Keeping the Weeds out of the Grass. Not the Feds Job

Hope you saw Brancachio and Moyers last night on Health Care. Some really good stuff. I really like T R Reid. who wrote "The healing of Ameica" "It doesn't matter whether it is government or private. What matters is that a nation decides it is going to agree to take care of all it citizens. The rest is easy. Whether it is Japan with 3,000 private insurance companies or the UK with a substantially government run program. Nothing will happen until the nation agrees that is where they want to go. We haven't reached that point yet." In hindsight, I think Obama might have been wiser to have this dialogue first. I think he would have gotten agreement on this, easily. Then should have come the discussion about how to do it. But, I did say hindsight.

Well, on to your radio show.

www.kpfa.org/archive/show/34


Ok. listened to your radio show. Frankly, I have only listened to videos, never radio before...have to look around and see what else is out there. Back to Hudson. Thought provoking. I need some time to digest his economic thoughts.

I totally support and agree with Hudsons underlying premise. One of the commentors wrote it best..."People just don't realize that our economy is run for the benefit of a tiny, privileged minority," Although, I prefer an analogy to HG Wells' "The Time Machine" where the Eloi are left to wander freely in a land of plenty and the Morlocks come out every night to harvest them for food.

But, even more interesting to think about.......Hudson and I both agree on his basic premise. But, Hudson uses a fuzzy circular illogical and factually vapid argument, that I totally disagree with, to reach the exact same underlying conclusion as I do. I am just as sure we would differ on the solution. Irreconcilable differences with somebody I actually agree with. Is one of us crazy? Fascinating.

I refer you to Mom's splurge (weed) problem in the back lawn . It is clear the splurge is gobbling up all the soil formerly occupied by the grass....no room for doubt there. Hudson would attribute it to a coordinated conspiracy by the splurge. I say the grass and splurge are just doing what is in their nature...the problem is lax oversight by the gardener (politicians) poorly supervised by the owner (you and I, citizen...well, OK Mom). Of course, the real problem is that Mom doesn't water the grass enough ....but, that totally messes up the analogy

Examples...

Hudson keeps talking about $13 trillion in bail outs when the entire national debt is only $9 trillion. TARP was only $700 Billion . Where does $13 trillion in bail outs come from. (Only??? I must be crazy....Vietnam only cost $50 Billion a year) Wish he had either taken it upon himself to support that number or the interviewer had called him on it, instead of mooning over his greatness.

As to Bernanke. Does the man not understand that Bernanke has absolutely no power over Wall street or policy? This oversight is the responsibility of Secty of Treasury, DOJ and Congress.....Bernanke has only 3 functions that I am aware of..

1. Oversee FDIC insured institutions to insure they are in compliance with the law he didn't write and can't change. Take them over and sell or close them if they are not.
   
2. Control the supply of money in the economy through setting overnight borrowing rates, issuing of currency and all the confusing computer/paper money used in TARP (The sole target of these is to keep inflation within acceptable boundaries..which is why Volcker had to raise interest so high to prevent inflation after the government spent so much in Vietnam ...think I have my history and timing correct here). The money supply faucet is the central control over economic growth. Growth of more than 4-6% annually is optimum to provide jobs for a growing population. Sustained growth of 8-10% for a period of 7 - 10 years will result in inflation growing faster than economic growth, referred to as the economy heating up and eventually a collapse in proportion to how far the two got out of balance, as happened in Asia in the 90's. Too little growth means not enough jobs are provided for the growing number of workers. Incidentally, this money supply lever, in the hands of a politically independent Fed, is what your pal Friedman got his Nobel Prize for thinking through, and also got paid for teaching to governments. Not all the mumbo jumbo stuff he preached on the side. Friedman did this after the political/oligarch rats chewed their way around Thorsten Veblens Controls. Steiglitz got his Nobel for a pointing out how the rats are chewing through Friedmans controls.
   
3. The Fed, and all 12 of its geographic subsidiaries generate forests of economic and money supply data and provide and interpretation of it.
   

Oversight of Wall Street is not within Bernankes power except in instances where FDIC funds are involved. However, I will read more on this as maybe I have it wrong....a lot of people are saying the same thing, which doesn't necessarlily make it correct. Mark Twain was wrong. Just because there is smoke does not mean there is a smoke machine behind it. It may only be a liberal or a Republican. "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain"

Hudsons read on Latvia and Iceland were total baloney and actually not even close to factual (at least the Iceland version) two economically failed states because they put too much of their money in the fancy mortgage stuff. Now the IMF, the Devil of Last Resort , comes in and gets the blame for saying "I'll loan you money to get you out of this mess, but you have to show me how you can pay it back because it's not really my money and the guys I borrow from are already bitching and may not loan me any more because they got problems of their own and then there won't be any money for the next fool who pisses away all his cash without thinking it through, so ya gotta either raise income or cut costs, buddy..Fairs got nuttin to do wit it. Dis is bidness"

Hudsons entire discussion was full of nonsense like the above, but we reach the same underlying conclusion. Curious. Maybe it is the backgrounds. Hudsons academic and resume credentials are in order. They are excellent. But, I guess it is perfectly logical to assume a guy with an undergraduate degree in Philosophy, a PHD in economics and who was the Harvard Peabody research fellow in Babylonian economics would see things differently than me who is, well, me.

Have to read and think more about this. Thanks for the reference.

