Republican Governors Play Deal or No Deal

Some of the Republican governors are threatening not to take money from the national bailout plan, also known as the Stimulus Package. While there are certainly objectionable parts of this complicated financial effort to stimulate the economy, it hardly makes sense for governors to refuse monies the citizens of their states so badly need. War maybe hell, to paraphrase William Tecumseh Sherman, but politics is often a descent into madness. For a change, Democrats were able to see further than the end of their shoes when they inserted language into the legislation that enables state legislators to request the money even if the governor doesn't.

It's possible that some of the governors may be "posturing" but knowing that for sure would require mind reading, or the abilities of the lead actor on To Tell a Lie. Boy wouldn't that be useful. So far the Republicans have chosen to do nothing. Offering alternatives that they know have no chance of being enacted is not really offering an alternative. I guess that is political posturing.

One of the complaints about the legislation is that it "forces" states to continue to spend money after the federal money runs out. That has been problematical for many decades and is not a peculiar problem of the stimulus package. I'm sure there are other objectionable parts to the stimulus package. However, as the states undergo massive layoffs and roads and bridges continued to deteriorate along with the schools, we must do something were faced becoming a Third World country. If people object to outsourcing to India, think of how much worse it will be when China and India to outsource to us.

Karl Rove: America's Favorite Person

For sometime I have been aware that a number of Americans hate Karl Rove. I have been mystified by these hostile feelings because it is well known that he cares about each and every American, regardless of their race, nationality, religion, or political affiliation. This has earned him the nickname of "America's favorite person," among many, many people. I have even been told that each night before he goes to bed, he says a special prayer for the well-being of liberal Democrats throughout this country. Isn't that sweet.

He was blamed for spreading disinformation about the cause and purpose of the war in Iraq. To the best of my knowledge he consistently stated that we were invited in by the Iraqis to help them overthrow Saddam Hussein. He certainly wasn't responsible for the fact that the CIA and other intelligence sources gave the president and his advisers faulty information regarding the status of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. My inside source within inner conservative Republican circles, Stanislaw Lemsky, a former Soviet school teacher and member of the KGB, told me that Karl cautioned the president about making sure the intelligence information was absolutely correct.

A number of people also accused him of preventing significant numbers of Americans from being able to vote. To substantiate such absurd claims recently inappropriately intercepted e-mail messages with voter names have been used as purported evidence to support this assertion. Nothing could be further from the truth. Karl and his staff worked late into the night to make sure these people who had been targeted by unknown sources are actually assured of their ability to vote in the 2004 presidential election.

Lastly, allegations were made about Karl's involvement in the prosecution of former Governor Don Siegelman of Alabama. I'm sure Jill Simpson meant well, but she probably misunderstood Karl Rove when he allegedly asked her to photograph then Governor Siegelman in compromising sexual activities. Karl probably told her that he wanted some personal pictures of the governor and his wife so that he could hang them. To have said what Ms. Simpson accuses him of saying what have constituted dishonorable and illegal activities, both totally abhorrent to Karl's altruistic, and loving nature.

Bernie Maddoff and Millionaire Madness

Sometime ago I heard the expression that "You only have to get rich once." In as much as I'm not rich, nor will I ever be close to it, this comment stuck in my mind. The appendage to that statement was that rich people can stay rich by putting the majority of their money into very safe investments such as double exempting municipal bonds, or U.S. Treasury notes. While I can feel some level of sympathy, but not too much, for the many millionaires who lost their money with Bernie Maddoff, I can only wonder why they were taking such high risks with their fortunes and so many ended up losing it all.

The only rich person I know has had all his money in double exempt municipal bonds for probably 20 years. Let's assume that he has $10 million, which he probably does. If you do the math, 5% (municipal) of $10 million is $500,000 a year. He seems to be squeezing out a marginal lifestyle with an apartment in Paris and a home outside of Denver. My goodness, it's possible to live on $500,000 a year. It boggles my mind to have that much money to spend a year. So what were all the millionaires who entrusted their money with Bernie Maddoff thinking? Oh yes, he had a wonderful reputation etc. but that's not the issue. If these millionaires had followed the basic rule of very conservative investing giving them a more than adequate income, then old Bernie wouldn't have been able to rob them blind.

