THAT IS MY TAKE - YOU DECIDE

After nearly two years of writing this blog, receiving almost 2200 hits and being read in countries from Iran and Iraq to Malaysia, Russia, China and about 30 other countries. Countries I never would have dreamed of reaching.  I finally got one person who didn’t argue with what I was saying only that I was saying it and it “junked up his mailbox.”

Friends should not get into political discussions. I agree. But I am not trying to persuade, well maybe, but I am trying to affect some thinking. Some of what I write is based on personal experiences and, frankly has no right or left view attached. Some of what I had written has to do with baseball, sports seasons, and personal points of view on some of the commercials we all see on TV.

Am I guilty of writing about the social-economic situation on this country? Yes.  I write it as I see it and I always state that it is my opinion, decide for yourself. None of this is dogma. I recently wrote about the Republican race as being like a clown car. Lo and behold Bill Maher and several other commentators used my analogy after I published my blog. I may have readers that I don’t know about, but I do know that I am followed on Twitter and I know not how to use that account. 

I write about things that truly upset me – such as the right wing war on women. This is blatant. It is disgusting, this is overt and I blanch to see women that are supporting it. As a father of two daughters, a daughter-in-law, a wife, three granddaughters and a step granddaughter I cannot stand for the possible torture of these people as prescribed by some of these newly enacted laws. Want to be GCBs, OK – but keep your probes and hands off of my kids!

I do my research. I actually read about this stuff. One article I wrote was prompted by a friend who said that he resented that he would have to pay a $1500 tax when he sells his home to pay for the Affordable Care Bill. Rather and argue, who knows, I researched it – no such tax exists and I proved it to him.

This blog is posted on  Facebook and  it is Tweeted. You have choices – read it or not. The same as if I e-mail it (actually Blogspot captures some e-mail addresses from my Contact List and sends it)- just hit “Delete.” It takes less time and effort than sending me e-mails telling me about too many e-mails that you are receiving. That is when I hit “delete.” 

The good news is that the e-mails I get are really nice. The writer does not always agree with my point of view but does respect the fact that I illustrate my view with respect (Clown Car article excepted). Others have enjoyed the blogs about the Super Bowl, Spring Training and other articles  that are lighter in their tone and subject.

That is the beauty of electronics and digital transmissions. There is almost unlimited storage in the mail box. Even room for junk! So, if my words are “junking” up your inbox, I will try to eliminate your e-mail address from the auto send. I have looked into this and so far I haven’t found a way to do that. It appears that I will continue to “junk” up your mail box, sorry!

We live in a society that allows for us to say what we think. That is a wonderful way to live and I want to insure that it continues. This is the best way I know how to get involved, to communicate my thoughts, to ask you to think about it and to create some levity from time to time. 

That is my take – you decide.

WOMEN MUST REVOLT - WITH A VOTE

Women who vote for right wingers such as Santorum and others who want to control how a woman cares for her body or for life, do not deserve this – they know not what they do.

These are the same right wingers that have railed against Sharia Law in their states or communities even though no one  has proposed Sharia law – except maybe them. These right wingers that want women to submit to a sonogram and wait a day before getting an abortion. These are the right wingers that say if there is a heartbeat no abortion even if the term is well under the first trimester. These are the same right wingers that want to abolish Planned Parenthood. These are the right wingers that want to and have killed doctors that care for women.  So, ladies, if that is what you want, then vote for the Santorums, the Kyls, Canters and Romneys and others of like minds. They will be sure to accommodate what they think is your need for less freedom and more control.

These people see women as property of man and man controls the state so the state can create laws that regulate women’s activities with regard to their own bodies. These are the right wingers that are now following the Sharia Law (Muwatta’ Malik 28.22.52).

Women are inferior according to Sharia Law. The right wing of the United States also believes that or they would allow a woman to make her own decisions with regard to her life, health and body. According to Sharia Law two women have the same intelligence as one man. ( I do recall something like that in our own constitution regarding black men – and that was changed). According to Sharia Law women have deficient minds.  According to the right wing women have no right to make up their own minds. Is that not the same?

The right wing of the United State is not apologetic and neither are the women or men who endorse that attitude.

The only way to revolt is to vote them, those anti-woman people, out of office. Who are these people that need to be voted out of office: Diane Black ( R –Tennessee), Kelly Ayotte (R- New Hampshire), Jean Schmidt (R- -Ohio), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen  (R- Florida), Sue Myrick (R – North Carolina). Candice Miller (R- Michigan), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Washington), Cynthia Lummis (R- Wyoming), Virginia Foxx ( R-North Carolina), Mary Fallin (R-Oklahoma), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) and of course the wing nut of wing nuts, Michele Bachmann (R- Minnesota). I have a hard time believing that this list is so long!

I suggest that you research these ladies  and read what they want to impose on their fellow women. It will scare you or it should. Why didn’t the ERA become a law. Because women like these, that belong to the Tea Party or just right wingers tend to vote against their own best self interest. As a father of two daughters and three granddaughters, the last thing that I want is for these women and their male counterparts to tell my children how to live. That is Sharia Law – the law that these people are so afraid of – except When it suits them.

That is my take, you decide!

I FEEL BETTER ABOUT THINGS

When the GOP candidates say that the Obama presidency is a failed presidency, I immediately know that it is not. When I hear these guys rail that the economy is bad, then I know that it is not. When they say that Detroit was rebuilt on tax payer money they are right but GM did not become number one with tax dollars, it was consumer money that propelled the company to number one in the world.

It really amazes me that these guys  think we are stupid. They think that we can’t see what is in front of us, they believe that just what they tell us is reality. Two and a half million more kids have healthcare with this “failed” program. For the first time in 50 years, healthcare spending was down – 4% - now that is what I call failure?!

They tell us that our foreign policy is a failure. Ask Ben-Laden and the rest of Al-Qaeda. We only got most of them – failure. Quaddafi is laughing at our failures – from the grave.  North Korea is asking for food from us, Iran is being squeezed so tight they want to talk (am not sure form which side of their mouth they will be speaking). Students in Russia are speaking out and while there appears to be no real peace talks in the Middle East, Palestinians and Israelis are cooperating in everything from high technology to strawberries. Now that is what I call a failure of leadership! If this is all failure what do they suggest is success?

Romney will repeal the healthcare program – go fend for yourself America, he says. He will roll back student loan programs – go fend for yourself young Americans. Santorum will tell women how to live according to Rick. Paul says, screw it  - dump it all. I am confident that none of that is going to happen so I am feeling more confident about things. We have the best candidates that the public could have – guys that will self-destruct.  We have candidates that are clueless.  The business man Romney knows how to make a buck firing people. He claims not to care about the poorest of our society so he will create even more poor. He knows how to run a business. That serves him well but does he recognize the difference – a government is not in it to make a profit. A government is there for the common welfare of its people.