BUT,

The big problem is that, as Hudson says (although incorrectly placing blame on the Fed), and the following articles indicate and I agree....our leaders are going to do absolutely nothing about cutting back the companies Too Big To Fail or regulating the circumstances..It just isn't going to happen and that is a a whole different book. Oh, they'll pass some laws and play a few fiddle songs, but nothing with teeth.

The other big problem is that the politicians seem hell-bent with this Fed audit bill (the Fed is already audited enough...No secrets there) which is really an attempt to take over control of the money supply. We're really going to be in a pickle (what exactly does that mean anyway?) when the politicians control the money supply. This way, lies the Vortex.

The following current articles are on the same subject and, in my opinion, a little more based in reality .

Status of TARP investments

http://www.newsweek.com/id/214096?from=rss

Doubts about Bernanke

http://www.newsweek.com/id/214132?from=rss

Krugman ..Debt may actually be a good thing.

http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2006/02/paul_krugman_de.html

Also, the following might be entertaining, in a cute kind of way.

Comments of the Moment

“ Let's get fiscal, fiscal,
I wanna get fiscal, let's get into fiscal.
Let me hear your budget talk,
Your budget talk, let me hear your budget talk.”

“ Hopefully, the attempt to restore 1953 America will not turn into an attempt to impose 1933 Germany.”

“ If ignorance is bliss, why are these people so angry?”

“ Simply put, take some of the profit-motive out of healthcare and one ends up with a better and more affordable healthcare system, as numerous Western industrialized nations have discovered and benefited from for years.”

“ Somewhere in this great nation of ours, Bill O'Reilly's math teachers are sobbing.”

“ In the free market of ideas everyone has a price.”

“ I am a descendant of holocaust survivors and as such I am often disgusted by casual comparisons of everyday things to the holocaust. At the same time ... when things truly do resemble the situations that led to the holocaust they should be pointed out. ”

Republicans - All That Remains is Hate.

Joe Klein has written his thoughts about the state of the Republican party in The GOP Has Become a Party of Nihilists

How very sad that a once great party, instead of regrouping and recreating itself as the Grand Old Party of the People, instead continues to stick its head further and further into the sand. To misquote somebody, I can't recall who, "It is not enough that I fail. I must pull the rest of the world down with me."

Instead of disagreeing honorably and fighting for what they believe is right they have become the part of NO. Lies, distortion and deception are their new standards. Is there no honor left in this party? Is Rush Limbaugh the best they can come up with? Sad. Ronald Reagan must be turning over in his grave. This is a charade, he would never have stooped to. Ronald Reagan would have spoken out for what he believed in, not what he knew to be a lie. Sad.

To paraphrase the Republican lawyer Joseph Welch to Joseph McCarthy, "Have you no sense of decency, sirs, at long last?"

French Jails Review - Bad Food! Great Drugs!

Thought you might be interested in the few insights into the French jails the following e-mail yields. Got this from my friend in Bangkok

The Scot referred to here is Chang Noi (Littile Elephant) a character about 5' 5" who weighs about 350 pounds. An American about 45 - 50 who putters around on a tiny motor scooter. Has actually made a very small name for himself as a bit actor in Thai commercials. Can fix any computer problem and works for about $15 per day. Is a hell of a guitar player and singer and keeps organizing bands that fall apart because he gets drunk and stoned on grass and plays what HE wants the the volume HE wants. Actually booked two gigs on New Years a couple years ago ...about 1/4 mile apart. Set up two bands and shuttled back and forth on his scooter. Played a few songs with one band and then, wheeze, wheeze, shuttled to the other gig for a couple songs. Most bar owners foolish enough to hire him fire him after a couple weeks. Just too damn loud. But, he really is incredible. Need a fancy amplifier or sound system. No problem he disapears into the Chinatown alleys and comes back with about $50 worth of stuff that sounds like $1,000. Smokes way too much dope in a country that will put Americans in jail for 20 years. His 30 day visa was about 8 years overstayed when I knew him. I remember the sound of him coming to my office down the long echo packed hall. Wheeze Wheeze "ow" Wheeze "ow" "ugh" Wheeze. Bad knees at his weight and height. In hie former life he had been an engineer (fix-it type) all over the world. I remember once I was sitting in my bar when a Russian hooker happened to come in and started trying to pick me up. I was playing along "Yes, my first time Thailand" with her broken English just to see what would happen when up comes Chang Noi, sits down and asks if he can have a free Chivas. Never had any money but would only drink Chivas and talk about himself. I introduce the two and damned if he doesn't start rattling away in Russian with her. Color me surprised. Scott is very good at making bad choices. His last girlfriend moved out not only with all her stuff and all his stuff, including his clothes, but also his motorcycle. Apparently, he was in France because he was being paid $500 to accompany a Thai girl, for appearences sake, with a dodgy visa and got caught. Don't know the details

Another time I will tell you about the Suit guy. About 6 1/2 feet Dark complexion; English teacher I believe. He had a different color for every day of the week. Monday was yellow, Tuesday was green, Wednesday was red, etc. And when I say color. I mean neon! Shoes, socks, suit, shirt, tie, sunglasses. All not only the same color but the same shade. Even had a business card with the same color ink as the day. Strange!

Doug,

Ron and Charlie spotted Scott last Sunday and had a beer with him. He had recently returned from a week in America - the French deported him to his home Country after he had done his jail time.

