Are you sick of the 2012 potential candidates strutting around yet? I am...

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Well we're hearing a lot from certain republicans now. All jockying for a possible 2012 presidential race.
For instance Senator Eric Cantor (Va) who has his political "problems." Anti union videos with lovely language... wife an official in a bank that got stimulus money... but hey they're better than democrats right?

Or Bobby Jindal from Louisiana who we are seeing way too much of as of late. Everyone's "testing the 2012 waters" apparently. Jindal wants to turn down money from the stimulus. I wonder how his state constituents feel about that. They got a bit of a raw deal from the republicans (Bush) after Katrina. How much of it is principle and how much is grandstanding for name recognition? Let's not forget Sarah Palin either.

Meet The Press this past weekend had both Charlie Crist (Fla) and Bobby Jindal on (separately) talking about the stimulus.
I find it hard to listen to Mr. Jindal because he starts out slower and works into warp speed talking.
Slow down, cut back on coffee or what ever it is that makes you talk faster as you go. Doesn't sound as thoughtful as it would if you slowed down a bit. Were you nervous or mostly annoyed? I'm not sure but I saw you a few times today on tv and you talked almost as fast there too. Has an interesting set to his face when he thinks he's being pushed and answers with about as little accuracy as most politicians.

Arnold Schwarzenegger (Republican Gov. of CA) is getting a lot of harsh criticism from his own party because he wants to work with Obama and wants to do what's best for his state as governer. He is behind the stimulus package. Which is nice since I'm pretty sure that at least he isn't making a run for the 2012 republican presidential candidacy.

Now the three republicans that voted for the stimulus package in senate are now referred to as "so-called republicans" I guess there's no getting along if you don't tow the party line anywhere these days... to hell with those constituents!

This is going to be a very odd 4 years. We have the economy to worry about (including the global economy).
We have recession/depression and job losses to worry about.
And throughout it all, we'll have to listen the whole next four years to back and forth political bullshit nonsense.
Not even based in facts half the time.
Say something enough times over and over repetitively with finger pointing indignation and it's magically true???
These people couldn't come up with bipartisanship if it was ordered by God.

Still talking about those "glorious" Reagan years (demagoguery) and glorifying them: trickle down didn't work, the only stuff that trickled down was what wasn't taken by the top. I think we can clearly see that now yes?
"Just say 'no'" Nancy's answer to the drug problem isn't an answer to the republican party for fixing our country either.
You have to deal with people not just the outcomes.

Unfettered, unrestricted extreme capitalism doesn't work for anyone especially the working classes that struggle to make a living. Our representatives for the most part don't always do what is best for us or the country, they do what's best for them (and often their pals).

Madoff shouldn't have happened: think about it. Really think about it. And then think some more...
Eight years and nothing.

The truth about our political and financial systems is becoming more and more apparent every day.
Starting to wonder about our food supply? I am.
But then what does the FDA have for inspectors now anyway, like three?

Amazing.

G'night,

Laura
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Nine days left of GW Bush... finally in the single digits (or didgits if you're GW).

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Last night I was talking aobut the economic melt down and how it really worries me that no one seems to have any answers.
Today on "Meet The Press" half the show was on the economy.
It made me feel good to hear more people talking about the problem because it needs discussion but at the same time it didn't make me feel much better. That's because this discussion should have taken place around 3 or so years ago.
There were many interesting topics that could have been made into one whole show instead of half but it was worth listening to. I find I'm liking David Gregory as the moderator a lot, he's lively, smart and interested it seems.


They brought up a point that I've been thinking about: If the economic stimulus plan does work is the goal to get back to where we were before? Because it seems to me that unrestrained extreme capitalism is not working for most of the "lower classes" and by that I mean the really poor, poor, lower class and middle class.
Is the goal to go back to business as usual where the top 10% of the food chain holds all the money and power?
Yea, yea I know, when you start talking like that it gets you called a socialist/communist/bleeding heart liberal whatever...
Which I'm not. I don't understand why we associate unregulated capitalism with our democracy.
Well, look where we are now.