The commonwealth is based on getting healthcare, maintaining a defense from enemies, protection from crime. Wall Street types of crimes or just plain robberies and murder (I am not sure that there is a difference here). Let’s face it, the biggest bank heist in the history of man took place in 2008 and the Willie Suttons of American banking are still vacationing at the Hamptons and not at Rikers. If we want more of the same, send the former CEO of Bain Capital to our capitol. That is when we will see real failure.

Further, the commonwealth should also be protected against bad meat, dangerous drugs, hazardous roadways, unsafe air traffic control and more. To show you how insensitive these people are, the latest Romney endorser said that people who have suffered as a result of a natural catastrophe should not have lived there. Too bad, the federal government, government of the people, by the people, has no business helping them out. That is their attitude – they invite failure.

With people like that in power, why do I feel better about things? Because other people are recognizing that these people should be put out of power.  They are doing it to each other – eating away at each other every day. Four years ago Santorum endorsed Romney. Today he just goes after him every day with another charge. The only difference I see between Santorum and Romney is that Santorum wears his magic vest outside for his shirt and Romney wears his under his shirt. They both are pro-America but both are anti-Americans.

Then there is Rush. Whenever anyone was critical of Rush they had to apologize, genuflex and pick an area on his abundant posterior to kiss. The biggest of the big had to kneel before the Oxycontin kid. One young lady just brought him down. Way down. As of this writing 28 sponsors said Adios, baby.  Even some stations have dropped him!

These right wingers have no hand grip to hold on to with which to attack the president. So they say he failed. At what? Oh yes, gas prices! His oil refineries are not producing enough gas. The problem here is doesn’t own any refineries. The problem here is we are still suffering the results of the Dick Cheney energy policy that he and the energy companies had secretly constructed. They say you can’t still blame the Bush administration, that was 11 years ago. Then why do the southern politicians still blame Lincoln for reducing their available, cheap work force?  The current right wingers are still blaming Roosevelt for “entitlements.” These are “entitlements” that we, as citizens pay for!

I guess that failure means that creating more than two million private sector jobs is a failure. I, for one, am tired of hearing how we are in the midst of doom and gloom. Everything is bad and getting worse. It aint’. Romney keeps getting richer every day! Gingrich has Addelson and he gets richer every day, too. He gets his money from people with discretionary income. According to Romney, Santorum and Gingrich people are too poor to have any discretionary income. Things are bad and getting worse, haven’t you heard?

Here’s the point. If Romney says the president failed, then you know that the president is doing well. If the right wing says things are bad, then you know things are getting better. Whatever they say, then the opposite is true. Yes, there are some people hurting, but who is hurting them? Ask Olympia Snow! Yep, the more they say doom, I say boom.

Another failure – increasing natural gas and oil drilling by 400% in three years.  We drilled, baby and we are still drilling. By reducing our dependence on Arab oil from 60% of our consumption to 40% we have failed to keep our middle eastern friends happy.  General Motors failed to overtake gasoline as the biggest export commodity – that’s  a failure, even if GM is number one in the world! Here’s a real big failure – refined gasoline is the number one export of the United States.

Aren’t you asking the question why are the oil companies exporting gas rather than creating better costs for the citizens of the US? It would take a law to do that and you know what happens to laws in the congress that favors the people – they fail. When we don’t insist on them we all fail! As citizens we are waking up to these realities – that is why I am feeling better about things!

That is my take, you decide.

LONGWOOD SIX TWO TWO EIGHT FOUR

That was a phone number that I dialed more than one thousand times from 1957 through June of 1963. So was Beacon two zero five five nine!  I dialed them form various phones but mostly from Roger’s Drugstore, Marden Avenue and then later from my number at home and here in California which I cannot recall at this time.  My Marden Avenue number was Columbia five four four three nine. I even recall Talbot five zero six nine seven. You may have guessed that these are significant phone numbers in my life. There are so many more that I cannot remember but conjuring up these brings back many memories. At my age, to remember these is a blessing.

The first two numbers belonged to my girlfriend who later became my wife. The second number the Beacon number, belonged to her grandmother. I knew that I could get her at that number when the Longwood number was busy. There was no call waiting, voicemail or any other means of connecting  except by calling back and back and back again.

Recalling the phone numbers also brings up some mundane questions: Like what happened to exchanges? I remember the Original Amateur Hour and their number for voting was Murray Hill something or other.  I also recall when phone numbers had two letter and just four digits. Life was simpler then except if you had a party line. A party line was when two phone numbers shared the same line. When you pick up the phone you can hear the other party’s conversation.  It was always considered polite to wait until they finished their call before you tried to make your call. They best that I can say about the other party was that they were rude and inconsiderate. I am sure they said the same thing about my mother when she was talking to her sister. It was common to hate the other party. You rarely knew who they were and that was a good thing.

There was no mute buttons then so listening in on their conversation was not easy – they did tend to know you were listening and then used some very interesting language such as the “nosy ba___rds are listening in.” You couldn’t respond or you will confirm that you are nosy ba___rd!

I think having an exchange is classy.  Seven eight was “State” and two seven was “Crescent” -  Beverly Hills exchange. Once the letter disappeared there was no status attached to your number – just seven random digits. With the area code came status.  Three one zero – Westside of Los Angeles. Eight one eight – all the way from the west San Fernando Valley to Pasadena.  Then they developed the overlay so local calls went from CO-4439 to 16172654439. That is what we call progress. Actually, auto dial was progress.

The memories that old phone numbers create are wonderful. Is that going to apply to our children and grandchildren? Probably not because their numbers are not stored in their heads but on their smartphones. Technology is robbing them of warm memories. They are being robbed of triggers that recall these memories. I guess they can go back and look at the text messages.

The one great thing about these phone numbers is that when you called them you actually spoke to the person. Hearing the other person’s voice is why you called. That is what makes the human connection human. Yes, I can recall time when I need to communicate on an immediate basis and texting would have helped – but we are a texting society and that reduces the human interaction. There is no voice inflection, there is no emotion that comes through. How do I know that you have a cold, your text is not nasal, you don’t cough in your texting. How do I know that you are not ecstatic about something? Emoticons, come on! How do I know that you are not sad about something? I can hear tears in your voice. Oh yes, the emoticon in your text L.

I am not disparaging the new technologies. I use them and enjoy them. I am just saddened that we cannot get past them when we have to. When my mother wanted me in for dinner she went to the porch and I heard her voice calling me in. Such a great memory.  Were it now I would get a text, “Dinner is ready!” Something is missing here.

That is my take – you decide. Text me!