It seems we found out that he was in a French jail way after the actual event (PJ was the bearer of the news). Scott spent 4 months 5 days in jail before they let him out early for "being a good boy". He said it wasn't all that bad except the food wasn't great. He worked every day, so time disappeared quickly. Ron said that Scott has lost a lot of weight - perhaps he will get smart and keep most of it off.

The other thing Scott commented on was that whilst "inside" he saw more dope that he had seen in his whole life. Someone must be making a good living servicing the inmates!!!

Well that's the update, hope you're doing OK.

Ciao,
John

Finally! Health Insurance Simplified!

Finally! Health Insurance Simplified!

Alec MacGillis, in todays Washington Post, explains the Health Care conundrum in 1,300 words of clarity that our politicians have failed to explain in 1,000 pages of confusion. His article Your Handy Health Care Cheat Sheet, is excellent, honest and sticks to the facts. There may be devils in the solution, but the problem is elementary, my dear citizen.

Health Care now devours 16% of our economy. Insurance rates spiral beyond the cost of a house. Soon premiums will explode beyond the budgets of even the wealthy; Affordable only by the super rich or as benefits to senior government employees, politicians and retired Presidents. It will be necessary to reverse laws that requiring hospital treatment to all who enter. There just won't be enough money.

But, you say, the United States has the best health care in The World! Absolutely true. We do have the best health care available. Available to World Leaders, Drug Dealers, Despots, Financial Barons, Dictators, US Politicians, Russian Oligarchs and the rest of the Mega Yacht Crowd who pay outrageous bills with minivans stuffed full of cash, government checks or premier insurance policies costing $3,000 - $5,000 per month. Our puny Blue Cross, Kaiser and Cigna policies won't even get us past their security details. What's in your wallet, citzen?

The World Health Organization, who studies these sorts of things, ranks the United States 37th in overall health care, just above Cuba. In overall health we rank 71st, earning us a seat at the back of the Third World Club. Compared to our peer countries, we live 5 years less and 5 times as many of our babies die before their 1st Birthday. 280% more of us are unable to earn a living because of repairable disabilities. Compared to the #1 ranked French, we pay almost twice as much of our GNP to treat 47% of our citizens as the French pay to treat 100% of theirs. Are the French smarter? Or is it something in the wine?

Something must be done.....about 25 years ago. Every day there is news of cures for disease and body repair; All the nasty things that shortened our ancestors lives is on the run. Within the next 50 years, the super rich will be living healthy, active and alert lives well past 100. Why? Because they can afford it. You and I, citizen, will be dropping dead from simple curable diseases or dieing from minor injuries before we hit 40. The last time people lived such meager lives was over a thousand years ago during the Dark Ages when the prescribed cure for everything, except heresy, was bleeding by leeches. You think I'm rattling off science fiction nonsense? Wait and see. We don't need no stinking Death Panels. We'll do it for ourselves.

Something must be done. I am not urging you to support, or not support, Obamacare. I am urging you to read Alec MacGillis's article. and consider the best and smartest course of action that makes sense to you. Keep in mind, citizen, we live in a Democracy, and our fellow passengers also have places they want to go and some mighty peculiar ideas about how to get there. But, holding the present course will soon bring us upon the Shoals of Status Quo and we will be smashed into 300 million pieces. Obamacare may be the best solution or just another bad idea. It may be the first wobbly leg in the right direction. Or not.

But, all this silliness about Death Panels, granny killing, Nazis, funny hats and missing Birth Certificates must go, replaced by serious dialog. The voices of those standing up, yelling passionate nonsense, must be joined by our own voices speaking passionate common sense. We don't have to agree on a solution today, but we must commit to a solution tomorrow.

Once we consent on a true course the trick will be to keep our politicians running the course we have set them. Simple folk, these politicians, can't help rowing in crazy circles without an occasional taste of the whip lash from us, their leaders. After all, they already have the really really good insurance...for free.

Think about it, citizen.

AdSense NonSense

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So Why Shouldn't I Tell My Congressman He's an Ass?

I have been doing a lot of thinking about this unruly bad manners at Town Hall meetings. At first I wanted to go punch them out, talk them down or stand next to them in a clown suit. But the more I thought about it the more I am cheering on the yelling and screaming. I have decided it is a good thing these insulated politicians are finally having to face the people they represent while traveling first class or in private jets from one hoi paloy event to another, living in a rarefied atmosphere of privilege about on a level with the Wall Street Oligarchs or Louis XVI.....far far above the tiny meaningless lives down below.

The nerve of those guys trying to sneak through three $65 Million Gulfstreams the Pentagon said they didn't want or need, when many citizens weren't even sure they were going to have a job to drive to tomorrow, much less a jet. All because during last years Christmas holidays there weren't enough Gulfstreams to go around and Pelosi threw a hissy fit because all the big guys got to got to the really cool planes first. Make 'em ride on military transports or Greyhound is my idea. They'd at least meet some real people that way.

I think a good thing is happening. This is symptomatic of the sense of alienation people have from their government. The masters and the servants have gotten a bit mixed up in recent years and some adjustments need to be made. The people are frustrated and confused. All this money being spent, no understanding of why or where. And nobody really trying to explain to why Wall Street got the big bucks instead of Main Street in what I am just now beginning to understand was one of the most brilliant chess moves in the history of money.

