The New Conservative Put Down

Apparently accusing someone of being a socialist doesn't carry the same gravity as it once did. While watching videos of Bill O'Reilly's periodic lectures I noticed that he loves to describe President Obama as being secular. I suppose this is intended to scare his viewers (who may not even understand the term) by raising the spectre of a president who doesn't go to church every Sunday and doesn't recite his nightly prayers.

Frankly, this doesn't scare me much. After all, when was the last time an atheist or agnostic flew a plane into a building, decapitated someone, blew up a hotel or murdered a doctor to proclaim their beliefs (or lack thereof)? I'm much more concerned about politicians like Sarah Palin who believe that we're in Iraq on a mission from God and others who think that religious beliefs mitigate their violence.

The President & The Pope

I've got to wonder what the Catholic Community thinks about President Obama's upcoming visit with the Pope. Will those Catholics who were apoplectic over the President's commencement speech at Notre Dame (thinking that the invitation was a tacit approval by the University of Obama's stance on abortion) have the same reaction to his visit to the Vatican? Will the protestors pack up and head to Italy? Does this mean that the Pope is reconsidering the Church's opinion on this issue or is it simply a meeting between two world leaders?

I wonder if I should pick a fight with my mother-in-law who hasn't spoken to me since I told her that I supported Obama's visit to Notre Dame and to stop sending me inflammatory e-mails on the subject. Probably not but I'm really tempted.

Sarah Palin

My wife and I have agreed that if Sarah Palin ever ends up in the White House we'll leave the country and move to my family's ancestral home in Ireland. Scratching out a living in Ballymagibbon (County Mayo) is preferable to being governed by Sarah "Wingnut" Palin.

However, after discussing Sarah's resignation with my wife I've come to the conclusion that if Sarah does make a run for the White House in 2012 the Republican primaries will do her in. You've got to think that Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Tim Pawlenty, Bobby Jindal and whoever else will go for the GOP nomination will take care of the Sarah problem once and for all. As the VP candidate she was somewhat insulated from the tough questions (with the exception of her disastrous TV interviews) but there's no way she'll be able to dodge them during a primary. Americans are too smart to elect an idiot like Palin but then I thought the same thing before Bush won a second term.

I'd love to pose the following question to Sarah, "So, if you were to get elected as president and half way through your first term you were to decide that you wouldn't run for re-election, would you resign so you wouldn't be a lame duck?"

The United States has Attention Deficit Disorder

I'm pretty certain that activists are still protesting (and dying) in the streets of Iran, North Korea is still planning to launch missiles toward Hawaii in less than one week, soldiers are dying in Afghanistan and Iraq, Congress is still arguing about health care reform, etc. but for some reason all of this is ignored because Michael Jackson died. So what? Aside from his success with the Jackson 5 (whose songs I remember listening to on my transistor radio while delivering the Washington Post) and his famously successful "Thriller" (from the early 80's) what did Michael Jackson ever do for the world? Nothing. I cannot believe that our media falling over themselves to give us minute-by-minute coverage of this story. Let's get back to what really impacts our lives.

New Republican Party Motto . . .

"Do as I say, not as I do." (courtesy of Governor Sanford and Senator Ensign [among others]).

New Litmus Test for "Too Big to Fail"

In continuing to question the government's involvement in the General Motors bankruptcy, George Will and others are now using market capitalization in their arguments. In a recent column Will recently asked whether Harley Davidson is now too big to fail given the fact that its market capitalization is higher than that of General Motors. Will is being disingenuous. All you have to do is look at the first quarter Forms 10-Q filed by GM and Harley to see the impact GM has on this (and the world's) economy. Harley employs roughly 9,300 people while GM has about 54,000 employees. Neither employment number includes dealerships but since GM dealerships significantly outnumber Harley's the margin gets much larger if you consider them. GM also disclosed in its 10Q that it makes annual purchases from Delphi (which GM spun off in the late 90's) in the range of $6.5 to $10.2 billion. So, you have to wonder about the impact of GM being liquidated on an already weak Delphi.

