the Media tell us we should. We deny who we really are. We deny the very individual talents and creativity. That could be the key to our unlimited happiness. Remember when people worked jobs they liked instead of a job that paid the most.
It is in breaking free of the propaganda we are saturated with everyday. It is realizing our strengths and devoting our time and energy to that.Rather than trying and failing to over come our natural limitations. That we will find the potential for the real happiness everyone is looking for.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
vegas vapor lock or you had it coming
The word out of Vegas is 5% . As in revenues are down 5% . this is causing quite a panic in the golden city. It seems that the moguls who run the dreamland in the desert are deeply concerned that the endless supply of suckers has dried up. mainly because those suckers were gambling with hallucinated wealth, and reality has come to call.
I find it most amusing that the same people who have been tricking people out of their money for decades. Are now being tricked by the Big Banks who bank rolled all the new hotels that only got bigger and more lavish. Now that the big bank boys have got their fees and commissions. the vegas casinos are holding the bag for hotels that look like holy monuments, that will never reach capacity.
The malls. All over America malls are reporting that stores are closing and pulling out. The stores in question are the ones that sold sunglass and purses . That had mark-ups so high you would have thought the mafia owned them. Oh by the way the cost of floor space at the malls is so high. that small stores like electronics boutique have moved into strip malls and Target builds out in the parking lot because it is cheaper.
Build it and they will come. That has been the creedo for decades, but that is proving now to be unsustainable. Reality is hitting the corporate world harder than it is the consumer. The business model since the 1970s has been sell volume, cost savings thru the economies of scale . it is a good theory but in practice it has a limit.
Which brings us to the big problem. Limits. we have reached the limit of how much profit can be made . Small business people, understand that sales go in cycles , you have good months and poor months . The big corporate retailers of anything from tacos to super wal-marts truly believe profit can go up each quarter, and costs can be cut. It looks like the over paid , pampered executives are in for humbling experinces as they find they are going to be the cost that is cut next. Not to worry they will wipe away their tears with silk handkerchiefs, so it will feel better.
Hang-on to your seats . When gas is four dollars a gallon it is going to change everything . When it hits five dollars a gallon we will be in a whole new reality . Perhaps it will be a reality . That is REAL and not an illusion that the advertisers made-up to sell more beer.
I find it most amusing that the same people who have been tricking people out of their money for decades. Are now being tricked by the Big Banks who bank rolled all the new hotels that only got bigger and more lavish. Now that the big bank boys have got their fees and commissions. the vegas casinos are holding the bag for hotels that look like holy monuments, that will never reach capacity.
The malls. All over America malls are reporting that stores are closing and pulling out. The stores in question are the ones that sold sunglass and purses . That had mark-ups so high you would have thought the mafia owned them. Oh by the way the cost of floor space at the malls is so high. that small stores like electronics boutique have moved into strip malls and Target builds out in the parking lot because it is cheaper.
Build it and they will come. That has been the creedo for decades, but that is proving now to be unsustainable. Reality is hitting the corporate world harder than it is the consumer. The business model since the 1970s has been sell volume, cost savings thru the economies of scale . it is a good theory but in practice it has a limit.
Which brings us to the big problem. Limits. we have reached the limit of how much profit can be made . Small business people, understand that sales go in cycles , you have good months and poor months . The big corporate retailers of anything from tacos to super wal-marts truly believe profit can go up each quarter, and costs can be cut. It looks like the over paid , pampered executives are in for humbling experinces as they find they are going to be the cost that is cut next. Not to worry they will wipe away their tears with silk handkerchiefs, so it will feel better.
Hang-on to your seats . When gas is four dollars a gallon it is going to change everything . When it hits five dollars a gallon we will be in a whole new reality . Perhaps it will be a reality . That is REAL and not an illusion that the advertisers made-up to sell more beer.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
there is something in the air. could it be revolution
what a ride, primary fever. huge voter turnouts. Florida and Michigan demanding to be let in to the convention. We have two candidates who 6 months ago were considered non-starters. Throw in a economic crisis and you have the recipe for real change or a dictator. What does all this mean?
