Laissez-Faire

In economics, laissez-faire  describes an environment in which transactions between private parties are free from state intervention, including restrictive regulations, taxes, tariffs and enforced monopolies.

The Sarah Palins of the world will tell you Laizzes-Faire is the American way.  Others will tell you it is what famed economist Adam Smith referred to as the "invisible hand."  Supposedly, the economy will work just find so long as everyone just gets out of the way.


It sounds impressive.


Just like "smaller government" or "less regulation" sounds impressive.


But: Be careful what you ask for...you might just get it.


The "invisible hand" allowed the crash of 2007 to occur.  In reality, there was not suppose to be an "invisible hand."  The government had controls in place (intentional interference) however, those controls lacked the manpower or authority to do their job so they essentially didn't exist.  so the invisible hand was unleashed and the economy crashed.  


Nearly 100% of the people responsible for the crash made money on the event.  Nearly 100% of them are still in place and are in charge of "fixing" things.


This is like going to the fox and saying, "I know you ate all the eggs.  What I want you to do now is sleep in here with the chickens and make sure no one eats the eggs."


Dependence upon this invisible hand is hurting us today - at the gas pump.


Gas and oil prices should be based on Supply and Demand.  If that were in fact true, we wouldn't be in the situation we are now.


Up to 25% of the cost of a gallon of gas is due to speculation.  There is actually plenty of oil on the global market.  Supply is high so the "invisible hand" should cause prices to be low.


Here is how speculation works.  People with money wait for an event that will make people nervous - such as war in Lybia.  Suppose, when that war started, oil was at $90 a barrel.  The speculators will see the war brewing and they will buy "futures" which is the right to buy oil at a fixed price in the future.  So they could pay $90 a barrel today, but instead, they buy the oil that will be available next week at $95 a barrel.  Now, two things take place.  Because they are buying future oil, they can  take a lot of future oil off the market which makes it apparently scarce (in reality, it is there but owned by speculators).  Scarce oil increases the prices.  Fear of war in the Middle  East also increases the prices.  So, the future arrives and the speculators get their $95 a barrel oil.  The problem is, because of their interference, the future oil is selling on the free market for $100 a barrel.  They only paid $95 a barrel because they bought it in advance.  


The bottom line is that, in part, they caused the price to go up - without affecting supply at all.


So much for the invisible hand.


A few years back, when oil went over $150 a barrel, a handful of speculators made billions.  They made this money legally although, using questionable ethics.  They could see what they were doing to the economy but continued to speculate just the same.  After all - it was legal.


Now, I'm not a fan of government interference.  Those of you that read this blog know that California is mired in debt simply because the government can't get out of the way.  Government interference has ruined the 7th largest economy in the world.


Still, lack of government intervention ruined the largest economy in the world.   


In short, this is not a black and white issue.   Tea Party members and the GOP would have you believe it is.


I know this topic is a bit dry; but I needed to get it written down.


Now I have to save us from ourselves.


Up, up and away...


Jim

Jet Lagged...

I'm in Budapest and not quite sure what day it is.

It's Monday here but not there...well, maybe soon enough it will be.  Nine time zones is a lot to get my head around.

News is different here than there.

For example, its big news that a couple FIFA executives have been fired in a scandal.  Apparently there is this game called soccer and some of the higher-ups have been taking bribes...maybe.  I didn't need to know anything about soccer to make that very accusation during the last World Cup.  I saw the United States score a goal only to have an official say, "I don't think we're going to count that one."  He didn't say why and wasn't required to.  Replays showed nothing on the field that would have caused such a call.  The only remaining possibility was that something "off" the field had generated the call.

I see that 14 civilians in Afghanistan were killed by NATO.  How many good things does it take to makeup for something like that.  In the Navy, we used to say, "It takes 1,000 atta-boys to make up for one aw-shit."  I'm thinking its time to exit stage left. (Any guesses as to the name of the comic lion?)

I am the digital equivalent of Murphy's Law.  Electronic stuff seems to not work around me.  My latest - I'm trying to build a WordPress website for this blog.  This is an easy and failsafe type of software than anyone can use.  It's impossible to screw up.  I get everything ready to go and hit enter.

My screen goes blank and then the cryptic equivalent of "You screwed up" begins flashing on the screen.

I don't know how I did it.  Every step was me basically following instructions like "Click on the big blue button on the center of the screen."  There was no room for error.  And yet....

I see Apple is finally having to deal with viruses.  The latest installs itself automatically on your computer if you visit certain websites.  When you reboot, it erases itself, but only after creating something else.  The new creation takes your computer hostage and will not release it without a credit card number.  I know a guy this happened to.  He eventually gave the number and his computer was released.  He then called his credit card company and tried to get his money back from this scam.  Their answer, "Sorry, we are too busy embedding our own secret charges into our billing software."

Malta has passed a non-binding resolution to allow divorces.  The church campaigned against it.  You know, the same church that blamed child molestation by its leaders on the "Free sex hippy movement" of the 60's.  Hmmm...

Maybe I'm just getting cratchetty in my old age.  I'm finding I have less and less tolerance for hypocrisy whether it be with the church or the GOP.  I am much more tolerant of it within my own behavior...

Eleven years until we have a nuclear free Germany.  Wanna take that bet?  They voted to close down all their plants although they have no plan in place to replace them.  Maybe we'll have alien technology by then.

On politics: A note of caution; beware that candidate that follows the strict party line.  He/She is little more than a sock puppet.

A quote for the day:

"Flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." - Douglas Adams


And finally, 


A tip of the hat....


To those that gave their lives, 
That I may blog what I see
They fought far from home, 
Giving their lives that we may be free
Pause for them on this, our Memorial Day
We thank them for their sacrifice
Up, up and away...

Time to hit the road...

This just in: My new Dyson Vacuum cleaner rocks!


(It took spell check 5 attempts to figure out I was trying to spell vacuum)

I've spent my entire adult life accepting the fact that the best you could hope for was a vacuum that picked up slightly more dirt than it deposited.  Most often, my machines would pick up dirt only to drop it off somewhere else in the house. 


Those days are gone.


Elsewhere...


The GOP suffered a big defeat in N.Y. where a Democrat unseated a Republican in a district that has been Republican for over 40 years.  Her one platform: Save Medicare.


I actually applaud the idea that nothing is off the table and the GOP took a big gamble by doing something that had to be done.  But, as I've said before, "Not while a tax cut for the rich is part of the plan."


I was flipping through a Sky Mall magazine on an airplane yesterday.  This is the place to go if you want to be a spy. They had at least 3 full pages dedicated to miniature microphones and cameras and such.  Also, and I'm sure this is a big seller in the female 60 - 75 year age group, you can get this device that shaves you in a way that you don't need to shave again for weeks.  I say "female" because the ad has a picture of a woman shaving her mustache.


There are some things I just don't want to know about.


Onward...


My life has been laid out for me all the way through August.  During that time, for business or pleasure, I will visit: Kansas City, the Nevada outback, Anaheim, Budapest, San Diego, Las Vegas and Hawaii.  After that, I will need to take some time off to relax.


I'm on a plane to Budapest tomorrow so I don't know if I'll get a blog off tomorrow or not.  I hope to fly through the heart of the Icelandic volcano ash cloud - because its there.


United has a new boarding policy that I love.  Before first class or frequent flyers can board, they board military personnel in uniform.  


I typically make little electronic sticky notes during the day if I hear something that is bloggable.  I have one note that says, "Have you ever stuffed..."  I have no idea what that means, but it sounds like fun.


My food blog is out-pacing this blog which is a mystery to me.


Here is a quote for the day:


"Europe was created by history. America was created by philosophy." Margaret Thatcher.