Anyone who is not George Will can see that GM has a huge impact on the economy and much more than market cap needs to be considered when deciding whether it is worth saving. That said, I'm not arguing for or against the government's bailout (and now ownership); I'm just saying that the decision should not be oversimplified in order to make a point.

Speaking of Racism . . .

couldn't you consider Rush's statement that Colin Powell only endorsed Obama because he's black a racist statement? Funny how Rush's negative statements are cloaked in patriotism but when Sonia Sotomayor makes reference to her background or that Latina women have a better perspective on certain topics than white males she's considered a racist or a biggot.

Yesterday on NPR an interviewer asked John Conyers about statements made by Samuel Alito during his confirmation hearings regarding his Italian heritage that were similar to those made by Sotomayor. Conyers said that he had forgotten that Alito had said those things; how convenient. Also convenient is how no one is mentioning statements made by Antonin Scalia about how courts set policy.

With each passing day the GOP is further marginalizing itself.

Where's the Correlation?

Yesterday, while bashing the President's speech on national security Mitch McConnell said that Mr. Obama never once commented on the fact that since September 11, 2001 there have been no further attacks on this country (meaning, of course, that enhanced interrogation techniques have, by themselves, prevented such attacks). Mitch, buddy, where's the correlation? I haven't smoked any cigarettes since 9/11; maybe that has prevented another terrorist attack. Also, the earth hasn't been hit by any killer asteroids since 9/11; maybe torture has prevented asteroids from killing us all. Also, how can Mitch reconcile his argument with the fact that were weren't attacked before 9/11?

I'm going to digress here. bin Laden has been pissed at United States since we set foot in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and then encouraged Sudan to throw him out of that country. Not being satisfied with simply blowing something up in this country Osama waited until Bush was in office and then attacked NYC knowing that Bush could not resist going after Iraq and settling old scores. Osama knew that we would divert attention from Afghanistan and that Iraq would become what it is today, a quagmire that has served to recruit more fighters for his cause.

Back on topic; what about the boobs in NYC who were planning on blowing up Synagogues and shooting down military aircraft using Stinger missiles? Was that plot interrupted by the use of enhanced interrogation methods? NO! It was good old fashioned police work.

Continuing the tradition of the Bush administration, Cheney and the rest of the GOP leadership ignore evidence that contradicts their arguments and plow on as though they're infallible.

The Case for Torture

The use of torture or "enhanced interrogation techniques" has dominated the news lately with Dick Cheney vigorously supporting such techniques (is anyone surprised by this?) claiming that thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of lives were saved with information obtained by waterboarding, walling and other harsh techniques (ok, let's just say torture). Cheney can make this claim because no one can refute it and any information that supports it is probably classified. However, an FBI interrogator who was involved with the questioning of Abu Zubaida has stated that Zubaida was providing valuable information through the use of traditional interrogation methods and, in fact, shut down once the torture started. So, who do you believe? I'll cast my lot with the guys who were there since Cheney is just covering his ass.

This past Sunday a Washington Post columnist who supports the use of waterboarding used an Israeli example how just how useful it can be. Several years ago an Israeli soldier was kidnapped and Mossad got their hands on the driver of the car that was used in the kidnapping. Using harsh techniques the Israelis were able to discover where the soldier was being held and mounted a rescue operation that was unsuccessful as the soldier died during the operation. This argument seemed counter intuitive to me; the ultimate goals of the torture was to determine the location of the soldier and to rescue him. The mission failed. The real question is whether the soldier's location could have been determined through traditional interrogation methods and whether the location would have been learned quickly enough to effect a rescue. Guess we'll never know. Also, although I tend to support Israel you have to remember that this is the country that destroyed Beruit and much of southern Lebanon after Hezbollah kidnapped/captured three Israeli soldiers. So, no one should attempt to explain this country's use of torture by using Israel as an example.

