i have been looking out for a while to see if Mahindra was still planning on entering the US auto market as they had announced early in o8. i for one, was excited about the prospects of small, fuel efficient, low emitting pick ups and SUVs. i loved having a truck, but i wouldnt want a gas one for the crazy inefficiency, and for whatever reason Detroit and Japan dont seem to be inclined to put deisel engines in small vehicles and Germany is just catching up to pent up European and US demand and they dont really sell trucks here.
is still welcome Mahindra and hope that they bring the innovation to the market that they promise. i dont know how they will sell because the styling of their vehicles is distinctly foreign. for me the promise of a torquey, fuel efficient (the Appalachian, will get about 30 miles per gallon in the city and as much as 37 on the highway) little truck is enough. form follows function. evidently Mahindra still plans on coming, so get ready to see some wacky little trucks out there breezing pass gas stations and pulling hummers out of the mud.
its still too bad Detroit has already done this...
Monday, December 22, 2008
hey, banks! die in a fire.
Detroit got fucked by the Senate. the the White House pulled down Detroit's pants in order to get them some cash. now all those banks that got a piece of the banking bailout billions either cant account for what they did with the money or simply wont. read more here if you can stomach it. total bullshit. further reinforcing my decision to be a credit union member.
LaHood update
GGW has a good intro to our next transportation secretary. there are still a lot of unknowns...
Friday, December 19, 2008
if you read this blog at all regularly youve noticed by now that i get much of my news from the Detroit Free Press and that i care about Michigan and Detroit a lot. well lately there has been a lot of union bashing in the forums at Freep.com. people are throwing around words like corrupt, greedy, lazy like the Lions throw games. so i want to pause and take a look at whats at work here.
last night as i was making my way home NPR had and economics professor from Berekely on, and he made some damn good points. (i would provide citations here, but i was driving and i couldnt find it online) its like the guy took all the thoughts that were bouncing through my head and tied them together into a complete coherant thought and argument. im glad he did, becuase by the time that i got it together... well, we'd be waiting a long time.
heres the gist. slashing wages isnt good for the economy. when Henry Ford started paying $5 a day people flocked to Detroit, made good money, bought cars, homes, and other goods. the producers of those goods made money which they used to buy similar things. the economy grows. so you cut a guys wages, he buys less, the economy shrinks, you lose buisiness, you cut his wages more, he defaults on his mortgage, the ecnomy slips more, you lose more business, you lay him off, he stops spending entirely, the economy grinds into recession that only massive government spanding can counteract.
slashing wages and jobs is tempting in the short term to save money, but takes a toll on the larger economy as a whole. but this quickly turns into a chicken vs egg argument. if your bottom line slips and your company is in the red, how do you not save money but taking these types of actions? someone has to take the brave step forward to help grow the economy as Ford did a hundred years ago.
if you follow in his foot steps you find a population with money to spend, and they just might spend it on your goods and services. at any rate more money in the economy means more money for you, assuming that you offer something that the public wants. so the Senate didnt have the forsight last week to come through and do the right thing for millions of workers, but today President Bush, oddly enough, became Detroit's best friend. unfortunately part of the conditions on the money he offered to GM and Chrysler was a requirement to restructure the UAW contracts reached a year ago that would bring UAW wages in line with foreign competitors' domestic wages. while they are not poverty wages, and people can and do live one them, and opportunity was missed.
our leaders missed a great opportunity to stimulate the economy in a meaningful way. by extending the loans to GM and Chrysler and allowing the current UAW agreement to stay in place meant stabilizing millions of jobs. that means stabilizion millions of homes, mortgages, and spending patterns. that would ensure steady spending from those millions of households as so much of America's economy teeters. higher wages mean more money to spend, which means more spending, which means a more robust economy, which means more competition, competitive wages, high quality goods and services, and prosperity. hooray!
the highly vilified unions have played an important role in the equation which i may have glazed over. in times, like now, when management may want to cut pay, the union is there to make sure that workers are making the money they need to participate in the economy. im sure some unions, perhaps all, have at times become greedy. but the recent UAW contracts were seen as a victory by management and the workers alike as an agreement that can bring American manufacturing to a competitve price point in comparison to their overseas rivals while allowing prosperity for the people with tools in their hands. those people need to be able to buy the cars that they make in order for the company to survive.
sure it may have started with Henry Ford seeing decades into the future, but the UAW came along to keep the workers' long view at the forefront of contract negotiations. we can all thank Mr Ford and the UAW for our 5 day work weeks, benefits like paid holidays, health care, workers' comp, and a paycheck that allows us to have a car in the drive way, a meal on the table, and a week at the lake in the summer. and like anything else, the UAW must grow, change, evolve, or it will die. to write it off as the cause of the ecnomy's woes is shortsighted and misplacing the real causes of the economic mess(which are various and sundry).
i hope that Obama might work with congress to get a better deal passed early in the new year and the the union and GM and Ford and Chrysler will make it to the next decade as the pilars of American industry as they have been for all of our lifetime's. being from Detroit, i may be a bit sentimental, but we really need to work a way through this that benefits all involved. i must give Debbie Stabenow credit for taking issue with this early on and setting some of Obama's agenda for him.
my home state cant take much more bad news. the heartland's plight will reach the coasts if its allowed to do so. we as a country need to act. we need to solve this crisis, America as we know it depends upon it and i think Detroit is the canary in the coal mine of American industry. the canary is wobbling. we need to get it some air, because if it keels over it doesnt bode well for the rest of us. were all in this together, im pulling for ya.
last night as i was making my way home NPR had and economics professor from Berekely on, and he made some damn good points. (i would provide citations here, but i was driving and i couldnt find it online) its like the guy took all the thoughts that were bouncing through my head and tied them together into a complete coherant thought and argument. im glad he did, becuase by the time that i got it together... well, we'd be waiting a long time.
heres the gist. slashing wages isnt good for the economy. when Henry Ford started paying $5 a day people flocked to Detroit, made good money, bought cars, homes, and other goods. the producers of those goods made money which they used to buy similar things. the economy grows. so you cut a guys wages, he buys less, the economy shrinks, you lose buisiness, you cut his wages more, he defaults on his mortgage, the ecnomy slips more, you lose more business, you lay him off, he stops spending entirely, the economy grinds into recession that only massive government spanding can counteract.
slashing wages and jobs is tempting in the short term to save money, but takes a toll on the larger economy as a whole. but this quickly turns into a chicken vs egg argument. if your bottom line slips and your company is in the red, how do you not save money but taking these types of actions? someone has to take the brave step forward to help grow the economy as Ford did a hundred years ago.
if you follow in his foot steps you find a population with money to spend, and they just might spend it on your goods and services. at any rate more money in the economy means more money for you, assuming that you offer something that the public wants. so the Senate didnt have the forsight last week to come through and do the right thing for millions of workers, but today President Bush, oddly enough, became Detroit's best friend. unfortunately part of the conditions on the money he offered to GM and Chrysler was a requirement to restructure the UAW contracts reached a year ago that would bring UAW wages in line with foreign competitors' domestic wages. while they are not poverty wages, and people can and do live one them, and opportunity was missed.
our leaders missed a great opportunity to stimulate the economy in a meaningful way. by extending the loans to GM and Chrysler and allowing the current UAW agreement to stay in place meant stabilizing millions of jobs. that means stabilizion millions of homes, mortgages, and spending patterns. that would ensure steady spending from those millions of households as so much of America's economy teeters. higher wages mean more money to spend, which means more spending, which means a more robust economy, which means more competition, competitive wages, high quality goods and services, and prosperity. hooray!
the highly vilified unions have played an important role in the equation which i may have glazed over. in times, like now, when management may want to cut pay, the union is there to make sure that workers are making the money they need to participate in the economy. im sure some unions, perhaps all, have at times become greedy. but the recent UAW contracts were seen as a victory by management and the workers alike as an agreement that can bring American manufacturing to a competitve price point in comparison to their overseas rivals while allowing prosperity for the people with tools in their hands. those people need to be able to buy the cars that they make in order for the company to survive.
sure it may have started with Henry Ford seeing decades into the future, but the UAW came along to keep the workers' long view at the forefront of contract negotiations. we can all thank Mr Ford and the UAW for our 5 day work weeks, benefits like paid holidays, health care, workers' comp, and a paycheck that allows us to have a car in the drive way, a meal on the table, and a week at the lake in the summer. and like anything else, the UAW must grow, change, evolve, or it will die. to write it off as the cause of the ecnomy's woes is shortsighted and misplacing the real causes of the economic mess(which are various and sundry).
i hope that Obama might work with congress to get a better deal passed early in the new year and the the union and GM and Ford and Chrysler will make it to the next decade as the pilars of American industry as they have been for all of our lifetime's. being from Detroit, i may be a bit sentimental, but we really need to work a way through this that benefits all involved. i must give Debbie Stabenow credit for taking issue with this early on and setting some of Obama's agenda for him.
my home state cant take much more bad news. the heartland's plight will reach the coasts if its allowed to do so. we as a country need to act. we need to solve this crisis, America as we know it depends upon it and i think Detroit is the canary in the coal mine of American industry. the canary is wobbling. we need to get it some air, because if it keels over it doesnt bode well for the rest of us. were all in this together, im pulling for ya.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
LaHood...?
does anyone know anything about this guy? i spent the last half hour looking for anything transportation related, the only thing i could find is that he got a big highway project for his home district, a grant for Caterpillar (based in his home district), and he voted for Amtrak. thats a thin resume at best.
the department of transportation was a big one for this regime seeing as Obama has promised big spending on infrastructure. i had hoped his pick would have been a mass transit advocate. this guy could go either way.
in my opinion what we need is spending on maintenance of our highways and construction of public mass transit and the upgrade of the national rail systems. this would pump money into places like Detroit, assuming they can come up with a plan, as well as keeping NYC's and DC's systems up to par and providing money to the heartland and a faster, simpler, cleaner way to move goods withing the US. funding needs to be put toward new rail, bus, light rail, and cross country shipping. i just dont know what this guy will do and i hope, since hes a republican, maybe he wont just slide through confirmations. whats LaHood really going to do?
i think for the state of the nation and the economy the two most important posts after secretary of state, is transportation and energy. there are big opportunities for changes and upgrades in technology that can make America cleaner and richer within Obama's term, and definitely within two terms if that were to happen. i think Steven Chu was a good choice, but LaHood is an unknown factor as far as transportation goes. heres hoping. and do inform me if you know something i dont as the facts shake out on Mr. LaHood.
the department of transportation was a big one for this regime seeing as Obama has promised big spending on infrastructure. i had hoped his pick would have been a mass transit advocate. this guy could go either way.
in my opinion what we need is spending on maintenance of our highways and construction of public mass transit and the upgrade of the national rail systems. this would pump money into places like Detroit, assuming they can come up with a plan, as well as keeping NYC's and DC's systems up to par and providing money to the heartland and a faster, simpler, cleaner way to move goods withing the US. funding needs to be put toward new rail, bus, light rail, and cross country shipping. i just dont know what this guy will do and i hope, since hes a republican, maybe he wont just slide through confirmations. whats LaHood really going to do?
i think for the state of the nation and the economy the two most important posts after secretary of state, is transportation and energy. there are big opportunities for changes and upgrades in technology that can make America cleaner and richer within Obama's term, and definitely within two terms if that were to happen. i think Steven Chu was a good choice, but LaHood is an unknown factor as far as transportation goes. heres hoping. and do inform me if you know something i dont as the facts shake out on Mr. LaHood.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Speramus Meliora
this article in the Free Press documents the opportunity that Detroit has sitting at its feet. i say opportunity where many, especially in the region, might say problem or burden. that is miles and miles of vacant land and abandoned properties. the main focus of the story seems to center around urban farming on the small scale, which Detroit has already started as i mentioned a few months ago.
but urban farming is really only viable and realistic on the small scale. in and urban environment it is not really the highest and best use of land. not for long anyway. the best use of land is the highest use and what that means is what is most valuable to people. in an urban environment land is generally best used for living and working and recreation. it puts the most value on the land.
we wouldnt build a high rise condo in Fowlerville, but large scale farming works. likewise in Detroit, a farm consisting of hundreds of acres is kind of ridiculous, but building condos, homes, and offices is more reasonable. the problem in Detroit is that of demand. the city, the metro area, and the state have been losing population.