I'll see you on the other side of the world.


Up, up and away...


jim


Thanks for the clicks...

What's going on with my fonts?

The View From Kansas City

Watching television in the middle of Tornado Country can be quite an experience.

Kansas City, where I am for the day, is only 185 miles north of Joplin, MO.

Last night there were storms all over the place.  You couldn't watch the TV for more than 10 minutes without the weather station breaking in with a Tornado warning.  They had people reporting live as they saw them touch down.  It all felt very personal and real.

At one point, live feed, a helicopter touched down to see if a family was alright.  Their home, that was there only minutes earlier, was gone.  Everyone made it out okay in that instance.

Elsewhere...

In Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to drive.  Even tourists.

Something I didn't expect to hear on television: "If your mom is having sex with your boyfriend or husband, text Maury."

You see, this is what happens when moms are allowed to drive.

Words to be suspicious of:  "We report, you decide."

This is a Fox News slogan meant to imply they are unbiased.  For example "This just in - an unsubstantiated source tells us Obama was shooting pigeons from a window in the White House."  They throw something like that out there and finish with "I'm just saying...now you decide."

I sometimes wonder what would turn me back into a Republican.  Take this budget thing, for example.  If we really need to rework Medicare, let's do it.  But don't do it in order to maintain the tax breaks for the rich.  If the budget plan was: 1) eliminate tax loopholes and 2) raise tax rate from 35% to 45% for those making over 250K per year and 3) reworking Medicare - Then I am interested.  Everyone contributes to the solution, not just the poor.

Also, I will vote for any Republican in California that will toss out the states Wage Orders and replace them with the Wage Orders from any other state.  This is a prime example of government over-interference to the point where companies cannot compete in California.  The only companies that come to this state now are the Cash Cows; those high-tech companies whose employees fall under the "salary" guidelines and are thus spared from the restrictive Wage Order.

If you want to see California solve its budget woes, tell your congressperson to fix the wage order.  Companies want to come here; they just can't afford to.

The End of the World has been delayed until October 31st.  It seems he just discovered that May 21st was just a "prepare to die" start date.  This is actually good news.  It gives me time to practice my looting technique.  My brick-throwing arm isn't what is used to be.  My plan it to gather up some "left behinders" and take over a Wal-Mart.  We'll be kings!!

The ex-IMF Chief and ex-Front-Runner for the French presidency has a rock-solid defense.  Apparently, the sex was consensual.  First there was no incident.  Now it was just good fun.  "Plus," adds his lawyer, "he is a loving husband and a great father."

Those French crack me up.

Finally, I am going to eventually move all of my blogs to a centralized website, once I make it.  I think I can make it more interactive and fun if I build it from scratch.  Give me a few weeks though.  Looks like I'm about to get busy.

Here is a quote for today:

“Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.” Plato

Plato was the David Letterman of his era.

World saving time.

Up, up and away...

jim

And to you clickers out there - Thanks as always.

Live from SFO

Today is a travel day.

A quick trip to Kansas City and back tomorrow.  Then lot's of travel after that.

I don't mind traveling, but I've been home for a couple of weeks and I get used to it.

Safety Tip of the Day:  Don't go to I-Hop when you are starving.  I ate 6 blueberry pancakes with blueberries on top and blueberry syrup on the side.  Bliss and about 10,000 calories.

As I was leaving I-hop, I saw that they give seniors free meals after 3 pm - buy one get one free.  I thought how nice it would be for someone to take their old grandpa out for some pancakes.  I then made the mistake of asking how old do you need to be to qualify as a senior citizen.  Turns out to be 55.  This was devastating. I am about 20 months away from qualifying.  How did I get to be this old?  From the inside looking out, I'm still 12.

Joplin, Mo took a big hit and the stories are gripping.  People wonder how I live in California with the constant threat of the ground opening up and swallowing you whole.  I tell them, "First of all, that almost never happens."  I wonder how people can live in places where the sky can reach down in an instant and swat an entire city flat.

I saw a reporter that arrived on the scene just after it happened.  He was so stunned he couldn't talk.

The GOP plan to rework Medicare has 80% of the American people against it.  Paul Ryan, the GOP budget guy said the following: "We are leaders and we need to do what we think is right, not what the public wants."  He then took a breath and said, "We will work to change the polls because that is what the public wants."

I am paraphrasing here but you get the gist.  It's a big GOP tagline to say, "The American people want us to do this and that."  If they say that, then it must be true, right?

I see Pawlenty has entered the presidential race for the GOP.  I've heard good things about him but will have to do some research.  I think the GOP should probably just send up a sacrificial candidate.  Obama is set to beat anyone in a landslide.  After a smack-down, it will be hard to be credible the next time you run (2016).

I saw the following LMAOSHMSFOAIDMT as a short-hand for texting.  It's for when something is really, really funny.  It means I laughed my ass off so hard my sombrero fell of and I dropped my taco.

Interesting statistic: You are 25% more likely to die from a gunshot wound in Washington D.C. than in battle in either Iraq or Afghanistan.  Word is we will be pulling out of D.C. sometime later next year after a peaceful handover to local gang leaders.

Speaking of gangs.  At the first Giants/Dodgers game this year, a Giant's fan was beaten into a coma where he remains to this day.  His offense -wearing a Giants shirt.  This took place at Dodger stadium.  Last week, they finally made an arrest.  The accused is a known gang member that was turned in by his parole officer.  The accused mom is pleading that they got the wrong guy because, "My son would never do that."

Hmmmm....

Windows 8 is coming out in 2012.  I'm hopeful but not optimistic.  Every third iteration of Microsoft's Operating Systems is a keeper.  However, Windows 8 is supposed to let you talk to your computer and say things like, "Set up my travel plans for a trip to Kansas City."  It's also suppose to recognize your hand signals like the Wii.

Quote for the day:

“Great is the man who does not lose his child mind.” Meng-Tes (372 B.C. – 289 B.C.)

I have to catch a plane...there is world saving afoot and I need to get to it.

Up, up and away...

jim

Liar Liar Pants on Fire...

Lance....

I mean, come on dude.

Sports Illustrated came out with a big Expose and now 60 minutes had one of their own last night.  In my world, if its on 60 minutes, then you know its true.  Everyone, even his best friends are saying "He did it.  I know this because I saw him do it."

The only thing that could possibly be more compelling would be if Lance Armstrong put on an infomercial during which he injected himself with some sort of "Mother's Little Helper."

I guess he should probably send back the yellow jerseys or whatever it is he's won.

The problem here is if he gives up his wins, the newly crowned winner is likely to be just as guilty.

I can understand why they all do it.  Hamilton was pretty convincing on last night's show.  But to look us right in the face as say "I didn't do it now hold me on your shoulders and carry me around as the beacon of inspiration that I truly am" somehow doesn't feel right.

Onward...

2012 just keeps on coming.  A huge tornado hit a hospital in Missouri last night.  The day before, a volcano erupted in Iceland. It's not that any of this is unusual taken one at a time.  Japan has always had earthquakes.  The Mississippi floods sometimes.  Its just that over the last several months, we've been having "Floods of a lifetime" or "Biggest tsunami ever" or "So much volcanic ash planes are grounded" or "300+ tornadoes across five states".  All of the  natural disasters tend to be bigger and more consolidated than normal.

This does not bode well for us earthquake conscious people here in California.  We have to be moving up the list of Once In A Lifetime Catastrophic Events.

Here is Alaska's Catastrophic Event: Sarah Palin has a fire in her belly.  This is a fire that can only be quenched with a run for the presidency (or possibly more cowbell).