We have been a nation of greed and are now paying for it. Our houses were never enough, our cars were never enough, and we never had enough goodies. These are tough times for so many of us. We have watched our investments for retirement dwindle. Many Americans have had to make tough decisions, some of them wrong, some of them right. But the vast majority of us weren't rich to begin with, and never had the opportunity to stay rich. What were all the millionaires thinking who invested their money with Bernie Maddoff? The answer is they weren't thinking

War with Klingons Can Save World Economy

Just as World War II brought the American economy out of the Great Depression, a war with the Klingon Empire could do the same for the entire planet. An enormous number of jobs would be created worldwide to build the spaceships and munitions necessary for such a war. Millions of jobs would be necessary just to build the spaceships. Boeing of course, would be one of the world leaders in building the spaceships and smaller fighters. Metal workers, electricians, engineers, and more professions and skills would be needed then there is space here to name. The steel mills of the world would be running at full production. Coal, natural gas, and oil would be needed to run the steel mills. This would generate untold numbers of jobs. The computer companies of the world would be hiring vast numbers of people to build the necessary components for the ships. It's all mind-boggling.

Why would we go to war with the Klingon race? It's the economy stupid. Besides, they're a pugnacious race ready to pick a battle with anyone. The cause for the war? Do wars really ever need causes? If we need a cause, we could send Karl Rove and Joe Biden as ambassadors to the Klingon Empire. Certainly one of them would offend the prickly Klingons into declaring war on us. That's even better! We would be defending ourselves and could appeal to the galactic community for military and economic assistance which would help pay for the war.

The worldwide cooperation necessary to conduct the war would create an era of peace on the planet never seen before. There would be enough factories for the United States, Europe,

Russia, China, India, and etc. there would also be a worldwide wave of kickbacks and bribes enriching lobbyists. The best part is saved for last. If we do this quickly enough, William Shatner could be appointed Admiral and lead the fleet to victory. Angelina Jolie would be the natural choice to lead the ground troops necessary to secure the Klingon world. And who but Dick Cheney could fill the post of worldwide Secretary of War. Glorious days to come.

Republicans against Obama and America

When no Republican member of the House voted for the "Stimulus Plan" President Obama and the rest of the country had more than a hint that bipartisanship wasn't in the air. The Senate response to the plan wasn't much better, and the necessary three Republicans to get 60 votes so that legislation could be passed were able to extract significant concessions from the Democrats. In the meantime Republican leaders went on weekend television, and talked to any media that was willing to listen, about the deficiencies and pork in the Democratic plan. To be certain there is more pork in the plan then the president would like, but for the first six years of the Bush administration an all out pig roast was held in Washington.

What's at stake? The economy and the next 10 or 20 years of the life of this country. What's the Republican response to the economic crisis? The Republican stimulus proposal focuses mainly on tax cuts and tax incentives. There is little, if anything, in the plan to address the fact that the major banks of this country are on the verge of collapse. There is also little in the plan to address the issue of a still mostly frozen lending system. How do the Republicans address the fact that major companies are on the verge of bankruptcy? Economic Darwinism.

The mantra of preserving the free market system lost any meaning when the major banks and financial institutions of this country created trillions of dollars of toxic assets instead of profits. It's amazing how they blame this on Barney Frank. It's as if the Republicans are living on another planet, or see the world so differently that they just don't get it. It's the economy stupid! The Republicans are also busy rewriting the history of the Great Depression. The Republicans are saying that everything Franklin D. Roosevelt did to get the country out of the Great Depression failed. There isn't time or space to get into a debate on this issue, but a lot of books are going to need rewriting to match the new Republican version of history.

The Republicans left in Congress are ideologues who have a particular view of the way society and the economy often function. Their lack of pragmatism hinders their ability to see a variety of alternatives as well as the true nature of the problem. President Obama should quietly bury his bipartisan plans for the present time and get on with the business of trying to prevent a severe recession from becoming a depression.

Octuplets Are Just the Beginning

People who are complaining about Nadya Doud giving birth to Octuplets when she already had six children are missing the point. Sure, there's no way she can afford to feed 14 children unless she works out a million-dollar deal with a publisher or some sleazy supermarket tabloid. However, she has set a precedent whereby we can do away with the old-fashioned concept of having one or two children at a time and begin to produce them by the dozen.

Increasing numbers of young adults are deciding not to have children. If they don't want them, they shouldn't have them. What we need are volunteers like Nadya who will be willing to have a litter of 12 children, or so, to make sure the population doesn't suffer a steep decline, which is what is happening in a number of European countries. This could be a boon to white supremacists who look forward with dread the day when "white" people" become the minority in America. Presently, that looks to be a probability some time around the middle of the century. If white supremacists could get tens of thousands of white women to volunteer to have 12 children, that day could be postponed indefinitely. Bad idea. Color America dark tan or light brown by of end of the century and learn to love it.

Continuing medical advances will make the concept of "assembly-line babies" a reality in the very near future. This will be the culmination of the industrial age which will end with a drastic population reduction and the revival of agrarianism as a way of life in this country. Small-town utopias will rise, as will small and medium-sized farms which are ideal for having 12, or even 24 children. Sex for pleasure's sake will go out the window and sex for procreation only will become the norm throughout society. Hallelujah!