(Written 8/8)
Opening Stuff:
So, the big news, I mean really, really big news Saturday morning was a first-ever in the history of the United States of America! And where did the local Big Time newspaper plant this story of 23 decades...in an eensy-weensy left hand bottom of page six! In this same edition of our Big Time newspaper the lead editorial espoused the desirability of becoming a European style "Welfare State". Of course they may be thinking of themselves first as a welfare state, perhaps the only road to survival for newspapers.
It's such a grey Monday, maybe we need a little sunshine before I become totally despondent. Being an eternal dreamer, I can easily slip away from reality to a grassy pasture surrounded by stone walls on three sides and the ocean on the other. Where you can waft into your senses salty air aromas, and feel the soothing breeziness cooled by the relentless seas. Pick a flower. Step on a cow paddy. The New England countryside is a beautiful place.
I'm reminded of a time in the 1970's when the leaders a nice little town in Idaho received a gigantic check from the Federal government. The reason: The town fell below the arbitrary national poverty levels used as a basis to give away taxpayer money. The Town leaders scratched their heads, and sent it back. "Look around", they said to the perplexed Government official. "Do we look poor?" The latest census says that 46 Million Americans are below the "poverty" level. Yet, a only a small fraction of that are indeed the poor and downtrodden buggers as suggested by the word "poverty". Additional research of the 46 Million shows that most live in their own homes or nice apartments with TV's, DVR's, modern appliances, indoor plumbing and at least one car. A majority have two. In fact, most who fall below the arbitrary poverty level today, say, just like those folks in Idaho said 35 or so years ago, "Hey we're pretty darn happy." Maybe here's an area where we can start shaving wasted dollars sent to states and cities to combat a mirage.
The Question:
Name the five of the countries that still have a AAA Credit rating.
The Headlines:
--The World Awaits Wall Street; Asia Markets Crushed By US Downgrade; Europe Rallies On New Bond Plan To Support Weak Sisters.--US Stock Futures Tumble.
--Moody's Says US Must Find More Deficit Cuts.
--Police Shooting In London Incites Riots, Fires.
--Gunman Kills 7 In Quiet Copley Ohio Neighborhood; Man Wlaks Through 3 Houses Shooting Randomly.
--Salena Gomez, Justin Bieber Teen Coice Award Winners.
--Red Sox Come Back To Beat Ya-Ya-Ya-...In Ten; Sox Get To Ace Rivera In Ninth.
Anal Department:
I'll tell you what bothers me on Sunday mornings -- Advertising inserts that stick out of today's more narrow width newspapers and crumple around the edges providing a disorderly start to my awakening. A messy newspaper just puts me in a foul mood. Which just gets worse when I dribble coffee down my clean shirt.
There's no truth to the rumor that Mubarak has sent out for Casey Anthony's lawyer.
If the US Government was as tough on countries that took our money and spit in our face as they are on their own so-called obese citizens, the international aid money saved would surely fatten our treasury.
Virginia Tech University has 30,000 students and 6,500 employees. That's 4.6153 students per employee. Looks like a Government in action to me! No wonder tuition's are going through the roof.
With federal, state and local government chiefs afraid to utter the word taxes, expect fees and fines to soar. For instance, Connecticut just collected about $1.2 million in fines from companies that failed, or more likely forgot, to register as a company doing business in the state. The fee to register is about $150. Some of the fined companies had to pay $20,000 to $27,000 in fines! What's that all about.
Surprise a Minute Department:
It seems as though every day we learn something new about what is buried in the bill that nobody read before passage, the new National Health Care Travesty bill. And what's been dug up is about as pretty as a decaying corpse too. Why just last week, Massachusetts boasted that a loophole would give them over the next ten years $1.3 Billion in free money!
You have to expect that the feds are using the same slight of hand tricks in defining obesity rates as they did establishing what constitutes poverty.
Almost Near: Chapter 32 continues. --"How is she?" Audrey wiggled into her seat and hooked the belt.
"You were right. I should get back. I also talked to that lawyer who is out searching for her. There is somnething terribly wrong."
"And, I think we are in the right spot to find out what it is. These adorable kids I just watched are most certainly hers. Florence knows a lot more than she probably thinks she knows. What time is your flight?"
"Oh...I haven't had time to do that." Tucker pulled out his phone and searched for an airline app. "Do you know how these apps work?"
"She's a romantic luddite!" Smiling, Audrey grabbed the phone in mock frustration. She pressed a couple of buttons. Hmmm-ed. Hmmmm-ed again. "Ok you're booked on a 9:30 tonight to Boston." She passed the phone back. "Type in your credit card number."
While Tucker tapped his phone Audrey continued. "Now what? We've got to talk to those Kids, but we don't wnat to scare anybody. Especially the children."
"Shit! I hate typing on these small keys."
The famine we're reading about in Northern Africa is just a small example of a catastrophe waiting to happen in 30 years or so when many of the African nations will have populations bigger than the US.
I remember the day my Dad threw me out of the house after I told him I wanted ot be a politician like his dad. I wonder what that was all about.
Actually there were politicians of note on both sides of my family. No wonder I have so much trouble tracking my genealogy!
The new Democrat Buzz Phrase: "Tea Party Downgrade." It will be dripping off the lips of every Dem spinmeister and shallow spokesperson. Guaranteed. That's right after they pepper the airwaves with the Buzz Word of the moment defining a Tea Party comprised of every day Americans as -- "Terrorists". Government spending is a problem regardless of how the excuse mongers and name callers try to avoid it. And thank God some people are willing to stand up so this essential issue won't drift into the backwaters of DC.
Some pretty well connected industry experts are telling me that the real reason for the slow return of manufacturing jobs, if they ever come back, is the lack of trained skilled workers...or even trained unskilled workers! You can see it in the supermarket when a deli person can't slice ham to the correct thickness.
The Answer:
Our northern neighbor Canada is one. The rest are Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Isle of Mann, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom. We now join Belgium and New Zealand as the three countries in the AA+ column. In case you are curious, China and Japan are AA- and Russia is BBB.
Happy?
No comments:
Post a Comment