Recently Jesse Ventura (can't believe I'm using this guy to support my argument) was on Fox & Friends and pretty much emasculated one of the hosts during a debate about the use of torture. Ventura, a former Navy SEAL, stated that during SEER (Survival Escape Evasion & Resistance) training that he had been waterboarded and he believes it's torture. The now-gelded host asked if Ventura is OK now, implying that as long as there is no lasting evidence of the technique it can't be considered torture. So, I suppose that means beatings with rubber hoses (that leave no marks) can now be added to the list of approved interrogation techniques. The best point made by Ventura, however, was when he asked why police departments don't use waterboarding or walling on suspected gang members in order to obtain information on gang activity. Here in Raleigh and Durham we have escalating gang problems that have resulted in increased robberies, murders and drug activity (i.e. a threat to the good citizens of our cities). Ventura answered his own question when he said such techniques are illegal and any information obtained while using them would be inadmissable in court.

Lastly, what does the need for harsh interrogation techniques tell us? The same thing; that for the last 16 years this country has not spent the time and money necessary to develop human intelligence assets (HUMINT) in the Middle East. The bottom line is that if the Clinton and Bush administrations had placed the proper emphasis on Middle East HUMINT September 11, 2001 would have been just another day and we wouldn't be fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. While Bill Clinton was spending his time responding to impeachment procedings or Ken Starr's fruitless investigations into Whitewater and Travelgate Osam bin Laden and his network were getting stronger.

Torture is not just wrong, it's illegal and it's a harsh reminder of this country's screw ups.

So much for not having any "gonads"

Last week Rush Limbaugh concluded that the Maersk Alabama was attacked by Somali pirates because it's well known that since January 20, 2009 the United States has misplaced its gonads. Well, it appears that the US Navy SEALS have proven that the United States does, in fact, have a pair. Which begs the question, "Does Rush have a pair?"

Seriously, this guy is one of a long line of GOP Chicken Hawks who has never worn the uniform but has no qualms about putting our servicemembers in harm's way just to prove a point. Rush sits in his sound-proofed studio all day ranting and raving and claiming to be a patriot but has he ever risked his neck for this country? NO.

And for the pirates who now vow revenge - what were you guys thinking? If you want to put on the eye patch and raise the jolly roger that's great but there should be some risk. Apparently that risk now includes a sniper's bullet.

Lead, Follow or Get the Hell out of the Way

This saying is well known and I heard it frequently while in the Army. Simply put, if your purpose is to sow discontent, cast aspersions or just complain then move aside. Like most Americans I'm really pissed about the AIG bonuses; but I'm not really mad about Timothy Geithner's or the President's role in bonus mess. The GOP, however, has seized upon this issue and their leaders (Boehner, McConnell, Kyl, etc.) now want probes into what was known about the bonuses and when it was known. Is this really getting us anywhere? I'm not a lawyer but if AIG entered into contracts that required the payment of retention bonuses then those bonuses have to be paid. Now I suppose Congress could have been clear that bailout funds could not be used to make those payments and if Mr. Geithner knew about the bonuses before hand and didn't make Congress aware then that was a mistake.

My bottom line is that this has become a distraction and so much of one that the Dow is not happy and retreated yesterday and is down by 86 points at the time I'm writing this. Last week and early this week it finally appeared that the market was gaining traction and now this.

So, if all the GOP is willing to do is point fingers and call for probes then my suggestion is that they get the hell out of the way.

Republican Revisionist History

Bobby Jindal's response to President Obama's speech, while predictable, was interesting in that Governor Jindal said that Republicans "had gone along with earmarks and increased government spending" and, as a consequence, had lost the trust of the American people. It was the "gone along with" portion of his comment that struck me as odd. I interpret this to mean that the current mess is all the fault of Democrats in Congress who, apparently, forced their Republican colleagues to spend irresponsibly. Given that Republicans had the White House for the last eight years and controlled Congress (and committee leadership seats) for six of the last eight years I'm not certain how Democratic members of Congress managed to pull that off.

I'm also interested in why the GOP chose Jindal to deliver the response. I suppose he and other Republicans view these opportunities as auditions for the 2012 elections. Also, given the President's popularity and after the stimulus dogfight, I doubt that either John Boehner or Mitch McConnell wanted to be the fly in the ointment last night.

