With the economy in trouble, over 500K jobs cut last month (the largest job loss since 1974) and the forthcoming Obama stimulus package (predicted at 1 Trillion over the next two years) the government gives the impression that it is open for business, and their business is giving away money. Sign me up...
I am with some analysts (that know a lot more than I do) that suggest that tax cuts and incentives for business should be what President Bush should be concentrating on for his time left in office and what President-elect Obama should have his economic team working on for his first months in office instead of a large gift basket. But since tax cuts give the appearance of favoring the rich, and the democrats will be running two of the three wings of the insane asylum (no offense to the authentically crazy folks out there) it is almost given that there will be a lot of money passing around. At least the typical government middle level bureaucrats will have guaranteed employment. For any college graduates out there, consider a career as a community manager I have a feeling it will be the hot ticket.
One thing to consider is a lesson from our friends in Japan. When they faced a similar economic situation in the 90s they too dumped 1 Trillion dollars into thier economy they did not have the success that Obama and Biden are envisioning. Obama has said that he plans on creating a government works project unseen since the construction of the interstate system. Since we probably don't need a new road system, and since the railways don't seem to be overcrowded what does the upcoming administration plan to do with this money.
I imagine there are congressmen salivating over where to spend this money. I can see it now, Barney Frank at his desk by candle light scribbling away drafting his list like a five year old boy writing Santa Claus. Maybe Nacy Pelosi will ask for an upgrade for every government building in San Francisco, adding a third bathroom on each floor. After all it is unfair to ask the transvestites to choose between Male and Female. Even though he is no longer a Congressman I am sure Al Gore will get into the action. A little birdie told me he wants to fund a project to create a large vacuum cleaner to suck up all the pollution from over Las Angeles, Chicago, and New Jersey.
I would like to submit my own suggestion. If we must spend the money (give it away) then lets use it for good. How many abandoned buildings are there out there that need to be revitalized or just torn down? Can we get rid of the graffiti that spoils the cityscape? I don't mean any street art, but the gang graffiti or the senseless "bubba loves betty sue" scrawled over the hundreds of overpasses. How about that poor crying Indian from the commercials, he is no doubt still crying as he travels around our cities, roads, and waterways. Maybe we can actually get some folks out there to clean the used condoms, cigarette butts, Coke cans, and bumpers off of the side of the road or the dead bodies out of the rivers, or the nearly re-possessed cars out of the hundreds of reservoirs and swamps in Florida, Texas, and Illinois.
Of course all those soon to be unemployed stock brokers will avoid this type of work, but maybe if we cancel this auto-industry bailout we can count on the 700,000 workers that will leave looking for work. Then again this might be the break that many of the illegal immigrates have been waiting for.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Circus
Usually my attention has the life span of a Twinkie laying on a table between Rosanne Barr and Rosie O’donnell, hence the title of my blog “Gallologic the Home of Rambling Thought” not “the Home of Clear Focused Thought”. But today something is holding my interest. After my “work” today I went out…no the truth is I rushed out to my car, shifted it into light speed and drove to the nearest haberdashery (yes I know that is a clothing store but I really have been wanting to use that word). What was the rush?- you may ask, or maybe you wont, either way I don’t care…
Today was the public release of Britney’s second comeback CD. You may scratch your head in wonder, how can a man my age really enjoy her music. “He must be just one of the gazillions of aging perverts that look fondly back to the days when her videos primarily focused on her in a school girls uniform gyrating center stage surrounded by the flyest back-up dancers (and a gay male dancer or two). Yes I may be part pervert but I really do love her music, I put her at number five of my favs just below Ozzy, Eminem, Kiss, and Run DMC. This newest release just makes it easier to love her. I have read reviews that claim there is an over indulgence of synthesized vocals and compared the music to candy-coated paint by numbers. (read the uneducated trashing by a jealous no-talent hack here http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainment/story.html?id=1022191). By now it’s probably apparent that I would disagree with the negative reviews. I would agree with one thing however. There is a lot of similarity with this CD and last years Blackout while at the same time harkens back to some of the best 80s pop (a la Debbie Gibson).
Many of the tracks have messages for family (my baby), fans, one for the most lowest class of society the paparazzi (Circus track 2) and according to one reviewer one for us perverts (If U Seek Amy). There are two versions, one standard and on with a DVD bonus disk. I of course sprung for the deluxe version. For me this will be in tray one of my car’s CD changer for the next few weeks, I may be the minority but if you dare to be different join me and get a copy of Circus, because the only way your getting mine is to steal it.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Today I want to recognize someone special.
I first became aware of her some years back, and for a while I really was into her, but she made a choice and picked someone else. I had to respect that and let her go. Then she came to her senses and got rid of the dead weight, and I thought that I finally had a chance, but there were a few tragedies and some drama so I took it slow. There have been obstacles along the way: distance, status, different social circles, difference in age (she is a few years younger) among others. Oh and a big one, she probably doesn’t care how I feel or know I am alive…and since that last one is a biggie I think I drifted away and my crush faded.
But recently I am hearing more about her, starting to wonder if I gave up just a little too soon. So I am willing to try again, and wish to begin by publicly re-declaring my crush on her, and I want to ask her for forgiveness of my recent silence.
