I guess I should be honored. After all, it isn't every day a national political figure reaches out with a "personal" letter. Let there be Light!
You may have seen the Cleveland Plain Dealer's coverage of "Ellie Light", the prolific letter writer published in dozens of newspapers, all listing local addresses.
Wow, now I'm on the list. Lucky me, I guess.
Ellie's took folks at Gannett in the Dairyland to task for apologizing for publishing her letter. Not even getting into discussion over the content, is it fraud to use false pretenses when using a local address?
- - -
My name is Ellie Light, and Gannett Wisconsin Media has officially apologized to Fox News for publishing my letter. Michele Malkin's website, based in Washington DC, had objected to my letter's publication in Wisconsin media, because it wasn't written by a Wisconsin resident.
Here is the letter I wrote that Gannett felt so ashamed for running:
"A year ago, if we had read in the paper that employers were hiring again,
that health care legislation was proceeding without a bump, that
Afghanistan suddenly became a nice place to take your kids, we would've
known we were being lied to. Back then, we recognized that the problems
Obama inherited as President wouldn't go away overnight.
During his campaign, Obama clearly said that an economy that took eight
years to break couldn't be fixed in a year, that Afghanistan was a
graveyard of empires, and would not be an easy venture for us. Candidate
Obama didn't feed us happy-talk, which is why we elected him. He never
said America could solve our health care, economic and security problems
without raising the deficit. Instead, he talked of hard choices, of
government taking painful and contentious first steps towards fixing
problems that can't be left for another day.
Right after Obama's election, we seemed to grasp this. We understood that
companies would be happy to squeeze more work out of frightened employees,
and would be slow to hire more. We understood that the banks that had
extorted us out of billions of dollars, were lying when they said they
would share their recovery. We understood that a national consensus on
health care would not come easily. Candidate Obama never claimed that his
proposed solutions would work flawlessly right out of the box, and we
respected him for that.
But today, the President is being attacked as if he were a salesman who
promised us that our problems would wash off in the morning. He never made
such a promise. It's time for Americans to realize that governing is hard
work, and that a President can't just wave a magic wand and fix
everything."
As you can guess, it wasn't the letter's origin that got under the big Fox's skin. I'd say it was the content. What do you think? Anyway, feel free to publish or post it as you see fit. If further verification is required, feel free to call me at XXX XXX XXX. If you Google "Ellie Light," you'll be told all kinds of things about me. Or, you could just call.
- - -
Now back to me.
Whatever "Ellie" wants to write is fine by me; there's a great (recent) history of bloggers and commenting from anonymous folks or those choosing a different handle. Does anyone really believe locations listed on Topix? Newspaper letters to the editor, however, supposedly require a bit more since the print edition stakes credibility on publishing public opinion from real people, not automated or "astroturf" campaigns.
Whatever Ellie thinks, fine -- but does lying about who and where you are mean you lie?
Thoughts?
Showing posts with label Barack Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barack Obama. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Isn't Free Speech Wonderful?
All the gum-flapping over the Obama White House asking supporters of the President's healthcare plans to "rat out" (the phrase used if you oppose) or "simply report myths" (if you are in favor) point out one thing: it's still great to wrap ourselves in the First Amendment.
The cynics targeting Obamacare charge even asking people to "inform" on those with opposing views -- under the edict to report false statements so they can be dealt with -- conjures up memories of secret police behind the Iron Curtain, getting even the kids to report on their parents.
On the other side, the cynics targeting any questioning of Obamacare charge even asking those questions or offering a passionate objection is little more than Nazi-era storm trooper tactics designed to build enemy lists.
Lost to both sides: by even having this discussion, and by extension painting the other side in the most over-exaggerated prose, Americans continue to prove just what is great about America. We have the freedoms to call those in power to account not just for what they do, but what we think they want to do. The First Amendment gives us that right, and it is the ultimate equalizer keeping power with the people.
Speaker Pelosi and her oh-so-serious-it-hurts-listening band of spin doctors would have us believe democracy is being taken over by the mob; Rush Limbaugh and his equally too-serious-to-want-to-invite-to-my-dinner-table band believe we are on the cusp of becoming Maoist China or, worse yet, East Germany.
Both sides have enough little truth to feed their fears to spark a conflagration among a public looking for leadership but instead settling for manipulation. Is it really a wonder most of the public mentally checks out of these beltway brawls?
It's gotten so bad passionate people who disagree are now portrayed as disruptive enough to force member of Congress to hide from their constituents, an excuse to not talk about why they vote the way they do or show their faces in so-called "Town Hall" meetings that traditionally were little more than photo ops to begin with. Now that we have something of substance to openly discuss with the folks writing the checks, all of a sudden the masters of the presentation are afraid to present.
Suggestion: send flag@WhiteHouse.gov an email EVERY time you see a posting, hear a voice in opposition or see a talking head straying from the party line. I mean EVERY time -- include CNN, MSNBC, Fox, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, even this blog -- to the point where it becomes apparent we appreciate the wide diversity of opinion on this issue. Better yet, add the National Republican Committee to the list: their website is being revamped and while they want you to tell them how you like the new look I'm sure they'd love to hear what you think on other issues. The national Democrat Committee wants to know what you think on the issues, too. You'll also be surprised just how similar the two sites look -- right down to making sure "give us money" is featured prominently.
To our elected representatives enjoying some time back home from the sauna of democracy in August, man up -- aimed at LaTourette, Ryan, Space and Boccieri. Betty Sutton should woman up. You weren't elected to sit in comfort and make decisions based only on the words of the party bosses, lobbyists you allow in your office, or union and industry big-shots back home.
These folks back home who want to hear from you, talk with you and even yell at you are more important that Obama, Pelosi, Limbaugh, Gingrich and the rest of the beltway bunch. These people are your bosses.
Earn your pay. Talk to the people. Listen to what they have to say and then vote your conscience. Then accept what comes next -- good with the bad. Just end the whining about having to put up with either side exercising this little thing called free speech so many Americans fought so hard for.
The cynics targeting Obamacare charge even asking people to "inform" on those with opposing views -- under the edict to report false statements so they can be dealt with -- conjures up memories of secret police behind the Iron Curtain, getting even the kids to report on their parents.
On the other side, the cynics targeting any questioning of Obamacare charge even asking those questions or offering a passionate objection is little more than Nazi-era storm trooper tactics designed to build enemy lists.
Lost to both sides: by even having this discussion, and by extension painting the other side in the most over-exaggerated prose, Americans continue to prove just what is great about America. We have the freedoms to call those in power to account not just for what they do, but what we think they want to do. The First Amendment gives us that right, and it is the ultimate equalizer keeping power with the people.