Nancy Pelosi Has No Common Sense

The fact that Nancy Pelosi would take a fun trip to Italy, along with her straphangers, at taxpayer expense while the economy is imploding shows just how little sense she has for the world around her. This is the leader of the House of Representatives and the person who is supposed to take the new President's agenda, transform it into legislation and see that legislation through to law. As with any leader, her actions become the actions of all the persons she leads. If I was a House Democrat I'd be distancing myself from Pelosi poste haste. Pelosi has, since President Obama was sworn in, shown incredibly poor judgement (remember, the Stimulus legislation that was drafted under her leadership failed to get one GOP vote) and she needs to be replaced.

Phil Gramm Was Partly Correct

Instead of saying that we are a nation of whiners Gramm should have pointed out that the GOP is the party of whiners. Just saw on CNN that the GOP is not happy with the President's mortgage/foreclosure/home package. Well that is just shocking. I'm particulary surprised because the GOP has done so much since the start of the housing/mortgage tailspin . . . wait a minute. Actually the GOP has done absolutely nothing; and now they're complaining about Obama's plan. I heard on NPR this morning that John McCain doesn't like the plan because it rewards people and companies that made bad decisions. Well sure, a lot of folks made bad decisions but does that mean some drastic steps shouldn't be taken in order to prevent a complete collapse of the housing market? If my neighbors made bad mortgage decisions and were facing foreclosure I sure as hell would want them to get help so they could stay in their homes; who wants to be surrounded by empty, bank-owned homes with overgrown lawns?

The bottom line here is that the GOP is still smarting over their losses in '06 and the November elections. The last time this happened a GOP-controlled Congress spent millions so Ken Starr could investigate the Clintons for years on end only to find, NOTHING. The GOP is on delicate ground here. Their fear is that any indication that they are cooperating with the Obama administration could send the wrong message and alienate their base. What they don't see is that if this trend continues their action (or inaction) will expose them as being interested only in politics. Rabid political actions are not much different from the actions of rabid/radical religious who are so focused on their narrow points of view that they're willing to destroy a nation simply to have their way.

Where's the Pork?

STIMULUS OVERVIEW FROM APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE:

Would someone kindly point out all the "pork" and wasteful spending in this?
-----------

Thursday, February 12, 2009
CONTACT:
Rob Blumenthal/John Bray, Inouye (202) 224‐7363
Kirstin Brost, Obey (202) 225‐2771
United States Congress
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Creating Jobs, Supporting the States and Investing in Our Country’s Future
The United States is facing its deepest economic crisis since the Great Depression, one that calls for swift, bold action. The goals of this legislation are the same as they have been from day one: to strengthen the economy now and invest in our country’s future.

This legislation will create and save jobs; help state and local governments with their budget shortfalls to prevent deep cuts in basic services such as health, education, and law enforcement; cut taxes for working families and invest in the long-term health of our economy. We do all of this with unprecedented accountability, oversight and transparency so the American people know their money is being invested responsibly.

To accomplish these goals, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides $311 billion in appropriations, including the following critical investments:
 Investments in Infrastructure and Science - $120 billion
 Investments in Health - $14.2 billion
 Investments in Education and Training - $105.9 billion
 Investments in Energy, including over $30 billion in infrastructure - $37.5 billion
 Helping Americans Hit Hardest by the Economic Crisis - $24.3 billion
 Law Enforcement, Oversight, Other Programs - $7.8 billion

Investments in Infrastructure and Science include:
Infrastructure Improvements
‐ $7.2 billion for Broadband to increase broadband access and usage in unserved and underserved
areas of the Nation, which will better position the U.S. for economic growth, innovation, and job
creation.
‐ $2.75 billion for the Department of Homeland Security to secure the homeland and promote
economic activity, including $1 billion for airport baggage and checkpoint security, $430 million for construction of border points of entry, $210 million for construction of fire stations, $300 million for port, transit, and rail security, $280 million for border security technology and communication, and $240 million for the Coast Guard.
‐ $4.6 billion in funding for the Corps of Engineers.
‐ $1.2 billion for VA hospital and medical facility construction and improvements, long-term care
facilities for veterans, and improvements at VA national cemeteries