Folks like me have found places with better opportunities like Washington DC, NYC, Seattle, or any number of places in California. Detroit's grand opportunity lies in its blank slate that could draw all those lost back and bring new people in again like it did in the 40's and 50's.
in order to make a big difference in Detroit it will take a great partnership between business, local, state, and federal government. the lynch pin is transit. a great investment in a wide reaching and complete public transit system in the region is a prerequisite of a reinvented Detroit. the vast areas of unpopulated land would make it easy for Detroit to establis rights of way for the system and have land on which to build stations. it also makes it easy for developers who would not have the encumberance of acquiring land from various owners.
take a look at DC. near many metro stations development has grown exponentially. the orange line in VA has sparked a corridor of growth and development. it spawned a walkable urban environment with public transit stops within a half mile of eachother meaning that there arent large gaps which eliminates an island of development and turns it into a large, walkable corridor.
transit alone doesnt make a great city though. you need people to ride it and jobs to ride it to. that is where private business comes in. the state and local governments need to make Detroit and the metro area an appealing place to do business. they need to lure the new businesses that will emerge out of the hard times we are fighting through. i dont know how to accomplish that, but leaders need to do something to bring in some business other than cars. MSU's upcoming research facility is a great step in the direction of high tech industry, but that alone wont bring people.
what will make or break the whole deal is a federally funded transit system. Detroit is now showing initiative to bring transit on its own, and hopefully the Obama administration will encourage its development with federal dollars that will give many Detroiters steady work for years as they build the ifnrastucture that can make Detroit a viable city in the future. the jobs that a metro system on the scale (at the minimum in my opinion) of Washington DC would create during construction would pump untold millions of dollars into the local ecnomy. dollars that would lure business and more money to the area.
the area has a grand opportunity to reinvent itself. it just needs to overcome the decades of apathy that have plagued it. Wayne, Oakland, Macomb Counties and the City of Detroit need to work together on a viable plan for developing the area. and the state needs to encourage that progress and find alluring policies toward business. and finally the new administration that has promised infrastructure spending needs to follow through and Detroit needs to go out and get that money.
its a lot of work, but what other major city has such an opportunity to reinvent itself? so who will step forward in Detroit after decades of apathy and corruption. Archer did give us a foothold and Kilpatrick gave us a black eye. who will give us a place of prominance? who has the vision and the ability to lead Detroit back to its place of glory? perhaps im waxing too philosophocal, too hopeful, and too impractical. i just want my home state to be a place people envy rather than a place they fear.
im pulling for you Detroit. dont forget your motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes).
but urban farming is really only viable and realistic on the small scale. in and urban environment it is not really the highest and best use of land. not for long anyway. the best use of land is the highest use and what that means is what is most valuable to people. in an urban environment land is generally best used for living and working and recreation. it puts the most value on the land.
we wouldnt build a high rise condo in Fowlerville, but large scale farming works. likewise in Detroit, a farm consisting of hundreds of acres is kind of ridiculous, but building condos, homes, and offices is more reasonable. the problem in Detroit is that of demand. the city, the metro area, and the state have been losing population.
Folks like me have found places with better opportunities like Washington DC, NYC, Seattle, or any number of places in California. Detroit's grand opportunity lies in its blank slate that could draw all those lost back and bring new people in again like it did in the 40's and 50's.
in order to make a big difference in Detroit it will take a great partnership between business, local, state, and federal government. the lynch pin is transit. a great investment in a wide reaching and complete public transit system in the region is a prerequisite of a reinvented Detroit. the vast areas of unpopulated land would make it easy for Detroit to establis rights of way for the system and have land on which to build stations. it also makes it easy for developers who would not have the encumberance of acquiring land from various owners.
take a look at DC. near many metro stations development has grown exponentially. the orange line in VA has sparked a corridor of growth and development. it spawned a walkable urban environment with public transit stops within a half mile of eachother meaning that there arent large gaps which eliminates an island of development and turns it into a large, walkable corridor.
transit alone doesnt make a great city though. you need people to ride it and jobs to ride it to. that is where private business comes in. the state and local governments need to make Detroit and the metro area an appealing place to do business. they need to lure the new businesses that will emerge out of the hard times we are fighting through. i dont know how to accomplish that, but leaders need to do something to bring in some business other than cars. MSU's upcoming research facility is a great step in the direction of high tech industry, but that alone wont bring people.
what will make or break the whole deal is a federally funded transit system. Detroit is now showing initiative to bring transit on its own, and hopefully the Obama administration will encourage its development with federal dollars that will give many Detroiters steady work for years as they build the ifnrastucture that can make Detroit a viable city in the future. the jobs that a metro system on the scale (at the minimum in my opinion) of Washington DC would create during construction would pump untold millions of dollars into the local ecnomy. dollars that would lure business and more money to the area.
the area has a grand opportunity to reinvent itself. it just needs to overcome the decades of apathy that have plagued it. Wayne, Oakland, Macomb Counties and the City of Detroit need to work together on a viable plan for developing the area. and the state needs to encourage that progress and find alluring policies toward business. and finally the new administration that has promised infrastructure spending needs to follow through and Detroit needs to go out and get that money.
its a lot of work, but what other major city has such an opportunity to reinvent itself? so who will step forward in Detroit after decades of apathy and corruption. Archer did give us a foothold and Kilpatrick gave us a black eye. who will give us a place of prominance? who has the vision and the ability to lead Detroit back to its place of glory? perhaps im waxing too philosophocal, too hopeful, and too impractical. i just want my home state to be a place people envy rather than a place they fear.
im pulling for you Detroit. dont forget your motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes).
Friday, December 12, 2008
OMFG
just a heads up, this is bound to be a profanity laden post.
Obama thinks we should help the Detroit. Bush thinks we should help Detroit. party leaders on both sides think we should help Detroit. the House overwhelmingly passed the measure. it then died in the Senate.
the Senate is supposed to be the senior house. the one that deliberates and works in the best long term interest, while the House is more short sighted. typically. in this case the House passed a bill thats good for America in the long term, and the Senate killed it.
what really pisses me off is that the trickle down from a fall of GM and Chrysler will be devastating to the US economy, and the world wide consequences look pretty grim to me as well. Ford seems to be able to stand on its own for now, but its not on the firmest footing either.
sure, half of Americans dont think we should bail out the auto industry, but they may not understand the workings of all this. supposedly Representatives and senators do. but they seem to be willing to allow our biggest manufacturers go bankrupt and possibly fail altogether. would you buy a car from a bankrupt automaker?
ive yammered on before about how Chrysler paid back its loan in full plus interest when it got a bailout a couple of decades ago. back then congress saw the risk in allowing them to fail and have only a few companies control manufacturing. every market share that Detroit loses goes straight to Europe and Asia. weve already lost our once world leading steel industry to foreign ownership and some products cannot be made here. i cant imagine allowing the US auto industry disappearing and having to buy foreign cars.
sure they may manufacture here, but all the profit goes back to corporate headquarters in Tokyo, Seoul, Frankfurt, Beijing etc. its a situation that i dont like to think about and the immediate effects of losing all those jobs will have dire effects on the economy.
this case exemplifies the 'inaction is tantamount to death' saw. the Senate has done nothing and now it is up to President Bush to do something by executive order. im fairly optimistic that he will. and this is a situation that i never thought i would be in: cursing congress and pulling for Bush with a month left in his term.
im incredibly disappointed in our lawmakers for not making this work. theyve been working on a deal for weeks. hammering away to get something we all could agree on and in the end they kill it at the last minute and allow domestic industry to flounder a fail. its fucking ridiculous that they couldnt come up with some way to help Detroit. something. but the venerable Senate flipped Detroit the bird, and now the Democratic stronghold and union capital that is Detroit is depending on a president Bush. this unlikely alliance is a result of the fact that if the companies go down, thats big businesses failing, thats the union failing, and thats real people suffering. which is why its so fucking mind blowing that the goddamned Senate fucked us all.
and dont get me wrong, i dont think Detroit is innocent here. until the last 5 or 10 years, theyve been laggards who deserved to lose the market share that they did. but theyve improved by leaps and bounds in the last decades. when gas went through the roof, SUV sales plummeted. this formerly profitable market dried up. no they shouldnt have put all their eggs in that basket, but it was making them money while they developed new cars. then their credit dried up when the banks went up in smoke, and now, in the midst of a restructuring and retooling process, they are left without the capital to keep the progress theyve made going.
ive said it before and ill say it again. its the reason this gets me so fired up. were all in this together, people... im pulling for us...
Obama thinks we should help the Detroit. Bush thinks we should help Detroit. party leaders on both sides think we should help Detroit. the House overwhelmingly passed the measure. it then died in the Senate.
the Senate is supposed to be the senior house. the one that deliberates and works in the best long term interest, while the House is more short sighted. typically. in this case the House passed a bill thats good for America in the long term, and the Senate killed it.
what really pisses me off is that the trickle down from a fall of GM and Chrysler will be devastating to the US economy, and the world wide consequences look pretty grim to me as well. Ford seems to be able to stand on its own for now, but its not on the firmest footing either.
sure, half of Americans dont think we should bail out the auto industry, but they may not understand the workings of all this. supposedly Representatives and senators do. but they seem to be willing to allow our biggest manufacturers go bankrupt and possibly fail altogether. would you buy a car from a bankrupt automaker?
ive yammered on before about how Chrysler paid back its loan in full plus interest when it got a bailout a couple of decades ago. back then congress saw the risk in allowing them to fail and have only a few companies control manufacturing. every market share that Detroit loses goes straight to Europe and Asia. weve already lost our once world leading steel industry to foreign ownership and some products cannot be made here. i cant imagine allowing the US auto industry disappearing and having to buy foreign cars.
sure they may manufacture here, but all the profit goes back to corporate headquarters in Tokyo, Seoul, Frankfurt, Beijing etc. its a situation that i dont like to think about and the immediate effects of losing all those jobs will have dire effects on the economy.
this case exemplifies the 'inaction is tantamount to death' saw. the Senate has done nothing and now it is up to President Bush to do something by executive order. im fairly optimistic that he will. and this is a situation that i never thought i would be in: cursing congress and pulling for Bush with a month left in his term.
im incredibly disappointed in our lawmakers for not making this work. theyve been working on a deal for weeks. hammering away to get something we all could agree on and in the end they kill it at the last minute and allow domestic industry to flounder a fail. its fucking ridiculous that they couldnt come up with some way to help Detroit. something. but the venerable Senate flipped Detroit the bird, and now the Democratic stronghold and union capital that is Detroit is depending on a president Bush. this unlikely alliance is a result of the fact that if the companies go down, thats big businesses failing, thats the union failing, and thats real people suffering. which is why its so fucking mind blowing that the goddamned Senate fucked us all.
and dont get me wrong, i dont think Detroit is innocent here. until the last 5 or 10 years, theyve been laggards who deserved to lose the market share that they did. but theyve improved by leaps and bounds in the last decades. when gas went through the roof, SUV sales plummeted. this formerly profitable market dried up. no they shouldnt have put all their eggs in that basket, but it was making them money while they developed new cars. then their credit dried up when the banks went up in smoke, and now, in the midst of a restructuring and retooling process, they are left without the capital to keep the progress theyve made going.
ive said it before and ill say it again. its the reason this gets me so fired up. were all in this together, people... im pulling for us...
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
bible bus
as most of you know since you actually know me, i grew up in Michigan. im not sure if this is still the case, but there used to be a series of billboards along I-94 with messages from god. my favorite was one near Grand Rapids (the heart of Michigan's 'bible belt') that read "Don't make me come down there." -God
i dont know who put them up, but they were around for a while and few popped up on 96 as well. it always seemed odd to me, because i could never figure out what they were trying to do. the only one with an explicit message that i can recall went something like "Come over to my house on Sunday. Bring the kids. -God" that one is clear enough. but are they really trying to evangelize on the interstate or just out to get a few chuckles from believers and atheists alike?
well, leave it to DC to one up them. the America Humanist Association has bought a bunch of bus adds in the district with the slogan "Why beleive in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake." its the first ive heard of trying to spread humanism or any other kind of atheism or agnosticism other than individual efforts. it has also sparked a couple of responses from the religious establishment.
The Center for Family Development, a Catholic group, has bought adds on the buses saying "Why Believe? Because I created you and I love you, for goodness' sake." that one comes off as a condescending and patronizing, but i guess it is god. and American Muslims, a group from Florida, has put up adds there stating " Islam: The Message of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad."
the Post/Newsweek are pitching this as an advertising battle between faiths, likening it to the Big Mac vs. Whopper and Pepsi vs. Coke. i dont quite see it that way, but maybe thats whats to come. it does seem to be a rather unwise use of money. i mean, wouldnt all these groups do better to sponser shelters or soup kitchens. i mean if you want to get your name out there, buy the naming rights to a big shelter and put a big ole sign out front. like stadium naming rights.
Humanism basically comes down to the 'do unto others' commandmant, so why spend money trying to get people to quit on god just to put all faith into one of his commandmants. i tend to throw myself into their lot, but i see their bus ads like i see most religious proselytizing and evangelizing: if youve got the extra time and money, why dont you use it doing all those lovely things you preach about like helping the poor and needy? but were not talking millions here, so im not incensed by it. in fact, looking on the bright side, it helps fund transit, which i like, so bring it on. ill just ignore it or marvel at it like most ads and go about my business.
thoughts? i wonder what Kurt Vonnegut would think about this...
i dont know who put them up, but they were around for a while and few popped up on 96 as well. it always seemed odd to me, because i could never figure out what they were trying to do. the only one with an explicit message that i can recall went something like "Come over to my house on Sunday. Bring the kids. -God" that one is clear enough. but are they really trying to evangelize on the interstate or just out to get a few chuckles from believers and atheists alike?
well, leave it to DC to one up them. the America Humanist Association has bought a bunch of bus adds in the district with the slogan "Why beleive in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake." its the first ive heard of trying to spread humanism or any other kind of atheism or agnosticism other than individual efforts. it has also sparked a couple of responses from the religious establishment.