Speaker Pelosi and her oh-so-serious-it-hurts-listening band of spin doctors would have us believe democracy is being taken over by the mob; Rush Limbaugh and his equally too-serious-to-want-to-invite-to-my-dinner-table band believe we are on the cusp of becoming Maoist China or, worse yet, East Germany.
Both sides have enough little truth to feed their fears to spark a conflagration among a public looking for leadership but instead settling for manipulation. Is it really a wonder most of the public mentally checks out of these beltway brawls?
It's gotten so bad passionate people who disagree are now portrayed as disruptive enough to force member of Congress to hide from their constituents, an excuse to not talk about why they vote the way they do or show their faces in so-called "Town Hall" meetings that traditionally were little more than photo ops to begin with. Now that we have something of substance to openly discuss with the folks writing the checks, all of a sudden the masters of the presentation are afraid to present.
Suggestion: send flag@WhiteHouse.gov an email EVERY time you see a posting, hear a voice in opposition or see a talking head straying from the party line. I mean EVERY time -- include CNN, MSNBC, Fox, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, even this blog -- to the point where it becomes apparent we appreciate the wide diversity of opinion on this issue. Better yet, add the National Republican Committee to the list: their website is being revamped and while they want you to tell them how you like the new look I'm sure they'd love to hear what you think on other issues. The national Democrat Committee wants to know what you think on the issues, too. You'll also be surprised just how similar the two sites look -- right down to making sure "give us money" is featured prominently.
To our elected representatives enjoying some time back home from the sauna of democracy in August, man up -- aimed at LaTourette, Ryan, Space and Boccieri. Betty Sutton should woman up. You weren't elected to sit in comfort and make decisions based only on the words of the party bosses, lobbyists you allow in your office, or union and industry big-shots back home.
These folks back home who want to hear from you, talk with you and even yell at you are more important that Obama, Pelosi, Limbaugh, Gingrich and the rest of the beltway bunch. These people are your bosses.
Earn your pay. Talk to the people. Listen to what they have to say and then vote your conscience. Then accept what comes next -- good with the bad. Just end the whining about having to put up with either side exercising this little thing called free speech so many Americans fought so hard for.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Notes On The Recall
Blowout. Not even close. Over when it started. Wiped the floor with 'em.
We've got the cliche wagon pulled over and I'm sure my fellow pundits will exhaust the supply to describe Tuesday's results of the Change Akron Now bid to recall Akron's Don Plusquellic. I don't know anyone (including Warner Mendenhall) who believed CAN could DO it. Citizens For Akron ran a smart campaign -- how could they not with a 22-to-1 money advantage? CFA understood all too well the value of CYA, leaving no stone unturned, the value of a professionally-positioned "grassroots" base and effort to define issues, control the agenda and get out the vote. And they did this all without the one candidate on the ballot stepping out in front of the target painted on his back. Don Plusquellic's defense worked best when his team played offense around him.
In the end, GOTV trumps shouting from the Town Square.
The 20% turnout is nothing to be proud of, summertime or no summertime. In the end it wouldn't have mattered if half that number turned out. A 3-1 advantage spells landslide, especially when "absentee voting" -- why can't we just call it early voting? -- provided everything the anti-recall forces could have hoped for. This is the strategy executed to a "t" by Obama in 2008, by Citizens For Akron in 2009, and future politicians smart enough to understand a 30-day voting window means 30 days to win.
Even with the crushing defeat, Change Akron Now promises a slate of council candidates, one led by oh-so-close Plusquellic opponent Joe Finley in 2007. I'll be very surprised if this works, unless they learn from their defeat in June and turn it into fresh strategy for September. These next few months will see the game continue, only with surrogates now carrying the standards for both sides. Those on the outs still want their piece of those on the inside, and the incumbent machine knows all too well they cannot afford to let their guard down now.
That said, I'm still wondering if this recall election was the reaffirmation of love Mayor Plusquellic needs? Or was the vote more a reflection of what most editorials noted: not really a personal endorsement of Don Plusquellic, and all his personality brings to bear, but rather a rejection of the concept of tossing the bull out from the china shop because he hasn't broken anything?
Despite the branding of "our" mayor for "our" city, there are few who disagreed that Plusquellic's style leaves much to be desired. In between stomping around with hurt feelings after opponents questioned the obvious timing of a flood of pro-Akron announcements, cherry-picking interview opportunities -- did he do ANY radio live or long-form? -- he still managed to rub many the wrong way with behind the scene hardball which lends easily to depictions of him as "The Don." I give him great credit for the rep: he's earned it.
This isn't just my observation; the Beacon Journal, Plain Dealer, WAKR/AkronNewsNow, other bloggers, other media -- all made note of the ill-temper described as "passion" as not enough to warrant being tossed out. His own supporters, at the same time calling the vote a mandate for the mayor, also hope he learns to tamp it down; this scuffle cost a quarter-million dollars and plenty of their time. Which Don comes out of this as the smoke clears? Does he sit down and bury the hatchet with the FOP as they've asked? Will he ever talk with enemy-for-life turned anti-recall ally Don Robart again? Will he ever say the name of his chief opponent in public?
Even Obama knows how to say Cheney. The key to the next chapter in this political soap opera is whether those in support offer honest counsel and not just what he wants to hear. That a head-on approach need not be offensive to be a good offense; that being defensive need not be so offensive. That a legacy politician with an iron grip on the job can and should be satisfied everyone knows he's the driving force without having to tattoo it on their foreheads. Which Don Plusquellic will we see, the statesman elected to represent his nation's mayors or the one stepping into the ring?
This is a legitimate question, and one not so easily glossed over. As owner of the "company," Akron voters are the managers; they decided their highest performing employee gets results and needs to stay, even if he can occasionally be a real piece of work. The stakeholders want to keep him because he gets the job done. Even if he snorts and throws his weight around, so long as the dishes don't break. The main message conveyed with such clarity over the past 90 days has been he leads, even with a few scratches; Akron voters know to not mess up a good thing.
But the danger, if he allows the ego of unchecked incumbency to swell beyond his vision, is in continuing to ride that wave of performance goodwill for those times when the next big challenge comes. When a younger, fresher, more energetic version seizes the moment. When Akron's good name is finally dragged down to the level of the other northeast Ohio big cities. Those times when some with new ideas poses a real threat to more people beyond the 25-30% who always say no.
Blogger Pho's Akron Pages is no fan of Change Akron Now nor it's tilting-at-windmills leader Warner Mendenhall. His observations are pointed, but thoughtful. His post "Whither Akron" reads from the heart: who will step up and challenge the status quo, in this case Plusquellic, in the interest of confronting power? It's a core question: just how healthy is the cult of Don for Akron's function as a democracy over the long haul? Akron, Pho writes, needs a "sensible loyal opposition."
It's easy now to villify those who dare ask the question, or push the system to hold a midsummer's day vote. But even losing in a landslide, voices wondering about alternatives or even succession planning can be heard. And the conventional wisdom won't be able to drown them out forever.