John McCain is a maverick republican. Who is not tied to the religious right, nor the Nazi economics of the conservatives. A man who is not afraid to challenge his own parties power structure. The problem with McCain is here is emotionally and mentally invested in a mindset that is now unsustainable. I am afraid Mr. McCain still lives in a world where America can bully the world with its military, use all the resources it wants and make someone else pay the real price. and still believes people without shoes can pull themselves up by the bootstraps. God bless John McCain but that world is rapidly disappearing.
Then, we have Barack Oboma . A man who is talking about hope and change. A man whose destiny can not be denied, by the existing power structure. Who if elected, will be telling the country what it needs to hear and the people will not be liking it. Perhaps we will need in the coming Depression a leader we can believe in. When there is no real reason to believe. Barrack is in the same place Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in when he was elected president.
To the baby boomer's the Depression and FDR are stories their parents told them. To our grandparents he was a true hero that kept this country from falling into anarchy. Great leaders appear in great times.
Do not forget Hilary Clinton. Who could be the first woman president in our history. A woman who is a lightening rod, for either mad enthusiasm or red hot rage. nothing in between. Compared to her two oppents she is virtually a moderate. What kind of change would she bring?
Hilary and Bill Clinton could finish what they started in 1990s, They had an exciting vision for America, perhaps the people are finally ready for it.
Hilary and Barrack can fight all they want but in august at the convention . They will become the Democratic ticket . In this reality show, media driven campaign. That has more statistics than NFL football and is playing in stadiums and auditoriums all over America. These two are fighting hard for every vote, but I can not help but think .
be careful , what you ask for . You just might get it.
John McCain is a maverick republican. Who is not tied to the religious right, nor the Nazi economics of the conservatives. A man who is not afraid to challenge his own parties power structure. The problem with McCain is here is emotionally and mentally invested in a mindset that is now unsustainable. I am afraid Mr. McCain still lives in a world where America can bully the world with its military, use all the resources it wants and make someone else pay the real price. and still believes people without shoes can pull themselves up by the bootstraps. God bless John McCain but that world is rapidly disappearing.
Then, we have Barack Oboma . A man who is talking about hope and change. A man whose destiny can not be denied, by the existing power structure. Who if elected, will be telling the country what it needs to hear and the people will not be liking it. Perhaps we will need in the coming Depression a leader we can believe in. When there is no real reason to believe. Barrack is in the same place Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in when he was elected president.
To the baby boomer's the Depression and FDR are stories their parents told them. To our grandparents he was a true hero that kept this country from falling into anarchy. Great leaders appear in great times.
Do not forget Hilary Clinton. Who could be the first woman president in our history. A woman who is a lightening rod, for either mad enthusiasm or red hot rage. nothing in between. Compared to her two oppents she is virtually a moderate. What kind of change would she bring?
Hilary and Bill Clinton could finish what they started in 1990s, They had an exciting vision for America, perhaps the people are finally ready for it.
Hilary and Barrack can fight all they want but in august at the convention . They will become the Democratic ticket . In this reality show, media driven campaign. That has more statistics than NFL football and is playing in stadiums and auditoriums all over America. These two are fighting hard for every vote, but I can not help but think .
be careful , what you ask for . You just might get it.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
pumped for the primaries
Well it looks like we have a real race. The last time a democatic primary was so hotly contested was 1968. There was a war going on then too. I for one am glad to see it. Hillary is right, the republicans will give us more of same. Which means lining their pockets with public money. While pimping family values and pro-life. A wolf in sheep's clothing.
Barak Obama or Hillary Clinton. We will get some real change with either one and we need it badly. I like Hillary, I would like to see her and Bill finish what they started and it would make good history for later generations.
Barak offers change. He has not described his vision of change yet and I think that is what makes it so exciting. It could be a historic culture changing presidency. That is dramatic and meaningful.
Most people in this country know there is something wrong , but they cannot put their finger on it. So they are voting in large numbers for a man they feel is the next JFK . Someone who can do on a national scale what people can not do on local level. Restore a sense of pride and purpose.
The goverment, along with the corporations, have made us into economic units and have kept us on treadmill of consumption until we have no other life or identity.
Can Barak or Hilary really change anything? Barak Obama has come out of nowhere and has an unstoppable destiny. Perhaps that is why people feel he can really make a significant change. It will be interesting to see what kind of compromise will be worked out at the convention in August. Is there revolution in the air?
