THE PRICE OF ADVANCING TECHNOLOGY

When we, in the past, had  only printed material, things had already changed by the time we realized that we were now drowning in detail and advertisements  Today, everybody is so connected to everyone else with opinions riding the wires in milliseconds..


It was clear that some of the radio and TV talk hosts swayed elections in the mid-nineties which resulted in a Republican run house and, I think, Senate.  Now all the media tries to influence outcomes.  We've gone far beyond Rush Limbaugh, who should go the way of Glenn Beck.only further away.


Whoever steered President Obama to start talking in the territory of voters for Boehner and Cantor, is brilliant.  The problem is people hate to be proved wrong.  Will people in those parts of the country listen to the man they might have voted for as President who will be trying to tell them that the people they put in the House of Representatives are not doing their job?  We can only hope they have already begun to question their votes for them.


Meanwhile, I wonder how many people are living off the collection of monies for charities which keep sending out so many mailings and materials that I can't believe there is much money left after operating expenses for anyone else to benefit.


The other day I heard that the Post Office is running underfunded because there  (among other reasons, like the Internet) they are not getting as much revenue because companies are sending less mailed advertising. (Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus)  I haven't noticed that I am getting fewer catalogs.  Even when I request that they stop them, it has been like turning off the salt machine as that old fairy tale went.


When will some of these services catch up to the fact that it is cheaper all the way around now that we have beefed up the technology to do the same tasks?  We need to stop seeing advancement in science and technology as putting people out of jobs and start seeing the need for people to create new jobs, businesses, and truly be creative entrepreneurs.

THE BIG QUESTION

Regardless of what all the talking heads speculate, we will know nothing until we find out whether the TeaPartiers and ultra conservative Representatives are still willing to commit political suicide and continue to ignore the people who put them in office and who are seriously suffering.  On September 8th, despite the refusal of the Republicans to allow him to speak the day before, Obama compromised and waited a day but finally spoke.  If anyone watched the debates the day before they would have had to wonder why the Republicans thought it was more important for Perry, Romney, Paul, Gingrich and the token woman, Bachmann, to reflect how little they understand what the people want and not what the candidaters want. 

It is planned that the President will tour the areas which Cantor and Boehner represent.  If they think they can withstand continuing to block every forward move for the country they must believe in evil far more than good.  The goodness of the American people will have them rise in unison as they did against some of the mid-Western governors recently.

All of us have to keep pushing the recalcitrant grudge bearers about making Obama a one-term President, and their pledge to people outside the government,  helping them to see that their opposition is conra-indicated for the country.  Is this the way want to be remembered in history books, as traitors to their oath of office and to their country?.  Let us hope they will see the light before long and not wait until the 14 months have passed to the next election.

THE DEBATE IS OVER

Unfortunately, the Republican candidates were preaching to the choir.  I doubt their followers might have been listening but few Democrats were, judging from the large number of people at my house.  The further tragedy is that the same thing will happen tomorrow.  Only the Democrats will watch Obama.  Neither side will change at this point.


The media will continue to push their own goals.  There had been rumor circulated that Sarah Palin would participate in the debate, but she did not and has not committed herself to candidacy. 

Most of them said what they thought should be done but there suggestions as to how it would be done were seriously lacking insight and in the realm of wishful thinking than reality.reality.  Michele Bachmann seems to have faded into the woodwork.  Her political naivety really shone brilliantly and the weight of it pushed her right out of the frame.


Perry and Romney locked horns but neither seemed a winner of strength.  They both see what they want to see both in their future as well as in their past.  Neither was telling the truthful pictures of past achievements.  Ron Paul challenged his fellow Texan, Perry.  Ron Paul's challenge to Romney should not be discounted, however.  Sadly, amongst Paul's good ideas are many about smaller government that do not seem to lie in the area of a quick fix.


There was so little to discuss about the lackluster, little passion debate MSNBC resorted to a discussion of what it is Obama has to do.   Are we really doomed (or is that damned) as so many seem to think?

THOUGHTS ABOUT WHEN IS LITIGATION'S RESULT 'JUSTICE'

As I listened to Cheney salivating as he talked about torture he would instigate again if he felt it was warranted, I thought that I began to understand why Obama did not wish to bring him to trial in the US.  Obama's whole Presidency would have been consumed with tht trial and all the information that would have to be brought out about all the things heretofore not mentioned in the press about his cruelty and illegal moves that would rekindle hatred towards the US..