‐ $3.1 billion for repair, restoration and improvement of public facilities at on public and tribal
lands.
‐ $4.2 billion for Facilities Sustainment, Restoration and Modernization to be used to invest in
energy efficiency projects and to improve the repair and modernization of Department of Defense
facilities to include Defense Health facilities.
‐ $2.33 billion for Department of Defense Facilities including quality of life and family-friendly
military improvement projects such as family housing, hospitals, and child care centers.
‐ $2.25 billion through HOME and the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program to fill
financing gaps caused by the credit freeze and get stalled housing development projects
moving.
‐ $1 billion for the Community Development Block Grant program for community and economic
development projects including housing and services for those hit hard by tough economic times.
‐ $1 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation to provide clean, reliable drinking water to rural areas
and to ensure adequate water supply to western localities impacted by drought.

Transportation
‐ $27.5 billion is included for highway investments
‐ $8.4 billion for investments in public transportation.
‐ $1.5 billion for competitive grants to state and local governments for transportation
investments.
‐ $1.3 billion for investments in our air transportation system.
‐ $9.3 billion for investments in rail transportation, including Amtrak, High Speed and Intercity
Rail.

Public Housing
‐ $4 billion to the public housing capital fund to enable local public housing agencies to address a
$32 billion backlog in capital needs -- especially those improving energy efficiency in aging
buildings.
‐ $2 billion for full-year payments to owners receiving Section 8 project-based rental assistance.
‐ $2 billion for the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed homes.
‐ $1.5 billion for homeless prevention activities, which will be sent out to states, cities and local
governments through the emergency shelter grant formula.
‐ $250 million is included for energy retrofitting and green investments in HUD-assisted housing
projects.

Environmental Clean-Up/Clean Water
‐ $6 billion is directed towards environmental cleanup of former weapon production and energy
research sites.
‐ $6 billion for local clean and drinking water infrastructure improvements.
‐ $1.2 billion for EPA’s nationwide environmental cleanup programs, including Superfund.
‐ $1.38 billion to support $3.8 billion in loans and grants for needed water and waste disposal
facilities in rural areas.

Science
‐ $1 billion total for NASA.
‐ $3 billion total for National Science Foundation (NSF).

‐ $2 billion total for Science at the Department of Energy including $400 million for the
Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy (ARPA-E).
‐ $830 million total for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA).

Investments in Health include:
‐ $19 billion, including $2 billion in discretionary funds and $17 billion for investments and
incentives through Medicare and Medicaid to ensure widespread adoption and use of
interoperable health information technology (IT). This provision will grow jobs in the
information technology sector, and will jumpstart efforts to increase the use of health IT in doctors’ offices, hospitals and other medical facilities. This will reduce health care costs and improve the quality of health care for all Americans.
‐ $1 billion for prevention and wellness programs to fight preventable diseases and conditions with evidence-based strategies.
‐ $10 billion to conduct biomedical research in areas such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and stem cells, and to improve NIH facilities.
‐ $1.1 billion to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, NIH and the HHS Office of
the Secretary to evaluate the relative effectiveness of different health care services and treatment options.

Investments in Education and Training include:
‐ $53.6 billion for the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, including $39.5 billion to local school
districts using existing funding formulas, which can be used for preventing cutbacks, preventing
layoffs, school modernization, or other purposes; $5 billion to states as bonus grants for meeting key performance measures in education; and $8.8 billion to states for high priority needs such as public safety and other critical services, which may include education and for modernization, renovation and repairs of public school facilities and institutions of higher education facilities.
‐ $13 billion for Title 1 to help close the achievement gap and enable disadvantaged students to reach their potential.
‐ $12.2 billion for Special Education/IDEA to improve educational outcomes for disabled children.
This level of funding will increase the Federal share of special education services to its highest level ever.
‐ $15.6 billion to increase the maximum Pell Grant by $500. This aid will help 7 million students
pursue postsecondary education.
‐ $3.95 billion for job training including State formula grants for adult, dislocated worker, and youth programs (including $1.2 billion to create up to one million summer jobs for youth).