The Center for Family Development, a Catholic group, has bought adds on the buses saying "Why Believe? Because I created you and I love you, for goodness' sake." that one comes off as a condescending and patronizing, but i guess it is god. and American Muslims, a group from Florida, has put up adds there stating " Islam: The Message of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad."
the Post/Newsweek are pitching this as an advertising battle between faiths, likening it to the Big Mac vs. Whopper and Pepsi vs. Coke. i dont quite see it that way, but maybe thats whats to come. it does seem to be a rather unwise use of money. i mean, wouldnt all these groups do better to sponser shelters or soup kitchens. i mean if you want to get your name out there, buy the naming rights to a big shelter and put a big ole sign out front. like stadium naming rights.
Humanism basically comes down to the 'do unto others' commandmant, so why spend money trying to get people to quit on god just to put all faith into one of his commandmants. i tend to throw myself into their lot, but i see their bus ads like i see most religious proselytizing and evangelizing: if youve got the extra time and money, why dont you use it doing all those lovely things you preach about like helping the poor and needy? but were not talking millions here, so im not incensed by it. in fact, looking on the bright side, it helps fund transit, which i like, so bring it on. ill just ignore it or marvel at it like most ads and go about my business.
thoughts? i wonder what Kurt Vonnegut would think about this...
Friday, December 5, 2008
in case youre somehow totally oblivious to the world at large, there is this whole domestic auto industry nearing the brink thing going on. ive written about it before, but, yeah, still an issue.
you can link 3 million jobs directly to the domestic auto industry in the US. as the Freep points out, every one of those jobs is a person with mortgage payments, kids in college, car payments, bills, and lives that directly effect the economy. the 'trickle down' of even a third of those folks losing their jobs would have dire effects on the economy as they stop acting like consumers and start acting like squirrels hording nuts for the economic winter that looms.
every person spending money is what drives the economy. so people without jobs and money puts another drag on the ecnomy. the domino effect would be devestating on an economy already in its worst position in my lifetime.
polls out there say that most americans at large do not support help for the Big 3, which mystifies me. no they are not without blame for their situation, but it doesnt lie only on the shoulders of the executives in Detroit. fluctiating consumer demand, fuel prices, and recent huge drops in car sales have put Detroit between a rock and a hard place.
what we need to do now is not point fingers at Detroit, who have admitted that they need to change, and have made changes already boosting them in quality and lowering prices, we need to provide help to keep them alive through tough times and allow them to come out of this better than they have been in decades.
Chrysler went through a similar process previously, and paid back the money the government lent them. they came out with a bigger market share and very appealing cars. why cant this model work again? (if youre wondering what happened to Chrysler since then, Lee Iacoca retired and Diamler came in and mismanaged the whole mess)
the point is that doing nothing would be catastrophic. i agree that we cannot just throw money at Detroit, there needs to be oversight and accountability, and all involved need to make tough changes and cuts, but America is far worse off without the Big 3 and the domino effect that would arise if they fall.
you can link 3 million jobs directly to the domestic auto industry in the US. as the Freep points out, every one of those jobs is a person with mortgage payments, kids in college, car payments, bills, and lives that directly effect the economy. the 'trickle down' of even a third of those folks losing their jobs would have dire effects on the economy as they stop acting like consumers and start acting like squirrels hording nuts for the economic winter that looms.
every person spending money is what drives the economy. so people without jobs and money puts another drag on the ecnomy. the domino effect would be devestating on an economy already in its worst position in my lifetime.
polls out there say that most americans at large do not support help for the Big 3, which mystifies me. no they are not without blame for their situation, but it doesnt lie only on the shoulders of the executives in Detroit. fluctiating consumer demand, fuel prices, and recent huge drops in car sales have put Detroit between a rock and a hard place.
what we need to do now is not point fingers at Detroit, who have admitted that they need to change, and have made changes already boosting them in quality and lowering prices, we need to provide help to keep them alive through tough times and allow them to come out of this better than they have been in decades.
Chrysler went through a similar process previously, and paid back the money the government lent them. they came out with a bigger market share and very appealing cars. why cant this model work again? (if youre wondering what happened to Chrysler since then, Lee Iacoca retired and Diamler came in and mismanaged the whole mess)
the point is that doing nothing would be catastrophic. i agree that we cannot just throw money at Detroit, there needs to be oversight and accountability, and all involved need to make tough changes and cuts, but America is far worse off without the Big 3 and the domino effect that would arise if they fall.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
go home already
but where is home?
i heard this story on NPR this morning about illegal immigrants getting dumped in Mexico just over the border in places like Nogales and Tiajuana. more and more are getting dumped there as the Bush admin tries to kick as many out as possible at the same time that it is stepping up border defenses.
Mexican authorities are reporting a huge increase in those deportees who are taking advantage of their services to find cheap bus tickets back to their home towns. the declining American economy has made it harder for these folks to find work. an interesting turn considering that just a year ago they helped 689 people get tickets and this year, its been more than 6,000. a lot less people are trying to get back in.
while i think kicking many of these folks out is wrong, they could do something to help their lot. the NPR story highlighted a couple of guys who were deported leaving behind families. these are precisely the guys i think you have to take a second look at to see if perhaps they are helping us out rather than hurting, before flinging them into Mexico. (especially since one was from Honduras - WTF, ICE!?)
one of the guys recounted how he has two sons serving in the US army. all i have to say to him, is seriously dude? you lived here long enough to raise two kids to that age of at least 18 and you couldnt find the time to get your citizenship? and to the govt drones deporting these guys, cant we take a look at folks like this, maybe tell them, pass the test and become and American by X date, you youre outa here. that seems reasonable.
because throwing folks who have lived here for 10, 15, 20 years over the fence into Mexico really isnt doing anyone any good. telling these guys to go home and tossing them in Mexico is like doing the same to me. my home isnt in Mexico, its with my family, here, in the US.
i heard this story on NPR this morning about illegal immigrants getting dumped in Mexico just over the border in places like Nogales and Tiajuana. more and more are getting dumped there as the Bush admin tries to kick as many out as possible at the same time that it is stepping up border defenses.
Mexican authorities are reporting a huge increase in those deportees who are taking advantage of their services to find cheap bus tickets back to their home towns. the declining American economy has made it harder for these folks to find work. an interesting turn considering that just a year ago they helped 689 people get tickets and this year, its been more than 6,000. a lot less people are trying to get back in.
while i think kicking many of these folks out is wrong, they could do something to help their lot. the NPR story highlighted a couple of guys who were deported leaving behind families. these are precisely the guys i think you have to take a second look at to see if perhaps they are helping us out rather than hurting, before flinging them into Mexico. (especially since one was from Honduras - WTF, ICE!?)
one of the guys recounted how he has two sons serving in the US army. all i have to say to him, is seriously dude? you lived here long enough to raise two kids to that age of at least 18 and you couldnt find the time to get your citizenship? and to the govt drones deporting these guys, cant we take a look at folks like this, maybe tell them, pass the test and become and American by X date, you youre outa here. that seems reasonable.
because throwing folks who have lived here for 10, 15, 20 years over the fence into Mexico really isnt doing anyone any good. telling these guys to go home and tossing them in Mexico is like doing the same to me. my home isnt in Mexico, its with my family, here, in the US.
Monday, November 24, 2008
hey, Washington, Detroit needs some help
last night Citigroup just got $20 billion more from the bailout. they also get some loans too. Detroit has been asking for $25 billion to keep from bankruptcy which would likely sow the seeds of death, if i may mix my metaphors.
i just dont get how we can keep throwing money at Citi and ignore the Big 3. maybe im missing something, but the heart of american manufacturing is sputtering, and we cant allow it to die.
i just dont get how we can keep throwing money at Citi and ignore the Big 3. maybe im missing something, but the heart of american manufacturing is sputtering, and we cant allow it to die.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
a letter to M. Gerson, and America at large
Michael Gerson understands one thing about the auto industry: Ford and GM cannot be allowed to fail. Chrysler, maybe, but Detroit's two biggest brands are too big to allow to fall. the ripple effect in the US and around the globe would almost surely send the world into a deep recession if not worse. these are global companies directly employing hundreds of thousands and indirectly employing millions.
GM and Ford would not just be loss of a US manufacturer it would result in the loss of jobs in the neighborhood of 5-1o million just based on their failure. then the ripple effect based on all those people no longer being able to make their mortgages, rent, and cutting way back on their consumer spending. as that drop ripples through the world, the result could be a new depression.
to address what the free marketers will counter, yes Toyota and Honda and VW and the rest would fill some holes, but the production shut down and immediate drop off would not start to fill back up for years or decades as those companies move in to old Ford and GM factories and retool to produce their products. and even when that happens, the new guys arent going to pick up the retirement and health care costs of all the retired UAW guys. we will as taxpayers.
propping up these giants is essential. to not save them would be dime smart and dollar stupid. look at the long run. the costs of these guys failing will have ramifications for decades.
i also want to address the why. the Big Three are suffering from a consumer and media bias that is a holdover from the 80's and early 90's. their cars are not junk and they are every day moving to make the cars that consumers want. the Malibu is one of the most fuel efficient and highest rated cars around. people point to trucks ans SUV's as the downfall of the US autos. US companies made what people bought. and people bought lots until fuel went sky high, then demand plummeted. consumer habits have changed faster than car companies can respond to.
Ford and GM both have a full line of cars, sure the smaller ones may not be as attractive as foreign rivals, but those companies have been competing in places where gas has been high for decades because of taxes and import costs. no they are not free from blame, but the American consumer also has to share the blame for buying what they do.
in the end you have to just realize what is at stake and how to fix the problem. when Chrysler was rescued from the brink the government actually made money and a similar agreement could be reached this time around. we can fork over money for an ownership stake that the companies can later buy back when they turn around. this way, if it works, the car companies win and the taxpayers are paid back. if they fail, now or later, were all fucked, so we need to try, but in a responsible way.
GM and Ford would not just be loss of a US manufacturer it would result in the loss of jobs in the neighborhood of 5-1o million just based on their failure. then the ripple effect based on all those people no longer being able to make their mortgages, rent, and cutting way back on their consumer spending. as that drop ripples through the world, the result could be a new depression.
to address what the free marketers will counter, yes Toyota and Honda and VW and the rest would fill some holes, but the production shut down and immediate drop off would not start to fill back up for years or decades as those companies move in to old Ford and GM factories and retool to produce their products. and even when that happens, the new guys arent going to pick up the retirement and health care costs of all the retired UAW guys. we will as taxpayers.
propping up these giants is essential. to not save them would be dime smart and dollar stupid. look at the long run. the costs of these guys failing will have ramifications for decades.
i also want to address the why. the Big Three are suffering from a consumer and media bias that is a holdover from the 80's and early 90's. their cars are not junk and they are every day moving to make the cars that consumers want. the Malibu is one of the most fuel efficient and highest rated cars around. people point to trucks ans SUV's as the downfall of the US autos. US companies made what people bought. and people bought lots until fuel went sky high, then demand plummeted. consumer habits have changed faster than car companies can respond to.
Ford and GM both have a full line of cars, sure the smaller ones may not be as attractive as foreign rivals, but those companies have been competing in places where gas has been high for decades because of taxes and import costs. no they are not free from blame, but the American consumer also has to share the blame for buying what they do.
in the end you have to just realize what is at stake and how to fix the problem. when Chrysler was rescued from the brink the government actually made money and a similar agreement could be reached this time around. we can fork over money for an ownership stake that the companies can later buy back when they turn around. this way, if it works, the car companies win and the taxpayers are paid back. if they fail, now or later, were all fucked, so we need to try, but in a responsible way.
cabinetry
theres been a lot of speculation and advice flying around lately over who will make up Obama's cabinet. i think what is most important is that Obama picks the smartest and most expert people in their fields to head up cabinet positsions. i really hope that Obama follows his Lincoln-esque rhetoric with picks from the whole political spectrum. if he fills his cabigh ranking net full of left leaning politicians, it will become an echo chamber. he ought to appoint some political opponents to these high ranking offices.
some ideas:
Al Gore for Secretary of State. i dont know if he would accept it, he may rather continue to pursue his climate change work. however, as SoS he would bring that very topic to the top of the national and international agenda with the gravitas it never had before. Gore is also a respected statesman in a day when politicians rule.
Colin Powell for Secretary of Defense. hes been there, he knows the job, and he brings a point of view from the right. he was also duped by Bush&Co which drove him from the position. that experience i think would force hime to become very skeptical of other and assert his own a opinion, which is key.
Energy: we need someone who will push the green agenda as well as using existing US resources and technology. im thinking T. Boone Pickens. the problem with him is that he has a monetary interest in this agenda. i think we can all appreciate the importance of this cabinet job now, and he has the vision for a transition to green technologies and i think he has realized that good ideas come from all over and will hear them out. i doubt he will get the pick, but the only other person that comes immediately to mind is Gore, and i have bigger plans for him.
Transportation: this is going to be a huge challenge with enegy issues, pollution concerns, and an increasingly crumbling infrastructure. i have no front runner. i have heard of no one with the policy objectives to get us where we need to be. this is going to be a big job. we need more mass transit (read:trains), we need to step up maintanence on out roads and interstates. what comes to mind is someone at NYC's MTA. a system that is still expending and has been in operation for a century or so. they would have the experiance with crumbling infrastructure, rail, and expanding needs that will be at the forefront of this office.