RED SOX VS YANKEES -- FOOTBALL STYLE

It can’t happen in baseball. The Red Sox cannot play the Yankees in a World Series. It is not in the rules that way. They are in the same league and in the same division. But, we get a symbolic representation that is not even available to us in basketball, in the final game of the football season.

This is a game that will divide families create crazy wagers, cause speculation across a continent, Facebook arguments – all of which mean nothing by the time the 11 0’clock news rolls on February 5th. Yes, families will make some wagers that come from their depths of despair that somehow betting crazily will drive the outcome as we want it to be. Facebook posting that span the US from California to New Jersey and New York will have a taint of some “in your face” attitude. I guess that is the East Coast style!

So many fans of the Red Sox Nation are on the west coast, it is hard to imagine the vitriol in the greater Boston area if this is the way it is in laid back California! Yes, the Giants are sentimental favorites, so many greats played for them long before there was an AFL and then later and AFC. But those days are just a distant memory and sentiment is rooted in regionalism. The Red Sox Nation is just such regionalism. I am not sure that it is a coincidence that the Red Sox just started to distribute their 2012 season tickets and the teams for the Super Bowl have been determined. The Super Bowl is being played in the same month that pitchers and catchers have to report. (See my blog on How Long is Too Long).

The fact that the game is being played in the mid-west does not tone down the biased rhetoric. There will be people attending the game from both coasts – mostly the east that believe that Indianapolis is a fly over city, an excuse for the airlines to charge more for coast to coast flights. I have friend that lives there – just relocated from the Boston area. My friend was not used to living in a city that harbored the worst team in the NFL – but his dreams are being answered. He is living in a city where his team (Patriots) is playing for the championship. Problem: on Monday February 6th, it will be Indianapolis again, not the Super Bowl city.

I hear that Indianapolis is quite a beautiful city. I have been there a few ties, but many years ago. The lure of Indianapolis has not reawakened and except for the Super the lure will still be just dangling in the water.

It is a good thing I learned to text. That way I can stay in immediate touch with those of like minded loyalties and can nudge those of opposite loyalties. Of course, I will have suffer their comments if my team does not perform as expected or hoped. In a sixty minute game that will span about four hours there will be texts of varying intensities based upon what is happening on the field of play. We all understand that we have absolutely no control over the play – we can just comment on it.

February 5th will be a great day, I can’t say “no matter who wins.” My loyalties are with the Patriots.

That is my take, you decide.

REMEMBER THE CLOWN CAR IN THE CIRCUS?

As a kid I loved the circus and no, clowns did not scare me until now. I will get to that point quickly. I am looking the Republican field of presidential potentials and I am reminded of the clown car from the circus.

The car would enter the center ring and clowns would start to get out of the car in a succession that leaves the audience wondering how they got into the car in the first place and how so many can fit in the clown car. We have the political version of the clown car. Somepeople are very scared of clowns - remember Chucky? Now I know why!  What scares me is the remote possibility that one of these clowns could be president. Growing up I was told that anyone can become the President of the United States. Something we could all aspire to, so there is no surprise that some of  these clowns are running.

First there is female clown. She is little and petite as is her brain. As she was stuffed into the car her husband was so jealous because he is the closet clown and wanted to be sitting on top of the other clowns or have them on top of him. He is also the prayer clown. I hate to think of what he might have been praying for if he was in the car.

Then there is the fat clown. Frankly, it is fundamental that there be a fat clown. No one wants him the car. He takes up too much room and many of his comments have the same odious distinctions that make being in that car tantamount to torture. Frankly, his wife wanted him to be the first out of the car because holding her smile for a long period time is getting painful – for him and everyone else. He also wanted out because everyone else was piling piling on top of him. Hey, when you have record that is also odious, well, everyone is gonna get a whiff!

Then came the cowboy clown. Out of the car like he was being thrown from a bull or was he throwing the bull? What was his name – I can’t remember. That is Ok – neither can he. He didn’t like being in the clown car but he had no choice. The other clowns have stopped paying attention to him, except when he speaks – then everyone needs a boot scraper.

Sliding through the mess is the skinny clown. He is out and he is mad. He had to follow the rules when he was in the car. He wanted to make his own rules because he claims it is his right. However, if anyone suffocated in the car, too bad, he is not going to do a thing to help them. – they have to take care of themselves. It is not his responsibility to assist a fellow clown. He is the “individual” clown.

Then there is the fecal matter clown. (I kid you not, here is what Google says: “santorum” - I suggest that you Google the word it is  kind of gross!.) Can you imagine how the other clowns felt being in that situation. So, that is what the lady clown’s husband was so excited about! That seems  to define what his views are. I have noticed that he has no argument on economics as the economy seems to be getting better. No arguments with national security because we have a bad ass president that is nailing the bad guys. So, what is his focus: sodomy, gay marriage, racism? Hmmm! You gotta kinda wunda!

Then there is the quiet clown. I have a hard time characterizing him as clown, but he stuffed himself in the cars and assumed the mantle. He is smart, good looking and has international experience. The question to be asked is, “Why is he associating with these clowns?” He doesn’t have a shot! Guilt by association.

Then there is the smiley clown, the chameleon clown, the Brooks Brother’s clown. He is the clown that shot out last from the car to be first in the clown race. This is his second time in the clown car. The problem is he is more than one clown. The other clowns don’t like him – in fact no one in the clown car or their audience likes him. He is too liberal. He is not on the right enough – he is not of the right religion. They have a myriad of arguments as to why they don’t like the smiley clown. Mostly, they don’t trust him because he changes his positions on everything. You should have seen him in the clown car, he was trying to change his position to get to the top of the clown pile when he ran into a pile of santorum.  He was just eight votes away from being under the pile!

This is better than the actual circus. There are people that do nothing but clean up after the elephants and other circus animals. These clowns need the same kind of follow up!

This is my take – you decide.

THE MIS-ADVENTURE OF FLYING

I was just reading about Alec Baldwin getting booted off an American Airlines flight. While I was amused at his statement that retired Catholic School teachers become AA flight attendants (not stewardesses anymore), he is wrong. Plain and simple – wrong.
With more than two million air miles under my belt or my butt, I have seen a lot on planes that look like fun. Candidates for the Mile High Club were very evident on late night flights. Those were the days when you could get a blanket. With DVD players I have spied people watching porn as I was returning form the lavatory. They didn’t mind my over the shoulder approach to viewing for at least three minutes then the lady got testy so I made my way down the isle to my too small seat.
One of the things I liked to do was get a sandwich at Carnegie Deli and keep half for the flight the next day. When they brought out the trays I would bring out the sandwich. Inevitably I would get the question, “Where did you get that?” I told my seat mate that I requested the deli special when I got on board. Always good for a laugh! Now they don’t bring out the trays – so the joke died with inflight service.