Investments in Energy include:
‐ $4.5 billion for repair of federal buildings to increase energy efficiency using green technology.
‐ $3.4 billion for Fossil Energy research and development.
‐ $11 billion for smart-grid related activities, including work to modernize the electric grid.
‐ $6.3 billion for Energy Efficiency and Conservation Grants.
‐ $5 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program.
‐ $2.5 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy research.

‐ $2 billion in grant funding for the manufacturing of advanced batteries systems and
components and vehicle batteries that are produced in the United States.
‐ $6 billion for new loan guarantees aimed at standard renewable projects such as wind or solar
projects and for electricity transmission projects.
‐ $1 billion for other energy efficiency programs including alternative fuel trucks and buses,
transportation charging infrastructure, and smart and energy efficient appliances.
Help for Workers and Families Hardest Hit by the Economic Crisis includes:
‐ $19.9 billion for additional Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly Food
Stamps, to increase the benefit by 13.6 percent.
‐ Child Care Development Block Grant: $2 billion to provide quality child care services for an
additional 300,000 children in low-income families who increasingly are unable to afford the high
cost of day care.
‐ Head Start & Early Head Start: $2.1 billion to allow an additional 124,000 children to participate in this program, which provides development, educational, health, nutritional, social and other activities that prepare children to succeed in school.
‐ State and Local Law Enforcement: $4 billion total to support law enforcement efforts.
‐ $555 million to expand the Department of Defense Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP)
during the national mortgage crisis.

Unprecedented Oversight, Accountability and Transparency
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan provides unprecedented oversight, accountability, and transparency to ensure that taxpayer dollars are invested effectively, efficiently, and as quickly as possible.
‐ Funds are distributed whenever possible through existing formulas and programs that have proven track records and accountability measures already in place.
‐ Numerous provisions in the bill provide for expedited but effective obligation of funds so that
dollars are invested in the economy as quickly as possible.
‐ The Government Accountability Office and the Inspectors General are provided additional funding for auditing and investigating recovery spending.
‐ A new Recovery Act Accountability and Transparency Board will coordinate and conduct oversight of recovery spending and provide early warning of problems.
‐ A special website will provide transparency by posting information about recovery spending,
including grants, contracts, and all oversight activities.
‐ State and local whistleblowers who report fraud and abuse are protected.
‐ There are no earmarks in this bill.

Am I a Liberal . . . .

and, if so, how exactly did that happen? I just finished having lunch with three cousins and my uncle and it turned into an Obama/Stimulus bashing session (I said nothing to (1) bash either Obama or the stimulus or (2) give away my politics). Both my parents are Republicans (my mother more than my father) and just about everyone else in my family are as well. Even my in-laws are Republicans.

So, how did I end up this way? The answer may lie in my tendancy to rebel, in an oblique way, against authority and stand up for the underdog. I detest arrogance and love to see the pompous put in their places. Even as an Army officer I wanted to do what I believed to be right versus follow the rules; I viewed my soldiers as underdogs and went to bat for them when I thought the system wasn't treating them fairly. If asked to put a face on the Republican party I'd default to Dick Cheney whom I think is an arrogant, sneering, sour-faced, secretive jerk. I feel the same way about Donald Rumsfeld, by the way. Don't get me wrong, there are arrogant, pompous jerks (e.g. Nancy Pelosi) in the Democratic party and I'm not happy with them but I believe they are the exception.

The bottom line is that I believe the Democratic party ultimately wants what is best for the little guy while the GOP, while claiming folks like Joe the Plumber, is all about doing what's best for big business and ignoring the impact on the average citizen. It also grates when the GOP holds themselves out as examples of what a God-fearing patriot should look like; I, instead, see them as the T.V. evangelist whose public face is one thing but is privately something entirely different.