Homeland Security: i think this office needs to belong to a former military officer. this job requires running things like the military. you need a strong supply chain that can deliver goods quickly where they are needed, like a moving front in a war. it also demands military experiance to deal with terrorist and military threats to the US. Ann Dunwoody comes to mind after she became the first woman to acheive four star status. who knows if she would leave the Army to take on this post, but i think shes more than qualified.
i dont have the time or knowledge to sort through the rest, but i think thats a good start.
some ideas:
Al Gore for Secretary of State. i dont know if he would accept it, he may rather continue to pursue his climate change work. however, as SoS he would bring that very topic to the top of the national and international agenda with the gravitas it never had before. Gore is also a respected statesman in a day when politicians rule.
Colin Powell for Secretary of Defense. hes been there, he knows the job, and he brings a point of view from the right. he was also duped by Bush&Co which drove him from the position. that experience i think would force hime to become very skeptical of other and assert his own a opinion, which is key.
Energy: we need someone who will push the green agenda as well as using existing US resources and technology. im thinking T. Boone Pickens. the problem with him is that he has a monetary interest in this agenda. i think we can all appreciate the importance of this cabinet job now, and he has the vision for a transition to green technologies and i think he has realized that good ideas come from all over and will hear them out. i doubt he will get the pick, but the only other person that comes immediately to mind is Gore, and i have bigger plans for him.
Transportation: this is going to be a huge challenge with enegy issues, pollution concerns, and an increasingly crumbling infrastructure. i have no front runner. i have heard of no one with the policy objectives to get us where we need to be. this is going to be a big job. we need more mass transit (read:trains), we need to step up maintanence on out roads and interstates. what comes to mind is someone at NYC's MTA. a system that is still expending and has been in operation for a century or so. they would have the experiance with crumbling infrastructure, rail, and expanding needs that will be at the forefront of this office.
Homeland Security: i think this office needs to belong to a former military officer. this job requires running things like the military. you need a strong supply chain that can deliver goods quickly where they are needed, like a moving front in a war. it also demands military experiance to deal with terrorist and military threats to the US. Ann Dunwoody comes to mind after she became the first woman to acheive four star status. who knows if she would leave the Army to take on this post, but i think shes more than qualified.
i dont have the time or knowledge to sort through the rest, but i think thats a good start.
Friday, October 24, 2008
nice, Freep
the hometown paper came up with this little widget. kinda neat. for me, six of one, half dozen of the other. but the way i see it, its not my wallet, its the nation's. like ive said before, were all in this together. if every one out there is doing well, so am i. if the economy tanks, were all fucked.
Monday, October 20, 2008
big 2?
Chrysler and GM are seriously talking merger. i wonder if im the only one who is scared by this. the two are direct competitors in a number of classes. both of their strong suits are trucks and SUVs. if this goes through, you can say good bye to most of the Chrysler models and makes with the exception of Jeep, the Town and Country, and see cars like the 300 and Charger phased out or merged into the Impala. essentially this amounts to lowering costs by cutting jobs and production facilities and cutting choices that consumers have.
at this point, saying that the US auto industry is on the ropes is like saying that record sales are down a bit. someone needs to call up Lee Iacoca. he saved Chrysler once, maybe he can do it again. i had the pleasure of owning an Iacoca era Dodge, and the car was amazing. it wieghed about 17 tons, felt like driving a plush couch, had respectable performance(it was a sedan, made for comfort) and still somehow managed to regularly push the 30 MPG bar. my new VW Rabbit does about as good on gas, but has to weigh roughly half of my old 89 Dynasty(RIP).
the things is, Detroit really only has itself to blame. in the SUV craze, they made some kick ass trucks, but totaly neglected smaller and cheaper cars that suddenly look good as people try to save money and the pump and on payments with the economy slowing and belts tightening. so now companies like Toyota, Honda, VW, and Mazda(which incredibly, Ford is trying to spin off) who know how to make attractive small cars have taken over. both Ford and GM have successful lines in Europe, but have failed to bring them here. GM is bringing the Astra, about 5 years later than they should have, but are dropping the ball once again, and not offering the popular deisel engine, that happens to get something like 45MPG on paper.
the domestics have totally forfeited the small car market to Europe and Asia, and are years behind in passesnger deisel and hybrids. and these days, when trucks are increasingly moving to their work roots, GM, Ford, and maybe Chrysler, have big problems. it is said that out of hardship comes opportunity. what doesnt kill you makes you stronger. when a door closes a window opens. i beleive that we still have the best and brightest here in the US, and they will have to be the saviors of their own jobs. the question is this: can management get out of the way of producing tomorrow's cars? for the sake of the homeland, i hope so.
at this point, saying that the US auto industry is on the ropes is like saying that record sales are down a bit. someone needs to call up Lee Iacoca. he saved Chrysler once, maybe he can do it again. i had the pleasure of owning an Iacoca era Dodge, and the car was amazing. it wieghed about 17 tons, felt like driving a plush couch, had respectable performance(it was a sedan, made for comfort) and still somehow managed to regularly push the 30 MPG bar. my new VW Rabbit does about as good on gas, but has to weigh roughly half of my old 89 Dynasty(RIP).
the things is, Detroit really only has itself to blame. in the SUV craze, they made some kick ass trucks, but totaly neglected smaller and cheaper cars that suddenly look good as people try to save money and the pump and on payments with the economy slowing and belts tightening. so now companies like Toyota, Honda, VW, and Mazda(which incredibly, Ford is trying to spin off) who know how to make attractive small cars have taken over. both Ford and GM have successful lines in Europe, but have failed to bring them here. GM is bringing the Astra, about 5 years later than they should have, but are dropping the ball once again, and not offering the popular deisel engine, that happens to get something like 45MPG on paper.
the domestics have totally forfeited the small car market to Europe and Asia, and are years behind in passesnger deisel and hybrids. and these days, when trucks are increasingly moving to their work roots, GM, Ford, and maybe Chrysler, have big problems. it is said that out of hardship comes opportunity. what doesnt kill you makes you stronger. when a door closes a window opens. i beleive that we still have the best and brightest here in the US, and they will have to be the saviors of their own jobs. the question is this: can management get out of the way of producing tomorrow's cars? for the sake of the homeland, i hope so.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
debate impressions
Evidently the most important thing is Joe the Plumber. At least for John McCain. That's great for Joe, but what about dan? I find it odd that candidates try to bring things home by referencing some guy in Ohio. What bearing does Joe have on my life? None. What does have an influence on my life are things like taxes, health care, the economy, inflation, home ownership, etc.
The reason why i think last night's debate went to Obama was that he actually addressed those issues, while McCain made juvenile jabs at Obama. At times Obama stooped to his level, but overall Obama was more presidential than McCain, who seemed to want to pick fights and make Obama look bad, rather than telling the people what he can do for them.
I'm really sick of all the mud slinging. Obama is not a terrorist. He sat on a board with Bill Ayers, but is not his best friend. McCain was involved in the Keating Five, but was only reprimanded for what happened. Neither of things really matters now, other than that Keating Five scandal doesnt seem to have influenced McCain's financial view points and you might hope it would.
What continues to push me away from McCain is the choices he makes. He chose to be combative and juvenile in the debate. He wanted to take the fight to Obama. Fine, take the fight to him. Just do it by attacking his plans and his positions, not by trying to associate him with tenuous assosiations. McCain's judement is just as bad as Obama's if not worse: he's been Bush's buddy for the past 4 years. He also picked Palin to be his running mate. There is no way i want her in charge of the country. If i was on the fence, that would push me into Obama's court. Her rhetoric is scary. She sounds worse than Bush and she doesnt know what she is doing.
Holy crap. I just got myself all sideways. Point is, McCain has nothing more to say, so he is just hurling insults at Obama, which is about as effective at winning my vote as insulting me. Say something, damnit.
Anyway, you knew how i was voting months ago. I hope you come to a similar conclusion.
The reason why i think last night's debate went to Obama was that he actually addressed those issues, while McCain made juvenile jabs at Obama. At times Obama stooped to his level, but overall Obama was more presidential than McCain, who seemed to want to pick fights and make Obama look bad, rather than telling the people what he can do for them.
I'm really sick of all the mud slinging. Obama is not a terrorist. He sat on a board with Bill Ayers, but is not his best friend. McCain was involved in the Keating Five, but was only reprimanded for what happened. Neither of things really matters now, other than that Keating Five scandal doesnt seem to have influenced McCain's financial view points and you might hope it would.
What continues to push me away from McCain is the choices he makes. He chose to be combative and juvenile in the debate. He wanted to take the fight to Obama. Fine, take the fight to him. Just do it by attacking his plans and his positions, not by trying to associate him with tenuous assosiations. McCain's judement is just as bad as Obama's if not worse: he's been Bush's buddy for the past 4 years. He also picked Palin to be his running mate. There is no way i want her in charge of the country. If i was on the fence, that would push me into Obama's court. Her rhetoric is scary. She sounds worse than Bush and she doesnt know what she is doing.
Holy crap. I just got myself all sideways. Point is, McCain has nothing more to say, so he is just hurling insults at Obama, which is about as effective at winning my vote as insulting me. Say something, damnit.
Anyway, you knew how i was voting months ago. I hope you come to a similar conclusion.
Friday, October 10, 2008
ugly end game
sorry about the drought, folks. but im back to respond to another Charles Krauthammer rant. this guy seems to inspire me. not as Gandhi might inspire you to do good, but as the Joker might inspire you to fight evil.
anyway, i just read this article in which he dredges up Obama's supposedly suspicious associations. i have addressed this issue before with Reverend Wright. my point then and now is that it is possible to come away from an association seeing the person as they are: both good and bad. and seeing who they are and what they do and have done, to filter the bad and see the good.
i worked with a superintendent who is great with architects, clients, plans, and will build a great project in the end, but he has a temper and can be a total prick to subcontractors. i watched him and saw him at his best with our cliet and architect, then, ten minutes later, berate a subcontractor. i saw what he was doing in that case was wrong. but i also saw what he did that was good. the good outweighed the bad, and i, being somewhat intelligent, was able to come away from that experience with a great idea how to deal with clients, and a great idea how not to deal with subcontractors.
is it not possible that Obama can take away frome Ayers his commitment to education, and leave behind his radicalism? or take from Reverend Wright the community service, and leave the racial rhetoric? and as far as Rezko goes, he made a mistake, and then donated all that money to charity. look, people make mistakes. the important thing is that you learn from them and move on.
look, if we want to start dredging up people's associations, im sure Senator McCain has some skeletons in his closet. we already know about his involvement in the Keating Five scandal that earned him a repremand. now i hope that John McCain, being a smart man, has learned from that experience. from it he evidently didnt learn that deregulation of banking can lead to economic catastrophe.
Krauthammer has got one thing right: its too late in the game for this. even if his associations are dubious at times, its an ugly end game, a smear campaign. these questions should have been raised as questions, not smears, and should have been raised months ago. now the economy is the issue, if McCain tries to change the focus, he is running from the the issues, and one that he is faltering on.
the long and short is that Obama is stronger on the economy, and McCain is redirecting. and i beleive, perhaps naively, that Obama is smart enough to separate the bad from good. that he is wise enough to be able to collaborate with people that he may disagree with on some issues to make progress on other issues, like education. no one is all good, or all bad, but you can learn something from all of them.
anyway, i just read this article in which he dredges up Obama's supposedly suspicious associations. i have addressed this issue before with Reverend Wright. my point then and now is that it is possible to come away from an association seeing the person as they are: both good and bad. and seeing who they are and what they do and have done, to filter the bad and see the good.
i worked with a superintendent who is great with architects, clients, plans, and will build a great project in the end, but he has a temper and can be a total prick to subcontractors. i watched him and saw him at his best with our cliet and architect, then, ten minutes later, berate a subcontractor. i saw what he was doing in that case was wrong. but i also saw what he did that was good. the good outweighed the bad, and i, being somewhat intelligent, was able to come away from that experience with a great idea how to deal with clients, and a great idea how not to deal with subcontractors.
is it not possible that Obama can take away frome Ayers his commitment to education, and leave behind his radicalism? or take from Reverend Wright the community service, and leave the racial rhetoric? and as far as Rezko goes, he made a mistake, and then donated all that money to charity. look, people make mistakes. the important thing is that you learn from them and move on.
look, if we want to start dredging up people's associations, im sure Senator McCain has some skeletons in his closet. we already know about his involvement in the Keating Five scandal that earned him a repremand. now i hope that John McCain, being a smart man, has learned from that experience. from it he evidently didnt learn that deregulation of banking can lead to economic catastrophe.
Krauthammer has got one thing right: its too late in the game for this. even if his associations are dubious at times, its an ugly end game, a smear campaign. these questions should have been raised as questions, not smears, and should have been raised months ago. now the economy is the issue, if McCain tries to change the focus, he is running from the the issues, and one that he is faltering on.
the long and short is that Obama is stronger on the economy, and McCain is redirecting. and i beleive, perhaps naively, that Obama is smart enough to separate the bad from good. that he is wise enough to be able to collaborate with people that he may disagree with on some issues to make progress on other issues, like education. no one is all good, or all bad, but you can learn something from all of them.