There has been some moaning over the loss of the Huckabee ticket.  I like this guy and wouldn't mind having him over for dinner.  However, I see nothing special about him as a candidate for president.  It seems that people would vote for him because he's "God Fearing."  I don't get that.  We can all believe what we want and vote for whomever we want.   But being a man of God does not a president make.

Obama has had to restate his position on the Israeli-Palestinian thing.  It seems that the Israeli's are threatening to not resume negotiations starting with the 1967 borders - Instead opting for a lockout followed by a brief exchange of mortar fire.

I make fun of this but I realize its hard to negotiate when both sides are certain that they are in the right.  One time I served as a mediator between a large city and its bus service.  I went in thinking, "I will find a win-win solution."  It didn't take long for me to discover that the best I would be able to do would be to piss off both sides equally.

I had a great weekend. I do feel a little low at having been left behind after the rapture on Saturday.  Oh well, maybe next time.

There are those of us that have been left behind.  We all need saving and I'm just the guy to do it.

Up, up and away...

jim


This video is for those of you that didn't get the "more cowbell" reference.

Day of Rest

I thought I was being raptured yesterday.  I was actually lifted up off of my chair.

Turns out it was just gas...

Anyway..

No blog today, but here is a quote for those of you that bothered to stop by.

“If it has tires or testicles, you’re going to have trouble with it.” Linda Furney

Off to save the world once again.

Up, up and away...

jim

Rapture

The world ends at 3 pm today, PST and I find myself underwhelmed.

The end has been predicted 100 times in the last century. This current prediction is by a guy that predicted the same thing back in the 90's.  Apparently his calculations were off.

He's traded in his slide rule for an Excel spreadsheet.  He says he's got it right now.

This time for sure.

Now, I've been wondering, if this is The End, what will happen.  I think people are suppose to be taken up to heaven.  Unless of course, you've made Santa's "Bad" list.  In that case, you will be left behind to resume your daily drudgery.

Here is something that I think would be cool.  God takes people in waves, starting with the very best - those that were fortunate enough to "get it."  They would just float up into heaven for all of us to see.

Who do you think would go first?

The Pope?  The president?  A movie star?

My guess is the children would go first.  After that, it would be anyone's guess.  Maybe taxi drivers or maybe the mentally handicapped.

My guess is that those we hold in the highest esteem would not be in the first few waves.  Politician and the obscenely wealthy might have to take a seat and wait for a while.

It's a weekend and I try not to blog on the weekend if possible.  I just didn't want to miss a chance to say Good-Bye.  You know, just in case.

Up, up and away...

jim

Arab Spring

I thought I'd take a minute and just recap what is going on in the Middle East. That way, we have a written record of the events.

It started in December 2010 and continues today - what is now called The Arab Spring.

I like this term. It smells like freedom.

The Arab Spring refers to all of the countries in the Middle East where the populations are rising up and yelling, "We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore."

In keeping with the Dictator's Handbook, most of the early "yellers" were shot on the spot. But they kept coming and to the surprise of the world, things began to change.

In summary:
Tunisia - regime overthrown
Egypt - regime overthrown
Libya - regime in bunker with buxom blonde bodyguard
Bahrain - regime in denial (and so is the United States)
Yemen - regime on the brink
Syria - regime is in the "No, you shut up" mode
Iran - in "we have no homosexuals here" mode

So there you have it. Let's see what happens next. I'm waiting for China.

I see that Obama wants the starting point in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to be the 1967 border. What do I think about this? I think they need to stop killing each other. I'm glad we seem to be taking a firm position. I don't care if its the right one or not. But we needed to step up and say, "Stop this sh*t!" Too many lives are filled with too much sorrow, and anger and grief for this to not come to an end. Forget fairness. Just stop it.

I just downloaded Internet Explorer 9. I gave it 15 minutes of effort and then deleted it from my computer. It is a huge, slow program. While it appears to have features on-par with the other browsers, stuff is moved around. For example, I couldn't figure out how to make a home page or transfer bookmarks. When I first opened it, it went to a page that sells Norton software. It didn't want me to go anywhere else until I checked out the software first. I actually had to search online to find out how to uninstall it. In keeping with Microsoft's policy, once you get it, you must keep it, they actually made it so it doesn't appear in programs you can uninstall. I figured it out with the help of the internet.

Internet Explorer 9 is a lot like Office 2007 or Office 2010. I'm sure it works but do you really want to spend all of that time to learn something that is really no improvement over the competition? I give it my lowest rating of "standard microsoft fodder".

Now a word on PAC's and Super PAC's (thanks Kim).

PAC stands for Political Action Committee. These constructs are ways for political parties to gather infinite funds legally. There are rules which are so easily circumvented that you might as well pretend they are not there. For example, a Super PAC cannot be directed by a political party but they can contribute infinite money to that party.

Suppose there is a garden party and a politician from one of the parties is standing there saying to himself, "I'm considering voting against removing subsidies for the oil industry. If only there was something to help me make up my mind." And suppose this is overheard by a lobbyist. The next thing you know, a Super PAC, created and funded by the oil industry contributes millions to this politician's war chest. This is legal!

Both parties do it.

I am strongly against unlimited campaign contributions. $20 per person is enough. No corporate contributions. No organized contributions at all. It amazes me that we allow this. There is no attempt at all to hide what these contributions really are.

They are bribes.

The guilty parties are those that give as well as those that receive.

We scoff at the ways other countries use bribes to get things done. Even Obama, in yesterday's speech said something about how its a shame in some countries you need to bribe someone just to get your business started.

Here in the United States, policy is made based on bribes so large that they could house, feed and clothe the rest of the world.

Elsewhere.

There was a recent competition for warning labels. Which label is the most ridiculous. For example, a label on the cover of a hot tub said, "To prevent drowning, remove cover before use." This is a purely United States contest. When they asked people in other counties about this contest, they seemed confused. All of their comments basically came down to,"We don't have labels like that because our country does not allow stupid lawsuits."

Notice how I am picking on the United States here? That is the greatest thing about our country. I can say what I want without fear of "disappearing."

And for that - I am truly thankful.

Now for today's quote:

"You work three jobs? Uniquely American, isn’t it? I mean that is fantastic that you’re doing that.” George W. Bush to a divorced mother of three.

I must run for our world needs me.

Up, up and away...

jim


as always - thanks for the clicks...

Pettifogging....

I miss a day and so much news has happened. You can tell stuff is going on when the bottom of page 6 has a note that says, "And by the way, the nuclear catastrophe in Japan is still ongoing."

First Trump and Huckabee drop out of the race.  Now it looks like Newt is going to explode at any moment.  My vision of this is like the guy on the Monte Python skit.  The waiters coax him to eat everything on the menu.  In the end, he is as big as a whale and then give him one last bite - boom!  He explodes.  Good stuff.

But I digress.

Here is what happened.  Newt goes on TV and blasts the GOP healthcare plan.  He then shows up the next day and says, "I support the healthcare plan and if you report that I don't, then you are lying."

I don't care if he supports it or not.  The real story here is how he handled it.  He was clearly spanked by his party and told to go and make things right.  This is a blatant example of how politicians can't be honest with us.  Newt was honest for a moment, then spanked, and then lied and said he changed his mind.

I'm going to miss him.

John Kerry got the Pakistanis to give back our helicopter's tail rotor.  Good for him.  I was wrong about that one.  I was sure China would have the highest bid.

At 8:40 am this morning, Obama gives a speech about the Middle East.  If it turns out to be worth commenting on, I will do so immediately.  Well, I'll wait for the GOP to tell us their view first.  It's always more fun to comment on their comments.