- - -
A note on the media coverage of the election: what a vacuum we are seeing develop as a city of a quarter-million people boils down to a handful of outlets. Former WKYC-TV producer Chris Hyser notes correctly in his "Diminishing Returns" post the brave new world of learning results. Those good old days of multiple, competing media outlets using all the tools at their disposal have shrunk when it comes to servicing Akron. The blog world hasn't stepped in, and those outlets in a position to step up didn't show it Tuesday night.
I have a very vested interest in this; for the most part we did what we thought was best on Election night, just as the Beacon Journal did in getting results, analysis and coverage to the public. But seeing the region's second biggest city shunted aside to true suburban status on a single, important issue ought to be an eye-opener for all of us.
This was a campaign successfully managed professionally to maximize positives while minimizing risk of damage, which meant no town hall-style forums on cable, broadcast, or digital television. No Press Club luncheons at the Martin Center, where a couple hundred folks could feast on split chicken breasts as the pros and cons were delivered. This was a great example of controlling the message, and not allowing it to get messy. Using websites to position and parry, and employing social media such as Twitter and Facebook to bypass the mainstream. Who needs to sit down with Ray, or Larry, or Howie or Matt? Can't control what they ask, but you can control what others hear and read.
This is the new politics, and Akron's media landscape is not ready for what is to come.
- - -
For those who missed hunky Lt. Governor Lee Fisher's "guns," note YouTube has taken down videos containing the copyright material.
The posts are still up on this blog but you won't be able to see the buff Lee flexing over a late-night video visit while he's answering email.
The Fisher folks worked quickly to flag the video, so it's a no-no now. Fisher followers, rest easy; Brunner backers, at least you had a laugh over the last week.
Back to good government now...
We've got the cliche wagon pulled over and I'm sure my fellow pundits will exhaust the supply to describe Tuesday's results of the Change Akron Now bid to recall Akron's Don Plusquellic. I don't know anyone (including Warner Mendenhall) who believed CAN could DO it. Citizens For Akron ran a smart campaign -- how could they not with a 22-to-1 money advantage? CFA understood all too well the value of CYA, leaving no stone unturned, the value of a professionally-positioned "grassroots" base and effort to define issues, control the agenda and get out the vote. And they did this all without the one candidate on the ballot stepping out in front of the target painted on his back. Don Plusquellic's defense worked best when his team played offense around him.
In the end, GOTV trumps shouting from the Town Square.
The 20% turnout is nothing to be proud of, summertime or no summertime. In the end it wouldn't have mattered if half that number turned out. A 3-1 advantage spells landslide, especially when "absentee voting" -- why can't we just call it early voting? -- provided everything the anti-recall forces could have hoped for. This is the strategy executed to a "t" by Obama in 2008, by Citizens For Akron in 2009, and future politicians smart enough to understand a 30-day voting window means 30 days to win.
Even with the crushing defeat, Change Akron Now promises a slate of council candidates, one led by oh-so-close Plusquellic opponent Joe Finley in 2007. I'll be very surprised if this works, unless they learn from their defeat in June and turn it into fresh strategy for September. These next few months will see the game continue, only with surrogates now carrying the standards for both sides. Those on the outs still want their piece of those on the inside, and the incumbent machine knows all too well they cannot afford to let their guard down now.
That said, I'm still wondering if this recall election was the reaffirmation of love Mayor Plusquellic needs? Or was the vote more a reflection of what most editorials noted: not really a personal endorsement of Don Plusquellic, and all his personality brings to bear, but rather a rejection of the concept of tossing the bull out from the china shop because he hasn't broken anything?
Despite the branding of "our" mayor for "our" city, there are few who disagreed that Plusquellic's style leaves much to be desired. In between stomping around with hurt feelings after opponents questioned the obvious timing of a flood of pro-Akron announcements, cherry-picking interview opportunities -- did he do ANY radio live or long-form? -- he still managed to rub many the wrong way with behind the scene hardball which lends easily to depictions of him as "The Don." I give him great credit for the rep: he's earned it.
This isn't just my observation; the Beacon Journal, Plain Dealer, WAKR/AkronNewsNow, other bloggers, other media -- all made note of the ill-temper described as "passion" as not enough to warrant being tossed out. His own supporters, at the same time calling the vote a mandate for the mayor, also hope he learns to tamp it down; this scuffle cost a quarter-million dollars and plenty of their time. Which Don comes out of this as the smoke clears? Does he sit down and bury the hatchet with the FOP as they've asked? Will he ever talk with enemy-for-life turned anti-recall ally Don Robart again? Will he ever say the name of his chief opponent in public?
Even Obama knows how to say Cheney. The key to the next chapter in this political soap opera is whether those in support offer honest counsel and not just what he wants to hear. That a head-on approach need not be offensive to be a good offense; that being defensive need not be so offensive. That a legacy politician with an iron grip on the job can and should be satisfied everyone knows he's the driving force without having to tattoo it on their foreheads. Which Don Plusquellic will we see, the statesman elected to represent his nation's mayors or the one stepping into the ring?
This is a legitimate question, and one not so easily glossed over. As owner of the "company," Akron voters are the managers; they decided their highest performing employee gets results and needs to stay, even if he can occasionally be a real piece of work. The stakeholders want to keep him because he gets the job done. Even if he snorts and throws his weight around, so long as the dishes don't break. The main message conveyed with such clarity over the past 90 days has been he leads, even with a few scratches; Akron voters know to not mess up a good thing.
But the danger, if he allows the ego of unchecked incumbency to swell beyond his vision, is in continuing to ride that wave of performance goodwill for those times when the next big challenge comes. When a younger, fresher, more energetic version seizes the moment. When Akron's good name is finally dragged down to the level of the other northeast Ohio big cities. Those times when some with new ideas poses a real threat to more people beyond the 25-30% who always say no.
Blogger Pho's Akron Pages is no fan of Change Akron Now nor it's tilting-at-windmills leader Warner Mendenhall. His observations are pointed, but thoughtful. His post "Whither Akron" reads from the heart: who will step up and challenge the status quo, in this case Plusquellic, in the interest of confronting power? It's a core question: just how healthy is the cult of Don for Akron's function as a democracy over the long haul? Akron, Pho writes, needs a "sensible loyal opposition."
Unlike the fairly universal acknowledgments of Plusquellic's prickly personality, this isn't a concerned aimed at him as a manager, a political leader, or as a person. Few of the serious thinkers in this debate disagree in private that more open debate and decision-making is a bad thing. We just want it to mean something, and drive the community forward in ways that Cleveland and Youngstown just can't seem to figure out. We know Akron is too progressive to be considered a fiefdom, but we fear losing the iron will to fight to keep the train running on time will mean we will be lost having to do it without the conductor ahead.
