One Brick Short

Ah, the President is talking and I’m sitting on the couch with the beagle at my feet, my political salt shaker nearby.

He’s getting it right so far. He’s talking about how the economy is dwindling and costs are rising. Now he’s talking about giving me a little tax refund so I can pay off some bills—I’ll be damned if I’m going to buy more when I need the money to break even—and keeping the current tax breaks that were passed 7 years ago....made a good joke about the IRS accepting checks and money orders.....

He’s going to veto any bill that raises taxes. That’s fine and dandy, no problem here. He’s a wanting to cut a couple billion dollars to get us in shape for 2012, which is when the world is going to end. He didn’t mention that, though. Probably doesn’t read Nostradamus.

I’m waiting for a little something about jobs. We’re losing jobs in this country, hemorraghing them as a matter of fact, and I wonder what he wants us to do about it. Michigan, my old stomping grounds, is dying for jobs that are going to Bophuthatswanna and all sorts of “Emerging Countries.”

He’s talking about raising the maximum amount of Fannie Mae and Mac loans and even allow local governments to issue bonds to help taxpayers. I’d be interested in seeing that. He’s talking about health care like he was Hillary Clinton circa 1992. He wants to fund it by a tax break?

......He wants to renew programs to help workers find new jobs by retraining them? Retraining them for what, making milkshakes at Hardees? We’re blowing our manufacturing base out the doors to Mexico, Myanamar, China and every place but America. People need jobs here and businesses are going to find they need people here to have jobs because no one will be able to afford to buy American goods built overseas if they don’t have jobs to earn income.

Am I the only one who sees this issue?

He wants to help American workers by opening up foreign markets to American goods but American manufacturers are building their goods overseas....

OK, I’m going to get myself a sandwich now.

I’m back. Did I miss anything?

9:32 p.m.: Immigration and entitlement programs....painful choices on entitlement programs. He wants to reform them. Please, for God sake, do not tie social security to the stock market. My 401 K is worth about $40 becuase of the freakin’ stock drops.

Immigration: Big fences, checking on employment, but come up with a lawful way to let foreign workers support our economy. Not a bad plan. Let those who want to work, work. Sensible and humane way to deal with undocumented immigrants already here in a truly American fashion. I’ll go with that. That’s one of the few things I’ll agree with. If someone is here working hard and doing well, leave them the hell alone. If they’re criminals, get them out.

9:36 p.m. Terrorism: Evil men who despise freedom and America. Well, can’t argue with that description. The justice to our enemies quote seems a little scary, but it wouldn’t bother me to see someone take out O.B.L., as long as it was fast and humane.

Spreading the hope of freedom....I’m sure OBL is spreading the hope of a religious state. Someday maybe we’ll agree to observe the Prime Directive. Not in my life time, though.

9:42 p.m.: He’s backing the surge. Sure seems to have worked well, the question is how long can we keep up a two-front war?

9:44 p.m.: It’s kind of funny to see Nancy Pelosi and Dick Cheney sitting next to each other. It appears as though they’ve been eating onions. As long as Cheney isn’t hunting and she doesn’t sneak up behind him…

9:48 p.m. Dang! He’s still talking and the beagle has to go outside for a walk. That’s not fair. If I had a cat I could just open the door and let the dang thing wander the neighborhood doing whatever it wants whereever it wants, killing, maiming, eating the forward parts of small creatures and leaving the aft-ends behind.  OK, gotta take the pup out. Fill me in on whatever I miss.....