Silly Season

Every four years in the spring and the fall we are treated to silly season.  Usually it’s a choice between two clowns that really can’t do us too much harm.  This year it’s quite different.  The Democratic machine made no bones about nominating a pure party animal no matter what.  The Republicans showed total disarray by not really nominating anyone.  In this vacuum we have a buffoon with lots of money and very little public appeal.  So here we are.  One of these “people” is going to be the next “leader of the free world”. 

            Recriminations don’t help.  Personally I have withdrawn all my support from the GOP and I am hoping that in two years there will be a viable conservative third party winning lots of elections.  As I see it most of the Democratic machine should be in jail and the Republicans are just totally ineffective.  But that’s the future.

            This year I’ll vote for the buffoon.  Yeah, he’s crude and totally unlikable but I don’t think he is nearly as dangerous as giving total control of the government to the Democratic party.  It’s important for everyone to vote because there will be a substantial number of phony votes from the DNC as has become customary.  Although they certainly don’t represent a majority of the country they could easily get a majority of the votes.  I usually say vote for whoever you want but of course that isn’t a choice this year.  I’m sure you don’t want either of these idiots elected, but one of them will be so it is important for you to express your opinion at the polls.

 I would also point out that it is likely conservative voters will stay away in droves.  This could easily give the DNC control of at least the Senate and possibly the house as well.  That would mean they can spend to their heart’s content with no oversight at all.  It will mean socialized medicine and an end to social security benefits as we know them. It also would mean Obama would have a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. 

I guess it’s up to you. 

When did the truth go out of style?

When I was a young man news was published in the daily newspaper.  Local news was investigated and written up by local reporters and proofed by the editor.  National news was provided on a teletype machine from the Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI).  It was an article of faith that what was printed was true and unbiased.  At least everyone believed that and I suppose perception is everything.  I still think it was nearly always true and a newsman’s reputation for truth and fairness was his most important possession.  I was in the broadcast news business briefly in 1968 and at that time it was just as reputable as the newspaper. 

 Now anyone can get published just like this post.  No one screens it, I can spout truth or total nonsense and the chances are it will be about equally believed.  If I say something like “Congressmen can retire after 4 years on 100% salary” a sizeable percentage will believe it – especially if you are already anti government.  I’m pretty anti government these days myself, but I have a major respect for the truth that doesn’t allow me to publish nonsense.  So what am I getting at?  I think I may have just hit on what is wrong with the current political climate.  There is no source for facts and truth.  Or at least there is no easy way to separate fact from fiction.  Look at the sheer nonsense being published by the political parties during this run up to the November elections.  This is actually an important election, but are they offering real concrete solutions to the problems that the politicians have made in the first place?  Not that I can find. 

            So far as I can tell, the democrats (who have an actual current track record) are doing nothing but attacking the character and/or personality of the Republican candidate.  If I find an actual plan from them I’ll post it later.  The Republicans, or at least their candidate, have identified the problems we all care about.  I’m talking about terrorism, border control, international trade and many more serious issues but if they have offered a concrete plan to fix any of them it was lost on me.  Oh, I forgot about the wall idea.  At least it’s a ‘concrete’ idea.  (Sorry, I couldn’t resist)  Terrorism, hmm I guess that’s what TSA and homeland security or about.  They claim it’s working.  Many years ago I saw a beatnik (remember them?) on a street corner in NYC just standing there and snapping his fingers.  I asked him what he was doing and he said: “I’m keeping the wild elephants away.”  I said there’s not a wild elephant within 10,000 miles.  He said, “Works great doesn’t it?”  

          As for international trade, the solution is both simple and obvious.  We must make the playing field level.  American factories can produce goods as cheap as any after you adjust for shipping.  If a trading partner wants to sell a product for 50% of what it costs to produce we simply add the other 50% in customs and use that money to subsidize our own factories.  It wouldn’t take long for that to fix the problem. 

            Let’s forget this political correctness nonsense and stop immigration from Moslem countries.  In WW II we actually locked up entire Japanese families for the protection of the public at large.  Can you imagine that happening in the current climate?  If only 1% of Moslems are terrorists that means that 10 terrorists get in with each 1000 immigrants.  We just can’t afford that.  We don’t owe the rest of the world a living.  Hell, we don’t even owe our own citizens a living if they don’t want to work for it. 

            That’s how I see it.