It's easy now to villify those who dare ask the question, or push the system to hold a midsummer's day vote. But even losing in a landslide, voices wondering about alternatives or even succession planning can be heard. And the conventional wisdom won't be able to drown them out forever.
- - -
A note on the media coverage of the election: what a vacuum we are seeing develop as a city of a quarter-million people boils down to a handful of outlets. Former WKYC-TV producer Chris Hyser notes correctly in his "Diminishing Returns" post the brave new world of learning results. Those good old days of multiple, competing media outlets using all the tools at their disposal have shrunk when it comes to servicing Akron. The blog world hasn't stepped in, and those outlets in a position to step up didn't show it Tuesday night.
I have a very vested interest in this; for the most part we did what we thought was best on Election night, just as the Beacon Journal did in getting results, analysis and coverage to the public. But seeing the region's second biggest city shunted aside to true suburban status on a single, important issue ought to be an eye-opener for all of us.
This was a campaign successfully managed professionally to maximize positives while minimizing risk of damage, which meant no town hall-style forums on cable, broadcast, or digital television. No Press Club luncheons at the Martin Center, where a couple hundred folks could feast on split chicken breasts as the pros and cons were delivered. This was a great example of controlling the message, and not allowing it to get messy. Using websites to position and parry, and employing social media such as Twitter and Facebook to bypass the mainstream. Who needs to sit down with Ray, or Larry, or Howie or Matt? Can't control what they ask, but you can control what others hear and read.
This is the new politics, and Akron's media landscape is not ready for what is to come.
- - -
For those who missed hunky Lt. Governor Lee Fisher's "guns," note YouTube has taken down videos containing the copyright material.The posts are still up on this blog but you won't be able to see the buff Lee flexing over a late-night video visit while he's answering email.
The Fisher folks worked quickly to flag the video, so it's a no-no now. Fisher followers, rest easy; Brunner backers, at least you had a laugh over the last week.
Back to good government now...
Monday, March 30, 2009
Is Uncle Sam Turning Into Big Brother?
President Obama went public today with what leaked out Sunday; the boot of the CEO of General Motors came by leg extension all the way from Washington, D.C.
I'm of an age where it worked the other way around; the engineer of the Vietnam War during the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations was Robert McNamara, Defense Secretary via Ford. When President Eisenhower warned of the military-industrial complex taking over the business of the nation it was the big corporate giants such as GM he had in mind; companies with deep ties in the government and big business where the line was easily blurred.
Now, thanks to the devil's bargain of taking bailout money from Uncle Sam, the once-mighty General Motors now finds itself at the mercy of a government that can't seem to rein in it's own spending, enforcing it's view of how to run a business. The top government official helping to make this call is an investment banker, not a manufacturer. How did those investment banks do recently?
Only in America?
There are reasons to worry about this development, going far beyond the expected cheers of Michael Moore-types who are only satisfied to see executive blood run in the hallways of corporate power to make good for the blue-collar lives left on the sidelines of plant closings. It was interesting to see union leaders and rank and file take note they are troubled when the government decides who runs a private company -- even when it comes with boatloads of public dollars.
The Ford strategy of keeping arms length away from those billions seems to be a good decision for the managers and owners of Ford, and maybe the taxpayers too since GM and Chrysler now appear headed to where they should have gone in the first place: the protection of bankruptcy to reorganize and reinvent themselves.
This is all early enough to trigger warnings and bad feelings among those with a more libertarian bent but is fed by the populist notion that any business now becomes the people's business. When it is executives at AIG (even those who worked for a buck understanding they would see a bonus for millions that were generated in profitable divisions) it is popular to bang the drum for heads to sit on a pike at the city gates, a warning to all of those who ignore the bonfires inside the walls. But at some point the "them" becomes the "us" -- and who is left to root for what's right when we've all given up the power to address what's wrong to a handful of bureaucrats in Washington who seem to be better at singing songs of blame that orchestrating solutions?
I'm of an age where it worked the other way around; the engineer of the Vietnam War during the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations was Robert McNamara, Defense Secretary via Ford. When President Eisenhower warned of the military-industrial complex taking over the business of the nation it was the big corporate giants such as GM he had in mind; companies with deep ties in the government and big business where the line was easily blurred.
Now, thanks to the devil's bargain of taking bailout money from Uncle Sam, the once-mighty General Motors now finds itself at the mercy of a government that can't seem to rein in it's own spending, enforcing it's view of how to run a business. The top government official helping to make this call is an investment banker, not a manufacturer. How did those investment banks do recently?Only in America?
There are reasons to worry about this development, going far beyond the expected cheers of Michael Moore-types who are only satisfied to see executive blood run in the hallways of corporate power to make good for the blue-collar lives left on the sidelines of plant closings. It was interesting to see union leaders and rank and file take note they are troubled when the government decides who runs a private company -- even when it comes with boatloads of public dollars.
The Ford strategy of keeping arms length away from those billions seems to be a good decision for the managers and owners of Ford, and maybe the taxpayers too since GM and Chrysler now appear headed to where they should have gone in the first place: the protection of bankruptcy to reorganize and reinvent themselves.
This is all early enough to trigger warnings and bad feelings among those with a more libertarian bent but is fed by the populist notion that any business now becomes the people's business. When it is executives at AIG (even those who worked for a buck understanding they would see a bonus for millions that were generated in profitable divisions) it is popular to bang the drum for heads to sit on a pike at the city gates, a warning to all of those who ignore the bonfires inside the walls. But at some point the "them" becomes the "us" -- and who is left to root for what's right when we've all given up the power to address what's wrong to a handful of bureaucrats in Washington who seem to be better at singing songs of blame that orchestrating solutions?
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Breakfast Buffett
No, not another pancake war -- although our retirement accounts look more like pancakes these days after another round of drops in the markets.
Talk about must-see TV, and it started at six in the morning Monday on CNBC with Berkshire Hathaway icon Warren Buffett, live from the home furniture base in Omaha, Nebraska, chatting over the economy and taking questions.
This is the guy both sides would have liked to have had as Treasury Secretary but opted instead to play advisor to Obama, helper to others and overall sage for our times. In a nutshell, it's far from over; we'll be OK years from now but not right now; there are plenty of good values out there and even spectacular opportunities if you have the stomach for the roller coaster ride and the political bashing of people who work hard to make great amounts of money is foolish.
Worth a look...
CNBC may have already yanked the video feed; if so a transcript is available at www.cnbc.com to read his remarks.
Talk about must-see TV, and it started at six in the morning Monday on CNBC with Berkshire Hathaway icon Warren Buffett, live from the home furniture base in Omaha, Nebraska, chatting over the economy and taking questions.