I have seen people duck under their seat to make a cell call while taxiing. Their call is so much more important that our safety – just ask them. I am not sure that items with on-off buttons could cause a problem. I don’t know. I have seen some documentaries that demonstrate that they could interfere with communications and navigation equipment. So, I have to defer to the airlines – which all have the same rules throughout the world. Who am I to say that my call, my game is more important than the flying of more than 150 people on $35 million aircraft – I guess if you are Alec Baldwin and/ or a famous restaurant owner that I saw almost sitting on the floor making a call, you have a false sense of importance. Go ahead and arrest Baldwin, I don’t watch his show – he won’t be missed.

I do love watching the new series Pan Am. That is how flying was and maybe how it should be again. The acting is not exactly top quality and the story lines are pretty weak . I started flying as part of my way of doing business way back in the late 60’s. It was a class experience in both first and in the coach cabins. Now it is welcome to Greyhound in the sky.

Most of the flight attendants are quite nice. Today, they are not the chic images that the Pan Am series promotes – actually, many are men. Can’t imagine men in those tight, blue uniforms and white gloves. I do recall PSA Airlines with the short shorts. That is while there was smile on the face of the planes and on the men that flew on them. In those days no-one would cross a flight attendant or argue with them or be rude. Well, almost no-one. I can’t recall anyone ever being disrespectful – even the drunks were cautious.

Those were days that the flight attendant said, “Eat something, you will feel better.” Today they say, “Buy something!” Recently, I had to fly home for six and a half hours with a bad headache. I didn’t have any medicine for the pain so I asked for aspirin. Don’t have I it on board. Tylenol – same answer and once again rebuffed when I asked for Advil. They can’t give it you anymore – you can’t even buy it on board.

Airlines say, “We know why you fly.” I fly because it is too far to walk! Or “Fly the friendly skies.” I am not sure where the friends are if they can’t feed you, offer you drinks or give you an aspirin.

Getting back to the seats. I agree with the airlines that when someone is big enough to sit in their seat and yours, too, is charged for two seats. I have had that experience and the flight attendant said, “Too bad!” Screaming kids, “Too bad.” Smelly lavatory, “Too bad.” So, while Baldwin was being a rude bore he was up against a trained cadre of flight attendants that have police power to eject you from the flight. But they can’t tell a parent to shut the kid up! (They didn’t from Philadelphia to Munich, they let the parent let the kid scream). What happened to the idea of safety and comfort? I am sure someone was close to opening the door at 35,000 feet and jumping out – me!

In the good old days before hi-jacks to Cuba, D.B Cooper and the 9/11 events, flying was fun. The lounges, the food, the stewardesses – all made the experience rewarding. Now the only reward posted is for the capture of the guy that didn’t turn off his cell phone. It is a Federal offence. Four ounces of shampoo, see in the pen!

That’s my take on it, you decide.

CLASS WARFARE – ARE YOU A SOLDIER?

According to Rush Limbaugh we are now embarking on Class Warfare because the president proposed that the people making a million a year pay 3% more in taxes. Now them there are fightin’ words! You millionaires better reinforce your property gates and the doors to the vaults as ”they” are acomin’ fer ya!

Leave it to Rush to put the spin on this so us poor people look like revolutionaries. I see images from the play Les Miserables playing out in the streets. What are “poor” people? Who are the “poor” people? We are, those of us making less than $1 million a year. Guess I am very poor!

Now the argument goes that many people don’t pay taxes. Yep, they don’t make enough to pay any. Just like Exxon-Mobil. They are sooo poor that even though their profits are in the several BILLIONS, they pay nothing – nada – no taxes – but they do get refunds and subsidies in the $4 BILLION range. Poor guys, they were hoping for more – they may have to go on food stamps. Who is paying that refund – we are – the bottom 99%.

Everyone pays taxes. Try to buy a Slurpee at 7-11 and not pay sales tax. The transient that lives on the street and goes into Starbucks for some hot coffee – he pays taxes. Check out how many taxes are in the price of a gallon gas. Not everyone pays income taxes, but everyone pays taxes. Get a meaningless job and a W2, you are tagged with FICA taxes – no matter how many “dependents” you claim, FICA is still paid.

No one wants to pay taxes, but asking the very wealthiest of the country to pay just a little more is not class warfare – it is just asking for them to pay their fair share to protect what they have. I guess it is not class warfare to ask the poorest of the country to pay to protect the wealthy – it is just aristocracy – like it was in the 19th Century England.

According to this Supreme Court, money is speech – so the more you have the louder you speak. That is why the top 1% is so much louder than the bottom 99%.

Did you hear the story of the franchise owner from Arkansas? He testified that he does $6 million a year in business. He has to feed his family and that costs $200,000 a year. He deducts that from his salary of $600,000 a year leaving only $5.4 million to pay 500 employees. What a great guy – he pays his employees a whopping $5.19 an hour. Is he is to be believed? His family gets to eat on a measly $4000 a week! With the other $400,000 he gets to enjoy his life. The sacrifices this guy has to make – makes you wanna cry!

He is a “job creator.” He creates poverty level employees. He is a “class warfare” creator. He is just lucky that the foot soldiers of this war do not carry guns – they carry signs, they carry time cards and they get to wear paper hats and smiles when they say, “Welcome to . . . !”

It is tiring to hear these billionaires crying that they have to pay taxes. I pay my fair share and I am confident that the top 1% pay proportionately less than I do. Ask Warren Buffett, he’ll tell you how he pays less taxes than his secretary. Mr. Buffett sees the inequity in the system. He wants to pay more. In fact, most people who are earning in the millions are willing to pay more, but the cadre of Congress people want to protect the wealthiest Americans to protect themselves. Ask Eric or John or Mitch – these legislators are protecting the” job creators” that haven’t created any jobs except those that attend to their lawns. (And many are illegals – just ask Romney and he is “running for office for Pete’s sake.”)

The bottom 99% is getting louder every day. We are hearing them across the country and yes, the world. The problem is that the public safety workers don’t realize that they are a large part of the 99%! Cops, fire, health workers and other public employees are going to lose their ability to collectively bargain – whose doing that to them – the 1% people.

Our society is being reflected in the political landscape – just two political parties and now just two classes – those that have and those of us that will have to give more to those that have. As stated by George W. Bush, the 1% is made up of “those that have and those that have more.”

That is my take – you decide.

THE NBA FIASCO IN MID-TOWN

When I was about nine years old I came home on a Saturday afternoon and turned on the TV. It took about two minutes to warm up and I flipped the channels with the channel selector knob. I had only three channels to choose from and all three were black and white. On channel seven I saw a bunch of guys in gym shorts playing basketball. Little did I know that I was watching the world famous Boston Celtics at the equally famous “Gahdin.”