I am not kidding. I think one of the luckiest things to ever happen to this undeserving country was to have not only a brilliant quiet Fed Chairman who spent the last 40 years studying the mistakes of the Great Depression teamed with a brilliant 6'4"ex-football hero tough-as-nails-mean-as-a-snake-SOB Secty of Treasury who helped invent half the crooked tricks on Wall Street. Secretary Paulson, with Bernankes Big Guns at his back, wasn't shy about blackmailing , bluffing or breaking some really big knee caps, forcing Financial moguls to bend over for a $700 Billion smoke and mirrors enema. It really cost us nothing but paper promises to put some spine back in the economy and some major Juevos de Oligarch in Uncle Sams watch pocket. The only mistake they made in this whole confusing Tango of Uncertainty was losing Lehman Brothers. They walking into a meeting with big UK Bank who finally said no to Paulson. Plan A disintegrated, there was no Plan B an Paulson lost one of the biggest deals of his big deal career.

Anyway, back to the peasants, uh err, citizens being treated like cattle whose only function is to work hard to make money, and borrow more, to pump into the big money machine. $32 Billion last year in bank overdraft fees? Give me a break! You can't change a telephone or any other service without punching numbers and waiting for 20 minutes. And then it is either impossible or you have to pay money to do it. Yes, American companies are more efficient. Because the citizens have to do more and settle for less from their companies.

You can't call a cop out for being a jerk for fear of getting arrested or worse. Out of one war and into another with no clear understanding of what is happening or why our boys continue to die after we were promised it was over. People are losing their houses, their jobs and their pride. Politicians are buying new Gulfstreams, have unlimited health care and expense accounts greater than most peoples salaries.

Republicans and Democrats are operating without any clear adult supervision, talking nonsense in stupid partisan prattling, putting off decisions about Medicare, Social Security and Immigration that should have been dealt with decades ago when they actually may have been tamable. These same politicians, unwilling to learn from previous mistakes are hell bent on making an sticky mess of Health Insurance, providing a nonsense mishmash without addressing the bigger issues of efficiency, cost and competition.

The hooligans will win. They will cover another 50 - 60 Million citizens with only minimal changes in business as usual, my hands in your pocket fashion. Politicians will deliver an insurance system bought and paid for by the central villian in the show. It won't work. Some day this will all come back, not to haunt us, but to rip out our economic jugulars and tread on us.

I know there is a lot of craziness in the air. People on Medicare saying they don't want government run health care. I especially loved the sign I saw somewhere today that showed an old couple on a sofa, "Will the government spend millions of dollars on my grandparents when they get sick like they do for a rich, overweight, alcoholics with brain cancer?" Of course the obvious answer is "Yeah, so who will take care of Gramps without Obamacare?" But they do have a teachable point. Why do all these guys get all the neat perks and toys; All we get is the privilege of paying for it and a stupid T-shirt.

Did you see the AARP meeting where the AARP representative got mad and closed the meeting because the old farts wouldn't sit quietly and listen to her prepared remarks about what AARP was doing on their behalf. They had the umbrage to ask why they had never once been asked what they wanted done on their behalf. She looked mighty foolish, after already ending the meeting, walking for her microphone after the crowd took over the meeting trying to sort out Health Care, without her. This really is Democracy at its best and at its ugliest. We may actually start listening to each other...or not.

Speaking of nonsense waddaya think of Sarah Palins Death Panel comments? What exactly does everybody think is happening now with the insurance companies? You Betcha!

Yeah, the insurance companies and Republicans are responsible for sowing the seeds of discontent, but the seeds are falling on very very fertile ground. Yeah, it's a loud rude minority who doesn't fully understand the issues, but so are the kids on the street in Iran and Burma, so was I in the late 60's and so were our founding fathers. I still feel we may have a revolt, of some sort, peaceful or not, before this is over. But this really isn't much about insurance anymore than Gettysburg was about the grass. This about the creeping plague of bad governance that has slowly been creeping up on us since we first started letting it.

Maybe there is hope. Americans may actually wake up and start expecting their politicians to represent them. Politicians may actually start identifying with their citizens and that Bridge in Brooklyn may actually change hands. Its not a Republican or Democratic thing. The Democrats are in power so they get the heat. But, whoever started it, they may have trouble getting it to lay down quietly and sleep.

I am glad to see people standing up and saying "I'm mad as hell and not going to take it any more!" Even if they have their facts and their logic upside down. At least they understand they have a right to be mad as hell. Of course it would help if the Democrats actually had a firm proposal on the table instead vague bundle of confusing Senate, House and White House concepts, ill defined and conflicting.

And what the hell was this deal with Big Pharma and the Hospitals? Is this what we voted for? Explain to me how this is Change we can live with? Unless we get some leadership soon we are are going to end up with a big sloppy expensive mess of goo that won't help much and will break our backs.

Haven't quite integrated my thoughts on Obama winning the election and being black and throwing that whole thing into the stew. Not sure how much that has to do with anything except it gives everybody something to focus on when they really haven't figured out yet what they are so pissed about.

Obama and the Democrats must start showing firm leadership if they are going to walk away with anything useful or even survive the next election.

Well, that's my evening cup of cheer. Better publish this before I think better of it.

Death Panels? They're already here.

I'm getting a little tired of hearing about Death Panels under any possible under the proposed insurance reform. First, anybody who is talking about Death Panels under any version of the proposed insurance reforms either is just passing along information they have heard without fact checking or they are trying to manipulate peoples opinions by knowingly passing on false facts.