This is the guy both sides would have liked to have had as Treasury Secretary but opted instead to play advisor to Obama, helper to others and overall sage for our times. In a nutshell, it's far from over; we'll be OK years from now but not right now; there are plenty of good values out there and even spectacular opportunities if you have the stomach for the roller coaster ride and the political bashing of people who work hard to make great amounts of money is foolish.
Worth a look...
CNBC may have already yanked the video feed; if so a transcript is available at www.cnbc.com to read his remarks.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
What Pork Really Looks Like
Want your very own view of making sausage? It's all here at Stimulus Watch, a great web tool designed to give the folks ultimately paying the bills (that'd be you and me) a birds-eye view of just what Uncle Sam, Cousin Ted and Nephew Don want to do with all those billions.
My first visit went to the site for Akron projects, and it's a whopper -- more than a billion dollars worth of gimme put together by the City of Akron. It also makes very real what is often a powerful position for politicians: that all that spending is pork.
You might think so as well until you see your street, your school or your idea of what government should pay for on the list, and one the list of dozens and dozens of projects odds are you'll see plenty that ought to get a piece of the Obama-Pelosi-Reid pie. After all, who would complain about getting federal money to fix the crumbling roads and bridges we're seeing in the Akron area now that the snow and ice are off the highways?
You get the same look-see at what Mayor Healy in Canton says his city needs; there's even a separate page for Stow, almost five million dollars worth to finish Seasons Road and pave the road to Bulldog Prosperity. It is disappointing we don't see Hudson belly up to the bar here as well...one must imagine how much federal recovery dollars would help build new off-site parking for the boutiques on the Square.
Sorry, can't help but being cynical even while recognizing all this money would certainly do plenty of good. The problem is the majority of folks who are as cynical as I am living in Texas, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Virginia and the rest of the 49 states other than Ohio (see what the state is asking for here to get a gander of the 847 projects the Strickland Administration forwarded Washington ) will take a look at these projects and wonder just why their hard-earned tax dollars need to go to a state with a $55 billion dollar budget. Then again, those of us in Ohio will think the same thing about a dime spent in Texas, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Virginia and the rest of the 49 states other than Ohio.
That's the point: our "must have" list looks like a chunk of Bob Evans' most popular product to anyone on the outside, while anything outside Ohio's borders looks like it's all pork to those of us between the Ohio River and Lake Erie.
The interesting thing about pork in 2009, however, is we get to ride along and even report on our own what we think is good, what we think is bad, even what we think is B.S. (that's not short for bachelor of science...) and needs to be exposed. We still have to pay the bill for what Washington says we need but don't necessarily want. The difference between life under Bill and W. is with tools like Stimulus Watch we can get a better look in the Obama butcher shop on how the sausage is made -- including how much pork is really in the mix.
StimulusWatch.org is the creation of a couple George Mason University types with help from web professionals; they claim no affiliation with Presidents, Governors, County or City officials and even provide a Google Excel site to grab the database yourself and sort to your heart's content.
My first visit went to the site for Akron projects, and it's a whopper -- more than a billion dollars worth of gimme put together by the City of Akron. It also makes very real what is often a powerful position for politicians: that all that spending is pork.
You might think so as well until you see your street, your school or your idea of what government should pay for on the list, and one the list of dozens and dozens of projects odds are you'll see plenty that ought to get a piece of the Obama-Pelosi-Reid pie. After all, who would complain about getting federal money to fix the crumbling roads and bridges we're seeing in the Akron area now that the snow and ice are off the highways?
You get the same look-see at what Mayor Healy in Canton says his city needs; there's even a separate page for Stow, almost five million dollars worth to finish Seasons Road and pave the road to Bulldog Prosperity. It is disappointing we don't see Hudson belly up to the bar here as well...one must imagine how much federal recovery dollars would help build new off-site parking for the boutiques on the Square.
Sorry, can't help but being cynical even while recognizing all this money would certainly do plenty of good. The problem is the majority of folks who are as cynical as I am living in Texas, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Virginia and the rest of the 49 states other than Ohio (see what the state is asking for here to get a gander of the 847 projects the Strickland Administration forwarded Washington ) will take a look at these projects and wonder just why their hard-earned tax dollars need to go to a state with a $55 billion dollar budget. Then again, those of us in Ohio will think the same thing about a dime spent in Texas, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Virginia and the rest of the 49 states other than Ohio.
That's the point: our "must have" list looks like a chunk of Bob Evans' most popular product to anyone on the outside, while anything outside Ohio's borders looks like it's all pork to those of us between the Ohio River and Lake Erie.
The interesting thing about pork in 2009, however, is we get to ride along and even report on our own what we think is good, what we think is bad, even what we think is B.S. (that's not short for bachelor of science...) and needs to be exposed. We still have to pay the bill for what Washington says we need but don't necessarily want. The difference between life under Bill and W. is with tools like Stimulus Watch we can get a better look in the Obama butcher shop on how the sausage is made -- including how much pork is really in the mix.
StimulusWatch.org is the creation of a couple George Mason University types with help from web professionals; they claim no affiliation with Presidents, Governors, County or City officials and even provide a Google Excel site to grab the database yourself and sort to your heart's content.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
I Just Became An Obama Fan
With all the hubub going on in Washington -- and the tendency of those within the Beltway to lose sight of life for those of us outside the Beltway -- I figured there was plenty of business as usual with the cabinet appointments of public figure after public figure who couldn't quite grasp how to pay their taxes. Mr. Obama made the right call today.
Here's the AP Video report from AkronNewsNow on President Obama and what the pundits are calling major mistakes.
For my money, and by extension yours as well since it is on our dime these people get to play in the political sandbox, the President did what few politicians are ever ready to do: took responsibility, admitted it was a snafu and noted America should expect better when it comes to the leading by example of our appointed and elected officials.
If only the other elected tax bums, including U.S. Representative Charlie Rangel of New York, would learn from Mr. Obama accepting accountability and even former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle stepping down.
Daschle really is one of the decent fellows the Heartland has ever sent to Washington, but in his time since losing re-election the cash came rolling in because of the learning he'd been able to do under the Dome. Any one of us would have done the same thing: use our experience to benefit our lifestyle and that of our family. There's no difference for any consultant...they had to learn on someone's dime at some point, they just have the knowledge (their clients hope) now that allows them to cash in. Why would we really expect different from former public officials?
I was leaning toward giving Daschle the benefit of a doubt when the story first broke but then more details made it seem more...silly, and stupid. Not paying taxes on use of a car seems like such a little thing but these are the men and women who make a living plumbing tax loopholes, creating tax policy, and expecting the rest of us to toe the line and pay our fair share. Kinda tough to make that argument when the preacher is such a sinner to begin with...something I think Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner will have to wrestle with the first time his IRS has to crack the whip.