The King Has No Clothes?

A Republican Senator made a statement about the stimulus plan yesterday saying that "the king has no clothes" meaning that someone has to have the guts to point out that the plan is bogus. I've been trying to think of my own analogy. It seems to me that the GOP commitment to their economic ideology in the face of this economic crisis is similar to armies that cannot adapt to changing situations (both strategic and tactical). Some famous WWII general once said that you get 5% credit for the plan and 95% credit for the execution of the plan. As a young army officer I admit that I was never that great at planning. However, I was very good at adapting to changing tactical situations and that helped me tremendously. At a strategic level, the US Army has had a very difficult time adapting to fighting an insurgency as opposed to a conventional war. David Petraeus, an innovator and heavy thinker, has pretty much fixed that problem though. Early in the 20th Century armies had a very tough time adapting to the introduction of machine guns and armor and full frontal assaults against automatic weapons were the norm in WWI. Eventually tactics and strategies were adapted.

I would like to see someone in the GOP make the "no clothes" observation about their own economic ideology and admit that maybe it's time to adapt and agree that the government can and should play a role in managing the economy. Of course that role should wax and wane with the situation. The GOP is stuck in their belief that the New Deal really did nothing to help the economy out of the Depression when it's quite possible that, without actually reversing the Depression, the New Deal may have helped slow it down. The other thing that Republicans can't quite grasp is that consumers and the market place have changed dramatically since the Depression. Consumers have access to goods and services that our forebears could never have dreamed of and consumers also have access to credit which was unheard of early in the 20th Century. Credit cards weren't even introduced until the 1960's (I think).

Both sides of the isle may need to adapt and give up some of their cherished beliefs in order to save this country from further anguish.

November's Vote Affirmed

At some point during the "debate" on the stimulus package John McCain came up with his own idea. His proposal was half the size of the package currently being discussed and consisted of a one year payroll tax holiday. This proposal should cause us all to breathe a huge sigh of relief because if that's the best idea Mr. "The Fundamentals of Our Economoy Are Sound" can come up with then we're damn lucky we're in the middle of the current debate mess. In other words, it could be a whole lot worse.

Tax Problems

First, let me admit that I really haven't read a whole lot about the tax problems of Mr. Geithner, Mr. Daschle and Ms. Killefer. With that said I have to wonder just how important these tax problems are and I also wonder whether we should expect nominees to be tax experts. This past weekend I completed (and passed, thank God) the IRS basic tax test that must be taken in order to work as a volunteer tax preparer. This test covered pretty easy stuff as most of the folks I help are poor and/or hispanic and their tax issues aren't complex but I still missed three questions out of 30. Did I mention that I'm a CPA (although not a tax accountant) and I have an MBA from a reputable university? Certain members of congress stated that as the "chief tax collector" for the Treasury, Mr. Geithner should have known that he didn't prepare his taxes correctly. That statement, in my opinion, is just BS. Geithner's a finance whiz, not a tax whiz; the two don't go hand-in-hand.

From what I've heard Mr. Daschle's error was in not reporting free car services as income. Since the IRS isn't prosecuting him I guess this wasn't intentional. Yesterday on NPR someone characterized Mr. Daschle as being one of the most informed people in the country with respect to health care issues and now, because he screwed up his taxes, we won't have him in the cabinet.

Perhaps every Senator who sits in judgment of cabinet nominees should have to pass some sort of tax test. Then, and only then, would they be ready to cast the first stone.