John McCain will easily be defeated in November. Then the drama will really start. Hillary or Barak both mean to take on the corporate power structure. This will be exciting to say the least. Americans will be asked to chuck the illusion we have been living in: that we can continue to have everything we want, and never hear the word no.
If we are really going to change the culture in this country, we are going to have to make real sacrifices. We are going to have to adjust our expections to the reality that the rest of the world faces everyday.
It could be very exciting. It could make baby boomers feel young again. As we baby boomers start to retire, perhaps we could finish what we started in 1970.. change the world with the power of peace and love.
Barak Obama or Hillary Clinton. We will get some real change with either one and we need it badly. I like Hillary, I would like to see her and Bill finish what they started and it would make good history for later generations.
Barak offers change. He has not described his vision of change yet and I think that is what makes it so exciting. It could be a historic culture changing presidency. That is dramatic and meaningful.
Most people in this country know there is something wrong , but they cannot put their finger on it. So they are voting in large numbers for a man they feel is the next JFK . Someone who can do on a national scale what people can not do on local level. Restore a sense of pride and purpose.
The goverment, along with the corporations, have made us into economic units and have kept us on treadmill of consumption until we have no other life or identity.
Can Barak or Hilary really change anything? Barak Obama has come out of nowhere and has an unstoppable destiny. Perhaps that is why people feel he can really make a significant change. It will be interesting to see what kind of compromise will be worked out at the convention in August. Is there revolution in the air?
John McCain will easily be defeated in November. Then the drama will really start. Hillary or Barak both mean to take on the corporate power structure. This will be exciting to say the least. Americans will be asked to chuck the illusion we have been living in: that we can continue to have everything we want, and never hear the word no.
If we are really going to change the culture in this country, we are going to have to make real sacrifices. We are going to have to adjust our expections to the reality that the rest of the world faces everyday.
It could be very exciting. It could make baby boomers feel young again. As we baby boomers start to retire, perhaps we could finish what we started in 1970.. change the world with the power of peace and love.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
welcome my son to the machine
Maybe it was the LSD, but I think pink floyd caught a glimpse of the future. Consider this is the earth really over populated or are there to many people and not enough jobs. The government and the corporations consider each individual an economic unit. Children are future economic units. What would happen if machines did all the work? What would the people do?
This may sound like the plot to a sci-fi movie , but consider the following facts. Since 1970 the government has permitted the pill and legal abortion at the same time jobs started moving over seas. Richard Nixon opened china to trade , but what kind of trade? Our jobs?
The Japanese have and will be the world leader in robotic R&D. They are building robots to help care for the elderly.This is ironic since more and more of their industrial production is being done by Taiwan and Korea. In addition they have automated most of their remaining factories. What jobs will be available for the next generation of people in japan?
What about he good old USA. The life blood of our economy OIL is only going keep getting more expensive as it runs out. That means the economy starts to slow, which means we stop building new office parks and shopping malls. What jobs will be available for the next generation of Americans.
What happens when each of us stops being an economic unit. Whose sole purpose in life is to work and consume to keep the machine running. How can we continue to grow our economy when we have consumed all we can. Where will we work. When due to outsourcing or automation we have no jobs? Remember all the gains in productivity the past ten years have come thru having computers do the jobs people used to do.
This will not happen in our life times , but we will see the trend. When people cease to be a economic unit , they cease to be. When we have no money than the machines will have nothing to do either. Then we could stop being economic units and be individuals again. Each with our own attributes which will give us our sense value to our communities. It maybe a slower pace of life? We may all have to work harder, But we maybe alot happier.
Sound like sci-fi. Maybe, but take a good look at the big picture. It may surprise you.
This may sound like the plot to a sci-fi movie , but consider the following facts. Since 1970 the government has permitted the pill and legal abortion at the same time jobs started moving over seas. Richard Nixon opened china to trade , but what kind of trade? Our jobs?
The Japanese have and will be the world leader in robotic R&D. They are building robots to help care for the elderly.This is ironic since more and more of their industrial production is being done by Taiwan and Korea. In addition they have automated most of their remaining factories. What jobs will be available for the next generation of people in japan?
What about he good old USA. The life blood of our economy OIL is only going keep getting more expensive as it runs out. That means the economy starts to slow, which means we stop building new office parks and shopping malls. What jobs will be available for the next generation of Americans.
