We Are Due For A Major Change in Direction

There is a thoughtful and personal commentary circulating on the web by a man named Corey Miller who is part of the “gloom and doom” crowd that is unhappy with the results of the 2008 U.S. election. (Some of them are even wearing Tee-shirts with the slogan “Obama Is Not My President.”)

Of all things, Miller blames the current financial mess on President-Elect Barack Obama and ACORN. With no pun intended, there may be a kernel of truth in relating ACORN to the buying of homes by people who could not afford them. But anyone with any sense can see that it was the financial houses and their minions at whose doorstep the real blame lies.

If you need any convincing, I suggest that you read a column by Thomas Friedman in The New York Times of November 25, 2008 (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/opinion/26friedman.html?_r=1). Over-eager first-time buyers were only a small part of the equation.

Miller complains that his taxes will be raised by the new Socialists. In the latest interview that I have seen President-Elect Obama says that he can't decide which policy to adopt:
a. Wait until 2010 to let the temporary Bush tax cuts for the very rich expire so that taxes climb "automatically."
b. Raise taxes for the very rich asap in 2009.
Obama said that he will do what his financial advisors tell him is best for the nation. Hardly a dictatorial or imperial approach.

The tax will likely be on those with adjusted gross income of more than $250,000. While I’ve never been in that category, I venture to gues that at that level, it’s not the amount of the tax that counts as much as the amount that is left in the taxpayer’s pocket or purse.

President-Elect Obama is not engaged in class warfare. It is an absolute fact that this divisiveness that we call culture wars was used primarily by conservatives masquerading as Republicans. Listen to the McCain/Palin debates and speeches.

Miller rails against people who "won't work." Unfortunately, that's not the problem. A very large government entitlement is Social Security --which we all pay into, and then redistribute that wealth to those of a certain age.

But people who collect welfare are, by-and-large, people who cannot work, not those who will not. Studies have shown this. They are children; they are sick; they are elderly. There may still be some --after the Clinton policy of "Welfare to Work"-- who refuse to work even though they can, but it's a small percentage. Look it up.

As to the articles, the one by Tom Friedman from The Times is much more "on the money." Somehow he manages not to blame President-Elect Obama for the financial mess that we are in. How short-sighted of him. But the fact is that the Recession of 2008 started in December, 2007.

There are some interesting comments in a column by David Brooks, a conservative writer for The NY Times, on November 21, 2008:
"This truly will be an Administration that looks like America, or at least that slice of America that got double 800s on SATs." He adds: "I find myself tremendously impressed by the Obama transition."

And then, "Believe me, I'm trying not to join in the vast, O-phoria now sweeping the coastal haut-bourgeoisie. Still, the personnel decisions have been superb. The events of the past two weeks should be reassuring to anybody who feared that Obama would veer to the left, or would suffer self-inflicted wounds because of his inexperience. He's off to a start that nearly justifies the hype."

You can read the entire article at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/21/opinion/21brooks.html

And keep in mind that Brooks is a conservative, who was very disappointed with the McCain-Palin ticket. (His reason may have been that one isn't a "true" conservative and one is a dimwit.)

The third article --I suggest that you take 24-hour breaks between reading these in order to keep your blood-pressure down) is by Thomas Frank of the Wall Street Journal. His emphasis is on the lack of accountability --and waste of money-- that goes along with privatizing so many activities that truly belong in the hands of governemt.

His article appeared on November 26, 2008, under the headline “Government by Contractor Is a Disgrace.” (The entire article can be found at http://online.wsj.com/services/article/SB122765980278958481-search.html?KEYWORDS=%22thomas+frank%22&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month.)

Here's an interesting thought from Carl Icahn, financial buyout whiz-kid. It is common in some circles to use phrases such as "that's good enough for government work" and to otherwise disparage any and all non-private-sector activity as being wasteful and sloppy. Icahn has said that he can make money buying just about any business and then cutting out the 30% of fat and waste that he finds. And in my years in the private sector (32) I can't argue with his numbers. I ask you to deny the concept, even if you disagree with the number.

In conclusion, let's agree to disagree on what needs to be done. But let's also agree that the sky is not falling in; the country will not go to hell in a hand-basket. Some things will change. You may not like them. Other things will change. I won't like them. But the USA is a strong nation that will indeed survive for your grand-kids and mine --and with Cory Miller's-- to enjoy.

Cops On The Street

Are you as tired as I am about close calls at intersections caused by red-light or stop-sign runners and rollers?
Are you as angry as I am about drivers changing lanes without using their directional signals? (They’re not merely “turn signals” meant to be used in anticipation of actually “turning.”)

And how about speeders taking not only their lives in their hands but yours as well! And wasting gas to boot.

What is needed to enforce the law is more cops on the streets. Not cameras. Not stiffer penalties. Not more judges. Cops. Lots of cops.

This absence of law enforcers breeds disregard --or worse, contempt-- for the law.

I’ve driven in Connecticut with zero tolerance for speeders. A single mph over the limit and you forfeit your license for a year.
I've driven in Ohio were there is a 5 mph grace, and in New York State where there is a generally-acknowledged grace of 7 to 8 mph.
We need to enforce the speed limits nationwide. Now! States that let you slide by at 15 mph over the limit are a danger to us all.

Why? It’s a matter of "pay me now or pay me later."

The reality is that one can drive for 100 miles in some states and seldom see a law-enforcement officer.

Thus drivers change lanes without signaling, "nest" in the fast lane rather than obeying signs that say "slow traffic keep right,” tailgate cars that they want to pass, roll through red lights and stop signs, pass on the right and then swerve back into the left lane as they flip-off other drivers, and cruise at 15 to 20 mph above the speed limit whatever it is.

This sorry state of affairs is costing us each hard dollars in terms of high insurance premiums, road repair, hospital care and vehicle maintenance. It costs us in higher death and injury rates, with a host of other social and economic costs.

I leave it to others to do the math. But I'm willing to kick in $100 to a special fund to be created for the purpose of putting more cops on the streets and highways of the offending states, in anticipation of saving that $100 in future insurance premiums.

How about you?

It's My Political Party and I'll Vote If I Want To

Political parties and their local precincts are clubs that people may join and participate in. They have meetings; they adopt positions; they issue reports; they elect leaders; they nominate candidates for office.

Having non-members participate as other than occasional visitors makes absolutely no sense.

Should I demand to vote in Rotary Club or Kiwanis Club elections merely because the outcome might somehow have an impact on my life?

Should I demand to vote in the elections in a neighboring city or state merely because the outcome might somehow have an impact on my life?

For that matter, should we allow residents who are not U.S. citizens to vote in our elections merely because the outcome will have an impact on their lives?

Or why not let others in the world at large vote for our President since his or her decisions will have an impact on the rest of the world.

So, for people who feel disenfranchised by the primary process there are three options:
1. Join the Republican or Democratic Party and vote in its primary.
2. Create your own party and vote in its primary.
3. Remain unaffiliated but stop complaining about it.