Friday, October 3, 2008
McCain quits the Mitten
its all over the media. its about the only thing anyone is talking about beside the debate. whats it all mean? i know you turn to mountebank for this type of analysis.
really, it doesnt mean a whole lot for Michigan. Obama has opened up a big ole lead. but what it means for the country at large may be a whole hell of a lot. Michigan has been suffering though its own recession, depression, economic meltdown for the better part of a decade. it has become a financial catastrophe over the last few years. the economy is the issue in Michigan. McCain had hoped to make my homeland into a battle, but has given up on the state that preferred him to Bush back in 2000. this is also a state thats become bankrupt under Democratic leadership and a city that became morally bankrupt under Kwame Kirkpatrick. there is plenty of political ill will toward the Democrats, but the voters there still cant bring themselves to vote for policies that brought us to the verge of a great economic precipice.
so what this may mean for the rest of the country is that when the economy becomes the huge elephant in the room that cant be ignored, McCain may not be able to deal with it. he's been inept on the issue so far, as Biden pointed out in last night's debate. the economy already weighs heavily on the minds of most, so this is not good news for McCain.
September's job data is expected today, and folks are speculating losses in the 100k to 200k. i dont think those folks are going to be in tune with McCain's deregulation rhetoric that mimics Bush's when it was the very lack of regulation and oversight that got this snowball of doom a rollin. thats what i see. i see in Michigan what the rest of the nation might be without the changes that would bring more regulation and oversight to the market and push investment in R&D. i think thats what Michigan voters see too. i do keep in mind that Michigan is pretty firmly a Democratic state, but its not by huge margins. Obama's double digit leads there show that he has appeal with a large amount of swing voters, and really, thats where the election lies.
McCain out of Michigan is the first big chink in McCain's armour. Palin gave him a boost, briefly, but thats worn off. i must admit that she did a good job in the debate, though she did dodge some questions. i dont really think that debate is going to have much of an effect on the votes. Biden did very well and proved he is a man of experience and an asset to the campaign and an asset to the White House. Palin proved that she isnt an utter liability, but she did stumble at times and i really dont think she is ready for the national stage, and especially not to lead the nation.
the real news is McCain leaving Michigan. it was announced the night of the debates so that it would get drowned out in all the pundits espousing about the debate, but it shows weakness. it could be the beginning of another snowball rolling. weve only got about a month to see...
really, it doesnt mean a whole lot for Michigan. Obama has opened up a big ole lead. but what it means for the country at large may be a whole hell of a lot. Michigan has been suffering though its own recession, depression, economic meltdown for the better part of a decade. it has become a financial catastrophe over the last few years. the economy is the issue in Michigan. McCain had hoped to make my homeland into a battle, but has given up on the state that preferred him to Bush back in 2000. this is also a state thats become bankrupt under Democratic leadership and a city that became morally bankrupt under Kwame Kirkpatrick. there is plenty of political ill will toward the Democrats, but the voters there still cant bring themselves to vote for policies that brought us to the verge of a great economic precipice.
so what this may mean for the rest of the country is that when the economy becomes the huge elephant in the room that cant be ignored, McCain may not be able to deal with it. he's been inept on the issue so far, as Biden pointed out in last night's debate. the economy already weighs heavily on the minds of most, so this is not good news for McCain.
September's job data is expected today, and folks are speculating losses in the 100k to 200k. i dont think those folks are going to be in tune with McCain's deregulation rhetoric that mimics Bush's when it was the very lack of regulation and oversight that got this snowball of doom a rollin. thats what i see. i see in Michigan what the rest of the nation might be without the changes that would bring more regulation and oversight to the market and push investment in R&D. i think thats what Michigan voters see too. i do keep in mind that Michigan is pretty firmly a Democratic state, but its not by huge margins. Obama's double digit leads there show that he has appeal with a large amount of swing voters, and really, thats where the election lies.
McCain out of Michigan is the first big chink in McCain's armour. Palin gave him a boost, briefly, but thats worn off. i must admit that she did a good job in the debate, though she did dodge some questions. i dont really think that debate is going to have much of an effect on the votes. Biden did very well and proved he is a man of experience and an asset to the campaign and an asset to the White House. Palin proved that she isnt an utter liability, but she did stumble at times and i really dont think she is ready for the national stage, and especially not to lead the nation.
the real news is McCain leaving Michigan. it was announced the night of the debates so that it would get drowned out in all the pundits espousing about the debate, but it shows weakness. it could be the beginning of another snowball rolling. weve only got about a month to see...
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
whats the difference between a pitbull and a vice president?
Its not lipstick.
I'm really looking forward to seeing the debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin tomorrow. I think its our best chance so far for us to get to see who the over protected Palin is. When she is on stage facing off against a guy who has been in the senate as long as i have been alive, i think the real Palin will come out. She will be forced to answer scripted questions, but she wont have a script for her rebuttals.
in recent days its become ever more evident how uneasy the campaign is with her. Even John McCain squirmed in a joint interview asking about her comments over the weekend. She has been coddled and protected to such a degree that Rochelle Riley, a Free Press reporter, called for her to quit. When she does speak she continues to say odd and just plain dumb things. In this more lengthy Couric interview she calls homosexuality a choice and when asked what news sources she uses to stay informed, she says 'all of them' and goes on to explain that Alaska has the news like the rest of the US.
This alone is suspect, not to mention her shady church affiliation, ties to the Alaska Independence Party, and total lack of any type of foreign policy experience. Like Couric, i look forward to tomorrow's debate to see how she handles the unscripted spot light withough handlers to rush reporters out of the room when the ask her anything of substance.
the real question is what is the difference between Sarah Palin and a VP? I bet its bigger than the difference between Joe Biden and a VP.
I'm really looking forward to seeing the debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin tomorrow. I think its our best chance so far for us to get to see who the over protected Palin is. When she is on stage facing off against a guy who has been in the senate as long as i have been alive, i think the real Palin will come out. She will be forced to answer scripted questions, but she wont have a script for her rebuttals.
in recent days its become ever more evident how uneasy the campaign is with her. Even John McCain squirmed in a joint interview asking about her comments over the weekend. She has been coddled and protected to such a degree that Rochelle Riley, a Free Press reporter, called for her to quit. When she does speak she continues to say odd and just plain dumb things. In this more lengthy Couric interview she calls homosexuality a choice and when asked what news sources she uses to stay informed, she says 'all of them' and goes on to explain that Alaska has the news like the rest of the US.
This alone is suspect, not to mention her shady church affiliation, ties to the Alaska Independence Party, and total lack of any type of foreign policy experience. Like Couric, i look forward to tomorrow's debate to see how she handles the unscripted spot light withough handlers to rush reporters out of the room when the ask her anything of substance.
the real question is what is the difference between Sarah Palin and a VP? I bet its bigger than the difference between Joe Biden and a VP.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
let her talk
We all want to hear what Palin has to say. Not stupid scripted interviews. The McCain campaign has been shielding Palin and its time to see who she is. After all, she is running for VP with a guy who is not in the prime of his years. Campbell Brown calls it sexist. Whatever you call it, its wrong.
I trust Ryan, he's smart.
Have you ever heard of embryonic stem cell research? Its something that has been characterized by some as the destruction of human life and by others as a potential cure for a wide array of diseases. Well its up for a vote in Michigan. There is a law on the books from the 70's that was written before the discovery of stem cells that prohibits the creation of new lines and bans state funding. It essentially handcuffs research opportunities in Michigan to using the lines of cells pre-approved by the Bush Administration, which have inherent limitations due to the limited number and because they were grown with mouse cells.
A Michigan "ballot initiative allowing Michigan researchers to make embryonic stem cell cultures from excess embryos donated from fertility treatments" is on the November ballot. Proponents argue that this would remove the state's restrictive law and encourage reasearch in Michigan. This in not only a potential cure or treatment for diseases like Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Cancer, but it could also spur a new industry in a state with dire economic woes.
Opponents claim that this could open Pandora's box and lead to human cloning at worst, and have ethical issues in using human stem cells. Those who oppose it often cite fertilization as the beginning of life and find it unethical to experiment on humans.
I think that ongoing oversight is key to prevent any misuse or unethical behaviors and that guidelines must be set, but we would be foolish to waste the opportunity to help potential millions of people and give Michigan a chance at a new industry and some kind of economic recovery. I see no problem with using otherwise discarded embryos in research. Currently they become medical waste. I dont see how that is more ethical or in any way better than using them to find treatments or cures for diseases that affect millions of people.
I see it much in the way that i see organ donation. If I am going to die, why not allow someone else to go on living with any organs that might be of use? With the donation someone may be able to go on living or have their quality of life vastly improved. With these embyos its a very similar situation. With them, much more research is possible which may lead to big breaks in medicine. Without them we are limited to the current research options and a more limited potential. Much like organ donations, the family has the say. Those patients at fetility clinics with extra embryos must allow their embryos to be used for research. It seems to me to be a much more noble end than to be incinerated as medical waste.
I support Proposal 2. If you live in Michigan I hope that you will support Ryan and myself and a give it a yes vote. I also hope that our next president makes such cutting edge research a priority.
Freep.
A Michigan "ballot initiative allowing Michigan researchers to make embryonic stem cell cultures from excess embryos donated from fertility treatments" is on the November ballot. Proponents argue that this would remove the state's restrictive law and encourage reasearch in Michigan. This in not only a potential cure or treatment for diseases like Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Cancer, but it could also spur a new industry in a state with dire economic woes.
Opponents claim that this could open Pandora's box and lead to human cloning at worst, and have ethical issues in using human stem cells. Those who oppose it often cite fertilization as the beginning of life and find it unethical to experiment on humans.
I think that ongoing oversight is key to prevent any misuse or unethical behaviors and that guidelines must be set, but we would be foolish to waste the opportunity to help potential millions of people and give Michigan a chance at a new industry and some kind of economic recovery. I see no problem with using otherwise discarded embryos in research. Currently they become medical waste. I dont see how that is more ethical or in any way better than using them to find treatments or cures for diseases that affect millions of people.
I see it much in the way that i see organ donation. If I am going to die, why not allow someone else to go on living with any organs that might be of use? With the donation someone may be able to go on living or have their quality of life vastly improved. With these embyos its a very similar situation. With them, much more research is possible which may lead to big breaks in medicine. Without them we are limited to the current research options and a more limited potential. Much like organ donations, the family has the say. Those patients at fetility clinics with extra embryos must allow their embryos to be used for research. It seems to me to be a much more noble end than to be incinerated as medical waste.
I support Proposal 2. If you live in Michigan I hope that you will support Ryan and myself and a give it a yes vote. I also hope that our next president makes such cutting edge research a priority.
Freep.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
oh crap.
you know, i understand when people say that they dont like to watch the news or be involved in politics because its too depressing. i really do understand the distaste for it. the problem is that its like a little kid thinking that if they cant see you, you cant see them. just because you hide from the reality that is the shit storm enveloping the US, doesnt mean its not there.
your ignorance isnt helping. its hurting. the worst possible thing for the US is that in our democratic elections everyone gets to vote regardless of how educated, informed, or intelligent they happen to be. while it is a beautiful thing that everyone gets a voice, its scary that people who have no idea what our leaders face will have a say in picking those very leaders. the founders of the US tried to solve that problem with the electoral college, which is little insulation. the best solution is a well informed electorate, which brings us back to those folks with hands clamped over their ears and eyes shut tight. if youre hiding from the world, how can you possibly think that you can choose the leader who will best be able to guide us through it?
i am all for voting and democracy, but i am also all for knowing who you are voting for and why you are doing it. know the issues. know the candidates. if i ask you why you are voting one way or another and you cant formulate a real reason, you need to do some more research. if was to ask which candidate you favor based on foreign policy, you ought to have an answer with more substance that 'McCain is just like Bush' or 'Obama is too inexperienced.' you ought to be able to talk about how McCain has been provoking Russia for years with Cold War rhetoric or how Obama is willing to sit down an talk with everyone and anyone without any conditions.
the point is, its a big scary world out there, and we need a leader who can show us the way through it all. if youre tuning out the world at large in favor of celebrity gossip, or sports, or music, you need to think seriously about November 4th. if you plan on casting a ballot, please know why. dont just vote for the guy who you want to have a beer with. dont vote for the black guy. dont vote for the spunky girl. a single word or simple catch phrase arent enough in the times we are facing ahead. if you plan to cast a ballot know who you are voting for and why. democrat or republican, green or libertarian, dont let party lines dictate your vote. decide for yourself who is best equipped to take on the challenges that will arise. know the issues and know the candidates.
please vote, and please be an informed voter. what is at stake is far too important to be reduced to a popularity contest.
the spark that started this fire.
your ignorance isnt helping. its hurting. the worst possible thing for the US is that in our democratic elections everyone gets to vote regardless of how educated, informed, or intelligent they happen to be. while it is a beautiful thing that everyone gets a voice, its scary that people who have no idea what our leaders face will have a say in picking those very leaders. the founders of the US tried to solve that problem with the electoral college, which is little insulation. the best solution is a well informed electorate, which brings us back to those folks with hands clamped over their ears and eyes shut tight. if youre hiding from the world, how can you possibly think that you can choose the leader who will best be able to guide us through it?
i am all for voting and democracy, but i am also all for knowing who you are voting for and why you are doing it. know the issues. know the candidates. if i ask you why you are voting one way or another and you cant formulate a real reason, you need to do some more research. if was to ask which candidate you favor based on foreign policy, you ought to have an answer with more substance that 'McCain is just like Bush' or 'Obama is too inexperienced.' you ought to be able to talk about how McCain has been provoking Russia for years with Cold War rhetoric or how Obama is willing to sit down an talk with everyone and anyone without any conditions.
the point is, its a big scary world out there, and we need a leader who can show us the way through it all. if youre tuning out the world at large in favor of celebrity gossip, or sports, or music, you need to think seriously about November 4th. if you plan on casting a ballot, please know why. dont just vote for the guy who you want to have a beer with. dont vote for the black guy. dont vote for the spunky girl. a single word or simple catch phrase arent enough in the times we are facing ahead. if you plan to cast a ballot know who you are voting for and why. democrat or republican, green or libertarian, dont let party lines dictate your vote. decide for yourself who is best equipped to take on the challenges that will arise. know the issues and know the candidates.
please vote, and please be an informed voter. what is at stake is far too important to be reduced to a popularity contest.
the spark that started this fire.
