On the Contrary

Oh there is just so much to reflect on this week.  From Bill to Sarah the fun just never stops:

• Bill Rescues Ling and Lee – Did anybody consider that this pardon by the North Korean fruitcake Kim Jong-il is simply a random act in his bizarre behavior and means nothing more than a photo-op with Bill?  Maybe I should take Chelsea hostage.  Same failed logic.

• Sarah Palin Bashes Press – Anybody note that press hating Sarah Palin was out on the town in New York City in a restaurant where the rich and famous go to be seen when she called a reporter and got him out of bed so she could refute Sarah rumors?  Why or why doesn’t she just ignore them?  Maybe they are her bread and butter.

• White House has Deal with the Pharmaceutical Industry – It was reported in the New York Times that the White House had made a deal with these price gougers to limit their damage due to the federal governments ability to negotiate prices under any new health care reform.  Like this is news.  Why do you think Harry and Louise have been out there shucking for health care reform?  Anything Harry and Louise want should be a warning to avoid it.  I believe real health care reform is dead for this year.

• Without a Health Care Bill, the Obama Presidency is Over – Or so say the pundits who generally get everything wrong and sound like a chorus of robots.  What probably would kill the Obama Presidency is to sign a bill that includes more people, but doesn’t reform the system so costs will go out of sight.  That is what the Pharmaceutical Industry and Insurance Industry are praying for.  Without a vibrant single payer system, and excuse my French, we are just pissing into the wind.  Some of us think that President Obama could gain some real traction on the conservatives if he gets a watered down and useless bill, and he vetoes it.   But that means he has to take a stand now on what should be in it and we haven’t seen that yet.

• Media Talking Heads have a Lot of Free Space Between Their Ears – I was listening to MSNBC the other morning and one of the chatty Kathys (Contessa’s) that mistakes her continued editorializing as news, commented on the disruption of the Democrats Town Hall Meetings as that is what democracy is all about isn’t it, and didn’t they have the same thing during our Constitutional debate?  Apparently she forgot that the Constitutional Convention itself was done in secret with George Washington presiding over the proceedings to set the tone for the decorum.  Then of course, there were the Federalist Papers, reasoned arguments for the propositions, and then there were the debates in each State’s legislature.  What pray tell does that have to do with mob intimidation and stifling of debate? No Contessa, shouting matches are not democracy.  Go fix your makeup.

• Conservatives Criticize Ling and Lee Release – Conservatives are all up in arms because we caved in to North Korea.  Let’s see if I have this right:  They would be gung ho to attack a country that takes our citizens (consider Iran and the hikers), but a little diplomacy and constrained behavior that gets no one killed is anti-American.  You got to love these guys and gals.  They are consistent in their stupidity.

• 40,000 Inmates Must Be Released – Locally a three judge federal panel ordered California to reduce its inmate population by over 40,000 due to the inhumane conditions caused by overcrowding.  Maybe this idea of warehousing people without rehabilitation and throwing non-violent drug offenders in jail is not a good idea.  Considering that it costs California over $43,000 per inmate, per year, to warehouse them, this might have something to do with our budget problems?  Duh!

• New Marine Sanctuaries Approved in California – This seems like another no-duh moment as the fish populations off the coast are collapsing.  But there was strong opposition ranging from this will have a negative impact on local economies, to we don’t have the resources to enforce the sanctuaries so let’s wait until we do.  Both arguments I find monumentally stupid.  Okay, so your fishing economy will be hurt.  If the fish populations collapse, how do you think that will impact your economy and your children’s?  On the enforcement thing, you would think these guys could learn from land developers.  We they get a project denied because it is incompatible with local growth or is over reaching, they just wait until a downturn in the economy and then reapply.  They have no intent to build then, but they know that local planning commission in tough times will approve about anything to stimulate business.  Well you morons, strike while the iron is hot and get the sanctuaries in place.  Later we can deal with enforcement.  Duh!

Another week with little gems of wisdom hidden in the rush of information.