In the meantime...Bravo Barack for doing what no politician these days seems to grasp the American people really hunger for: admitting a screwup, paying more than lip service to what we think, and standing up like a man instead of a politician.
Here's the AP Video report from AkronNewsNow on President Obama and what the pundits are calling major mistakes.
For my money, and by extension yours as well since it is on our dime these people get to play in the political sandbox, the President did what few politicians are ever ready to do: took responsibility, admitted it was a snafu and noted America should expect better when it comes to the leading by example of our appointed and elected officials.
If only the other elected tax bums, including U.S. Representative Charlie Rangel of New York, would learn from Mr. Obama accepting accountability and even former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle stepping down.
Daschle really is one of the decent fellows the Heartland has ever sent to Washington, but in his time since losing re-election the cash came rolling in because of the learning he'd been able to do under the Dome. Any one of us would have done the same thing: use our experience to benefit our lifestyle and that of our family. There's no difference for any consultant...they had to learn on someone's dime at some point, they just have the knowledge (their clients hope) now that allows them to cash in. Why would we really expect different from former public officials?
I was leaning toward giving Daschle the benefit of a doubt when the story first broke but then more details made it seem more...silly, and stupid. Not paying taxes on use of a car seems like such a little thing but these are the men and women who make a living plumbing tax loopholes, creating tax policy, and expecting the rest of us to toe the line and pay our fair share. Kinda tough to make that argument when the preacher is such a sinner to begin with...something I think Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner will have to wrestle with the first time his IRS has to crack the whip.
In the meantime...Bravo Barack for doing what no politician these days seems to grasp the American people really hunger for: admitting a screwup, paying more than lip service to what we think, and standing up like a man instead of a politician.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
R U Inspired?
Like most, I was glued to coverage today of President Barack Obama and the Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States. Unlike some of my more conservative colleagues, I don't quibble with the pomp, circumstance nor cost of the event; the peaceful transfer of power more than anything else marks the true greatness of America, not the shrill partisan sniping from both sides we've tolerated as political discourse the past generation.
Today was a day worthy of closing down the nation's business; every school, every business, and every corner of America should have been watching and listening. It would have been worth declaring this a national holiday, not just because of the history but because it is our unique democracy that still stands desirable to so many across the globe.
These past few weeks have been full of comparing what Mr. Obama would say to what Mr. Roosevelt, or Mr. Kennedy, or Mr. Reagan, or Mr. Lincoln would call for. Syndicated radio host Glenn Beck even went so far as to deliver FDR's 1933 speech sans the "greatest fear is fear itself" opening, and it was extraordinary just how current the conditions were then as they are now.
Did Mr. Obama strike the same kind of chord? Reading the transcript (courtesy Washington Post) below offers another chance to revisit the speech, this time minus the applause and emotion of the moment. Was this comparable to John F. Kennedy's "...ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country..." or even the Peggy Noonan-penned "...thousand points of light..." George H.W. Bush hoped would illuminate the compassion of a more moderate Republican approach?
Mr. Obama today delivered an excellent summation of where we are, but perhaps because of the past two years spent running for President many of these themes almost sound routine at this point. A former boss of mine (then an incumbent Governor) told me the soaring rhetoric of an inaugural address is one of two most important speeches a successful candidate will ever give.
It marks the tone of the vision; it helps set the standard template for what hope eventually translates into: actions and substance.
That second most important speech? For Mr. Obama it will be his first State of the Union, where putting meat on the bones will be his true first test as President-leader.
My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.
I thank President Bush for his service to our nation as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath.
The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.
Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable, but no less profound, is a sapping of confidence across our land; a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America: They will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less.
It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.
Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West, endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died in places Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed.
Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.
The state of our economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth.
We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.
We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its costs.
We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.
All this we can do. All this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long, no longer apply.
The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.
Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end.
And those of us who manage the public's knowledge will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched.
But this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control.
The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.
The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.
Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations.
Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.
And so, to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.
They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use. Our security emanates from the justness of our cause; the force of our example; the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy, guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort, even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We'll begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard- earned peace in Afghanistan.
With old friends and former foes, we'll work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat and roll back the specter of a warming planet.
We will not apologize for our way of life nor will we waver in its defense.
And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that, "Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.
We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth.
And because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.
To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.
To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.
And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.
We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service: a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.
And yet, at this moment, a moment that will define a generation, it is precisely
this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.
It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break; the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.
It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new, the instruments with which we meet them may be new, but those values upon which our success depends, honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old.
These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.
What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence: the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall. And why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day in remembrance of who we are and how far we have traveled.
In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by nine campfires on the shores of an icy river.
The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood.
At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."
America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words; with hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come; let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.
Today was a day worthy of closing down the nation's business; every school, every business, and every corner of America should have been watching and listening. It would have been worth declaring this a national holiday, not just because of the history but because it is our unique democracy that still stands desirable to so many across the globe.
These past few weeks have been full of comparing what Mr. Obama would say to what Mr. Roosevelt, or Mr. Kennedy, or Mr. Reagan, or Mr. Lincoln would call for. Syndicated radio host Glenn Beck even went so far as to deliver FDR's 1933 speech sans the "greatest fear is fear itself" opening, and it was extraordinary just how current the conditions were then as they are now.
Did Mr. Obama strike the same kind of chord? Reading the transcript (courtesy Washington Post) below offers another chance to revisit the speech, this time minus the applause and emotion of the moment. Was this comparable to John F. Kennedy's "...ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country..." or even the Peggy Noonan-penned "...thousand points of light..." George H.W. Bush hoped would illuminate the compassion of a more moderate Republican approach?
Mr. Obama today delivered an excellent summation of where we are, but perhaps because of the past two years spent running for President many of these themes almost sound routine at this point. A former boss of mine (then an incumbent Governor) told me the soaring rhetoric of an inaugural address is one of two most important speeches a successful candidate will ever give.
It marks the tone of the vision; it helps set the standard template for what hope eventually translates into: actions and substance.
That second most important speech? For Mr. Obama it will be his first State of the Union, where putting meat on the bones will be his true first test as President-leader.
My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.
I thank President Bush for his service to our nation as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath.
The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.
Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable, but no less profound, is a sapping of confidence across our land; a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America: They will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less.
It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.
Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West, endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died in places Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed.
Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.
The state of our economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth.
We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.
We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its costs.
We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.
All this we can do. All this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long, no longer apply.
The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.
Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end.
And those of us who manage the public's knowledge will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched.
But this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control.
The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.
The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.
Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations.
Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.
And so, to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.
They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use. Our security emanates from the justness of our cause; the force of our example; the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy, guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort, even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We'll begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard- earned peace in Afghanistan.
With old friends and former foes, we'll work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat and roll back the specter of a warming planet.
We will not apologize for our way of life nor will we waver in its defense.