What happens when each of us stops being an economic unit. Whose sole purpose in life is to work and consume to keep the machine running. How can we continue to grow our economy when we have consumed all we can. Where will we work. When due to outsourcing or automation we have no jobs? Remember all the gains in productivity the past ten years have come thru having computers do the jobs people used to do.
This will not happen in our life times , but we will see the trend. When people cease to be a economic unit , they cease to be. When we have no money than the machines will have nothing to do either. Then we could stop being economic units and be individuals again. Each with our own attributes which will give us our sense value to our communities. It maybe a slower pace of life? We may all have to work harder, But we maybe alot happier.
Sound like sci-fi. Maybe, but take a good look at the big picture. It may surprise you.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
to tell the truth / presidential primaries
Back in the Day . there was a TV quiz show called " to tell the truth" . The premise of the show was . There would be a average person , sitting in in front of the 4 celebrity judges. These celebrity judges would ask the ordinary person questions and from the answers try and guess what the regular persons occupation was. It was a pretty good show.
Watching the candidates debates. I am reminded of this old game show. The candidates when asked specific questions give vague answers with a lot of feel good rhetoric. Almost like the viewer has to guess what their position is on the issues. There are a few interesting points to this.
First point. Why do the CNN talking heads moderate the debates? Why do the ask such vague questions? This question was asked of Hilary and Barak last week. " Do you like each other? " . I thought for a minute Dr. Phil was running the debates.
Second point. This is a presidential race built and fueled by emotion. It is fueled by gender, race, and beauty. These are the big questions in the media everyday. " What did Hilary wear at the debate?" " Did Barack smile enough?" " How old did McCain look last night? " This race is all about " Who do you love "
Third point. The candidates are not talking about the real issues . Hilary started to and it brought her to tears. The real issues are pretty depressing. The economy, gas prices, and quality of life . These issues are complex and any issue to complex starts to turn the voters off. The candidates and the media want to keep this simple and feel good. Hey it worked for Ronald Reagan.
fourth point. Why is each state primary and caucus being scrutinized so closely? Because the 24 hour news machines need constant refueling. That is why we are hearing so much controversy over every statement the candidates make. Not what they said, but how they really meant it. Hey is there a Dr.Phil in the house . Just like American Idol. It all about the TV ratings and advertising.
It has been a fun race so far . Like a reality show. Unfortunately this time it is for real and the next president will have to make some tough decision's. Unless Jesus returns and brings a miracle with him, there will be a recession[depression] in the next 4 years. how long and how deep will depend on the wisdom, courage, and more importantly the integrity of the next president.
Watching the candidates debates. I am reminded of this old game show. The candidates when asked specific questions give vague answers with a lot of feel good rhetoric. Almost like the viewer has to guess what their position is on the issues. There are a few interesting points to this.
First point. Why do the CNN talking heads moderate the debates? Why do the ask such vague questions? This question was asked of Hilary and Barak last week. " Do you like each other? " . I thought for a minute Dr. Phil was running the debates.
Second point. This is a presidential race built and fueled by emotion. It is fueled by gender, race, and beauty. These are the big questions in the media everyday. " What did Hilary wear at the debate?" " Did Barack smile enough?" " How old did McCain look last night? " This race is all about " Who do you love "
Third point. The candidates are not talking about the real issues . Hilary started to and it brought her to tears. The real issues are pretty depressing. The economy, gas prices, and quality of life . These issues are complex and any issue to complex starts to turn the voters off. The candidates and the media want to keep this simple and feel good. Hey it worked for Ronald Reagan.
fourth point. Why is each state primary and caucus being scrutinized so closely? Because the 24 hour news machines need constant refueling. That is why we are hearing so much controversy over every statement the candidates make. Not what they said, but how they really meant it. Hey is there a Dr.Phil in the house . Just like American Idol. It all about the TV ratings and advertising.
It has been a fun race so far . Like a reality show. Unfortunately this time it is for real and the next president will have to make some tough decision's. Unless Jesus returns and brings a miracle with him, there will be a recession[depression] in the next 4 years. how long and how deep will depend on the wisdom, courage, and more importantly the integrity of the next president.
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