I became hooked on basketball. These were my new heroes: Sharman, Cousy, McCauley and later K.C. Jones, Sam Jones and Bill Russell. These were great guys that played for the Celtics, the team and the Celtics were great! They were also good people!

I am not sure that the individual that plays the game today can equal the character of the people that played the game then. Jerry West for the Lakers, Irving for the 76ers, Frank Selby, Richie Guerin for the New York (hated) Knicks. These were players of character. They didn’t jump as high as the players of today. They didn't jump teams - they were loyal to the fans, the team and the city. They did pass better. They won without the three point shot, and they had to make the first free throw to get to the second.
The players I see today are not of great character. I am generalizing, but the few that set the stage for the rest are still NBA Players. Now what do they want? More. Just like Oliver, “More, please.” More of what? More diamond earrings, more gold chains, more groupies, more entitlements to bad behavior? Just more because they feel entitled by their size and sometimes, questionable skills that size hides their inadequacies.

There is a lock out. The owners have said enough is enough. More than 20 teams are losing money and the payers are insisting on a greater percentage than they had so the teams that are losing money could lose more. These are the “businesses” that employ the players and the employees that are making many millions of dollars are unhappy – they want more. They want to put their hands deeper into the pockets of the owners.

Imagine working for Sears and saying you won’t come to work because you want more. Or imagine Sears saying to the employees if you insist on more I am going to lock the doors. It is nuts. Until they hit the NBA most people didn’t know of any of the players unless they played in their hometown or home state college. Now they are stars and want to be paid accordingly. Accordingly to what? But what if they had no place to play – are they still “stars?” There are just so many players that are drafted from such a large pool are the stars still yet to be found?

I bet I could draft an NBA team from the courts at Venice Beach. But here is what will happen.
They will play well, draw TV audiences and stadium crowds, negotiate with the owners then they, too will be overpaid and they too will want more. Now whose fault is that? The owners. Because they paid!

They wanted the player to play for him/her and they said grab that wheel barrel of money and play on my court. So, the owners are responsible for their mess. Now they want to limit their expenses by capping the player’s share of income to a paltry 50%.

Have you bought a ticket to an NBA game lately? I am not so sure that the cost of buying those tickets didn’t cause the mortgage crisis. How much can you charge to watch guys in their underwear play for 48 minutes? And these are not nice guys (again, generalizing). These guys have histories of rape, wife beating, shooting people, carrying guns into a locker room, bedding more than 20,000 women who are not wives and so much more.

These guys are mostly inarticulate. They can’t string words together except to say, “more.” They make more money touting deodorants, sneakers and other overpriced stuff because the owners gave them a jersey and a number. Why can’t the owners ask for a percentage of that income?

This is a balanced problem – the owners pay more so the players think they owners can pay more. The players are insisting at looking at the books and the owners should have the same right to examine the benefits the player receives by wearing the owner’s jersey. They can each dip their respective hands into 52.5% of the gross – players and team.

It nothing more than greed. On both sides! But the owners have the key to the store. They made the investments, bought the jerseys with the numbers on them. Got the arenas built, negotiated the TV agreements that helped the “stars” become stars. The players invest in themselves – most of them received scholarships and other non-NCAA benefits to play at the college level so the pros could see them. Their investment seems minimal. They even got rewarded for becoming better at the “amateur” level. That made them worth “more.’

Take the 50%! How many more millions do the players need? Do the players intend to make up the lost income of the stadium employees – who make a few bucks short of a million. Does either side care? These are also casualties of this idiocy.

So, we won’t have NBA Basketball for a few weeks or maybe even months. I will live. Some fanatics will have hard time, but there is always college hoops, NFL and NCAA Football to keep us occupied. Many have said that college basketball is a better game. Can’t wait till March Madness. The October madness is happening now in a mid-town Manhattan hotel.

And where is the fan in all this?

That is my take on it – you decide.

THUMBS UP – THE NEW COMMUNICATIONS PROCESS

We are living in a Blackberry world! Until it goes down. That is. It wasn’t so long ago that I expressed regret that I did not take typing 101 in High School. Watching my wife cruise the keyboard like a stenographic super woman, made me jealous of the amount of text she could out put while I still, after all these years, have to look at the key tops to insure that my typing reflects what I am thinking. 

A short while ago I wrote about the difference between the thumb and the fingers in communications. I was right and I was also wrong! 

My first Smith Corona portable typewriter entered my life at age 14. More than a  half century later, I am only slight better at typing than I was at 14. It is not a matter of just speed, it is a matter of spelling, spacing, hyphenation, indents and so much more that makes written (typed) page a work of art! Be sure, I am among the vast majority who are NOT artists! 

But I got along just like so many others! When I hired my first secretary more than 35 years ago I asked two basic questions: How fast can you type? (I have a cousin that once hit 90 plus words a minute). And, do you take shorthand? Later, working for Dictaphone Corporation, shorthand was not a requirement as we had telephone like devices on our desk. We just picked up the handset and started talking. We could say whatever was on our mind into this device as it was called the “Think Tank.” Somewhere a stenographer was typing our thoughts at blazing speed on typewriters that had balls whacking away on the paper in a blur! 

Those were the good old 70sa and 80s! Stenography was a career! Need a stenographer - just dip into the “pool.” They did it all – took your thoughts converted them to scribbles (shorthand), then typed them on correcting typewriters and voila – your thoughts on paper, spelled correctly with the proper punctuation and in one of maybe seven typefaces that IBM has on balls! 

Now that we have desktop, laptop and note book computers along with iPhones, Thunderbolts, Droids and BlackBerrys and other devices that fin into a small bag, pouch, belt-clip or inside pocket, the world has changed - or has it? White Out gave way to Spell Check, ink erasers are extinct, 12 point type is a thing of the past just like the three cent stamp.  

“I am all thumbs” has a new meaning! Left and right thumbs are the new source of information. Left and right thumbs connect with the rest of the world. Just as Emperor Nero would put his thumb up or down to indicate whether the combatant would live or die, our thumbs do the same – will that deal live or die? We thumb are way through the process no matter where we are– will we have the meeting or not, we will have the date, is it a deal – so many questions rest on how well our thumbs communicate.

Even the worst typist can manipulate their thumbs – after all, it is just two of ten fingers. My thumb was once a proven method of transportation and now it is proven method of communication. My thumb got me all over the country, now I use it to get all over the world – instantly! My thumbs do not have to obey any posted speed limit! Thumbs take me to wherever I need to go with my thoughts and words.