But, with the above in mind, who are we kidding? Every health insurance company, cooperative or government program including medicare already has a Death Panel. What else would you call the policy makers who develop policies that refuse applicants for any reason, deny a procedure, cancel a policy, raise premiums or, in any way, limit a participants treatment. They are already deciding who gets what and to what limit.

People do actually die because of these policies. If that is not a death panel, then what is? The only way to avoid these Death Panels is to provided unlimited coverage to 100% of the people, including illegal immigrants for free. As long as one person is being told what they can and can't have somebody else is deciding their fate. Even the politicians who deny 100% coverage for everybody are enforcing a policy that results in death.

A Very Excellent Primer on Health Care Reform

Complicated and Confusing. That is the status of pending Health Care Legislation. Todays New York Times has just published an excellent Primer on who the players are, what's true and what's not. This article will get you back up to speed.

Now Everybody is Opposed to New Jets For Congress

It is now almost impossible to find a Congressman who is for spending $550 Million for several new luxury jets for Congress. Everybody seems to be coming out with a statement about how it is unnecessary and a poor use of Taxpayer money. It seems impossible to find anybody who was actually for the expenditure.

I wonder how many of these same politicians would have come out against the expenditure if The Wall Street Journal had not done their excellent series exposing it?

Read more about this here

Who Is This Man ???- Note the Swastika

This is Charles Manson...Read about what he did then and what he is doing now - here

Barefoot Running Shoes - Catching on....

File under: Things I Knew Absolutely Nothing About Until I Read About It Here.

BOULDER, Colo. — Kristen Campbell spent most of her 20s wearing soft leather moccasins everywhere she went, even on extended backpacking trips. But when she “grew up,” she reluctantly moved on to “real” shoes.

“I had to move out of the hippie ranks,” says the avid, 39-year-old distance runner, perhaps a little ruefully. “I had to stop being a dirtbag.”

So she was intrigued when she learned of a small but growing movement that advocates running barefoot, or something close to it. In Boulder, following the publication of “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall this spring — which, among many other things, wages war against thick-soled modern running shoes — the trend of running in “barefoot” or “minimal” shoes has taken off as fast as Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.

After reading the book, Campbell bought a pair of Vibram Five Fingers shoes mentioned by McDougall. The shoes have virtually no support, offering only a tough, thin sole and individual pockets for each toe.

“They are so much fun to wear,” she says. “I feel the ground more ... They make for a more intimate running experience.”

See more pictures of them here.

Read more about them here

Saturdays Summary

Obama headed to Mexico to talk about Drug Wars. Here

Susan Boyle's new makover not loved by everybody. Here

Karzai courts Warlords in Afghan vote. Here

Obama makes mistakes in Health Care Strategy. Here

What are the rules at political town hall meetings? Here

Goldman Sachs land on their feet, again....Lords of Time. Here

France fights the high cost of health care Here.

Lawmakers & Spouses go on global luxury jaunts to study Global Warming

Brody Mullins and the New York Times continue to look at why Congress needs so many luxury private jets.

When 10 members of Congress wanted to study climate change, they did more than just dip their toes into the subject: They went diving and snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef. They also rode a cable car through the Australian rain forest, visited a penguin rookery and flew to the South Pole.

The 11-day trip -- with six spouses traveling along as well -- took place over New Year's 2008. Details are only now coming to light as part of a Wall Street Journal analysis piecing together the specifics of the excursion.

It's tough to calculate the travel bills racked up by members of Congress, but one thing's for sure: They use a lot of airplanes. In recent days, House of Representatives members allocated $550 million to upgrade the fleet of luxury Air Force jets used for trips like these -- even though the Defense Department said they don't need any more new planes.

Read the rest of this article here

Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin

One of the most widely accepted, commonly repeated assumptions in our culture is that if you exercise, you will lose weight. But I exercise all the time, and since I ended that relationship and cut most of those desserts, my weight has returned to the same 163 lb. it has been most of my adult life. I still have gut fat that hangs over my belt when I sit. Why isn't all the exercise wiping it out?

Read the rest of this article

In Marriage, Worse First Can Mean Better Later

Just a few months before John Gottman, a leading American marriage researcher and psychologist, was to be married, his father died, leaving Gottman to contend with overwhelming loss during what should have been one of the happiest times of his life. No one would have blamed him for putting the wedding on hold. But in the end, Gottman says, the strain of dealing with his grief made him that much more devoted to his future bride. "My wife helped me through it," he says. "I was able to cope with the loss, and it was really a bonding experience."

Few couples would choose to marry during periods of severe relationship stress, but then, trials come unexpectedly — you can't plan for layoffs, illness or a raging wildfire that forces a change in wedding venue 24 hours before the big event. That bad start, however, can have benefits.

Read the rest of this article in Time

Billy Mays....It was cocaine!

Numerous news sites are reporting that the autopsy is in and while TV Adman Billy Mays died of heart problems, cocaine was a "contributory "cause of death" according to the Hillsborough County autopsy results.

Another one......................Such a waste.

Read more about it here.

I Stand Corrected. Congress not asking for $200 Million for private jets.

They are asking for $550 Million!

When Detroit flew to Washington, congress made a really really big deal of them all flying in to town on private jets. In fact, the CEO of General Motors eventually lost his job over it, and for failing to turn General Motors around.

