This is why we are in trouble

Greed.

Yesterday, the CEOs of the big three American automakers came to Washington with their Rolex-adorned hands outstretched, asking for handouts from the taxpayers. Give us money, or our top-heavy corporations are doomed to fail! And it's all the unions' fault! Pay no attention to the fourteen layers of management that have run the business into the ground. We will run leaner, we promise!

One lawmaker asked, by a show of hands, who among the three had flown to DC on a commercial flight. All hands remained down. He then asked who was willing to sell their private jet today, and fly home on a commercial flight. No hands went up.

It appears that even our do-nothing Congress does not have the stomach for this degree of avarice. The showdown vote was cancelled.

A Silver Lining

An economic crisis is gripping the nation, and threatening to spread globally. Eight years (some say longer) of lax regulation in the financial markets has led inevitably to widespread greed and corruption. Almost a million Americans have lost their homes to foreclosure, and millions have seen their retirement accounts shrink to almost nothing.

The silver lining that I see is that finally, FINALLY, the incredibly ridiculous trickle-down, Reaganomics, free-market economic theories that have ruled our financial lives for so long will die. It has now been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans does not create jobs or grow the economy. It simply makes the rich richer and leaves the rest of us with the crumbs. It is now obvious that deregulation and leaving the markets to run themselves offers too much temptation to a greedy few who would take advantage of the many to enrich themselves.

It will be an extremely painful lesson, and a long one. But with a new president who is focussed on the needs of the middle class over those of the ever-increasing number of billionaires, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. A new green economy, the restoration of essential regulation, increases in the minimum wage, and other proposals can't come fast enough.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out, George!

Obama's First Day on the Job

Cool Video from Africa

As followup to my last post about how people the world over are celebrating Barack Obama's election victory, check out this video from Africa. I am sure there are many similar videos out there. This one features footage from Ghana, Kenya, Ivory Coast and Congo. Maybe I will look for one from Uganda.

Why do YOU think these people are jumping up and down, crying, and dancing for joy? After all, Obama is going to have his plate completely full fixing the many serious problems right here in the US. Is it because of his Kenyan ancestry? Or that he is a symbol of a changing attitude in the US toward minorities? Or is it just the prospect of a shift from a war-mongering, torturing, UN-mocking, imperialist leader to one more interested in peace, diplomacy, human rights and equality for all? Probably all of the above, and more. I would love to hear your opinion.

The Day After

Wow! What a victory for Obama, and really for the whole world. I am listening to the Thom Hartmann show on Air America, and he is taking calls from all over the globe this morning. Everyone, from every nation, is saying the same thing: we are celebrating here. I know that my friends in Uganda, Kenya, Finland and elsewhere are celebrating also. The world still looks to America as a shining example, and the media worldwide have given unprecedented coverage to this election. In Obama's triumph, the world sees hope and freedom, and the expectation that our tarnished image can be restored to its former distinction. I am hearing African-American pundits say that growing up, their parents told them, "You can be anything you want, except President." That wall has come crashing down. It's wonderful. I am grateful that the Republican campaign was not successful in frightening Americans into voting against their best interests, and the interests of people everywhere.

Yes we did.

Is This Important?

On this, the last day before an historic election, I found this. A misspelled word, in very large type, in a McCain campaign television ad. Do you think this is important? Or just a sad reflection of a campaign in the last throes of defeat, overlooking the details? It's probably the latter, but I think it says something about how the country might be run if McCain were to somehow pull off an upset (perish the thought!). When you are governing the most powerful nation on the planet, all of the details are important. How many people looked at this ad before it went out? Does this say something about the dumbing-down of the electorate, now that an intellectually challenged hockey mom can garner popular support as a VP candidate because voters like the fact that she is just like them? I don't know about you, but I don't want to elect someone like me. I want leaders that are much smarter than I am for this very complex and challenging job.

It's important!

Please get out there and VOTE!