I heard a rumor that the GOP Medicare plan may have a clause that allows you to stay on Medicare as an option to the voucher.  If this is true, and I don't really think it is, then I'm interested.  Here is the problem.  The voucher they are proposing may work today.  However, the voucher's value will only increase with inflation.  Healthcare costs are going up much faster.  So, a voucher that is worth $15,000 today may be worth $30,000 in 30 years.  However, healthcare insurance for an 80 year old, costs about $25,000 today and will cost a Gazillion dollars in 30 years (A gazillion is way more than $30,000).

Here is another way to look at it.  Medicare pays for a doctor bill without making any profit.  Insurance companies make profits.  That profit comes from you.  There is simply no way that a For-Profit insurance policy will beat Medicare.

The GOP elected to protect oil company subsidies.  I agree with them on this because the oil companies, without subsidies, will just pass the cost on to us.  If we take away the subsidies and then regulate the oil prices, we will be interfering with the free market.

Here is the problem.  In a free market, the seller tries to get the highest price while the buy tries to get the lowest price.  Competition gives us the RIGHT price.  Right now, there is no competition in the oil industry.  I say, break them up into smaller companies that will compete for your dollar.

I was watching Hardball with Chris Matthews yesterday and his guest was Bill Maher.  When asked to comment on Michael Bachman as a candidate, he said, "She is the right candidate for those that think Sarah Palin it too intellectual."  Classic.

Apparently, Bachman is a Tea Party member that believes in the bible literally.  There is no such thing as evolution.  The Earth is 6,000 years old and people lived side by side with dinosaurs.  Incredible.

There was a Tea Party leader on the Colbert Report yesterday.  She said we take in enough money to pay our bills, including Medicare, the Military and Social Security.  All we need to do is cut spending.  She is almost correct - only off by about 1.6 trillion dollars!  Someone misplaced a decimal point.

I think reality television is to blame for all of the problems in today's politics.  All you have to do is be vocally wacko and there is a camera there, ready to put you on the 6 o'clock news.

And lastly, Fox news is determined to prove that torture is what got us Osama.  Why?  Because that means that George W. gets some of the credit.  They parade one guy after another onto their set and all say that the torture worked.  Noticeably absent is the person most qualified to give an opinion.  Imaging, a GOP member that spoke directly with the head of the CIA and imagine that this member was tortured himself so he has a perfect understanding on whether it works or not.  That person is John McCain.  His conclusion is that torture didn't play a role.

He's not on Fox News because he is not going to say what they want him to say.

The clip at the end of this is of Jon Stewart and Bill O'Reilly.  Fox was criticizing the White House for inviting over a rapper with questionable behaviors.  Watch as Stewart points out the hypocrisy.

Quote for the day:

"If everyone wanted peace instead of another television, then there'd be peace." John Lennon.

Thank for the clicks.

I'm off to save the world....

jim

Travel Day

Sorry,  no blog today.  I'm traveling.

Time for a quick quote...

"There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who love chocolate, and communists."

Leslie Moak Murry

It's genetics

Let me start by saying, not all guys are dicks...

Of course, there may be a few outliers; men that step outside of the social norms to do something amazingly stupid.

First there was Tiger Woods.  Next came the French head of the International Monetary Fund.

And now there is Arnold.  Our ex-governor admitted to fathering a child with their housekeeper 10 years ago.  This woman apparently continued to work with the family until just recently.  This means that there were probably times that a mini-Arnold was running around the house, at least on Bring-your-kid-to-work day.  The logistics of this whole thing would make an interesting story.

Rumor has it that Trump dropped out of the presidential race because he didn't want to disclose his finances. Apparently, he doesn't have near the money people thinks he has.  He owns none of the hotels that have his name on them.  I think, in the end, he was just promoting himself - something he is very good at.

Boehner gave a speech at a Catholic university - and cried.  He also got a letter from another Catholic university telling him that his record of catering to the rich and not caring for those less fortunate is terrible.  They appreciate the anti-abortion rhetoric but apparently, they don't think you should be half-Catholic.

Yesterday, we hit the debt limit.  This starts an 11-week countdown to the End of Times.  We have emergency powers that will fund things for the next three months.  After that it's Hasta La Vista baby as the second economic crisis comes down hard.  The first one was the result of lack of oversite (what you get when the government is told not to interfere). This next one will fall square on the shoulders of the GOP who will not  vote to raise the debt ceiling.

In reality, I am sure they will raise the bar.  But the posturing leading up to this point will be staggering.

This September, Jerry Lewis will put on his 46th and last telethon.  He's raised over 2.5 billion for MDA.  Once again, I'm glad there are better people than me.

Conservative radio is starting to falter.  Several stations have dropped Beck and Limbaugh over recent weeks.  Radio also changed the way they monitor listener habits.  It used to be a vote that said, "Who do you listen to?"  Now they use electronic devices that tell them exactly what you are listening to .  It turns out that people we over-reporting how much they listened to popular talk shows and under reporting the less popular things they actually listened to more.

Tosh.O is funny.  This is a show on Comedy Central that makes fun of popular Youtube videos.  At first I thought it was a little overly offensive...but it grows on you.

My blog Food For the Single Man is starting to get popular.  However, I am starting to run out of ideas.  If you have a recipe that is filling, easy and quick to make, send it to me.  If I use it on my site, I'll be sure to give you credit.

Today's quote: "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it." Lou Holtz.

Thanks to all you ad-clickers.

Now it's time to save the world, and with men in charge most of the time, it can really get messy.

Up, up and away...

jim

News-a-Palooza

I take a day off and my plate fills up with stuff that I'm just sure you need to know about.

So here we go...

The front runner for the presidency of France is a guest of New York's finest after having been pulled out of his first class seat and taken in for some mug shots.  Seems he is accused of attacking a female chambermaid.  So far, the news from France is, "Yeah, that sounds like him."

House Leader Boehner said something that I actually agree with.  He said that uncertainty in the economy is causing businesses to hold onto their money.  This is true.  Companies will wait during a period of either growth or recession to see where things will steady out.  The irony here is that the economy is uncertain because the GOP is threatening to not raise the debt ceiling.  (More on that in a moment).  The economy doesn't need to be booming for investors to spend.  It just needs to be steady.

Interestingly, Boehner went on to say that tax cuts for the rich will create jobs.  He said that as if it means the same thing as "uncertainty".  This just shows how little he understands what he is actually talking about.  It's as if his writers are trying to insert keywords into his talking points regardless of whether or not they create complete sentences.

During the interview...
Question: "What specifically do the Republicans want to cut."
Answer by Boehner: "America is on a spending spree."

Really?  I don't see it.  I see cutting all over the place.  I see federal workers taking mandatory days off.  I see teachers with 45 students in their classrooms.  I see police being laid off.  This "Spending Spree" is just another catch phrase for "I think you are stupid enough to vote for me in spite of my lack of facts."

The GOP is threatening to not raise the debt ceiling.  Those that agree with this don't understand this, and that is what the GOP is banking on. They know the impact of not raising the debt ceiling as well as anyone.  So they are bluffing.

Here is what will happen if the debt ceiling is not raised.  Our credit as a country will drop.  Poorer credit means higher interest rates.  The moment the GOP fails to raise the debt ceiling, they will be creating an additional finance payment that runs into the billions every month. Social Security checks won't go out either.  That's just a sampling.  This is much bigger than the government shutdown threatened a month ago.

Onward...

Newt is running and Huckabee is out.

Newt smiles for the camera and says, "Together we can do great things."  I had to brace myself, certain his head was going to explode.  I don't know that if there has ever, in the history of the world, been words spoken that are more in conflict with the character of the person speaking them.  Newt is the Continental Divide of politicians.

As for Huckabee.  I actually think he is a nice guy but him as president is too...Jesus-ie?  An analyst said, "Huckabee dropping out will open up the vote for the Evangelical Right."  Wow! I'm not sure what that means but it scares the hell out of me.