The second half of the show was on Obama and how it effects Black Americans that he was elected president of the United States of America (Bill Cosby was one of the speakers).
It's interesting to me that I always thought the description "Black Americans" wasn't all that satisfactory since there are no Black or White people really.
And African American is inadequate since all "black" or "people of color" (which is pretty much everybody) aren't from Africa.
I think that a Barack Obama presidency is good for ALL Americans though perhaps more poignant for Black Americans.
A long time coming... And one day we will have a woman as president too, though NOT Sarah Palin. Puhleeze.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Gonna say g'night for now,
I might be back later but I'm tired and want to make hot tea.
Still coughing, this cold is really frustrating.

Laura

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Sixteen days to the Obama inauguration, it's getting oh so close!

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If you can stand to listen to Harry Reid for a while check out today's Meet the Press.
I'm not a fan of Reid but it was an interesting interview. I've decided that I like David Gregory as moderator for the show.
He asks hard questions and follows up on them. I like that.

At any rate, They talk about the Blagojevich appointment of Burris to the Illinois senate seat vacated by Obama.
Politician's talk with forked tongues out of both sides of their mouth. It's so amazing.
At one point when pressed to answer a question about how Reid says they won't seat Burris in the senate it goes like this:

SEN. REID: Hey, listen, David, I'm an old trial lawyer. There's always room to negotiate.

MR. GREGORY: All right, so you're not saying no completely that he won't serve?

SEN. REID: That's right.

Nah, I'd never know that you were a lawyer by the way you twist and turn questions and answers about like that in the wind.
So the proverbial non answer of "room to negotiate" is the answer to the question that is actually truly a non answer... Wow.
I think Rush made the point in the song "Freewill" how "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice."
Politicians choose to be unclear there's no doubt about it!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

To grow up to be a politician you must first learn this cardinal rule little grasshopper:

You must learn the art of double speak, the art of saying one thing and appearing to say another or to say nothing at all and make it appear to mean something. You must learn this art well my child and you will grow up to be a great politician.

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Thinking of song lyrics here's another appropriate one by Queen:

Another one bites the dust, Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone, Another one bites the dust
Hey, Im gonna get you too, Another one bites the dust...

Yes, that would be Obama's choice for Secretary of Commerce in his cabinet... BuhBye Bill Richardson.
Bill withdrew his name because of, yup you guessed it, yet another "ongoing grand jury investigation" into contract/donation/business allegations.
Are there no honest men and women left in this country to represent us?
Wait, since we elect our representatives; we might just be getting what does indeed represent us after all and that dear friends is what makes me the most depressed... Ethics, hard work and truth seem to be in short order these days all around.
I wonder if that was what Bob Dylan meant when he sang "The Times They Are A-Changin'?"

On that happy note I'm going to bed.
Still sick but beginning to feel better.

G'night,

Laura

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Forty-four days left of George W. Bush's non presidency... Can we fast forward?

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Watched the Meet The Press Barack Obama show.
He has some good ideas and some that I'm not as sure of.
The only thing we agree on is that it's going to get worse before it gets better.
Not too sure about the time frame on that recovery either.
2.5 million jobs? I'd like to know more about that. Who, where, how much cost?
I'm happy with the choice of Dick Gregory for the moderator of Meet The Press, he's pretty good.

Iowa's supreme court is going to rule on the state's gay marriage ban.
Let's hope that they favor basic civil rights being extended to all people.
There have been other groups oppressed in this country and there still are...
Matthew Shepard was murdered because he was gay, just like the racially inspired beatings and murders that have occurred.
No matter what you personally feel about gay marriage we cannot allow government sanctioned discrimination.

On a lighter note, have you watched Mark Shaiman's "Prop 8- The Musical" with Jack Black as Jesus? (yup)
Might be offensive to some but I thought it amusing and pointed.

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Non Political:
Spent most of today searching for good internet prices on the few things I have left on my Christmas list.
It's a shorter list this year and definitely not very expensive gifts on it.
Only have two people left on the list, the rest get cookies, pies and homemade things.
One more trip to major stores and that's all I expect to do as far as shopping.

Can't wait for New Year's Eve. I have a number of real resolutions and a "bucket list" of sorts to work on.
I'll likely post it here New Year's Day... I wonder if there's a way to place it on the side to add to and delete items.
Working my way through watching Miami Vice Season Three and drinking a hot cup of tea.
G'night
Crockett and Tubbs are calling to me.
Laura

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