January 28, 2008

The Personals

Single woman looking for single man over 50; who will not talk about how fit they are, how they save a buck, how they look younger, their astrological sign, how great they are at sex, kissing or snuggling, or talk about the audacity of other women not wanting to be their surrogate spouse or their porn queen.

January 25, 2008

Incorrigible

Yesterday, before going home, I had to stop by the Post Office. This took me past a school where young people, who have been expelled from other public school, attend. I notice none has any books, a notebook or even a book bag. Obviously these young people had not committed a crime, or they would be in the detention center, but now they were going to this school. What I didn't understand is why they would come to school on their own, taking the bus or walking, and not be interested in anything. They're wearing uniforms, in a public school it is not mandatory. I am not saying they are not coerced in some way, but if they were really incorrigible, would they not go to school, coercion or not. Could it be that they are just warehoused during school hours and nothing is expected? If something was expected, there would be homework and a least a few probably would have books, a notebook or a book bag. That is what I came to believe, seeing all those young people leaving school.

January 23, 2008

Another Year

This is the last few minutes of my birthday. Another year to ...

January 21, 2008

M. L. King Jr. Day

We have moved into an era where we are called upon to raise certain basic questions about the whole society. We are still called upon to give aid to the beggar who finds himself in misery and agony on life's highway. But one day, we must ask the question of whether an edifice which produces beggars must not be restructured and refurbished.
Martin Luther King, Jr., 1968

January 12, 2008

There is no relgious test for president.

No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty five years, and been fourteen Years a resident within the United States.

Unites States Constitution: Article II
That is the only requirement stated in the Constitution. So why this? Confirmed:Barack Obama Practiced Islam Who is behind these emails, articles and blogs that say Obama is Muslim not Christian and speaks of his mother's beliefs. They also imply that Barack Obama is a sleeper agent for Al Queda? More fear mongering!

The New Red Scare

Equating living in America as living in Soviet Russia, is really delusional. It irritates me when anytime a socialist policy is discussed, it is equated with totalitarianism; calling advocates pinko's and communist. I was reading a news article about California's Governor Schwarzenegger and his recent health care plan. It is being described as such.

So perhaps it's unwise to introduce a new government entitlement that costs north of $14.4 billion a year. But then, you have to understand the Kremlinology of liberal health-care reform: This effort has as much to do with politics as public policy.
A WSJ article; link may not last.
Kremlinology describing this governmental health care plan. The plan may not be a viable plan, but it hardly compares to the Kremlin. Its the Red Scare all over again, if you are not with us, you are a communist. Since this country began there has been a debate about what government should do, but never has a liberal point of view or some socialist policy been so vilified as now. It is now a way to make a person who thinks a policy might work, but isn't an ideologue, feel like a traitor. Its feels like McCarthyism has morphed into the conservative opposition.

January 06, 2008

The Reagan Year's - A perspective from an almost middle class person

During this season of presidential politics, I see a lot references to the Reagan Years. Those years were seen by some as a great transformation and Ronald Reagan as one of the great presidents. I did not become well off during those years, I guess it was because I was not well off. Doesn't make sense? Maybe, but I thought I give my view of the Reagan Years. Its not the broader picture, just how things were, in my world. I believe most people vote looking at their own world.

I did not want Ronald Reagan to be president, because of an interview I saw with David Frost in the late seventies. During that interview, I felt as if he were living in the nineteenth century. He saw America not with unlimited abilities, but with unlimited resources to be constantly exploited. I also got the feeling that if you were not better off, something must be defective about you. During his campaign, it amazed me that he got some people who didn't have a pot to piss in, to think they were the middle class or just like him. Some of those same people actually thought they got a tax break.

When Ronald Reagan became president I became poorer. Nothing trickled down to me. All I can say positive was that I was still working.

In my world his tax break gave the company I worked for, another leased BMW, not one piece of capital equipment. Raises were frozen for a year.

His tax break took my loopholes away, e.i. interest on auto loans, credit cards,etc. So my tax bill went up. I had always paid taxes before. I never thought that in itemizing deductions of that interest was the same as a corporate tax shelter. Who knew.

The high interest on money market and certificates of deposit only benefited those who had money saved in those instruments. For others it meant 14 to 18 percent on home mortgages and up to 21 percent on an auto loans. My savings had gone to purchase a home and luckily before the interest rates had gone up.

For some reason, even though the oil crisis was over, heating oil and gas kept going up; my utilities doubled.

I wasn't impressed with Star Wars, because sometime money will not make technology jump ahead. I wonder when people make that argument for government funding of the NIH for cancer, why they cant see that for the Defense Department.

I did not feel his blustering speeches to the Soviet Union sped its collapse. It was already happening and had been for some time. It just that Americans don't pay attention.

I guess for many he implemented the policies they wanted, but I wish they would stop anointing him as a great president. I think greatness would be agreed by everybody.

January 01, 2008

Wishing All
a
Happy New Year!

Old age is a bitch?

If Hillary Clinton looked like this,

would you have this used for this?

Maureen Dowd's take on this.