Tomorrow is her 27th birthday and she is also releasing a new CD “Circus”. So here I am saying- Welcome back Britney!!! Happy Birthday and I still Love You.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tvguide/390153_tvgif1.html
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2008/11/album-review--1.html
and for her recent video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZSLIq6YiRY (WOW!!! Good God I can die and be happy)
But recently I am hearing more about her, starting to wonder if I gave up just a little too soon. So I am willing to try again, and wish to begin by publicly re-declaring my crush on her, and I want to ask her for forgiveness of my recent silence.
Tomorrow is her 27th birthday and she is also releasing a new CD “Circus”. So here I am saying- Welcome back Britney!!! Happy Birthday and I still Love You.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tvguide/390153_tvgif1.html
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2008/11/album-review--1.html
and for her recent video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZSLIq6YiRY (WOW!!! Good God I can die and be happy)
Trick or Treat
A few days ago I got trapped into a conversation about current events, specifically about the current public opinion about the bailouts and the recent testifying (testification?) of the big three automaker CEOs to Congress. (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/11/19/congress-divided-fate-detroits-big/)
There is a lot of opinion out there, but where in the constitution does it say that we as a people or Congress as our representatives, have the right to butt our collective nose into the internal business of, well… business??? – if you need a refresher click here (http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html)
The CEOs of the big three automakers are asking for $25 Billion, and I say “don’t give it to them.” I am not against the American auto-worker or American made cars (although I don’t own one and God willing never will – unless as a second car). But I have a better idea. Tell the UAW to take over. Since the Chairman of the UAW. Ron Gettelfinger, attended the same congressional hearing as the CEOs (flew in on his own private jet as to not seem beneath those big bad corporate baddies – I wonder if his flight attendant was just as hot, and if his plane had the same caviar?
Since for years now the UAW seems to have known better than those allegedly overpaid execs on how to run the auto industry. These are the same folks that have coerced, blackmailed, and brow-beat the automakers into paying over $70 an hour to a guy who fills up the window-washer reservoir while the American auto industry has come in second place to European and Asian car makers.
The unions have their place and have advanced the quality of life of the American worker, but when retirees of the big three get better benefits than current workers of most other companies then maybe they are among the ones that need to start making sacrifices.
I am not suggesting that the CEOs of these companies should be paid big bucks when their products fail, their stocks go down the crapper, and they come to the tax payers (via the congress) looking for a handout (like a teenager that should have stopped trick-or-treating knocking on your door on Halloween night, dressed as a McDonalds cashier – knowing that you know, that they gave up and really shouldn’t be coming around for a free snack sized Kit Kat, but you feel obligated to give it to him, since none of us have the balls to “just say no”… sorry I probably lost you, I am rambling.
So tomorrow (Dec 2nd) the CEOs will fly out (presumably plane-pooling if not flying commercial) to Washington D.C. and lay out their plan for how they will use any monies loaned to them to save their industry. I hope for the sake of 350,000 auto workers and additional 200,000 in related industry that something can be worked out. But if not, then I say “survival of the fittest” and if they gotta shut down, then so be it. But when many of those 500K workers start marching “We shall overcome” they need to direct much of their attention on the unions that helped expedite the demise of the industry by demanding too much, and also onto many of the politicians that got in the way of a market based economy by placing restrictions that were unrelated to customer demand.
There is a lot of opinion out there, but where in the constitution does it say that we as a people or Congress as our representatives, have the right to butt our collective nose into the internal business of, well… business??? – if you need a refresher click here (http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html)
The CEOs of the big three automakers are asking for $25 Billion, and I say “don’t give it to them.” I am not against the American auto-worker or American made cars (although I don’t own one and God willing never will – unless as a second car). But I have a better idea. Tell the UAW to take over. Since the Chairman of the UAW. Ron Gettelfinger, attended the same congressional hearing as the CEOs (flew in on his own private jet as to not seem beneath those big bad corporate baddies – I wonder if his flight attendant was just as hot, and if his plane had the same caviar?
Since for years now the UAW seems to have known better than those allegedly overpaid execs on how to run the auto industry. These are the same folks that have coerced, blackmailed, and brow-beat the automakers into paying over $70 an hour to a guy who fills up the window-washer reservoir while the American auto industry has come in second place to European and Asian car makers.
The unions have their place and have advanced the quality of life of the American worker, but when retirees of the big three get better benefits than current workers of most other companies then maybe they are among the ones that need to start making sacrifices.
I am not suggesting that the CEOs of these companies should be paid big bucks when their products fail, their stocks go down the crapper, and they come to the tax payers (via the congress) looking for a handout (like a teenager that should have stopped trick-or-treating knocking on your door on Halloween night, dressed as a McDonalds cashier – knowing that you know, that they gave up and really shouldn’t be coming around for a free snack sized Kit Kat, but you feel obligated to give it to him, since none of us have the balls to “just say no”… sorry I probably lost you, I am rambling.
So tomorrow (Dec 2nd) the CEOs will fly out (presumably plane-pooling if not flying commercial) to Washington D.C. and lay out their plan for how they will use any monies loaned to them to save their industry. I hope for the sake of 350,000 auto workers and additional 200,000 in related industry that something can be worked out. But if not, then I say “survival of the fittest” and if they gotta shut down, then so be it. But when many of those 500K workers start marching “We shall overcome” they need to direct much of their attention on the unions that helped expedite the demise of the industry by demanding too much, and also onto many of the politicians that got in the way of a market based economy by placing restrictions that were unrelated to customer demand.
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