Shorthand is back. Instant Messenger made thumb based communications even easier as words are not required. “cul8tr.” “50.” So many cryptic messages, “lol.” The new shorthand! You bet! After all, how much work can two thumbs do? There is a new etiquette or a lack of etiquette that is acceptable when using just thumbs. Spell check not required. In fact, it is distained. Buying vowels is a Vanna White service – not for Smart Phones. 

We had to know this was coming. So many states have vanity license plates these days. There have been some very compelling messages on these plates with just seven letters:“htgrdma.” “l8agn.” Hot grandma and late again – for those of you who are ‘Thumbish” Language challenged. 

For those of us that sort of miss the good old 70s and 80s where the English Language, and other languages of the world were all typed on a QWERTY keyboard, take heart.

Your left and right thumbs compete favorably to that stenographer who whizzed across the keyboard creating machine gun like sounds that would make a marine gunner proud! We have our thumbs to thank. Is it not our thumbs that separate us from primates?  

Pull out your Blackberry or iPhone and start creating information that will impact the world or your world, at least. Write that one great book that supposedly resides in us all. You can do it with just your thumbs. Imagine how fast you can create the tome of your life if you are using “u” for “you.” “l8t” for “late” or “st8” for “state?” get out the dictionary of Thumbish or get a teenager to assist, they have the latest “411.”

As you can see all this technology made the world an easier place to be, that is, unless you are all thumbs! 

That is my take, you decide – send me a thumb generated text!

WHO SAYS THE THUMB IS THE MOST IMPORTANT DIGIT?

Over the years we were told that the thumb was the most important digit on our hand – either right or left. Let’s face it we would not be able to write without it. Scratching your nose would be much more difficult. Shaking hands would be weird. But just what does thumb do besides indicate the direction you want to go?

OK – in Roman times it indicated life or death. I guess that was important then – especially for the gladiators. That signal hasn’t been used in centuries –  the thumb has given way to lethal injections, red buttons that say “Do Not Touch,” (so we touch them). The thumb is losing its importance in our lives. It doesn’t communicate much. It is too big for small smartphone keyboards. Maybe that is why my name comes through on a text message with 18 letters!

The thumb is gaining in stature with monkeys. That is how we differentiate ourselves – with the imposable thumb. Now that monkeys are starting to use their thumbs the thumb may be making a comeback.  But only with monkeys.

Nothing really positive is associated with the thumb. Thumb sucking is not a good thing. Hitting your thumb with a hammer only makes it bigger, brighter and brings out the worst in language. If you don’t want to read a book, you say, “I will thumb my way through it.” Want to look at a photo – look at a “thumbnail.” That is a small rendition of the picture. Don’t want the whole story, get a thumbnail version. The thumb is now a tool of indifference. I don’t want to be disrespectful to the thumb, I would be devastated without mine, but other digits now seem to communicate more and at a higher level.

For example, as I was driving down Reseda Boulevard,  at a safe speed, not racing to get anywhere, a car of vintage passed me and a middle finger was stuck out the window. Here is what that digit told me: It was a hot day and she didn’t have air conditioning. She indicated that she would be number one at the stop sign and she realized that this was information that I really needed to have – no point in my racing to the stop sign.

However, she had to make a left turn and was waiting as I proceeded through the stop sign. I lowered my window (I have air conditioning) and raised my finger indicating that I was actually number one through the stop sign. In my rear view mirror she was wildly moving her digit indicating that she was not taking this lightly. So, I put out three fingers hoping she would understand, “Please read between the lines.” Yes, it was a she!

So, here you have it! The index middle and ring fingers are the most important fingers. The middle finger has the most impact. The ring finger suggests commitment, the index finger points the way but the middle finger’s message is so forceful that they blur the raising of the digit when shown in news cast. But, the meaning is never blurred. Oh, the pinky finger, that is for effect!

The thumb, when put to use on a keyboard, only creates the spaces. The digits are the ones that create the words.

That is my take on it – you decide!?

PS - What do you think of this post? Thumbs up or thumbs down?

YOU WOULD THINK WITH THIS EMPLOYMENT MARKET . . .

. . . that those that hold jobs would do everything in their power to keep them. I am amazed at the lack of service that we are getting these days at local restaurants both high end (expensive) and middle of the road like delis – although have you seen the prices lately?

Not long ago my wife made a reservation at a very upscale Brentwood restaurant* to celebrate a family event. She called and made the reservation and asked for a specific table. In fact, a friend that is a very frequent diner also called on our behalf to make sure that the table was held for us. A few days before another call was made and we were assured that the table was ours. 

You guessed it – the table was occupied when we got there. “Someone else wanted it,” we were told. No apology. We even saw the notes in the reservation book and she could care less. We were given a smaller table by the bar.  

 Our waitress was, to be polite, the worst! Food came out at different intervals and was cold. No apologies. No attention. Could not get her attention.  The bill was extravagant and the service really sucked and the food failed on every level. Of course, we reported this to our friends who are or were very frequent diners there – a couple of times a week. They gave the restaurant a pass as it may have been a “bad night.” Guess what, they experienced similar attitudes after that and are no longer patrons.  My guess is, and I do not know, they may have spent up to $10,000 a year or more at that establishment. That is the equivalent of a half of a hostess. With their negative recommendations the other half is probably gone.

There is a new Italian restaurant in Encino. The first time we tried to get in we were told that because we had no reservation they could not accommodate us. I am OK with that. The place was full and that was the best recommendation. A few months later we tried to go again and were accommodated as it was early in the evening. The food was great, the service was good, so we felt we found a good eatery that is local. 

They say that the third time is a charm. It was about the same time in the early evening we stopped by to see if we could get a pre-movie meal. There was about four tables occupied and the rest of the restaurant was empty. We requested a patio table and the petite 17 year old hostess came back  pointing to her watch like an old schoolteacher, admonishing us that the table had to be available at 7:15 for another customer. We probably would have been gone long before the 7:15 time, but it was the attitude – so we said, “Good-bye.” 

From there we headed east to Van Nuys Boulevard where we revisited a restaurant that we ate at once a few years back. We were greeted in a manner that says we want your business. They provided a great table, great bread and a very good menu. The wait staff was friendly and welcoming.

 As we looked through the menu, we saw that they had a sister operation in Brentwood. Guess which one! That prompted a conversation with the waiter who told us that while management was related, they were two different restaurants. That fact was borne out by the ensuing service the quality of the food and the attention we got. Looking around, we were not alone as the restaurant filled and everyone seemed to be pleased. We will continue to frequent Oliva.

Not long ago, after a religious service four of us went to a local delicatessen that had a famous reputation. The place was two thirds empty. We were immediately seated and a table and promptly ignored. The waitress was non-existent and when she finally arrived she took our order.

