Twisting in the Wind ...

That is what Obama is doing to NASA, he is letting the agency and its employees twist in the wind by not making a decision on NASA’s future. Obama is a disappointment, he keeps delaying making decisions and making his views known on a whole host of things. God I hope that the Russians don’t send some missiles headed our way, by the time Obama decides to press the button we will all be dead.

Back to NASA! NASA has had problems in the past and I argue that they were caused by underfunding and politics. After Apollo, NASA was allowed to languish, slowly letting its work force go. Now it is the same thing all over again. Mr. Obama, you should either S... or get off of the pot. Either provide adequate funding or disband the agency. You are not only letting NASA twist in the wind, but you are doing the same to those areas which have NASA installations. Locally in central Florida they predict that over 7,000 local jobs will be lost at NASA, plus an additional 14,000 jobs that depend on NASA. Once those NASA jobs are lost, the knowledge and skills that those people had will be lost also. In the future, why would anyone in their right mind want to work at NASA?

People worry about our lack of production of engineers and scientist, well here is a good reason for it. We do not value these people, they are disposable, which in my opinion is national suicide. Why should someone got to school for 4 - 8 years to get an engineering of scientific degree. There is no job security in it. In the late 60’s there were PhDs driving taxies because we cut back on science and engineering. Here we go again! At the cost of higher education, there is no incentive to go that route if you can not pay back the loans that are necessary to obtain that education.

What do we value and how is the value expressed. Well a good indicator of value is how well people are paid. Look at who makes big bucks and who does not. Do we value teachers? No way! Do we value science and engineering? No way! Do we value factory workers? You have to be kidding! Do we value bankers and Wall Street CEOs. It sure looks that way! It seems that we value the gamblers and not the people who actually produce something.

So back to the original question Mr. Obama. What are you going to do with NASA, what do you value? As Lee Iacocca once said, Mr. President: “Lead, follow or get out of the way.” If you can't do what we hired you to do, then get out of the way.

One Year Later ...

Well, it is almost a year since Obama was sworn in as POTUS. However, “Change you can believe in” has proved to be an illusion. The only change that we have had is a change of some of the faces. It is the same old politics because Obama is just another politician. Compromise has been his mantra, it is what he lives by, but should you compromise with the devil? It would appear that he has done just that, especially on healthcare. The insurance industries stocks went up when the Senate healthcare bill was passed, why was that? Could it be that they got most of what they wanted? With Democrats like this, who needs Republicans? They say that we shouldn’t let the perfect be the enemy of good, well, let’s hear it for mediocracy.

What about the Republicans? They truly have been the party of NO. They have not offered, in spite of their protestations to the contrary, any constructive alternatives to any of the current problems. They complain about the deficit, but where were they 8 years ago? I will tell you, they were spending like drunken sailors and borrowing the money from China. The trend has continued. They deregulated business or ignored the laws that regulated business and lead us down the path of destruction. The Republicans started us down the path of destruction and now the Democrats look like they are going to finish the job.

Both parties are trying to feather their own nests, they are not concerned about the common man in the USA. Business and our government have destroyed much of the middle class. Our industry has left our shores and we no longer have the capacity to build the things that are necessary for our survival. We don’t even make our own clothes anymore. If China ever gets mad at us our troops will have to fight bare assed. Our steel industry is all but gone, computers and electronics are made over seas. We were once the arsenal of democracy, now we can’t even make our own shoes. Soon we will not even be able to feed ourselves.

Business has sold us out for short term profits, they could care less what happens to the country. Business would be happiest if we all become indentured servants or slaves. In fact that is where we are headed. They want to lower our standard of living, but not theirs, so that they can reap obscene profits. What they forget is that they are where they are because of the very middle class that they are trying to destroy.

I think that we need a new preamble to the constitution:

We, the corporations of the United States, in order to abolish unions, establish justice for business, insure domestic profits, provide for the common defence of business, promote corporate welfare, and secure the blessings of slavery to our fellow citizens and their posterity, do ordain and establish this Revised Constitution for the United States of America ...

Torture

All of this back and fourth about torture and whether or not it was effective misses the point. The point is should it be allowed, should we sanction it? Either we make torture and official policy or we ban it. We don't go half way and call it harsh interrogation. Torture is a slippery slope, if we sanction torture for terrorists,  why not throw out the Geneva conventions and allow it for POWs. Better yet why not allow torture for domestic criminals? We could save a lot of money by getting criminals to confess and saving the cost of trials. Hey, we have a suspected drunk driver, put him on the rack and he will tell the truth, it will save us a lot of time and money. Watch out Dick Cheney, you might get more than you anticipated. If we put Mr. Cheney on the rack it would save us a lot of time and money investigating this whole issue. Besides, it helps to satisfy our desire or need for vengeance. Inflict some pain on the SOB, it will make me feel better. If we officially sanction torture for all of the criminal element or the social undesirables (you not me) perhaps we would feel better.

As you can see, it gets ridiculous, but it is not out of the question. We already have people who like to torture and kill kittens and puppies. If we legalized torture we could put these people to work doing something worth while and we could save some little animals from a life of misery.

What Next?

Just read an article on defective Chinese drywall. It emits sulfurous odors, corrodes copper and has possible health effects. Think about this, copper, like in air conditioner coils, copper wiring, copper water pipes, appliances, ... Just another in the long list of defective, dangerous and poisonous products being imported from China by American "anything for a fast buck" businesses! The same people who have given us our current financial crisis. Oh, but don't worry, the "Market" will solve the problem. Over time the bad products and companies will be eliminated, but in the mean time I am either broke or dead.

Slobbering Neanderthal Right Wing Wackos

Well we now know what the GOP consists of. One after another we have witnessed GOP politicians, bloggers and letter writers condemning the actions of the Obama administration and the stimulus package. They not only say that the plan is wrong, but they accuse Obama of being a Socialist, a Communists or worse. Next they will be calling him a father raper (Alice's Restaurant Massacree). The New York Post published a cartoon with a reference to the author of the stimulus bill, in my opinion, depicting Obama as a dead chimp. On "Morning Joe"this morning, I saw Allen Keys saying that "we have to stop Obama". What the hell does that mean? Stop him, like Lincoln was stopped, like Kennedy was stopped?

They condemn Obama's plans, but they don't provide any alternatives except tax breaks for their buddies. The house GOP leadership announced that all Republicans should vote against the stimulus plan, just before Obama came over to talk to the Republican Caucus. They don't want to work with Democrats, like Bush it has to be their way or the highway. They accuse the Democrats of trying to fool with the census so they can gerrymander congressional districts and guarantee Democratic control of the government. Do they mean just like Tom Delay did in Texas, or like Carl Rove wanted to do to make a permanent GOP majority. It seems like it was the GOP that wanted a dictatorship and now they are mad that they will not get it.

These people are traitors, they have and would pervert The Constitution and take away our freedoms, spy on us and impose their religious dogma on the rest of us. They play on fear and hatred, invoke racism and if necessary they will resort to violence to get their way. Beware of these people, they are the true enemies of America and our way of life. They will, if they can, enslave the rest of us in order to further their greedy ambitions.