And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that, "Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.
We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth.
And because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.
To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.
To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.
And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.
We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service: a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.
And yet, at this moment, a moment that will define a generation, it is precisely
this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.
It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break; the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.
It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new, the instruments with which we meet them may be new, but those values upon which our success depends, honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old.
These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.
What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence: the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall. And why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day in remembrance of who we are and how far we have traveled.
In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by nine campfires on the shores of an icy river.
The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood.
At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."
America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words; with hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come; let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Thoughts On An Icy Day
God love Matt Drudge for his wonderful use of the web to highlight political irony. Example: this afternoon's flashback to a piece in 2005 over the high cost of a Presidential Inauguration during a time of war and economic uncertainty. Back then the Bush Bashers were apoplectic over the thought of $50 million being spent on a party celebrating the first 50+ percentage point win by any presidential candidate in nearly a generation; after all, it was W. Now that it's O, what's the guessing on who contrasts live in Baghdad on January 20th with live in DC for the party?
- - -
Outgoing U.S. Senator George Voinovich's office sends out word that Treasury Secretary-in-waiting Tim Geithner faces big problems with Ohio's senior senator thanks to his tax problems.
“It's a very bad thing for the guy that's running Treasury to be out there saying, 'I made a mistake. I forgot about it,'" Sen. George V. Voinovich, R-Ohio, tells the Associated Press. "The American public thinks that there's some people ... especially a lot of these guys on Wall Street, that have had it made in the shade."
I'm sure Geithner is very scared.
What is amazing is that none of this came up when Geithner was selected to run the New York Federal Reserve, perhaps the second most powerful gig in the Fed beyond only chairman Ben Bernanke. He owed more than $42 grand for almost eight years and nobody picked up this might be a problem? This also from a guy getting grand marks from the goofs in Congress for his handling of the bailout -- the same bailout they voted for that they now rail over because they have absolutely no idea of how the money's been spent, shy of funding big banks buying other banks. More of a taxpayer-funded venture capital fund rather than for recovery, and now Frank and Dodd and Obama want banks to fork over more money for loans to people who can't prove they can pay it back. No wonder we live in an age of Pax Americana, where even the best and brightest can't seem to figure out how to pay their own bills much less manage other people's money responsibly. Where else does a guy who fesses up to missing tax payments big enough for entire families to live on for a year get a job overseeing the IRS?
- - -
The GOP games are underway with former Congressman and Washington insider Rob Portman (OMB Director, Trade Ambassador) barely leaving a split-second undisturbed from the plaudits heading George Voinovich's way to say he's running for Senator; now State Senator Kevin Coughlin is tossing his hat into the 2010 Governor's race despite the bruising battle last year over control of the Summit County Republican Party. Coughlin may have his work cut out for him; John Kasich, former Columbus area Congressman and darling of the conservative Reagan wing, is also staking out similar territory and likely to have a much better chance of squeezing big dollars out of weary Republicans for a race against incumbent Ted Strickland. That said, it's a good political move for Coughlin to come out early for statewide office. The strategy is tried and true and right out of former GOP Chair Bob Bennett's playbook; remember when Blackwell, Montgomery and Petro were all running for the same office but then backed down over a period? With just one statewide executive office in GOP hands (Auditor Mary Taylor) there will be plenty of room to play musical political chairs and see if there's a seat for Coughlin when the music stops before filing time for the spring 2010 primary. In the meantime, he draws interest from around the state, uses the soapbox to raise money, and sees just how much political blood flows from the deep cut left over from his battle with Alex.
- - -
Mayor Plusquellic's State of the City is set for next month and it will be interesting to see what's rolling around in the halls of South High as TNBT (the next big thing) to be proposed during this annual speech. One year it was Don Robart being a liar (that didn't play out very well) and last year it was selling (later leasing) the sewer system to fund a scholarship program. This may very well be a great platform for the Mayor to revisit 2008 and challenge his Save Our Sewer opponents, back home by now from the special place in hell Plusquellic sent them when Issue 8 lost. This would be a great time to task them and others to come up with other ways to fund what most thought was a flawed but worth-further-work idea; even the most critical 8 haters admitted they liked the idea of coming up with a way to provide scholarships. Does the UA, and KSU, and College of Wooster, and Malone, and Walsh, and Mount Union, and Case-CSU-Tri-C-YSU finally get a role in this as well as part of a regional solution? Maybe something for the well-meaning regionalists to get behind?
- - -
Outgoing U.S. Senator George Voinovich's office sends out word that Treasury Secretary-in-waiting Tim Geithner faces big problems with Ohio's senior senator thanks to his tax problems.
“It's a very bad thing for the guy that's running Treasury to be out there saying, 'I made a mistake. I forgot about it,'" Sen. George V. Voinovich, R-Ohio, tells the Associated Press. "The American public thinks that there's some people ... especially a lot of these guys on Wall Street, that have had it made in the shade."
I'm sure Geithner is very scared.
What is amazing is that none of this came up when Geithner was selected to run the New York Federal Reserve, perhaps the second most powerful gig in the Fed beyond only chairman Ben Bernanke. He owed more than $42 grand for almost eight years and nobody picked up this might be a problem? This also from a guy getting grand marks from the goofs in Congress for his handling of the bailout -- the same bailout they voted for that they now rail over because they have absolutely no idea of how the money's been spent, shy of funding big banks buying other banks. More of a taxpayer-funded venture capital fund rather than for recovery, and now Frank and Dodd and Obama want banks to fork over more money for loans to people who can't prove they can pay it back. No wonder we live in an age of Pax Americana, where even the best and brightest can't seem to figure out how to pay their own bills much less manage other people's money responsibly. Where else does a guy who fesses up to missing tax payments big enough for entire families to live on for a year get a job overseeing the IRS?
- - -
The GOP games are underway with former Congressman and Washington insider Rob Portman (OMB Director, Trade Ambassador) barely leaving a split-second undisturbed from the plaudits heading George Voinovich's way to say he's running for Senator; now State Senator Kevin Coughlin is tossing his hat into the 2010 Governor's race despite the bruising battle last year over control of the Summit County Republican Party. Coughlin may have his work cut out for him; John Kasich, former Columbus area Congressman and darling of the conservative Reagan wing, is also staking out similar territory and likely to have a much better chance of squeezing big dollars out of weary Republicans for a race against incumbent Ted Strickland. That said, it's a good political move for Coughlin to come out early for statewide office. The strategy is tried and true and right out of former GOP Chair Bob Bennett's playbook; remember when Blackwell, Montgomery and Petro were all running for the same office but then backed down over a period? With just one statewide executive office in GOP hands (Auditor Mary Taylor) there will be plenty of room to play musical political chairs and see if there's a seat for Coughlin when the music stops before filing time for the spring 2010 primary. In the meantime, he draws interest from around the state, uses the soapbox to raise money, and sees just how much political blood flows from the deep cut left over from his battle with Alex.