Monday, September 15, 2008
she should
E.J. Dionne wrote a nice little editorial today in the Post about how Palin has not received enough scrutiny or criticism from the media at large. i think the way he brings home the point best is the way the media cut up Hilary Clinton for saying she dodged sniper fire in Bosnia, when in fact her arrival had been pretty standard, but when Palin claims to have been to Iraq, but in fact went to Kuwait and sites a visit to Ireland that was actually a fueling stop, no one really seems to notice. when Charles Gibson questioned her about how Alaska's proximity to Russia had given her any foreign policy experience, she noted an island in Alaska has a view of Russia. by that standard, every resident of Texas can claim foreign policy experience by living near Mexico, and Floridians for Cuba, except in those cases people might actually have some interaction with the people of the nearby nations.
so when Mr Dionne asks if Palin will get the same treatment Hilary did, i say she should. she is running for the number two spot on the ticket, which can become the number one in the blink of an eye. she should be criticized, scrutinized, and vetted just as seriously as Hilary, Obama, McCain, and Biden, and perhaps more, seeing as most of the nation just found out she exists a couple weeks ago.
so when Mr Dionne asks if Palin will get the same treatment Hilary did, i say she should. she is running for the number two spot on the ticket, which can become the number one in the blink of an eye. she should be criticized, scrutinized, and vetted just as seriously as Hilary, Obama, McCain, and Biden, and perhaps more, seeing as most of the nation just found out she exists a couple weeks ago.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
its time for Palin's preacher feature
if you thought Obama had a pastor problem, you havent looked deep enough into Palin's religious associations. im pretty sure hers are worse, because she not only listens to the rantings, but has participated in them.
from the Post's On Faith:
and most damning in my opinion as to why we ought to question if Palin's faith might negatively affect her judgement as VP and possibly president follows.
"The churches that Sarah has attended all believe in a literal translation of the Bible," Janet Kinkaid of Wasilla, who has known Palin for 15 years, told the Times.
seriously take a look at this article and Sarah Palin's judgement. its not that she has beliefs that scare me. its that her beliefs could influence her to do dangerous, negligent, and irresponsible things.
from the Post's On Faith:
This past June, Palin returned to visit the church. She told the congregation, "God's will has to be done. . . . [Government activity] doesn't do any good if the people's heart isn't right with God. . . . We can work together to make sure that God's will be done."
"What comes from this church has great destiny," she proclaimed. "And that spirit of revelation, also including a spirit of prophecy--that God's gonna tell you what's goin' on--and what is going to go on. . . . There's been so many words, Ed, over the state of Alaska," she said to the pastor. "We being the head, not the tail . . . I see things now in the words it seems like that's comin' to fruition--that things are percolating, things are comin' along and praying for an outpouring of the Spirit for that revival to be here in Alaska."
Palin spoke of the power of a former pastor's prayer over her: "'Lord, make a way and let her do this next step.' And that's exactly what happened. So, again, very, very powerful coming from this church."
"This is awesome!" Kalnins exclaimed in response. "Makin' a prophetic declaration and it unfolds, ya know, the Kingdom of God--and so there is a prophetic call."
but wait! theres more!Palin's husband, Todd, was a registered member of the party(Alaska Independence Party) for seven years. Sarah Palin herself, while she apparently never officially registered as a member, was considered by the party to be a member for a time in the mid-1990s, and, as governor this year, she recorded a welcome to the party's convention, in which she said, "I share your party's vision."
Videos from the 2008 AIP meeting showing the organization's vice chairman, Dexter Carter, praising Sarah Palin's service as a party member and saying that the party's members must "infiltrate" the major parties, have been taken down since her selection as John McCain's running mate.
The party's founder, Joe Vogler, has said (as the party still proudly quotes on its website) that he is "not an American" and "I've got no use for America or her damned institutions." Vogler also renounced allegiance to the United States and "their damned flag."
and most damning in my opinion as to why we ought to question if Palin's faith might negatively affect her judgement as VP and possibly president follows.
"The churches that Sarah has attended all believe in a literal translation of the Bible," Janet Kinkaid of Wasilla, who has known Palin for 15 years, told the Times.
One consequence of Palin's literalism is that she is a Creationist. As such, she discounts science, a point that is further made by her insistence that humans do not influence climate change. (John McCain is on record as someone who accepts evolution and the role of humans in global warming.)
In recent years, Palin has attended several Pentecostal churches. which emphasize the Second Coming of Christ, especially the so-called Rapture, when Christ returns to earth and the faithful endure tribulations before they are taken up to heaven with Christ.
so Palin comes from Alaska, one of the places where climate change is most notable with shorter winters, melting permafrost, and receding glaciers but she doesnt acknowledge that humans are changing the climate. she also believes in the Rapture, which may or may not be an issue. it could be because some who do advocate ratcheting up Middle East tensions in an effort to bring on the 'End of Days.' that certainly wouldnt make for good foreign policy.seriously take a look at this article and Sarah Palin's judgement. its not that she has beliefs that scare me. its that her beliefs could influence her to do dangerous, negligent, and irresponsible things.
there was a time i liked McCain
i even admired him. that was back in 2000, during the primaries, when he an George Bush were competing for the Republican nomination. I was too young to young to vote in the primary, and wouldnt have registered GOP anyway, but he won Michigan and lost the nomination. as a result of that and weak campaigns by Democrats, weve had 8 years of Bush. i think the world and America would be better off had McCain been elected then. that's the senator McCain that John Kerry spoke about during the DNC, and now we have a different man, Candidate McCain.
Candidate McCain has voted with Bush 90% of the time and has criticized bills that he sponsored. he has also stooped to new lows in recent weeks with his VP pick who continues to mislead America on her record, she in fact supported the 'Bridge to Nowhere' until it became evident that Stevens was going down, and she secured millions of dollars in earmarks and racked up millions more in debt while mayor of Wasilla, hardly the mark of a fiscal conservative or someone who will change Washington. McCain is also swinging low at Obama. first there was his add comparing Obama to Brittney Spears, and now this add, which practically calls Obama a pedophile.
so far Obama has stayed above the shit slinging of Palin and now McCain, and i hope he will. i think the GOP and McCain have gone so negative because they realize that they are losing on the real issues, and the only way they are going to win is by pushing incorrect and false perceptions. they have insinuated that Obama will raise taxes on the average American, when the reality is, he will lower taxes for 80% of Americans, and only raise them on the wealthiest 5%. (McCain v. Obama on Taxes) Obama ought to take the tact of reiterating his points, that in fact taxes on the poor and lower middle class will continue to decline, and that tax breaks for corporations, like oil companies, will end, and that his plan would only increase taxes on those making more than $250,000 a year. and the bill in question above was not sponsored by Obama, but he did vote for a bill that allowed schools to introduce age appropriate sex ed to k-12 students, and the actual wording concerning kindergartners was directed toward helping kids to know what was wrong so they could be aware of sexual predators, not to teach them the birds and the bees at 4 or 5. also, the bill forced nothing, it only allowed Illinois schools to begin such programs.
i dont think the truth matters anymore to McCain. i think it does to Obama, and i hope that will become evident over the next 2 months. i think America has had enough of being mislead and lied to.
Candidate McCain has voted with Bush 90% of the time and has criticized bills that he sponsored. he has also stooped to new lows in recent weeks with his VP pick who continues to mislead America on her record, she in fact supported the 'Bridge to Nowhere' until it became evident that Stevens was going down, and she secured millions of dollars in earmarks and racked up millions more in debt while mayor of Wasilla, hardly the mark of a fiscal conservative or someone who will change Washington. McCain is also swinging low at Obama. first there was his add comparing Obama to Brittney Spears, and now this add, which practically calls Obama a pedophile.
so far Obama has stayed above the shit slinging of Palin and now McCain, and i hope he will. i think the GOP and McCain have gone so negative because they realize that they are losing on the real issues, and the only way they are going to win is by pushing incorrect and false perceptions. they have insinuated that Obama will raise taxes on the average American, when the reality is, he will lower taxes for 80% of Americans, and only raise them on the wealthiest 5%. (McCain v. Obama on Taxes) Obama ought to take the tact of reiterating his points, that in fact taxes on the poor and lower middle class will continue to decline, and that tax breaks for corporations, like oil companies, will end, and that his plan would only increase taxes on those making more than $250,000 a year. and the bill in question above was not sponsored by Obama, but he did vote for a bill that allowed schools to introduce age appropriate sex ed to k-12 students, and the actual wording concerning kindergartners was directed toward helping kids to know what was wrong so they could be aware of sexual predators, not to teach them the birds and the bees at 4 or 5. also, the bill forced nothing, it only allowed Illinois schools to begin such programs.
i dont think the truth matters anymore to McCain. i think it does to Obama, and i hope that will become evident over the next 2 months. i think America has had enough of being mislead and lied to.
Monday, September 8, 2008
the other side
so last night i was flipping channels and randomly came across a program called Russia Today on MHz. MHz ran a little disclaimer saying that their international news programming was broadcast without editing straight from the source, which in this case is Moscow. but what i realized in watching this was that there was very little coverage of what happened or how it became that Russia went in to South Ossetia and Abkahzia. i couldnt help but pick up that the Russian position, and not that of just the Kremlin, seemed to be that they were rescuing the regions from the oppression of Georgia.
the west, especially here in the US, has seen the Russian action as an invasion of democratic Georgia by a Russia that has suddenly taken on the look of the USSR in the last couple years. little in life is as black and white as we make it out to be. the conclusion i reached last night was that Russia would not have gone into these areas without some sort of reason, because not only would the US respond as it has, but it would be staring down the collective barrel of the EU. you may have noticed that the EU, through president Nicolas Sarkozy, has been pushing the peace process, but not taking a side.
so whats going on over there? did the great Russian Bear invade poor little Georgia because it longs to have its satellites back under its control as the media in the west has characterized? is Mikheil Saakashvili the strong man dictator to be that Moscow has characterized him as who has invaded the de facto independent regions of Abkahzia and South Ossetia? my guess is somewhere between the two. Sakashvili was out of line in invading, and Russia's reaction was probably too strong. Russia's role, however, may play an important foil to the US position and vice versa. Europe is sitting right in the line of fire on all this and has been surprisingly silent on this from what i have heard in the domestic media. even NPR and the Post, both of which i turn to regularly and are typically critical of the Bush administration have been towing the poor little Georgia line. even Barack Obama has condemned the Russians for their actions. it seems that the US can only see this one way, but me thinks that theres more than one side to every coin.
heres what i think. Saakashvili was emboldened by unconditional US support. this isnt the first time that the US has backed a questionable regime. Saakashvili, thinking that the great American military had his back, went head first into the the regions that have never liked him and have in fact acted independent since 1991 in an overzealous nationalist push. Europe and the US never told him to calm down and quit acting like an asshole because they like Georgia being independent of Russia and want them on our side because that pipe line that they have bypasses the Russian on Black Sea energy riches. so power-crazy Saakashvili goes on a little rampage to take back what he believes belongs to Georgia.
those who live in South Ossetia and Abkahzia arent fond of this guy, and in fact align themselves much more closely with their northern neighbors, Russia. so they ask Russia to come to the rescue, and Russia agrees, because, really, it would be like the US fighting El Salvador. they had little to lose. so now the Ossetians and Abkahzians alike are hailing Russia as saviors, while the US decries them as invaders and Europe tries to broker a peace deal to ensure that this idiocy doesnt result in a WW3, the reasons of which would be nearly as stupid as those that sparked WW1.
so the long and short is that Russia and Ossetia and Abkahzia view Russia as the saving protector and guarantor of human rights. the US in general views Russia and the invading, power hungry giant attempting put put Georgia under its thumb. what needs to happen is that both sides need to back off the overly dramatic rhetoric and start real talks. please keep in mind that i dont think Russia is innocent for this. they openly proclaim their beleif that the US humanitarian aid to Georgia is a front for arms deliveries. i dont thing even George Bush is that stupid. i just wish that somewhere else in the world there was another superpower to speak up. Russia has staked its claim, and so has the US, but where is the UK of 60 years ago? where is the great nation that can come in and temper the other two. Sarkozy is attempting to fill this role, but i dont know that it is working. the EU doesnt have the clout that it needs to fulfill this role. the member nations are too divided.