Today the Brody Mullins in the Wall Street Journal writes that The Pentagon, who is responsible for providing transportation for congress, requested $66 Million money for one additional jet Gulfstream jet the same as Arnold Schwarzenegger flies around in. Congress, always diligent with their use of taxpayer money, carefully considered the need for the jet and then threw in and addional $484 Million!

Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary, said the Department of Defense didn't request the additional planes and doesn't need them. "We ask for what we need and only what we need," he told reporters Wednesday. "We've always frowned upon earmarks and additives that are above and beyond what we ask for."

Read the rest of this article here.

Sotomayor Confirmed To Supreme Court

Sonia Sotomayor has just been confirmed as the 111th justice, third woman and first hispanic on the Supreme Court. The vote was 68-31.

Before all the ruckus starts again, lets just take a moment to congratulate her for her accomplishments and wish her, and out justice system, well in the face of coming challenges.

And Fade

John Bolton makes a Good Thing into a Bad Thing

Some people really do live in another universe. Not saying they are wrong, mind you, just saying I don't want to pack up and go live there.

Todays Washington Post has a little piece Clintons Unwise Trip to North Korea by John Bolton

Now, I personally think John Bolton is one of the glibbest people on the planet. I wish I had his talent to express my opinions accurately in words. I also think he is a real horse's ass and disagree with almost everything he says. I don't even list him as one of the people I would like to sit down and have a beer with and that list is legion.

I thought is was a conservative premise that the old ways are always the best ways. That is what the word conservative means, isn't it? Well, one of the oldest, and best grist for movies, American mantras used to be "We will protect Americans from being mishandled anywhere on the planet". Of course this is no longer true, but what in the world is Bolton thinking about? I thought, as much as I usually disagree with him, that he was a man of strong principles. I did not think he would stoop to playground politics, "If the other guy scores , it must be because he broke the rules."

I guess the best answer to this neocons flip flop is, "What would Teddy Roosevelt have done?"

New Gulfstram Jets for Congress? How fast the good feelings fade.

Congress has just approved the purchase of 3 additional G550 Gulfstream Jets for their use. Price tag? $200 Million. This is the same jet Arnold Schwarzenegger flies. Life is good at the top. The Military, who takes care of Congress's air chauffeuring had requested one, but when it got to the appropriations committee they opted to throw in another two.

Each Gulfstream costs about $65 Million and about $5000 per hour to fly. I understand the need for security, which is generally the reason given for this excess. But, why can't Congress fly on standard military transport just like everybody else. They just might get a chance to interface with some real people occasionally.

From the Gulfstream Web Site
The Gulfstream G550 is a luxury business jet, which the company advertises as featuring long-range flight capacity that “easily links Washington, D.C., with Dubai, London with Singapore and Tokyo with Paris.” The company’s promotional materials say, “The cabin aboard the G550 combines productivity with exceptional comfort. It features up to four distinct living areas, three temperature zones, a choice of 12 floor plan configurations with seating for up to 18 passengers.”

Read all about it here.

Thank You Somebody! Today I feel good about the world!

This blog is a labor of love. It has to be. I can't even get AdSense to unsort themselves out enough to try for Beer money.

I try to post, at least one comment a day. on what I think about the messy illogical world we all live in. Usually, my thoughts lean toward the critical or pessimistic. The last couple days I have been a bit busy on my real job and haven't devoted as much time as I would like. But, today, I just had to take a couple minutes to write about the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee.

I am sure as the truth, and the untruths, unfold we will find the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee from North Korea has layers of intrigue, complexity and ulterior motives by all the players. Articles will be written, reporters will camp, inconveniently on front lawns and political hay will be made by the elected BS farmers in Washington,

But, just for today, let's all relax, bask in the moment and thank whatever stars we follow that somehow, someway and for some reason, a good deed was done by somebody. Two people I don't know and never even heard of before their ordeal are back with their families and loved ones. Today is a good day.

Huffington Post has some really terrifiic pictures of the homecoming here.

Whatever, Whoever and However........Thank you...

Senate Republicans push Cash for Clunkers off the Cliff

By Doug Hardin

The CARS, better known as Cash for Clunkers, program that was supposed to provide up to $4,500 to each person who trades in an old gas hog for a newer fuel efficient car may be headed for a crash because the Republicans have now decided to block refunding.

The original program was provided with a fund of $1 Billion that was supposed to carry it until about November. However, the program has been so successful that the funds have apparently been exhausted after only one long weekend. The administration has asked for at least $2 Billion more to keep the program active. Republicans are taking advantage of the summer recess to block additional funding using the recess as a tool to stymie voting.

Are they crazy? Their largest complaint by the Republicans about the recovery efforts initiated under George Bush and passed on to Barack Obama has been that, in addition to being too expensive, it was taking too long to get the money into action, the normal citizen is not sharing in any of the action and the program makes no sense.

So, along comes a program that gets over 1$ Billion out in a week, puts the money directly into citizens garages, creates jobs (somebody is going to have to build the approximately 250,000 cars sold last weekend), gets some CO2 belching gas guzzling iron heaps off the streets, makes everybody feel just a little bit better about the economy and has the premium benefit of getting a lotta folks a nice new set of greener wheels. I didn't think economic recovery could get any better, or faster, than that.