- - -
Mayor Plusquellic's State of the City is set for next month and it will be interesting to see what's rolling around in the halls of South High as TNBT (the next big thing) to be proposed during this annual speech. One year it was Don Robart being a liar (that didn't play out very well) and last year it was selling (later leasing) the sewer system to fund a scholarship program. This may very well be a great platform for the Mayor to revisit 2008 and challenge his Save Our Sewer opponents, back home by now from the special place in hell Plusquellic sent them when Issue 8 lost. This would be a great time to task them and others to come up with other ways to fund what most thought was a flawed but worth-further-work idea; even the most critical 8 haters admitted they liked the idea of coming up with a way to provide scholarships. Does the UA, and KSU, and College of Wooster, and Malone, and Walsh, and Mount Union, and Case-CSU-Tri-C-YSU finally get a role in this as well as part of a regional solution? Maybe something for the well-meaning regionalists to get behind?
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The Update
Sure, we're supposed to update blogs at least once a week, maybe more. Here's why I've been such a slacker:
Emergency surgery to remove a gall bladder with some minor complications; Nature Girl's car losing "Ice Dancing" competition with an SUV during one of the recent ice storms; brother-in-law dealing with fatal health issues, trip to Michigan; father with some eye surgery (just one, thanks) and that's just since the last post.
I even have a photo of the offending organ before removal. Taken in the gut, so to speak, by the laprascopic camera, but Nature Girl was horrified at the thought even though there's no way to trace it back to her. Send those cards and letters of thanks to me and I'll be glad to pass them along to her. Someone has to be a conscience of good taste, right?
Overall, I can say my mind is now at peace knowing I met my health care deductible for the entire year by January 2nd. As a prize, I've been awarded the "stay at home, watch TV and surf the web" posting on the couch. Some observations flavored by pain-killers:
If your neighbor's kids were throwing hundreds of rocks at your house all the time and the cops did nothing, what would you do? Would you eventually toss them back? Would you take those kids to the woodshed on your own? If the kids with little rocks live in the Gaza Strip and you live in Israel with bigger rocks, what then? Seems to me answers across the hedge hold sway with the troubles across the ocean. Shouldn't any talk of peace start with a promise to put the rocks down -- even the small ones?
Still on the Middle East: anyone else think Hamas is like organized crime in owning the tunnels from Egypt to Gaza? Smugglers use to get goods and guns, charging tolls and getting their "vig"? It's enough to make even a Soprano green with envy. Imagine owning the highway, getting a piece of every shipment AND operating as the Toll Authority. Just why the hell do all those people still live in such deplorable conditions?
In Washington, the city quivers...as do the commentators who can't wait for the coming. On New Year's Eve I heard a commentary from NPR's Daniel Schorr equating Barack Obama to the Greek god who would swoop in and fix everything. Dan begs for cosmic help; "it's the only answer we have in this age of anxiety." As if the entire pull yourself up from the muck American spirit has been destroyed by the dumping of our net worth (or maybe just Dan's) the past three months.
Understand that it was our own grand American impatience to have it all without paying for it that finally caught up to October and November, 2008; time to pay the piper not for working hard to build wealth, own a home and put the kids through college but instead not working at all but expecting loopholes pushed by lenders, politicians and special interests to front load the American dream payoff without a penny of sweat equity.
Where's the next Ronald Reagan to point to American perseverance as the answer to working out of our problems? Where's the next FDR to note the only fear we have is fear itself, and maybe in today's age the only greed we should fear is our own? Are there no Teddy Roosevelts? As Obama tries to lash together fast action even his own Democrats seem uneasy, and you could almost feel the resentment with O's promise that earmarks wouldn't be tolerated. Now is the time for bold action, decisive leadership and to hell with tradition.
Schorr's was the last commentary I heard before my gall bladder screamed to be pulled from my body. Maybe the bladder has ears.
Emergency surgery to remove a gall bladder with some minor complications; Nature Girl's car losing "Ice Dancing" competition with an SUV during one of the recent ice storms; brother-in-law dealing with fatal health issues, trip to Michigan; father with some eye surgery (just one, thanks) and that's just since the last post.
I even have a photo of the offending organ before removal. Taken in the gut, so to speak, by the laprascopic camera, but Nature Girl was horrified at the thought even though there's no way to trace it back to her. Send those cards and letters of thanks to me and I'll be glad to pass them along to her. Someone has to be a conscience of good taste, right?
Overall, I can say my mind is now at peace knowing I met my health care deductible for the entire year by January 2nd. As a prize, I've been awarded the "stay at home, watch TV and surf the web" posting on the couch. Some observations flavored by pain-killers:
If your neighbor's kids were throwing hundreds of rocks at your house all the time and the cops did nothing, what would you do? Would you eventually toss them back? Would you take those kids to the woodshed on your own? If the kids with little rocks live in the Gaza Strip and you live in Israel with bigger rocks, what then? Seems to me answers across the hedge hold sway with the troubles across the ocean. Shouldn't any talk of peace start with a promise to put the rocks down -- even the small ones?
Still on the Middle East: anyone else think Hamas is like organized crime in owning the tunnels from Egypt to Gaza? Smugglers use to get goods and guns, charging tolls and getting their "vig"? It's enough to make even a Soprano green with envy. Imagine owning the highway, getting a piece of every shipment AND operating as the Toll Authority. Just why the hell do all those people still live in such deplorable conditions?
In Washington, the city quivers...as do the commentators who can't wait for the coming. On New Year's Eve I heard a commentary from NPR's Daniel Schorr equating Barack Obama to the Greek god who would swoop in and fix everything. Dan begs for cosmic help; "it's the only answer we have in this age of anxiety." As if the entire pull yourself up from the muck American spirit has been destroyed by the dumping of our net worth (or maybe just Dan's) the past three months.
Understand that it was our own grand American impatience to have it all without paying for it that finally caught up to October and November, 2008; time to pay the piper not for working hard to build wealth, own a home and put the kids through college but instead not working at all but expecting loopholes pushed by lenders, politicians and special interests to front load the American dream payoff without a penny of sweat equity.
Where's the next Ronald Reagan to point to American perseverance as the answer to working out of our problems? Where's the next FDR to note the only fear we have is fear itself, and maybe in today's age the only greed we should fear is our own? Are there no Teddy Roosevelts? As Obama tries to lash together fast action even his own Democrats seem uneasy, and you could almost feel the resentment with O's promise that earmarks wouldn't be tolerated. Now is the time for bold action, decisive leadership and to hell with tradition.
Schorr's was the last commentary I heard before my gall bladder screamed to be pulled from my body. Maybe the bladder has ears.
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