February 3rd Ramblings

• So, I'm driving my usual 65 during this morning's commute when a yellow-plated state-owned car zips past doing at least 75. The interesting part is that the car was sporting a bumper sticker that said "Drive Smart. Save Fuel." This is worth a letter to the News & Observer.
• On the topic of wasteful spending habits: much has been said about wasteful portions of the economic stimulus package. While I agree that, in appearance, $250mm to Hollywood is wasteful I'd like to see the details before making my decision. Was the film to be purchased from California film makers? If so, doesn't that stimulate the California economy? What about the expenditures on hybrid automobiles for government agencies? Is that wasteful? If the government buys Ford Escape Hybrids or GM Hybrids won't that benefit the U.S. auto industry? And why exactly is fixing up the NIH headquarters wasteful? Is the headquarters in need of repair? If so why not do it? Won't such work benefit contractors (such as Joe the Plumber) and suppliers? I guess my point is that is appears that folks are more worried about form over substance. Sure, it looks bad to be giving $250mm to Hollywood but is it bad in substance? Of course the Dems get low marks for not realizing that some of these "projects" were just begging for GOP criticism.

"BGREENR"

As usual, I was hanging out in the right lane (going 65) during this morning's commute and a small car sporting a vanity plate passed at, maybe, 70 or 75 mph. I enjoy trying to figure out the sometimes cryptic messages on vanity plates and it didn't take long to figure this one out. The driver apparently wants everyone (but him or herself) to BE GREENER. Well this is great but wouldn't this person have been greener if he/she had been driving the speed limit?

Granted, the car was small and was probably getting pretty decent mileage but that's not the point. Another lesson people apparently aren't getting is that even though oil and gas prices have dropped significantly and it costs less to drive than it did this summer and fall is that IF YOU DRIVE SLOWER YOU'LL SAVE EVEN MORE MONEY.

Are we as a country doomed to have to learn and relearn the same lesson over and over again?

McCain is Against the Stimulus

Isn't he the guy who, in October (or maybe September) proclaimed that the fundamentals of our economy were strong? Not exactly the guy the GOP should want as a spokesperson for their party's response to the draft legislation.

The new RNC leader (director) has said that bipartisanship is overrated. Huh? I think what we have here is a failure to communicate.

Not One Republican Vote in Favor of the Stimulus?

As I said yesterday, I'm not pleased with how the House Democratic leadership handled this legislation. That said, I did hear yesterday on NPR that Repulicans were not shut out of the drafting process. Rather, they decided to shut themselves out. Not sure if that's true but if it is then shame on them.

Given the size of this package does it really matter whether the split is 30% tax relief and 70% government spending or 40% tax relief and 60% government spending? I mean, 30% of $800 billion is a load of cash. John Boehner's comments about repairs of the Mall (part of that 70%) don't make sense to me. First, if the Mall needs sprucing up let's do it. If we spend several million on sod some American sod company (like Southern Turf) will get this contract and hire lots of guys to grow, transport and lay the sod. The same holds true for bridges, roads and other infrastructure. If public works projects, like bridge repair, are needed (just ask the folks who live in Minneapolis) then why shouldn't money be spent on them. I mean, we're not planning to build bridges to no where, are we?

Also, if the stimulus package includes upgrades for our power grid and paves the way for delivering alternative energy why shouldn't we do this? The economy needs the shove and the projects appear to be good, in the long-run for the country.

The GOP (and the Democratic leadership) need to stop acting like petulant children and get on with the business of governing.

DOES CONGRESS JUST NOT GET IT?

Just because I voted (mostly) for Democrats this past election doesn't mean that I reserve my anger for members of the GOP. These days the President appears to be somewhat like a kindergarten teacher; Speaker Pelosi, relishing Democratic control of the executive and legislative branches of government, has decided to not involve GOP members of the House in drafting the House version of the stimulus plan. John Boehner, upset at this, told House Republicans that they are not to vote for the stimulus plan and said this even before the President made his way to Capital Hill yesterday. Mitch McConnell (who barely won reelection) seems a little less indignant but . . . .

Of course I remember when the roles were reversed and Republican Senators (and Mr. Bush) smugly demanded an "up or down" vote on judicial nominees and I'm sure Democratic members of both the House and the Senate remember those days as well. So, I'll bet that we're seeing a little pay back here. Now, while the GOP should take their medicine the damn Democrats need to understand that in November Americans voted for change. We seem to be getting this from the President but we also need it from members of Congress. There is simply too much at stake for these turf battles to continue.