Dahlia Lithwick wrote an article, Getting Away With Torture  In the article is written "Implicit in Greenwald's commentary is that the Obama administration is responsible for Cheney's continued legitimacy in the debate about torture, as well as the legitimacy of the debate itself. By deciding to repudiate torture while doing everything in its power to protect the torturers, the Obama administration has succeeded in elevating not only Cheney but the idea that, in America, some torturers are too important to be punished. "  While this may be true, it does not take into consideration that there may be excellent logic why this Presidency has chosen not to pursue legal action against him.  In many ways, Cheney has been foolish to publish his actions in his memoirs as they will be used against him in history if not before.

 Most people want instant gratification.  I applaud Obama for his patience, at times, though I, among many, do not understand it.  I do believe that Obama has succeeded in making the world see that Cheney alone does not represent the entire United States or the present government.  Given Cheney's heart health,  it is not even certain that he would survive the kind of trial that would take place.  No one is considering Bush, his puppet, in this.  After all, as Truman said, "The buck stops at the top."

What would it make us look like to the rest of the world.  Is it best forgotten in favor of getting America solvent again?  Cheney and his cohorts, Haliburton, Blackwater, et al, have devastated our economy, pleasing bin Laden no end.  Osama did not have to continue terrorist attacks,  Cheney was doing his job for him.

People are far too quick to condemn Obama.  Cheney knows the world can prosecute him for his crimes and so he will not ever go to Europe again.  Meanwhile, no one thinks about the current Republican House of Representatives and what it is doing to the image and economy of the US.  That damage is happening right now and should take a top priority to Cheney, who is not in a position to force our country to continue the illegal practice of torture and waterboarding.  

OBAMA: LABOR DAY SPEECH 2011

Obama met in Detroit...good place for Labor Day since most people want to do just that...labor and get paid for it.  Read his speech here.

After he got through saying what we all know...the economy is bad; people need jobs; and all the bow-wow, woof-woofs, he said, "We said working folks shouldn’t be taken advantage of -- so we passed tough financial reform that ended the days of taxpayer bailouts, and stopped credit card companies from gouging you with hidden fees and unfair rate hikes, and set up a new consumer protection agency with one responsibility: sticking up for you."

photo by Mandi Wright Detroit Free Press

He, unfortunately, said,  "We’ve gone through a decade where wealth was valued over work, and greed was valued over responsibility. And the decks were too often stacked against ordinary folks in favor of the special interests."  No, sir, we haven't gone through those things at all.  The Republican Right is gong to continue to stop any positive efforts to make life better for the people to whom you were talking as long as you are in office.  Bipartisanship is NOT working.  You need to make an end run with all the powers of your office.  How is it that Cheney ran the country on HIS own and you can do nothing but accept what they are throwing at you...total refusal.

Someone said you should use reverse psychology...hype that which you don't want and you might get the opposite (that which you DO want) since the Teapartiers are behaving like 2 year olds.  Everything the President says is good.  We are all in this together.  Fine.  But we don't sit in the bully pulpit and the President does.

It was good that the talk was not all promises and rhetoric as so many politicians are full of today.  He spelled out the many forgotten achievement he has already obtained for the middle class since he came into office.  However, you will hear every one of them negated by the Republicans.

HOORAY FOR THE BANK REGULATORS: IT'S ABOUT TIME!

US authorities are to sue 17 major banks for losses on mortgage-backed investments that cost taxpayers tens of billions of dollars.(article in BBC)

Realizing that just because we are pretty sure that someone is guilty, supposition is not sufficient evidence for a court to prove someone's guilt.  Without doubt, the regulators got what they needed and, once fond guilty in a court of law, Medicare might even be saved.

Just thin, today is Labor Day, misnamed as it was voted to be a day of rest.  At one timer there was a women's hospital for the delivery of babies.  That hospital no longer exists, having faded from its former title, The Boston Lying-In Hospital.   The receptionists used to answer the phone with, "Boston Lying-In, where every day is Labor Day."

'TIS BEST TO BE THE FIRST TO MARRY IN YOUR SET OF FRIENDS

The first one in a group of friends to marry gets many useful gifts and some 'recyclable gifts' as well as money.  Everyone is enthusiastic and not yet 'weddinged out'.  By the time the sixth or eighth couple takes the plunge, enthusiasm has faded.  More of the set are now married and they are counting and prioritizing their money differently than the singles. They also are starting families.


Having the first child in the group starts a new round of interests and costs.  Kids stuff no longer comes cheap.  Gone are the days of opening your kitchen cabinets for them to play in.  Now it is move over, the baby owns the house.  Imagine four or five of this size sitting in your living room...each lasts a month or more and is replaced by another of equal size and variety.  This does not count baby carriers, swings, cribs and endless paraphernalia.


Having raised my children in the kitchen cupboard era, I get to watch the latest generation and lose regrets about not being able to start all over again.