Go to Youtube.com and type in "time lapse."  You will see some cool stuff.

Cub reporter Janyce found an article about how the health care industry is raising rates.  They are doing this is spite of the fact that people are not using their services.  We pay for health care but avoid going to the doctor because of deductibles and such.  So, the providers just pocket the money.  When asked why they feel they need to charge more even though profits are way up, they responded with, "The economy will eventually turn around and then people will go to the doctor so we want to have money in the bank in case that happens."

This is why we need health care reform.  Obamacare had some hits and some misses. I still think we have a long way to go.

China is selling cases for the yet-to-be-released iphone 5.  They know what the phone will look like before we do.  My guess is that they have dissected one already and are busy making clones.  This guess is based on the fact that they have done this 100% of the time thus far.

Word on the street is that China has bought the tail rotor from the Pakastanis.  This is the part of the stealth helicopter that survived the crash.  The Chinese already have a stealth plane.  They were able to reverse engineer one by buying parts of one of ours that crashed in the Iraqi countryside.  They actually went around to farmers and such and bought bit and pieces.

If I were from China, I think I would be embarrassed by this.

Pakistan continues to denounce our foray into their country.  They have already stepped up security by adding the following question to their customs form: "Are you a terrorist and if so, how many bombs have you brought with you today?"

For those of you from Novato, I am going to start blogging in the Novato Patch.  This is an online local newspaper.  They want me to blog about local stuff...hmmm.  I'm wondering if they are aware of my superhero status.

For those of you that "click as you leave"  keep up the good work.  I appreciate it.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away...

jim

Weekender

This just in, now people from 58 different countries have read my blog - thereby making us all just a little bit wiser and safer.  (Readers get first dibs when I'm called on to do some saving.)

Speaking of 2012...

The "best guessers" say it will not be the end of the world, but things will be different.  They also said, beginning several years ago, that there would be turmoil in several Middle East countries at the same time (check).  They said there would be global catastrophies (Haiti, Japan, probably Haiti again) (check).  There would be an economic collapse (check). There would be a second economic collapse (uh oh.)

So, these are some pretty good guesses or maybe there is something going on that I simply can't bring myself to believe in.

Here are two sites that you should stay away from if you are addicted to the internet:

Stumbleupon.com is a site where you pick an interest and then hit the "stumble" button.  It takes you to some really cool places.

And Eamon recommended Reddit.com to me just before we played the worst round of golf in history.  This is a site where people can post interesting links to sites they've read.  It could be a news article or a video.  It's pretty cool.

Elsewhere...

There is no speed limit on the autobahn.  However, they have three laws that make this a very safe road.  First, no gestures that may antagonize another driver.  Secondly, no tailgating.  Third, no passing on the right.  If you think about these, they are all you really need on any highway.  Yesterday I got passed on the right by a guy doing about 90 mph.  It's as if he thinks "They can't give me a ticket if I'm in the slow lane."  My theory is just the opposite.  If I want to go fast, I hang out with the fast cars so I can blend in.

The word "assesses" has a very high concentration of "s".  I'm just saying.

The GOP wants to drill and Obama is supporting it.  He is saying, "I don't think it will help much but we have to try everything."  I like this simply because he's not saying no to everything that didn't originate in his own party.  They could all learn a little from that.

There are those that say we should keep the oil from every country we conquer.  Too hard.  I say we simply annex Canada.  They have enough oil sands to last for centuries.  They may not like it.  Imagine that, not like being overrun by the county immediately to the south.  I've seen the border.  In some places its a ditch you can step over.

I saw Al-Qaeda blew themselves, and 80 Pakastani's up to protest the killing of Osama.  I'm not sure there are a lot of American's saying, "Gee, if we knew they were going to blow themselves up, we never would have done that."

The more I think about surgical strikes inside a country with terrorist, without asking permission, the more I like it.  I am getting some sort of weird enjoyment watching Pakistan stomp around all indignant and stuff.  For years, we've sent our kids over there to be used as target practice.  It's time they had the feeling that, at any moment, their world could change.  I'm tired of prolonged wars, finger wagging and economic sanctions.  Piss a few people off, kill the baddies and get on with life.

That last line alone is going to sink my presidential aspirations.

I normally don't blog on the weekends but I missed yesterday due to a mandatory day of terrible golf played with great friends.  I love the game because I love the people I play with.  Hitting the ball out of bounds is just something I do during pauses in the conversation.

I have a book of quotes so I think I will include one from time to time.  Here is today's quote (picked at random):

"You should listen to your heart, and not the voices in your head." Marge Simpson.

Now, it's Saturday so get out there and...do absolutely nothing important.

I will take care of the world saving.

Up, up and away...

jim



By the way, to those of you that clicked on ads...There were over 100 views, 5 clicks and about $6 in revenue.  To those of you that clicked...thanks.

Americans Begin to See the Light

This just in: 53% of Americans believe that Obama should be re-elected.  His approval rating is the highest it has been in 2 years.

Meanwhile, at the GOP strategy ranch, the situation is tense.  Americans are rejecting the Medicare Budget by a ratio of 4 to 1.  Most Americans (71%) are now in favor of raising the tax rate on the richest 1%.  Unemployment is dropping.  Their main weapon - Fear - has been disarmed as Obama shows terrorists he means business.  And, I love this, Newt Gingrich is the Republican front runner for 2012!

Talk about a party in disarray.

I've heard a lot on the news lately about The Dream Act.  This was something put together by the Republicans and Democrats.  The Republicans later voted against their own proposal when they saw it would be seen as a success for Obama.

I favor the Dream Act.  An illegal alien that is fighting in our military or enrolled in our colleges should be given a short path to citizenship.   The only guy that I can see being against it is the one with the bumper sticker that says, "Confederate by choice, Union by force."

Suppose someone threw a debate and no one came. That's what happened when Fox hosted a GOP presidential debate.  I didn't recognize a single person.  It was basically a show where the moderators said things like, "Don't you agree that Obama is just awful?" and they would all nod.  The winner, I don't remember his name, had a lot of sound-bites like: "The government doesn't create jobs.  Small businesses create jobs."  While this may be right, people tend to hear the term "small business" and think that he just said, "Small businesses with income tax breaks create jobs," which is a GOP sound-bite and a completely false statement.

One thing they did bring up was stem cell research.  Their responses all had the George W. feel to them.  You know, where things like science are best left out of the church, I mean out of a Republican led government.

While tax breaks can control behavior, we need to know there is a different between a business' tax rate and individual taxes.  In San Francisco, they can say, "Build south of Market Street and we will not tax your company for a year."  This encourages people to build south of Market.  It works.  What doesn't work is "I will lower your personal tax rate and you will then use that money to hire people."  Not the same thing.  The GOP wants you to believe they are the same.

I heard on MSNBC (definitely a Democrat's version of Fox News) that reworking Medicare will add 44 million more people to the ranks of uninsured.  I'll tell you what, if they rework Medicare and I don't start saving for old-age-healthcare right this minute, I will be among those 44 million.

Did you know that about 20 to 25% of the price you pay for gas is due to speculation.  This is just bankers and brokers buying and selling oil while they sit at a desk.  Obama is going after this.  Anyone want to take a bet on the GOP position?

We all want less government interference but the Free Market is not perfect.  It's not perfect because WE are not perfect.  We are thoughtless and selfish and short-sighted.  All of us, albeit to varying degrees.  We need some regulation or we will all go down with our hands in the cookie jar.

I saw a commercial where a guy gets out of his car at a gas station.  He takes out his wallet and walks over to this plastic tube.  Once he is close, the tube sucks the wallet right out of his hand.  It was great.