Nate must have been off that night because it took forever to get the food. Our waitress was pleasant and friendly but we didn’t see her until the food arrived. It was not good.  

Here is the point: With unemployment so high and customers are hard to get due to the economy, you would think that business, especially service business, would take time to train their people.

 As a gesture of good will, I called the manager of the Italian restaurant in Encino and thanked him for the experience as his hostess caused us to find a better restaurant that we will continue to frequent. I expressed my feelings saying, “Sorry that our experience at your eatery was bad, but it led to a good thing and for that we are grateful. Thank your hostess for me.”

I am amazed at the attitudes. These people have jobs and are trying to lose them – maybe not intentionally, but by their attitudes. The business owners are somewhat lax as they are not training their people to protect their business. I see lack of caring – maybe basic training should be as a WalMart greeter. They always smile and say, “Welcome.” 

That is my take – you decide.

*Name of restaurant given by written request.

DETAILS OF THE TAXES AND FEES ASSOCIATED WITH THE HEALTH CARE LAW.

A friend recently cited something that is in the Health Care Law. He said he knew or heard about the 1.5% tax on home sales to be paid by the seller. I hadn’t heard that. I had read much of the actual bill that was not one of the items that I could recall. Many friends have also told me about some items that are NOT in the law but they believe that these items are contained in the law. So, I did a little research and found a synopsis of all the taxes and fees on Kiplinger’s site.  Here is what I found out.
There are 13 taxes and fees associated with the Heal Care Bill. Some are ridiculous and are “so whats” such as the 10% tax on tanning services. These tanning beds can cause cancer so there has to be a price for vanity. Me, I am neutral on this, I lay by the pool, as I said, it is a so what!

There are tax credits associated with the law. Yep, I said CREDITS! This is a little complicated, but initially small businesses can receive up to 35% of their health care premium cost as a CREDIT. Later, that CREDIT can go to 50%. Now even though that the value of the health insurance an employee receives is on their W-2 form, it is NOT taxable. That can hurt business – how?

Play loose with the law regarding non qualified (I have no idea) distributions from health savings accounts (do you know anyone that has one?) then the fine is doubled to 20% (of what?). There is a cap on how much an employer can contribute to health care flexible spending accounts to $2500 per year, whatever that means. I do know that you can’t use these funds for Advil or any other OTC drug. Viagra, I am not sure.

Here is where it could hurt your earnings. ( it means having a job – a very well paying job) If you earn more than $200,000 per year or $250,000 for married couples there will be a .9% sur tax on the excess of the amounts stated. So, if you are earning $500,000 a year, your Medicare sur tax will be $2250, less than one half of one percent – that will stifle jobs, right, wrong!
There is actually more to this part of the bill that has high earners pissed off. It will apply to unearned income such as interest, dividends, capital gains, annuities, royalties and rents. Any interest that is tax exempt now will be then as well.

You will have to have 10% of your income allocated to medical deductions starting in 2013 rather than 7.5%. With the price of medications today, that increase of 2.5% to many will mean nothing.

A friend recently cited something that is in the Health Care Law. He said he knew or heard about the 1.5% tax on home sales to be paid by the seller. I hadn’t heard that. I had read much of the actual bill that was not one of the items that I could recall. Many friends have also told me about some items that are NOT in the law but they believe that these items are contained in the law. So, I did a little research and found a synopsis of all the taxes and fees on Kiplinger’s site.  Here is what I found out.

There are 13 taxes and fees associated with the Heal Care Bill. Some are ridiculous and are “so whats” such as the 10% tax on tanning services. These tanning beds can cause cancer so there has to be a price for vanity. Me, I am neutral on this, I lay by the pool, as I said, it is a so what!

There are tax credits associated with the law. Yep, I said CREDITS! This is a little complicated, but initially small businesses can receive up to 35% of their health care premium cost as a CREDIT. Later, that CREDIT can go to 50%. Now even though that the value of the health insurance an employee receives is on their W-2 form, it is NOT taxable. That can hurt business – how?

Play loose with the law regarding non qualified (I have no idea) distributions from health savings accounts (do you know anyone that has one?) then the fine is doubled to 20% (of what?). There is a cap on how much an employer can contribute to health care flexible spending accounts to $2500 per year, whatever that means. I do know that you can’t use these funds for Advil or any other OTC drug. Viagra, I am not sure.

Here is where it could hurt your earnings. ( it means having a job – a very well paying job) If you earn more than $200,000 per year or $250,000 for married couples there will be a .9% sur tax on the excess of the amounts stated. So, if you are earning $500,000 a year, your Medicare sur tax will be $2250, less than one half of one percent – that will stifle jobs, right, wrong!

There is actually more to this part of the bill that has high earners pissed off. It will apply to unearned income such as interest, dividends, capital gains, annuities, royalties and rents. Any interest that is tax exempt now will be then as well.

You will have to have 10% of your income allocated to medical deductions starting in 2013 rather than 7.5%. With the price of medications today, that increase of 2.5% to many will mean nothing.

Remember those GOLDEN PLANS that cover everything from rhinoplasty to breast enhancement, and the premiums are paid by an employer? That gets a real kick if the plan costs more than $27,500 for a family for a year. It is a 40% excise tax on the amount that exceeds the $27,500. Who generally gets these plans? CEOs making millions every year. This could be a real drag as the 40% could be as much as two start times  for foursomes at the country club! What a job killer!

We’ve covered one through ten – there are three more.

THE MANDATE. Here’s how that works for those of you that hate paying for someone else’s health care. Too bad we can’t get uninsured health care as we do for uninsured motorists on our auto policy (Mandated).  Starting in 2014 a minimum yearly tax of $95 is imposed or 1% of income rising to $695 or 2.5% of income by 2016. You don’t have to get insurance if the 2.5% is better than a plan that costs more. Here are some more MANDATES: You must have a passport to travel – costs about $100. You must have a driver’s license – cost about $25. You must have a gas shut off valve at your home – cost about $350. You must have a six foot fence if you have a pool – cost about $3000. Smog control and smog testing – MANDATE.  Nobody helps you with those costs! And even though there are no “declared” wars, you are mandated to register for Selective Service at age 18.

If you can’t afford the MANDATE then there are refundable tax credits if the family‘s household earnings are from $22,000 to $88,000 for families. Single tax payers can get a sliding scale credit based on income from $11,000 to $44,000.

The last of the 13 is the nondeductible fee charged to businesses with 50 or more employees that fails to offer adequate coverage. As I grew up my father, then me; we always had employer provided adequate coverage.  My dad was union and I was never union, but insurance was part of my employment. When I had employees I provided the coverage and I only had six employees at the time. That benefit helped me get the best employees.