the one thing that we can all agree on is that the fighting that has occurred has been too much and all this needs to come to a peaceful end. to me that peaceful end looks like the status quo. unfortunately, i dont think Georgia gets its break away regions back, but i dont see this as a big problem. as a democratic nation in which we the people are supposed to be pulling the strings, how can you condemn a people for charting their own course? if they want to separate, become independent, and ultimately join with Russia, why should be stop the residents from doing so? Georgia never really had control of these areas, why should they expect to now. lets let the people who live there decide and chart their own course. i think thats the best solution. get Moscow and Washington to step back, let the people who this really affects speak for themselves. the Georgians should be able to speak their piece, but i feel that the real decision lies in the hands of the Abkahzians and Ossetians. i think they have spoken. lets listen up.
another perspective
the west, especially here in the US, has seen the Russian action as an invasion of democratic Georgia by a Russia that has suddenly taken on the look of the USSR in the last couple years. little in life is as black and white as we make it out to be. the conclusion i reached last night was that Russia would not have gone into these areas without some sort of reason, because not only would the US respond as it has, but it would be staring down the collective barrel of the EU. you may have noticed that the EU, through president Nicolas Sarkozy, has been pushing the peace process, but not taking a side.
so whats going on over there? did the great Russian Bear invade poor little Georgia because it longs to have its satellites back under its control as the media in the west has characterized? is Mikheil Saakashvili the strong man dictator to be that Moscow has characterized him as who has invaded the de facto independent regions of Abkahzia and South Ossetia? my guess is somewhere between the two. Sakashvili was out of line in invading, and Russia's reaction was probably too strong. Russia's role, however, may play an important foil to the US position and vice versa. Europe is sitting right in the line of fire on all this and has been surprisingly silent on this from what i have heard in the domestic media. even NPR and the Post, both of which i turn to regularly and are typically critical of the Bush administration have been towing the poor little Georgia line. even Barack Obama has condemned the Russians for their actions. it seems that the US can only see this one way, but me thinks that theres more than one side to every coin.
heres what i think. Saakashvili was emboldened by unconditional US support. this isnt the first time that the US has backed a questionable regime. Saakashvili, thinking that the great American military had his back, went head first into the the regions that have never liked him and have in fact acted independent since 1991 in an overzealous nationalist push. Europe and the US never told him to calm down and quit acting like an asshole because they like Georgia being independent of Russia and want them on our side because that pipe line that they have bypasses the Russian on Black Sea energy riches. so power-crazy Saakashvili goes on a little rampage to take back what he believes belongs to Georgia.
those who live in South Ossetia and Abkahzia arent fond of this guy, and in fact align themselves much more closely with their northern neighbors, Russia. so they ask Russia to come to the rescue, and Russia agrees, because, really, it would be like the US fighting El Salvador. they had little to lose. so now the Ossetians and Abkahzians alike are hailing Russia as saviors, while the US decries them as invaders and Europe tries to broker a peace deal to ensure that this idiocy doesnt result in a WW3, the reasons of which would be nearly as stupid as those that sparked WW1.
so the long and short is that Russia and Ossetia and Abkahzia view Russia as the saving protector and guarantor of human rights. the US in general views Russia and the invading, power hungry giant attempting put put Georgia under its thumb. what needs to happen is that both sides need to back off the overly dramatic rhetoric and start real talks. please keep in mind that i dont think Russia is innocent for this. they openly proclaim their beleif that the US humanitarian aid to Georgia is a front for arms deliveries. i dont thing even George Bush is that stupid. i just wish that somewhere else in the world there was another superpower to speak up. Russia has staked its claim, and so has the US, but where is the UK of 60 years ago? where is the great nation that can come in and temper the other two. Sarkozy is attempting to fill this role, but i dont know that it is working. the EU doesnt have the clout that it needs to fulfill this role. the member nations are too divided.
the one thing that we can all agree on is that the fighting that has occurred has been too much and all this needs to come to a peaceful end. to me that peaceful end looks like the status quo. unfortunately, i dont think Georgia gets its break away regions back, but i dont see this as a big problem. as a democratic nation in which we the people are supposed to be pulling the strings, how can you condemn a people for charting their own course? if they want to separate, become independent, and ultimately join with Russia, why should be stop the residents from doing so? Georgia never really had control of these areas, why should they expect to now. lets let the people who live there decide and chart their own course. i think thats the best solution. get Moscow and Washington to step back, let the people who this really affects speak for themselves. the Georgians should be able to speak their piece, but i feel that the real decision lies in the hands of the Abkahzians and Ossetians. i think they have spoken. lets listen up.
another perspective
Friday, September 5, 2008
the new whats next
Pat Droze. that's whats next.
Pat Droze for Mayor of Detroit!
Why?
Pat Droze will bring Detroit the change it needs. yep, another campaign based on change, but really, aside from Dennis Archer, what in Detroit can you remember that hasn't had corruption written all over it? aside from being a new face, Pat Droze is also NOT a lawyer, and therefore infinitely more trustworthy in my humble opinion. lawyers take other people's money for a living. Pat Droze has worked since an early age to support himself (i know, i was there). also, Mr Droze will work hard to bring a real mass transit solution to Metro Detroit and SE Michigan. as a civil engineer, Pat Droze is well versed on the many virtues of mass transit and has the knowledge to stand up to the auto industry on this topic. Having come from the suburbs, Droze will bring an outside clarity to Detroit and bring a spirit of cooperation to the region while always having Detroit's best interest in mind, because, as Detroit goes, so goes the region. Detroit has languished far too long in the shadows of the 67 riots, it needs a leader who can turn the corner and make Detroit the jewel of the lakes. he alone can transform Detroit from the capital of the Rust Belt into the international destination it once was. under the visionary guidance of Pat Droze Detroit can and will become the hub of commerce and culture that it was 5 and 6 decades ago. with Pat Droze, our hope for better things will be realized and it will rise from the ashes.
Droze '08!
Pat Droze for Mayor of Detroit!
Why?
Pat Droze will bring Detroit the change it needs. yep, another campaign based on change, but really, aside from Dennis Archer, what in Detroit can you remember that hasn't had corruption written all over it? aside from being a new face, Pat Droze is also NOT a lawyer, and therefore infinitely more trustworthy in my humble opinion. lawyers take other people's money for a living. Pat Droze has worked since an early age to support himself (i know, i was there). also, Mr Droze will work hard to bring a real mass transit solution to Metro Detroit and SE Michigan. as a civil engineer, Pat Droze is well versed on the many virtues of mass transit and has the knowledge to stand up to the auto industry on this topic. Having come from the suburbs, Droze will bring an outside clarity to Detroit and bring a spirit of cooperation to the region while always having Detroit's best interest in mind, because, as Detroit goes, so goes the region. Detroit has languished far too long in the shadows of the 67 riots, it needs a leader who can turn the corner and make Detroit the jewel of the lakes. he alone can transform Detroit from the capital of the Rust Belt into the international destination it once was. under the visionary guidance of Pat Droze Detroit can and will become the hub of commerce and culture that it was 5 and 6 decades ago. with Pat Droze, our hope for better things will be realized and it will rise from the ashes.
Droze '08!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Mayorgate 08 - OVER!
10:25 Kwame Kilpatrick has entered a plea and will resign. details to come.
10:30 The judge was reading the 8 counts against Kilpatrick after the plea deal was read. my feed crapped out part way through, i missed the prison time, but he is to pay the city $1M in remittance and surrender his state retirement. the judge left called council to chamber briefly to discuss a point in the plea agreement
10:32 Guilty to 2 counts of obstruction of justice is the plea.
10:37 the judge just read Kilpatrick the rights he forfeits by submitting a plea on this case. there was a brief laugh in the court as Kwame assured the court that he was happy with his lawyers. i missed the jail time bit, but maybe he got out of it... more to come.
10:41 Kilpatrick just read a statement that the reason that he must plea is because he lied under oath and deliberately meant to mislead the court. sentencing will take place on Oct 28.
10:47: as part of the plea, Kilpatrick will serve a concurrent 4 months in Wayne County Jail as a result of the assault charges stemming from an incident with police a couple months ago. the judge is reading the same list of forfeited rights now...
10:53: well, theyve wrapped up in Detroit. Kilpatrick has plead guilty to the whole perjury thing and no contest to the assault charges. he will be serving 120 days in Wayne County Jail, pay $1M to the city, $20k of that due at the Oct 28 sentencing, will serve 5 years probation during which he will not be able to hold or run for public office, and i imagine that he will be disbarred as a result of all this too.
at the end of the proceeding the judge thanked all involved for getting this resolved. he kind of stubled over his words, but i think he meant to thank them for avoiding the long drawn out trial that may have resulted and to avoid having Granholm remove him from office. i have to commend Granholm for getting her hearing going and quickly, i have a feeling that this lit a bit of a fire under the Kilpatrick team to get the plea in a stop the governor's removal hearing.
as they were wrapping up, Kilpatrick wiped his brow. its kind of funny, im sure he had been sweating a bit under that spotlight in court, literally, and now, he ca stop the figurative sweating as he now knows what faces him, and, considering the charges, i think he got a pretty good deal. as he stepped from behind the table his wife, Carlita, approached, they embraced, and he kissed her warmly and kindly on the forehead a couple of times. its a good reminder that while Kwame may be a corrupt mayor, he is also a husband, a father, and a person like you an me. while im glad that he finally is paying for what he did, and most importantly, he wont be running the city, im also happy that he wont be removed from his family for years, because they have already suffered for what he did and shouldnt be made to suffer more.
Detroit can breathe a sigh a of releif, its over. now they just have to figure out what is next. hopefully they can get something on the November ballot and hopefully Ken Cockerel can keep the wheels on until then. well, the wheel, i think a couple are arleady gone. that brings up another question: what ever happened with that whole sludge/corruption investigation on the council. oh, Detroit... im pulling for you...
10:30 The judge was reading the 8 counts against Kilpatrick after the plea deal was read. my feed crapped out part way through, i missed the prison time, but he is to pay the city $1M in remittance and surrender his state retirement. the judge left called council to chamber briefly to discuss a point in the plea agreement
10:32 Guilty to 2 counts of obstruction of justice is the plea.
10:37 the judge just read Kilpatrick the rights he forfeits by submitting a plea on this case. there was a brief laugh in the court as Kwame assured the court that he was happy with his lawyers. i missed the jail time bit, but maybe he got out of it... more to come.
10:41 Kilpatrick just read a statement that the reason that he must plea is because he lied under oath and deliberately meant to mislead the court. sentencing will take place on Oct 28.
10:47: as part of the plea, Kilpatrick will serve a concurrent 4 months in Wayne County Jail as a result of the assault charges stemming from an incident with police a couple months ago. the judge is reading the same list of forfeited rights now...
10:53: well, theyve wrapped up in Detroit. Kilpatrick has plead guilty to the whole perjury thing and no contest to the assault charges. he will be serving 120 days in Wayne County Jail, pay $1M to the city, $20k of that due at the Oct 28 sentencing, will serve 5 years probation during which he will not be able to hold or run for public office, and i imagine that he will be disbarred as a result of all this too.
at the end of the proceeding the judge thanked all involved for getting this resolved. he kind of stubled over his words, but i think he meant to thank them for avoiding the long drawn out trial that may have resulted and to avoid having Granholm remove him from office. i have to commend Granholm for getting her hearing going and quickly, i have a feeling that this lit a bit of a fire under the Kilpatrick team to get the plea in a stop the governor's removal hearing.
as they were wrapping up, Kilpatrick wiped his brow. its kind of funny, im sure he had been sweating a bit under that spotlight in court, literally, and now, he ca stop the figurative sweating as he now knows what faces him, and, considering the charges, i think he got a pretty good deal. as he stepped from behind the table his wife, Carlita, approached, they embraced, and he kissed her warmly and kindly on the forehead a couple of times. its a good reminder that while Kwame may be a corrupt mayor, he is also a husband, a father, and a person like you an me. while im glad that he finally is paying for what he did, and most importantly, he wont be running the city, im also happy that he wont be removed from his family for years, because they have already suffered for what he did and shouldnt be made to suffer more.
Detroit can breathe a sigh a of releif, its over. now they just have to figure out what is next. hopefully they can get something on the November ballot and hopefully Ken Cockerel can keep the wheels on until then. well, the wheel, i think a couple are arleady gone. that brings up another question: what ever happened with that whole sludge/corruption investigation on the council. oh, Detroit... im pulling for you...
fuck the police.
not cool.
this isnt supposed to happen to any peaceful protesters. its also not supposed to happen to journalists peacefully covering anything, especially wearing credentials and screaming 'press!'
this isnt supposed to happen to any peaceful protesters. its also not supposed to happen to journalists peacefully covering anything, especially wearing credentials and screaming 'press!'
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
MayorGate 08
finally something of substance is happening with Kwame Kirkpatrick. Gov Granholm has begun her hearings on whether or not to remove the mayor from office. i have no idea whether this is going to be a month long affair or a couple hours, or somewhere in between. i hope that it doesnt drag on for too long, he's been lingering way too long as it is.
follow it at the freep.com, who broke the story, got the texts released, and have really been as involved in this as Kilpatrick has. got to give the paper credit on keeping the city in check, or at least trying and keeping us readers informed. big ups to the FREEP.
follow it at the freep.com, who broke the story, got the texts released, and have really been as involved in this as Kilpatrick has. got to give the paper credit on keeping the city in check, or at least trying and keeping us readers informed. big ups to the FREEP.
sure, she's a reformer
when its politically convenient...
product shop nyc has more time to do research, evidently, and they have brought us this news.
oh, dont you just love politics?
product shop nyc has more time to do research, evidently, and they have brought us this news.