Just in:  Hikers in Iran will not be on trial today.  The trial has been delayed.  The official reason for the delay is, and I'm not making this up, "No one brought the hikers to the courthouse from the jail."

Someone should call Akmademajob (may have misspelled that one) over in Iran and say, "Can you say SEAL Team Six?"

That's a wrap.  The sun is up and there are evil doers afoot.

Up, up and away...

Jim

Gossip...

This just in: Maria and Arnold have split!

Do you know what this means.  He can now get back to making more movies.  As for her, someone needs to send her my Pogacsa recipe.

Seriously, divorce is tough. Been there and don't wish it on anyone.  Still, half of us will go through it at least once in our lives.

On other celebrity news and just in case some of my readers are 12-year old girls, Justin Bieber kissed a girl.  Apparently he and she are really into each other and it might be true love, yada, yada, yada.  I'm not sure why this is news but my sources say it BIG.

Thus endeth my paparazzi fix for the day...

The GOP is threatening to not raise the debt ceiling.  They want 1 trillion dollars in cuts before they will approve a 1 trillion dollar raise to the debt ceiling.  Economists around the world are astounded by this.  It seems no one can believe that we actually elect people that treat our government like a reality show.

Here is the deal.  If you want to cut spending, all that is left is Social Security, Medicare and the Military.  Go ahead and cut them.  Sixty percent of the American people believe that we should not raise the debt ceiling.  This means that 60% of us are ready to see Social Security checks not be delivered.  Sixty percent of us want to cut our military to the point where Haiti can push us around.  Sixty percent of us want Medicare to go away - old people are not really that much fun to have around anyway.  Sixty percent of us think that the rich need to be richer and that there are not enough poor people in the wealthiest country in the history of the world.

In short: Sixty percent of the American people are wrong.

No one wants to raise the debt ceiling.  It's just that not doing so would be even worse.

Now, the GOP is holding us all hostage.  They want to eliminate Obamacare and Planned Parenthood.  They only want those programs that (1) God wants us to have and (2) Makes more money for the rich.

Remember, the rich put them there and the rich can take them out.

The real answer is to raise taxes.  At least raise them on those that already have more money than they know what to do with.  If raising taxes was not possible, then I'm with the GOP.  I'm talking "laws of physics" impossible so that cutting spending is the only thing left.  But we already have one of the lowest tax rates in the world.  Increase income (taxes) and everything is solved.

I am officially challenging Boehner to a debate.  The subject will be the budget.  Would someone pass this along to him?  Thanks.

Onward...

Obama sent enough troops into Pakistan to fight off local authorities and the military if need be.  I liked the sound of that until I realized that two helicopters full of SEAL Team Six can fight off an army that owns nuclear weapons.  My hope is that we know where they are keeping these weapons so that we can destroy them quickly if a local gang, for example, breaks into the barn and tries to make off with one.

And finally, some sad news that may be good news.

Microsoft has purchased Skype.  I love Skype.  I use it several times a day.  My computer is my telephone; the one in my belt holster is for playing games when I'm bored.  On Skype, video calls to other computers are free.  I pay $135 a year to call from any country to any land line in the world (not just a computer).  The quality is great.

Microsoft has failed at browsers, operating systems, mp3 players, tablets and cell phones.  Office 2010 is a disaster.  However, they make a wicked XBox.  My hope is that they don't reduce Skype to rubble.  Should they do so, I'm sure Google will step up to the plate with something great.

I see that some of my other blogs are starting to get a lot of viewers.  I am especially glad to see my Food For The Single Man is getting read.  I may make a book out of those if I can put together a hundred recipes or so.

Also, writing in this blog almost every day is fun, but I want to make sure the world is getting my heroic opinion on things that most interest you.  If this is too political or is missing a topic you'd like to hear about, drop me a line at Jim@shift-work.com.

Now, there is crime afoot and a world to save.

Up, up and away...

jim

I watched Obama on 60 Minutes last night and couldn't help but think, "I'm glad this is the guy we put in charge."

There is some speculation that Pakistan may have been either incompetent or complicit when it came to Osama Bin Laden's 5-year stay in an affluent community near the capital.  I'm not sure how a fortress built in the middle of everything went unnoticed.  It's like after the raid, the locals saw the burning home and said, "Hey, were did that castle come from."

The United States suggested that Pakistan might want to conduct an internal investigation into how this could have happened.  Their immediate response: "No, you shut up."

Elsewhere...

I saw a financial analysis that suggests job growth is being stymied by regulation.  I agree with this.  The Democrat party is very big on micro-managing businesses.  The labor laws in California are ridiculous.  They don't meet the needs of companies or workers.  They only meet the needs of a bureaucrat to make a law about something.

So the Democrats are bad for job creation because they interfere.  The GOP is bad for job creation because they believe the laws of economics don't apply to them.

Companies come to me when they feel that they need to make a change.  I do the math and let the numbers tell us what to do.  I have done this with hundreds of companies over the last 20+ years.  These are large companies with hundred of employees at a single site.  Not once have we ever factored in the personal income tax rate.  The reason for this is: IT DOES NOT MATTER.  If you ask 1,000 small business owners to name the top three things they consider before creating a job opening, none of them will say, "It all depends on my personal income tax rate."  This idea is so false that those proposing it as the truth have to be knowingly lying.

And the Democrats are complicit by staying quiet about this.

Onward...

I'm considering that my next laptop be an Apple.  I want to give them a try before they go out of business.  And they will.

I priced an AirMac laptop at $1,500.  By the time I loaded it with enough software to make it functional, the cost had risen to more than double.  So, they have a good product but you have to pay for it.

Here is why they will fail in the long run - Competition.

Apple has a knack for entering a market with a great product that everyone quickly copies.  The i-phone is falling to the back of the pack.  There are new players in the tablet market everyday and their laptop is .... well it's just a laptop that costs more than all of the others.  I even read an article about how i-tunes is fading simply because it's slow, expensive and overly proprietary.

And abroad...

In Egypt, Muslims set fire to a Christian church.  Both sides then duked it out in the streets, throwing rocks at each other.  In the end, 12 people were killed.  I'm wondering which side God was on.  I will never understand this type of thing.  People have different religious beliefs and somehow feel the need to attack the ones that don't agree with them.

I saw a guy on the news. This was in the United States.  He was against Muslims and Christians sharing a church.  Why?  "Because the Muslims believe in a false God."  This is what he actually believes.  And you know what, there is a good chance that many people reading this believe that as well.

There is a game called Indian Poker where everyone puts a card on their forehead, facing out.  In this way, you can see everyone's card but your own.  You bet that your unknown card can beat what you see on everyone else's head.  When I was a kid, these two boys were playing.  They were laughing and laughing and betting and betting.  I went over to see what was so funny. They were playing Indian Poker.  Each was absolutely convinced the other would lose.  Why?  Because each had a 2 on his forehead.  Each was certain they had the winning hand and the other, a losing one.

Religions are a lot like this.  They all think the other guy has the losing hand.

Note:  I have been trying to blog more regularly lately.  However, I do miss some days from time to time.  I only post this once on Facebook per new blog.  If you want to be notified when I post a new blog, fill out the email box at the top of the right column.  You will be notified automatically.  I have nothing to do with it.

It's Monday and the world is in terrible shape after I took the weekend off so I need to leap some tall buildings and such.

Up, up and away...

jim

P.S.  Have a Happy Birthday, Wes.

Targeted

I got up this morning and before heading down the stairs, I sat and talked with my dog about the day ahead.

We do this every morning.  He waits at the top of the stairs and when I sit, he sits.  He listens carefully for keywords such as "Walk" or "Car"; things that mean fun ahead.  Mostly, I think he just likes to hear my voice.  So I put my arm around him and talk.