Apparently, the problem is that the Republicans didn't think of it first so if they can't take credit for it. I'm not exactly saying the Republicans are 100% the bad guys here because I'm fairly sure that, if the shoes were reversed, it would be the Democrats playing the part of the spoilers.

I'm really starting to have fonder memories of Tom Laughlin, the creator of the hero Billy Jack movies. Remember when he went to the leader of the motorcycle gang and said "Who's in charge here?" When the leader said, "I am." Billy Jack shot him and said again. "Who's in charge here?" The next bad guy steps up and says " You are."

Well, maybe we should send Billy Jack to DC. Be interesting to see what he might come up with

6.9 Earthquake off Baja / San Diego

Details are still vague, but there were a series of earthquakes in the 5 to 6 magnitude off San Diego about 11 AM California time this morning. Shocks were felt as far away as Arizona and it is reported one building in San Diego was evacuated. No tsunami warning has been issued.

More information will be available here as the situation develops

Indeed, What Has Private Insurance Done For Us?

I usually try to write for myself. In fact yesterday I wrote a bit about the evil ways of private insurance. But when somebody says exactly what I wanted to say and says it better, I yield the floor. So, please read Michael Hiltziks' piece in todays Los Angeles Times. This piece is Spot On.

What's So Great About Private Health Insurance?

The firms take billions of dollars out of the U.S. healthcare wallet as profits, while imposing enormous administrative costs on doctors, hospitals, employers and patients. They've introduced complexity into the system at every level. Your doctor has to fight them to get approval for the treatment he or she thinks is best for you. Your hospital has to fight them for approval for every day you're laid up. Then they have to fight them to get their bills paid, and you do too.

Kenya Birth Certificate -

Will This Birthers Pandemic Never Die?

Now we have a Kenyan Birth Certificate for Obama? This mornings Huffington Post provides photos and details on a Kenyan birth certificate that has now turned up. It has been submitted in the ongoing legal mess on whether Obama is a natural born citizen of the United States. This certificate has, of course, been immediately accepted as the long awaited holy grail missing link of the growing Birther movement. This, in spite of the fact that there a few "technical" details with the document;
Kenya was a Dominion the date this certificate was allegedly issued and would not become a republic for 8 months.

Mombasa belonged to Zanzibar when Obama was born, not Kenya.

Obama's father's village would be nearer to Nairobi, not Mombasa.

The number 47O44-- 47 is Obama's age when he became president, followed by the letter O (not a zero) followed by 44--he is the 44th president.

EF Lavender is a laundry detergent.

The same folks that expect us to believe that The State of Hawaii, Two Hawaiian Newspapers, the entire Obama family, a bunch of government agencies, the Democratic party, The President himself and legions of other co-conspirators worked in close unison to make it look like Obama was a citizen when, in fact he was actually born in Kenya, now expect us to accept this piece of dreck as a legitimate document?

Even Karl Rove has chimed in on twitter that believed the document is likely a forgery.

I am beginning to think there may be more behind this farce than a universal surge of patriotism to enforce the US Constitution. I wonder what it could be? I am sure I can live with the amateur attempts. I am not so sure I can accept the underlying motivations and the apparent growing numbers of converts.

And where is the conservative leadership voices in all this? Certainly not standing on any moral high ground. Or, at least I can't see them from down here in the pit.

Health Care Battle - Obama Finally Fighting Back

By Doug Hardin

Well, it's about time. Mondays New York Times is coming out with an article that Obama is finally going to be fighting back over health care. For way too long he has been making polite with the insurance companies. For what? In the hopes they would start to see the light of day?
You betcha!

First there was the joint press conference with Obama and the insurance CEO's all making nice and celebrating a pact that the insurance companies were all going to cut some costs and make it all better for the citizens. Well, that lasted about 18 hours until the insurance companies said, "Well, that isn't exactly what we meant."

Come on, lets start telling it as it is. These guys have been Swift Boating insurance reform since before there were Swift Boats. Let's talk about a couple services they regularly perform for the citizen,

1. Raise the premiums on insured when there is a serious long term problem. What are they gonna do go to another company?
2. As soon as an insured reports they may have a serious health issue they have people who pore over the policy, prior medical records and almost literally go through their trash to find a reason, any reason, to cancel the policy because of a previous condition or deceit on the application. Deceit could be as simple as transposing numbers on a telephone number. Doesn't matter. Deceit is deceit.
   
3. They also have people especially trained to just say no to every procedure and cost.
4. If a small company has an employee who has some serious medical costs, they will either raise the premium or, hopefully, twist the arm of the small businessman to figure a way to get rid of his now-expensive employee.
5. Write their policies in such a way that it looks like you're insured for anything, but if you actually need the coverage you find out that you purchased a 15 page piece of swiss cheese.
   

There's more, but you get the idea. Is this news to anybody? Why are we tolerating it and claiming we have the medical care in the world. Well, maybe we do, but only for the super rich with $40,000 per year actually get any of that good stuff.

We in the cheap seats get nada and it's about time the president starts fighting back on this. I don't much like Nancy Pelosi. not sure why, but she is right. These guys are scavengers living quite well on our money and our misery.

More later about why we are ranked 31s in health care, how any politician could not possibly want to put these guys in prison and the whole scam

Burmese Motorcycle Diaries

I just ran across this in Natural History Magazine. It is about a naturalist who died of a snakebite on 9/11. His buddy just recently completed a motorcycle trip mapping out his adventures. Excellent article.

