All Together Now- Pull the Chain!

They said that Obama’s speech would be Reaganesque. I found the beginning of the speech rather too predictable with all the usual Obama buzz-words and catch phrases. Today I did something I’ve been contemplating doing for a week or so. I dialed away from the Nancy Skinner show. If they aren’t going to put Randy Rhodes back on then I’m not listening to that show any more. One viewer apparently described Nancy Skinner as “un-seasoned gruel”. I would have to agree because all of the tag trademarks from the old show are gone now. Just as a word to the wise, any host who spends an inordenent time talking about themselves or reliving their past life is running a risk of losing their audience. I listened to Sean Hannidy and his show was as meaty in the first fifteen minute segment as Nancy’s show was in all three hours put together. Sean has some thought provoking analyses about our President. Right now the Republican reply to tonight’s State of the Union speech is playing. I will say this about Obama’s three goals. We need to spend on energy research. There is no doubt about it. We need to spend money on greening up our infrastructure and our roads and bridges and new transportation systems. But as to the other two prongs of Obama’s plan, we can do without them. Health Insurance reform is one we can take on some day, perhaps in the next administration. We can’t afford it now. Perhaps there will come a day when we can abolish the whole, inefficient HMO system that bilks people out of their money. Still the consensus as I view it- - is that we in the US still get superior health care to most nations, and those who say otherwise are cherry picking the results. As to education- - this is an area appropriately left to the states. I’m one who believes even having a national Department of Education is misplaced. It all stems back down to jobs. If the job market is as healthy as it should be, you won’t need a four or six year college education to get a job. If the employment market were healthy, students would be able to get part time jobs and pay for their own education. I guess my statement to those who say college is more expensive now is, “Deal with it”. I didn’t like the tone of Obama’s remarks waving as it were the bloody banner or “Trade Wars” guaranteed to get a response. I agree with Pat Buchannon today on the Sean Hannity show who said if we don’t reform our trade balance, and begin again to begin producing our own goods, cars and TV’s here, then we have had it as a nation. I agree with Obama’s remarks in saying that if we do nothing about our economic crisis we shall indeed put the problem off on the next generation to pay, and we don’t want to do that. I can’t stress enough the importance is raising taxes on those rich people who are able to pay. Were I president I’d hike their tax rate to fifty percent and not 39%. We are too kind. I fear that Obama is going somehow to be conned into rescinding this tax rate increase in the name of “getting along”. Obama needs to get a back bone. I hope he’s serious about monitoring where all this money goes on the second 350 Billion to the banks. I guess I want to know what specific things he plans to do to “make the banks lend the money they should”.

One area where Obama appeared a little spineless- - and I hope it was just an oversight, was the whole idea of trying not just the “terrorist” inmates of Guantanamo Bay but also their captors who engaged in torture both there and at other “black sites” around the world. Is Obama serious enough to actually prosecute those who violate his No Torture edict? I hope so. You know the whole area of “abuse of power” by the previous administration needs to be addressed, and that means looking into all the violations of the privacy of American citizens. As Thom Hartman has said- - certain deeds are so glairing that a blind person could not help but notice them. I speek of the Don Siegleman affair. Siegelman was cheated out of a re-election and when he sought to run again to get his office back, he was prosecuted by Karl Rove and other political enemies. Apparently Siegleman illegally appointed a man of financial means to a post that paid little or nothing, and this is said to be “financial gain”. Forthermore the man he appointed had been serving in that post for two previous terms. If we turn I blind eye and a deaf ear to the cries of those seeking their day in court, we degrade ourselves as a nation, and shrink from the high ethical goals to which America used to be noted for. Even people demolishing a city to build an entirely new city on the site will not do so unless they are certain that the foundation is sure. We risk such a shaky foundation on anything we do from now on- - or in other words, the past will come back to bite us again and again. Those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Many of the sins of the Bush administration were “enabled” because Bill Clinton refused to continue with prosecutions of the Reagan administration, which were then in progress. Now thanks to the democrats, the office of special prosecutor has been abolished. This is no way to reform government. You know, Granny of the Beverly Hillbillies used to have a saying “Everybody knows the talking comes after the fighting”. What she means by this is you talk to your enemy after you’ve bashed him around a little and given him an “attitude adjustment”. In this state he will be willing to listen- - and not just nod his head at youand kiss you off five minutes later. People can’t appreciate “mercy” if the punishment they were threatened with and seeking mercy from, was never any real threat. (Selah)

I want to talk just a little about that woman with fourteen children. I think the media is beating her up too much. Yes we can agree she most likely has some “mental disturbance” of one kind or another. But you don’t humiliate people in the national media because they suffer from a weakness. Most likely her kids will all or in part be taken from her because both she and her relatives are financially insolvent. She owes $26,000 in back mortgage payments and owes thousands in student loans. What she needs is kindness and understanding. This way after she’s had the proper therapy, she won’t cringe in horror every time she contemplates her past- - and hopefully won’t see a haf dozen videos on herself on the internet.

You know, I’ve been telling you people about Nicole Walker, this woman on the soap opera with the secretly obtained adoptive baby that her husband believes she gave birth to when he wasn’t around. You know, even if you’re a liar and a deceiver, there comes a time when continuing to lie isn’t just “Immoral” but it’s just plain Stupid, and does a disservice to both her and all concerned. Now she’s being blackmailed by an enemy of her husband- - and she’s conceiling that fact too but trying to steer her husband’s business direction in a way against her husband’s interest, and sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. Now even when she lies the relation with her husband blows up in her face, and he’s suspecting her of seeing yet another man. It would be simpler for all concern to say “Elvis, I’ve been lying to you a long time. We’re not married now and I don’t think we should be married. After your conduct the other night I feel uncomfortable being around you. You’re right. I’m much closer to Brady (the other man’s name) than I am to you. He understands me in a way I knew you never would. Just throw me out of the house and we’ll call it even. I know you’ll let me keep all the money and jewelery you gave me because you know a messy court case would just be bad publicity for you and we both want to avoid that. What do you say, huh?”