I can see General Motors going out of business because they don’t want to provide health care coverage to their employees – Oh, yes, shut GM down because of health insurance? Health insurance is more than medical coverage. Train an employee, have them work for you for ten years and they get sick. What is more cost effective? Find another employee, train them to do the job, lose the productivity while they learn, OR make the employee well with adequate health coverage? I ask, which do you think is better?

Remember those GOLDEN PLANS that cover everything from rhinoplasty to breast enhancement, and the premiums are paid by an employer? That gets a real kick if the plan costs more than $27,500 for a family for a year. It is a 40% excise tax on the amount that exceeds the $27,500. Who generally gets these plans? CEOs making millions every year. This could be a real drag as the 40% could be as much as two start times for two foursomes at the country club! What a job killer!

We’ve covered one through ten – there are three more.

THE MANDATE. Here’s how that works for those of you that hate paying for someone else’s health care. Too bad we can’t get uninsured health care as we do for uninsured motorists on our auto policy (Mandated).  Starting in 2014 a minimum yearly tax of $95 is imposed or 1% of income rising to $695 or 2.5% of income by 2016. You don’t have to get insurance if the 2.5% is better than a plan that costs more. Here are some more MANDATES: You must have a passport to travel – costs about $100. You must have a driver’s license – cost about $25. You must have a gas shut off valve at your home – cost about $350. You must have a six foot fence if you have a pool – cost about $3000. Smog control and smog testing – MANDATE.  Nobody helps you with those costs! And even though there are no “declared” wars, you are mandated to register for Selective Service at age 18.

If you can’t afford the MANDATE then there are refundable tax credits if the family‘s household earnings are from $22,000 to $88,000 for families. Single tax payers can get a sliding scale credit based on income from $11,000 to $44,000.

The last of the 13 is the nondeductible fee charged to businesses with 50 or more employees that fails to offer adequate coverage. As I grew up my father, then me; we always had employer provided adequate coverage.  My dad was union and I was never union, but insurance was part of my employment. When I had employees I provided the coverage and I only had six employees at the time. That benefit helped me get the best employees.

I can see General Motors going out of business because they don’t want to provide health care coverage to their employees – Oh, yes, shut GM down because of health insurance? Health insurance is more than medical coverage. Train an employee, have them work for you for ten years and they get sick. What is more cost effective? Find another employee, train them to do the job, lose the productivity while they learn, OR make the employee well with adequate health coverage? I ask, which do you think is better?

Oh, I never found that 1.5% tax. That, like so many other myths that surround the health care bill, distort the facts. Everyone I ask hates the plan but loves what is in it. It is like watching your family taking a drive in a Yugo. Don’t like the car, but love what is in it. It will get you where you need to go.

That is my take on it - you decide!

WRITER’S BLOCK OR CTOS* – BUT THEN THIS CAME TO MIND

It is the 10^th year of remembrance of 9/11. My ideas may be crazy and off the chart, but facts of history do speak for themselves. That was a very tragic day and the loss of life will never be acceptable to any right thinking American or citizen of the world, for that matter. I want to honor those that fell that day and those that have fallen in the ensuing wars. By inserting some humor I am trying to say that we were not and are not defeated! They say that time plus tragedy is the formula for comedy – there is no comedy here, just some humor – as there is in all events.

I will sit for days thinking that I will never have another idea, opinion, philosophy or experience to write about that might engage a reader. Then it comes. I can’t tell you how many blogs have been written by me as the Ambien are kicking in. Decision time; get up and make a quick note and then try to go to sleep without the full effect of the Ambien or just doze off and hope that the idea has a shelf life of about eight hours.

In most cases either scenario works. That is how these ideas come. Someone asked so I thought I would tell. One came to me while shaving this morning. They were touting President Bush’s interview on some obscure channel regarding 9/11 and these thoughts popped up (along with my breakfast – too early in the morning for that kind of trauma). It was also dangerous because I was using a razor to shave, the kind with blades.

During the attacks on 9/11 George sat there in the Florida class room for seven minutes. Didn’t move a muscle. During those seven minutes he was debating  whether he should ask the smart kid in the front row, “What to do?”. He didn’t want to scare them so instead he looked like a startled deer in headlights frozen with fear. The deer at least has a look that asks, “What the f__k?”

Getting back to the ideas that have trouble coming, here is one set of ideas that came while the Barbasol was lathering my face.

Here is what I think GWB was thinking:

This is his stream of consciousness, if you will (he was awake – his eyes were open and looking down in the photo). I believe his first thought was, “OH SHIT.” His second was, “no not in these pants! I just had them cleaned. I will have to sit here until the spot dries!” His remaining thoughts went something like this:

Bet that guy Saddaam did it. He didn’t like my daddy, he tried to kill my daddy.  It was Saddam, even if it wasn’t Saddam. Condi told me something about an attack that was going to happen by Al somebody. That report was last month. Thought that Al was the guy that fixed her car- guess not.

Ok, who else could have done it? What , there were Saudis on those planes? I can’t say that, the royal family is family – they wouldn’t do that to me. Heck, the king spent time at my ranch. Wait, he could still be pissed because he stepped in some . . . nah we got it all off but it did stink for a while. These are kind people, the kind that like to beat their wives but they don’t ever try that on my momma or Laura. I would strongly threaten to kick their ass if they did or make them buy some cool weapons at some very good prices.

Osama ben Laden? No way. They are also family. The ben Ladens and the Bush families go way back. Heck we’ve been business partners for years. Ah, I do recall that they had a difficult son in the family. Nah, he wouldn’t do it – he swam in our pool, drank our coffee and snuck a beer every once in a while. He was a tall SOB!

So here is what we got to do: Get Dick to organize his old company so they can charge us extremely high prices for everything. Do a bombing raid on Baghdad- call it “Shock in the Box.” No that won’t do – awe shucks – I got it “Shuck and Awe!” Almost there --- SHOCK AND AWE, that’s it.

Let’s bomb the shit out of Iraq – even if the attack was carried out by Saudis. We will look for their Weapons of Mass Destruction. (W, like me, MD) Or, let’s pretend to go looking for them and anyone who says they ain’t there we will brand as being un- patriotic. Wow, I got the way to spend this country into economic ruin and then let the Democrats try to solve that problem.  I will declare that I am a dictator (as a joke, but I won’t be laughing).  No, he really wasn’t’ that smart!

That was a long seven minutes and I don’t know what was really in his head, if anything, but it lead to a  well concocted plan to screw the US for many years.

Speaking of seven minutes have you read the Sidney Sheldon book that describes seven minutes in another, more interesting way? Maybe that is what George was doing for those seven minutes, in either case, something got wet!

OK, Mr. President, we got to go and go - now! He thought, “Not till my pants are dry.”

That is my thinking – you decide!

*Can’t think of shit.