I go to work.  I come home.  I read.  I write.  I meet with friends.

And Al Qaeda wants to kill me.

Why?

Maybe it's because they don't like the "cut of my jib", whatever that means.  Maybe they blame me for the fact that they live in mud huts.  Maybe they are mad because I don't think exactly like they do leading them to doubt their own beliefs (this is probably it).  Maybe its the virgins.    I wonder what would happen if a terrorist had a near-death experience and when he woke up he said, "I've been to heaven and there are no virgins there."

I bet there would be a steep drop in Exploding Underwear Club membership.

Elsewhere...

The economy added 244,000 new jobs last month.   And yet, unemployment rose from 8.8% to 9.0%.  The reason for this is basically, there was a shift change down at the bureau (<- hard word to spell) of numbers and they had a new guy throwing the dart this month.

I wonder where we would be if the rich didn't get their tax break.  I'm thinking that we'd be right where we are now but with a much smaller national debt.  I can't say this enough.  "Create jobs by creating customers first."  This mean put the money in the hands of the buyers.  The "makers" aren't going to make a thing until this happens.

I tried my hand at making Hungarian Pagacsa (po-gatcha) yesterday.  I now know the origins of cardboard.

A pagacsa is a light, buttery biscuit that tastes great.  There are about 30 different ways to make them. I got one off the internet and inadvertently made the "drywall" version.  Today I will try again.  Once I find the right one....millions!

Then Al Qaeda will really be after me.  ("That man has delicious pagascas and we don't - kill him!")

Politically, I am a Democrat that was a Republican.  I voted for Bush (twice!) and for that, I ask your forgiveness.  However, I am really not one or the other.  For example, California has labor laws that are right out of the liberal playbook.  As a result, companies don't come here to start up business.    The state seems to be oblivious to this.  As much as I blame the Republicans for just about everything (including yesterday's pogacsa debacle) the Democrats are to blame for California's budget woes.

I'm not talking about the Tea Party "Let's cut spending because we sound really just when we say it" gang.  I'm talking about getting government out of the workplace to the point where it is no more intrusive that the other 49 states.

California cannot compete with the other states in much the same way that the United States cannot compete with China.

China has no rules.  The United States has some rules.  California has ALL of the rules.

I like Jerry Brown.  I liked Arnold.  I want them to succeed regardless of political affiliation or quality of film making.  I must admit that back in the late 70's, I was a bit put off by Jerry dating Linda Ronstadt, just when I was thinking of making my move.

I told my dog I would mention him in today's blog.  He wagged his tail in approval.

I need to get him a cape.

Off to save the world.

Up, up and away...

jim

"We deserve free health care."

I took today's title right off the morning news.

Some nurses are going on strike over their healthcare plan.  Three plans have been offered - Two free and one with 15% co-pay.

Apparently they didn't like any of these.  Their spokesman came on the news and said, "We work hard.  We deserve free health care."

Wait....this just in...."Nothing is free and life isn't fair."

Actually, the things in life that we all want most, are free, for everything else, there's Master Card.   The Free stuff, things like Love, Charity and Compassion are not enough for some of us.

The truth is that I want everything to be free.  Alas...God must hate me because they still make me pay for frozen pizzas at the store.

Even Obama's plan isn't free.  We all pay for it.  It just comes down to should the government tax us and use that money to pay for it or should we pay for it ourselves.  The only problem with paying for it ourselves is that we must absorb the private sector's profit margin.  $10 gets me three aspirin from the government but only two aspirin from the private sector.

Back to the nurses.

I watch on the news as people sympathize with the nurses and I think that is just fine.  But ultimately, we are paying for their health care.  Any cost increase incurred by the hospital will certainly be passed on to the customers.

In my book, a nurse is no more deserving of free healthcare than the guy passing out soup to the poor or a even a superhero (who pays over $1,000 a month for a 30% deductible plan.)

This brings me to the GOP Medicare plan.

Remember when they said Obama's plan had "Death Panels"?  This came from the idea that some people wouldn't get complete care.  For example, a 95 year old drug addict would probably be sent to the bottom of the Liver Donor list.  The Republicans had a fit over the injustice of it.

Now, they plan on giving you a voucher instead of Medicare once you are old.  Once that voucher is used up,  Hasta la Vista baby.  So, try not to get cancer after the age of 65.

This is like saying. "Once you get to a certain age, you get health care up to $15,000 a year.  After that, say your good-byes."

There is no death panel here. This applies to everyone.  Well, except the rich.  They can afford whatever health care they need.

Now, I'm not against this.  Let's just call it what it is - Logan's Run.  That was a movie where your life was over once you reached a certain age.  So, if life ends at 65, then so be it.  It that's the society we want to have, I'll play along.  But everyone has to play.

This would certainly solve a lot of the budget issues.

"Here's your first Social Security check.  Now please step into this booth here."

ZAP!!!

I think that if we had a true understanding of what happened after the ZAP, we would probably go along with this.  It's the unknown that's scary.  Religion tells us we'll go to hell if we don't follow certain doctrine.  I put this in the same realm of likelihood as my winning the lottery without buying a ticket.

I'm not sure what 2012 brings.  Probably nothing.  Maybe UFOs or maybe something really big.  Like the truth about what happens when we die.  Think about it.  This would be big news.  Although Fox News would claim it was Obama propaganda.

"Those angels over there...trick lighting."

The Republican party (aka, Glenn Beck, Rush Linbaugh and Fox News) are already questioning the death of Osama.  "If we really killed him, where are the pictures?"

I can only shake my head.

There is a new name for these guys - Deathers.

I have no more time to waste on them.

I have to save the world, and find free health care.

Up, up and away...

jim

A bit of video showing how Fox can say anything because they know we'll forget.  This is typical O'Reilly fodder.  He states his scripted opinion (Murdock Puppet) as if its a fact and then sits back as if saying, "I said it so it must be true.  I rest my case."  He did this over and over with his Obama interview a few months ago.  He made statements like, "How do you explain you drop in the polls."  This was a truish type question.  He could have been just as truthful by asking, "How do you explain your poll numbers being more than twice as high as George W. Bush's?"  In the No-Spin Zone...it's all about the Spin.

What's in a name?

Okay, is it just me or is Huckabee a weird name for the president?

I know, I know.  The name doesn't matter.  In fact, I feel a little like a Republican for even bringing it up.  It's like "Is that all you got?  You don't like his name?"

Actually, there is a little more.  Every time I see this guy on television, there is some religious reference.  Now, I don't care what he believes in as far as religion goes, but he needs to check that stuff at the door when he starts talking politics.

I don't care if he's Muslim or Catholic or a member of the Church of Fonz (for you Family Guy watchers).  I just don't want his "best guess" at a higher power influencing my life.  This is true for any candidate.

I do have a problem with him throwing his support behind the "Let's make some rich people richer" budget plan of the GOP.

Aside from that, he's a nice enough guy.

So, let's check the lineup:  Trump, Palin, Huckabee, Romney and Bachmann.  This is almost too good to be true.  It's like they took the lineup of Dancing with the Stars and made them all GOP front-runners.

Onward...

Osama may not have been armed.

Don't care.  Some actions basically deprive you of all future access to due process; being a terrorist is one of those.  In fact, I think all terrorists should be buried at sea.  The ultimate "Hasta la Vista Baby."

I saw Romney made a speech about getting Osama.  "We did it!" he claimed.  I had no idea he was even involved.  Whatever...I'm sure he was very brave...at least for the camera.

I got my hands on the agenda for the next GOP strategy meeting.