Following the trail of an adventurous scientist to its—and his—end

By Jamie James

Like mystics and soldiers of fortune, field biologists are fond of exotic, far-flung places. It's partly scientific: the study of wildlife requires wilderness. Yet sometimes there's an irrational, almost addictive edge to the attachment. Joe Slowinski, a curator of herpetology at the California Academy of Sciences, had such a bond with Myanmar—or Burma, as much of the world still calls that Southeast Asian nation, preferring tradition over a name foisted on it by a military regime. Burma is about as far from San Francisco as it's possible to be flung. In eleven trips beginning in 1997, Slowinski led expeditions throughout the country. To biologists, he is probably best known for his identification, with herpetologist Wolfgang Wüster of Bangor University in Wales, of the first new species of cobra to be described since 1922: Naja mandalayensis, the Burmese spitting cobra. Slowinski also cofounded, with the Smithsonian Institution's George R. Zug, the Myanmar Herpetological Survey, one of the country's few stable scientific institutions.

Read more of this article in Natural History

Dobbs' Ratings Take A Hit Over "Birther" Controversy

Jason Linkins reports on his blog...

Backing the "Birthers" may be a good way to gain notoriety and attract criticism, but it's proving to be ratings poison for Lou Dobbs. The New York Observer's Felix Gillette crunches the numbers, and the bottom line is Dobbs is bottoming out:

Mr. Dobbs' first began reporting on Obama birth certificate conspiracy theories on the night of Wednesday, July 15. In the roughly two weeks since then, from July 15 through July 28, Mr. Dobbs' 7 p.m. show on CNN has averaged 653,000 total viewers and 157,000 in the 25-54 demo.

By contrast, during the first two weeks of the month (July 1 to July 14) Mr. Dobbs averaged 771,000 total viewers and 218,000 in the 25-54 demo. In other words, Mr. Dobbs' audience has decreased 15 percent in total viewers and 27 percent in the demo since the start of the controversy.

Read More about this on Jason Linkins Blog

India rejects emissions cuts for a decade

From Todays Financial Times.....It's controversial to say this but people really ought to be a lot more sure about Climate change before they start dictating to other countries what they should change.

India will not discuss signing up to legally binding obligations to make absolute cuts in greenhouse gas emissions for at least 10 years, Jairam Ramesh, the country’s environment minister, said on Friday.

“In 2020, it’s conceivable that we might look at a limited target. But in 2009, no way,” said Mr Ramesh.

Read the rest of this article here.

51 Headless Vikings Found in English Execution Pit?

From National Geographic come this fascinating story of ancient history and the modern science used to unravel it.

Naked, beheaded, and tangled, the bodies of 51 young men-their heads stacked neatly to the side-have been found in a thousand-year-old pit in southern England, according to carbon-dating results released earlier this month.

The mass burial took place at a time when the English were battling Viking invaders, say archaeologists who are now trying to verify the identity of the slain.

The dead are thought to have been war captives, possibly Vikings, whose heads were hacked off with swords or axes, according to excavation leader David Score of Oxford Archaeology, an archaeological-services company.

Read the rest of this article in National Geographic

Hamas Ready to Talk

From today s Wall Street Journal. Their conditions included allowing all Palestinians to return to their lands and other unlikely-to-be-granted demands but it is a small small start. Let's hope somebody is sharp enough to take them up on it.

DAMASCUS -- The chief of Palestinian militant group Hamas said his organization is prepared to cooperate with the U.S. in promoting a peaceful resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict if the White House can secure an Israeli settlement freeze and a lifting of the economic and military blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Read the rest of this article in the Wall Street Journal

America’s Not-So-Fast Trains

Todays New York Times has an editorial on Trains. So, why does all of Europe, Japan and China have such great train service while the train service in the US is terrible. I live in central California. To go 220 miles south to Los Angeles or San Francisco by train I leave my home in a nice shiny train and then switch to a bus for the last part of the ride.

100 years ago, we our emerging economy on the rails of the best train system in the world. What happened? How are we going to compete in the next 100 years. A single train car gets the equivalent of about 400 miles per gallon and carries the same load as a Truck getting 10 miles per gallon. Where's the logic?

“It’s happening now,” he said. “The problem is that it is happening elsewhere.” Japan, Spain, China and Germany are among those with superspeedy trains that rival air travel and easily eclipse the irritations of a car trip. Yet America has only one high-speed corridor, from Boston to Washington, where the Acela Express is often forced by conditions to slow down to average speeds of around 70 miles per hour. Europe’s bullet trains can run at an average of about 130 m.p.h., and Japan’s zip through the countryside at an average of 180 m.p.h.

Read the entire editorial here.

So this is what all the fuss was about?

On April 27, 2009 Air Force One and a couple fighter escorts buzzed New York and the Statue of Liberty in a botched PR campaign to update.

All appropriate clearances had been obtained and government authorities notified so there would be no surprise.

But nobody thought it important to notify New Yorkers or Mayor Bloomburg. The 911 calls started coming in as soon as the panicked New Yorkers caught a glimpse of the Big Bird flying low over their city. That cost some Big Shots their jobs.


So, you be the judge. Was it worth it? Above is the new photo (yes, that little bitty green thing waayyyy down there is the Statue of Liberty. Below is the old stock photo of Air Force One flying over Mt Rushmore.