While the GOP desperately tries to paint Palin as a Lil' Maverick who took on the corrupt politics of Alaska, especially Senator Ted Steven's Bridge To Nowhere, it has slowly come out that she ran for Governor promising to get the bridge built anyway with your tax dollars and only came out against the earmarked project when Steven's came under investigation.
And, most damning of all, it's hard to say Palin took on politicians like Stevens when she was actually running one of the Senator's 527 groups.
Palin's name is listed on 2003 incorporation papers of the "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc.," a 527 group that could raise unlimited funds from corporate donors. The group was designed to serve as a political boot camp for Republican women in the state. She served as one of three directors until June 2005, when her name was replaced on state filings.
I give Palin until Thursday.......
also, these guys are digging up all sorts of dirt and finding all the skeletons in her closet. it appears that she has a controversial pastor in her life as well as Obama. i feel like the GOP is trying to destroy all their arguments about Obama, like his inexperience and crazy preacher. or maybe their trying to steal his thunder.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
its about the benjamins, not babies.
dont worry about Bristol Palin being preggers. its really a non issue. what should worry you about Sarah Palin is that she may not be the reformer that she claims to be. as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, the town benefited for millions of federal earmarks secured through a lawyer with connections to Ted Stevens and Don Young. she figured out how to use the 'good ole boy' network that she vilified in here VP nominee acceptance speech so well that in her final year as mayor her town of 7,000 received $6.1 million in earmarks(McCain's pet peeve) while Boise, ID, a city of 190,000 received $6.9 million in federal funds. the town officials now head to Washington every year to drum up the funding, a trip that Palin first made during her tenure.
now, im not saying that Sarah Palin is a bad person or even that she shouldnt have sought the funds. im sure that she made Wasilla a nicer place while she was in charge. what i want to point out is that she claims to be a reformer against the wasteful spending of Washington and the 'good ole boy' network, all the while using those things to her advantage. is she who she and the GOP says she is? it worries me more with McCain than any other election i can recall, because McCain is old and Palin has a better chance of being president than Cheney or Gore did as VPs and certainly a better chance than Joe Biden.
the long and the short, look before you leap, or dont.
thanks, WaPo.
now, im not saying that Sarah Palin is a bad person or even that she shouldnt have sought the funds. im sure that she made Wasilla a nicer place while she was in charge. what i want to point out is that she claims to be a reformer against the wasteful spending of Washington and the 'good ole boy' network, all the while using those things to her advantage. is she who she and the GOP says she is? it worries me more with McCain than any other election i can recall, because McCain is old and Palin has a better chance of being president than Cheney or Gore did as VPs and certainly a better chance than Joe Biden.
the long and the short, look before you leap, or dont.
thanks, WaPo.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
historical as shit.
tonight Barack Obama will accept the Democratic nomination for president. he is about the become the first black official major party candidate. this comes 45 years to the day of the million man march and Dr King's famous "I have a dream" speech. i cant help but think that this is not a coincidence. but im okay with that. i think its good to look back at what Dr King and all the activists have achieved to make it possible for a black (closet Muslim) man to achieve.
ive grown up in a different time. i never knew the hatred of racism. ive know prejudices and biases, but never the hate that ive heard of. im glad for that. and im glad that in the space of half a century we have come so far. we have come from the hate endured in the 50's with forced integration and all the violence that resulted. from having my own grandfather disown his own daughter, my sweet old aunt, for dating then marrying a black man, to me having a thing for a black girl and not having to worry about anything more than a couple startled faces. i hope to see a time when my kids can date anyone of any color and not even have the thought cross their minds as to how their friends and family might react. i guess i have a dream too. that we can all be more like Stephen Colbert, and not see color.
yes we've come quite far, and in this day of terrorism, economic woes, climate change, and the energy crisis, its nice to think about something that we as a nation have finally gotten right. Dr Kings had a dream that we might judge a man by the content of his character rather than the color of his skin. as a society, i think we are past the tipping point. its a big step in the right direction.
the world will be a better place if we all could just take a page from Red Green's playbook. "keep you stick on the ice. I'm pulling for you, were all in this together."
ive grown up in a different time. i never knew the hatred of racism. ive know prejudices and biases, but never the hate that ive heard of. im glad for that. and im glad that in the space of half a century we have come so far. we have come from the hate endured in the 50's with forced integration and all the violence that resulted. from having my own grandfather disown his own daughter, my sweet old aunt, for dating then marrying a black man, to me having a thing for a black girl and not having to worry about anything more than a couple startled faces. i hope to see a time when my kids can date anyone of any color and not even have the thought cross their minds as to how their friends and family might react. i guess i have a dream too. that we can all be more like Stephen Colbert, and not see color.
yes we've come quite far, and in this day of terrorism, economic woes, climate change, and the energy crisis, its nice to think about something that we as a nation have finally gotten right. Dr Kings had a dream that we might judge a man by the content of his character rather than the color of his skin. as a society, i think we are past the tipping point. its a big step in the right direction.
the world will be a better place if we all could just take a page from Red Green's playbook. "keep you stick on the ice. I'm pulling for you, were all in this together."
join the rally, keep your voice.
im getting a whipped up by all the speeches the democrats have been making. i feel all excited, because for once there seems to be a major party who is actually syncing up with my views. not all of them, but quite a few. and i need to keep the disparity in view. i see no sense in towing the party line. theres all sorts of cliches i could rattle off now, but what i want to convey is that no matter how much i agree with Obama and the dems on a lot of issues, i still have not heard anyone addressing health care in a way that i fully support, or for that matter, a full on plan on Iraq. but its early, and the campaigns rarely give you more that they need to, which means generalizations and sound bites. but even that beats out the republicans who want to let the health care status quo more or less be what it is and stay in Iraq until my grandkids are writing blogs about it.
what im getting at here is that you cant put all your eggs in one basket, diversify your investments. hopefully your understanding of the issues gives you a nuanced view of the world, and then you have to find the candidate that best matches that, and cast your vote, maybe even throw your full support behind him, but never lose sight of your individuality. dont get too caught up in the push to get the best candidate in office and forget what matters to you. make the best choice, but always push for more. push for the ideal and compromise when necessary, but stay true to your values. its up to us citizens to keep the politicians in line, and we must never forget that responsibility.
what im getting at here is that you cant put all your eggs in one basket, diversify your investments. hopefully your understanding of the issues gives you a nuanced view of the world, and then you have to find the candidate that best matches that, and cast your vote, maybe even throw your full support behind him, but never lose sight of your individuality. dont get too caught up in the push to get the best candidate in office and forget what matters to you. make the best choice, but always push for more. push for the ideal and compromise when necessary, but stay true to your values. its up to us citizens to keep the politicians in line, and we must never forget that responsibility.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
the hits just keep coming
my poor homeland has topped yet another list that no one wants to be on. that would be the list that ranks which big city is poorest. of US cities with at least 250,000 residents, Detroit is number one. not to be completely outdone by its flagship city, the state of Michigan's median income dropped while the rest of the nation's rose.
who to blame? ineffectual leadership? a struggling industrial economy? bad weather? proximity to Canada? so many options in the blame game. in my opinion there are 3 big reasons as to why Michigan is struggling. (but the reality is so nuanced that even fixing these things would leave quite a few holes. but we all love talking points, right?)
first is the decline in domestic manufacturing, especially our Big 3 cars and trucks. theyve been losing their market to the Asians and Europeans for decades and the 90's were dismal in that respect. the one market they had always lead in, trucks and SUV's, is rapidly eroding under the gas prices. as a result the new union deal cuts wages for incoming employees while others took cuts to keep their jobs. that alone can probably account for the drop in the mitten's median income.
that leads me to the second point: leadership. there is none to speak of. it seems like all the leaders in the state are just filling in. its like they arent there to make a difference, but to make sure that the wheels dont fall off until the boss is back. but there is no boss coming back to save the place and the wheels are falling off. they have been for a while. and as they do more people fall into poverty for lack of well paying jobs. folks who can afford college are having trouble getting jobs, because more and more well paying jobs require that silly piece of paper. and the jobs that are open to the uneducated and lesser educated are becoming fewer and lower paying leading to more poverty, which happens to be my next point.
the apple doesnt fall far from the tree. poverty breeds poverty. a poor uneducated mother will have poor uneducated children for the most part. she cant afford to live in a nice area with good public schools and she cant afford to send them to private school. and as soon as they are 18 the handouts to mom for uncle sam quit and the kid needs to make money to support himself, his mom, and his siblings, and possibly his kids. and as the economy erodes in the area more parents fall into this marginal poverty area, and their kids are jeopardized. the kids need a chance. wont someone think of the children!? i perscribe better education and support for poor kids.
i dont know how to solve all of the states problems, but leadership is where to begin. we need leaders who can bring new industry, besides a few films, to the state. permanent jobs are needed. whatever public money out there we have needs to be spent on kids and education. the best way to give a kid a chance is to give a kid an education and some ambition. if i kid sees that he can better his lot and his family's if he just completes a college education, and he has that chance, a lot of them will take it. success breeds success. the cycle of poverty needs to be broken and a cycle of success established. and always look out for the cycle of knives. that shit is scary.
Detroit and Michigan need a regime change. they need leaders who can bring jobs and investment and prosperity to an area that was once the arsenal of democracy, the envy of the world for its industry and prosperity. and that was within my father's life time. i hope to see it in my life time. a place that is famous for its prosperity, not its corruption, crime and poverty.
who to blame? ineffectual leadership? a struggling industrial economy? bad weather? proximity to Canada? so many options in the blame game. in my opinion there are 3 big reasons as to why Michigan is struggling. (but the reality is so nuanced that even fixing these things would leave quite a few holes. but we all love talking points, right?)
first is the decline in domestic manufacturing, especially our Big 3 cars and trucks. theyve been losing their market to the Asians and Europeans for decades and the 90's were dismal in that respect. the one market they had always lead in, trucks and SUV's, is rapidly eroding under the gas prices. as a result the new union deal cuts wages for incoming employees while others took cuts to keep their jobs. that alone can probably account for the drop in the mitten's median income.
that leads me to the second point: leadership. there is none to speak of. it seems like all the leaders in the state are just filling in. its like they arent there to make a difference, but to make sure that the wheels dont fall off until the boss is back. but there is no boss coming back to save the place and the wheels are falling off. they have been for a while. and as they do more people fall into poverty for lack of well paying jobs. folks who can afford college are having trouble getting jobs, because more and more well paying jobs require that silly piece of paper. and the jobs that are open to the uneducated and lesser educated are becoming fewer and lower paying leading to more poverty, which happens to be my next point.
the apple doesnt fall far from the tree. poverty breeds poverty. a poor uneducated mother will have poor uneducated children for the most part. she cant afford to live in a nice area with good public schools and she cant afford to send them to private school. and as soon as they are 18 the handouts to mom for uncle sam quit and the kid needs to make money to support himself, his mom, and his siblings, and possibly his kids. and as the economy erodes in the area more parents fall into this marginal poverty area, and their kids are jeopardized. the kids need a chance. wont someone think of the children!? i perscribe better education and support for poor kids.
i dont know how to solve all of the states problems, but leadership is where to begin. we need leaders who can bring new industry, besides a few films, to the state. permanent jobs are needed. whatever public money out there we have needs to be spent on kids and education. the best way to give a kid a chance is to give a kid an education and some ambition. if i kid sees that he can better his lot and his family's if he just completes a college education, and he has that chance, a lot of them will take it. success breeds success. the cycle of poverty needs to be broken and a cycle of success established. and always look out for the cycle of knives. that shit is scary.
Detroit and Michigan need a regime change. they need leaders who can bring jobs and investment and prosperity to an area that was once the arsenal of democracy, the envy of the world for its industry and prosperity. and that was within my father's life time. i hope to see it in my life time. a place that is famous for its prosperity, not its corruption, crime and poverty.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
shipload of worrms
i just opened it. i dont know what to do. im inundated, overwhelmed, engrossed, and completely unmotivated to do actual work at work. if you are also a news and information junkie as i have become over the last year or two, then be careful. there is a lot going on here.
global voices
basically they take the best that the underground web has to offer, translate it, assemble it in a logical fashion and present it to us, the readers. so they distill the worlds blogs, journals, indie magazines and newspapers and bring them to us in one source. im totally amazed and in love with this. theyve cut through all the stupid blogs that you dont want to read, and give the real deal. real reporting, logical opinions, local opinions, and world wide perspectives all together without mounds of bullshit to sift through to get to the story.
between this and failblog, its going to be tough to get any work done...
global voices
basically they take the best that the underground web has to offer, translate it, assemble it in a logical fashion and present it to us, the readers. so they distill the worlds blogs, journals, indie magazines and newspapers and bring them to us in one source. im totally amazed and in love with this. theyve cut through all the stupid blogs that you dont want to read, and give the real deal. real reporting, logical opinions, local opinions, and world wide perspectives all together without mounds of bullshit to sift through to get to the story.
between this and failblog, its going to be tough to get any work done...
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