Noon: Lunch for lobbyists catered by Tiffany's
What we are doing right - discussion
        Got tax break for rich
        Ongoing stifling of any action to create jobs
        Kept George W from going to ground Zero with Obama
What is the bad news - discussion
        Obama got Osama.  Total cost  in lives - 4
        Unemployment dropping
        Out of Afghanistan in July
        No boots in Egypt
        Economy recovering in spite of our best efforts
     
I like the way we went into Pakistan and just took care of business.  We rightly didn't trust the government with any "heads up".

I think that is how we should do a lot of things.  Iran has a "secret" plutonium enrichment site.  This is true, you can see it on YouTube.  We should just swing by with a few dozen bunker-busters and take care of business.

I realize this is a dangerous position to take.  After all, where do you draw the line.  I certainly don't know.

However, I'm fairly certain that I don't want to look at a smoldering Los Angles and hear the sound bite, "We tried to tell them we were going to use sanctions but they nuked us anyway."

This is one of the things I actually like about Trump.  He is so politically inept, he could actually get stuff done.   He has his sites set on bringing down China and I'm telling you this - Someone needs to.  China is a much bigger threat to the United States than a home-bound terrorist on dialysis.

Is it just me or are UFOs becoming more mainstream?  I know a few people that have seen them.  People I actually know.  Why can't I get a look at one.  Shoot, I'm probably never going to be abducted.

It's probably my cape.  That scares a lot of people off.  Aliens are probably steering clear of me like we steer clear of a homeless guy dancing by himself in the park.

Time to get back to work.  (you too Michele).

Up, up and away...

Jim

I'll show you mine if...

I was watching Entertainment Tonight, also known as Fox News.   It seems that their response to Osama's death is "Thank goodness George Bush went after that guy."

I'd really like to sit in on one of their "brainstorming" sessions.  "How are we going to make Obama look bad on this one?"

Let's do some comparisons between the GOP and the Democrats.

Toughness
The GOP score high on this.  They are not afraid to attack their opponent and push their own agenda.
The Democrats are wimps.  They are the smart person in the back of the class too timid to raise their hand when then have the answer.

Terrorist Hunting
So much material here.  Osama killed 2,985 on 9/11.  Since then, Bush has killed over 2 million soldiers and civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The GOP hunts down terrorists by throwing a dart at a map of the world and then bombing that country down to bedrock.  How interesting is it that we looked behind every door in the two countries where Osama was not?
The Democrats did some homework and then sent in a SEAL Team.  Total deaths - 4.

Economy
The GOP was at the helm when the U.S. experienced the worst 8 years of economic failure in our nation's history.  Their new plan: "Let's do that again."
The Democrats plan has the support of the world's leading economists.

Military
The GOP wants a military that can intimidate.  Fear gets things done much quicker than diplomacy.  Just imagine how many years it would have taken to negotiate Iraq down to bedrock.  The GOP, remember, wants us on the ground in Libya.
The Democrats want world support to put pressure on countries.  They want a strong military for defense and prefer a SEAL Team strike over World War Three.

Honest
I was a Republican.  The number one reason I left is because they nearly never tell the truth.  The truth being their platform is essentially Fear mongering while making the few rich even richer.
I think Obama is an honest man.

Platform
The stated goal of the GOP is the Failure of Obama.  I challenge anyone to find a single policy of Obama's where failure would be good for the country.  You can't.  When our leaders fail - we fail.  Therefore, the stated policy of the GOP is the Failure of the United States of America.
The Democrats want what is best of all Americans; not just the few rich ones.

Constituants
50% of the GOP believe that Obama is not a citizen and nearly as many feel he is a Muslim.  They are the extremely rich or the extremely fearful.
Democrats are wimps but tend to favor facts over fear.  I am a Democrat.  I'd be more susceptible to fear but I have a cape...that helps a lot.

Sometime soon, I am going to evaluate the GOP lineup of presidential hopefuls.  We could call their campaign, "Who wants to be a billionaire," and we can get Trump to host.

Time to save the world...I'm on the clock.

Up, up and away...

Interesting video here...

We're not our grandparents

I went to my high school reunion and I have a few observations but first...

Looks like Osama's taking a kelp nap.

This guy has to be up to his elbows in virgins by now.  I can't help but wonder if that is something you'd ever get tired of.  Like the Twilight Zone where the guy got everything he wanted and found out he was in hell.

But I digress.

Nothing ruins a late night snack like Seal Team Six dropping by for a visit.   I think the hardest part of the assault was figuring out a route through the THREE regiments of Pakistani army that was located in the same town.  They also didn't want to wake the sleeping cadets that were sleeping just two hundred yards away at the Pakistani version of West Point.

You'd think that at least someone knew he was there.  What about when he'd call out for pizza?  I can see the Pakistani president trying to explain this today.  "Oh, I didn't know you meant THAT Osama."

By the way, the Pakistanis have nuclear weapons.  Talk about a bar being set a little low.  Who decided to let these guys into the club?

On the list of lessons learned, I hope number one is: Don't buy any more helicopters on E-Bay.

These SEAL guys are tough but even they have to get a little rattled when one of their missions involves a helicopter.    We can build these things tough enough to withstand a direct hit with an RPG but once they are 6 minutes out of warranty, they fly like a school bus dropped from the space shuttle.

But seriously, thank God we have guys like those on SEAL Team Six.  This is the same group that shot those pirates last year.

On to the reunion.

I love reunions and I loved high school.  I know that's not true for everyone.  For me, high school was basically going to wrestling practice and waiting for the onset of puberty.  I didn't have a cape back then so I was pretty much on the sidelines when it came to girls.

I am going to go out of my way to not mention names...for the most part.  There are just too many and I'm afraid I'd leave someone out.

The highlight was when a ZZ TOP song came on an everyone started dancing (see ZZ TOP video at end of blog).   I looked at all the women dancing, most of them grandmothers and it just felt great.  They all looked 16 years old; cute, just like they were back in school.  Wasco had the best looking girls anywhere!

All the guys were the same as well.  We all added a few pounds but those disappeared once we started getting reacquainted.   

Some people there actually read my blog.  My sisters do but politely mentioned that they don't always agree with my political opinions. That's okay. They're my sisters, they are suppose to disagree with me...at least that's how I remember it.

Jay also disagrees with me. (Okay...so there is one name).  I think that's great.  I'm tempted to write something particular outrageous just to see if I can wind him up.  Let's try it...

Hey Jay.  I think the Republican blueprint for change looks like the same blueprint for change used by George W. Bush back when he changed us from a peaceful and prosperous country into a broke, war torn country that the rest of the world turned its back on.  Thank goodness Obama is here to save the day.

That ought to do it.  Jay, send me a response and I will cut and paste in right below this line...

(reserved for Jay)

Some people came a long way and others stayed close to home.  I left right after I graduated.  There is some good and bad about this.  We grew up in a small town of about 7,000 people.  To us, it was Mayberry.  To a person, we felt lucky to have been raised there.  Most of us have known each other all of our lives.  Those that stayed behind, kept that closeness going and I envy that.  However, having left to see the world has had its advantages as well.  In the end, I wouldn't change a thing...and neither would they.

I didn't get a chance to say hi to everyone.  But I saw you, each and every one of you, and I'm glad you came.

The people that put on the reunion and the host/hostess were all much appreciated by everyone.  I noticed most of the Facebook posting pointed that out.

I didn't stay very late as I was extremely jet-lagged.

Alas...

Late is when all the girl get frisky and even a superhero starts to look good.s (GF)

Speaking of superhero, I didn't bring my cape.  I didn't want the paparazzi ruining things.

But now I'm good to go.  I'll miss my classmates, until we meet again next year.

Now its back to the real world ...

Up, up and away...

Jim