Well, Well, Well; Surprise, Surprise!

Okay, once again the powers that be appear to have screwed up royally. The bailout plan is out, then it's in, then it's out again. Personally, I have a problem that the individuals responsible are not going to be held accountable. The taxpayers are going to front the bill again. Should the bailout be approved, it is still a gamble. The investments do not have to become profitable in time for the economy to right itself. What right does George W. Bush have to ask the American people to clean up his train wreck? How could he stand in front of the American people and blame us for the situation of the economy?

The question now is "Do we have a deal. or don't we?" It is 10:02 PM EST and nothing seems to have been resolved. The game goes on.

Well, I am not surprised. Ever since GWB got in office, SNAFU seems to be the legacy of his administration. I guess we have to adopt a "wait "n" see" attitude and I bet it's going to be something. BS anyone?

Here We Go Again

The present economic crisis has everyone afraid of what could be. Many economists saw it coming and tried to warn us all. This new plan to bail out the suffering businesses is scary because the cost will most likely fall on the tax payer. Personally, I cannot afford the bill.

President Bush went on TV this evening and laid the blame on everything but where it belongs...on this administration! His administration's support of the credit industry has lead to the problems we face today. He stated that the influx of foreign investors started the ball rolling...not true! The failure of the Bush administration to hold the credit industry accountable for their predatory practices was the "beginning of the end".

The credit card industry has been one of the largest, (if not the largest), financial supporters of the Bush Presidency. Their campaign contributions kept the heat from the industry players. It started with the credit card industry and the primary way to slow the snowballing problem down is to make the credit card industry stop their predatory practices. The public needs to be made aware and encouraged to to STOP using those cards and begin purchasing what they can afford to pay cash for. Getting something you want with a 29% interest rate attached is anything but practical. Having to pay enough late fees that your minimum payment automatically doubles is not the smartest thing for a consumer to continue to accept.

My suggestion...cut up the cards. Keep one for dire emergency.. Use Cash for everything. Hold them accountable...Free yourself from the yoke of DEBT>

There are solutions..research and use them.

Egos, Economy, Elections

These are maddening times. Political egos are fragile, the election is approaching, and the economy is shot. We are forced to do more things with less resources. At the beginning of the war in Iraq, the president told us all we would have to tighten our belts. Since then, there have been tax cuts for the wealthy, more stress for the less fortunate. Sen. McCain pulled a smart move by naming Alaska's female governor as his running mate. Hey, she is ultra conservative, practically unkown and a potential salve for the wounded Hillary Clinton supporters who would like another alternative, besides Obama.

Okay, because of the Hurricane Gustav, the Republican Convention has been delayed a tad. There must be some distance, (if only in appearance), from the present administration. Remember, it took Bush a long time to react to the plight of Katrina. So many issues still remain unresolved and here comes another disaster.

I have been looking at other economic flags. Credit card fees are rising, it is hard as hell to get a loan. Foreclosures are still rising, gas prices are astronomical, and more companies are send their production factories out of the country. Even Hershey's Chocolate has begun the process of moving their production to Mexico. In the name of profit, a lot of Americans will be out of work and no one cares.

Well, strap in everyone...we have a rough ride ahead.

Question: Will This Election Be Hijacked?

Well, it is getting close to election time. I am as excited as anyone, but I am also very skeptical. Mainstream media is afraid to talk about what has happened previously in the Presidential elections of 2000 and 2004. Personally, a blind man and a moron can see both elections were fraudulent, tainted and basically rigged. I personally will go to my grave believing that. Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004 are perfect examples there was and still is a problem within our election system.

I fail to understand why so many died so the American people can vote, only to have so many disenfranchised, ignored, intimidated and just totally disrespected and then to try to spread Democracy around the world. Until we get it right, who are we to criticize other countries?

We need as a people begin the task of oversight. We have to be watchdogs of our Democracy. We need to hold those accountable who would act to prevent our citizens from casting their vote. The electronic voting machine of the past is obsolete. There needs to be a new machine; the Athan Gibbs machine should be investigated and implemented. At least you can verify your vote. To date, we have no way to be sure our votes counted. that has to change.

There is a documentary titled: "Uncounted: American Elections". The general impression I received from that film is that the upcoming election of 2008 stands a good chance of being hijacked. I believe that to be an accurate assessment. We must say no to inauditable, paperless voting machines. We need to contact our representatives in our state capitals and in Washington, DC and let them know that until we change these things and make our voting process more secure, Democracy as we believe we know is in danger of becoming a thing of the past. Eventually, we will be no better than the third world countries we are always criticizing for holding fraudulent elections. Now is the time to step up and be heard, be recognized and be counted.

Register to vote, find out what type of voting aparatus is being used at your polling place. Demand to know what kind of security is in place so your vote counts. I do not care who you vote for, because this issue affects us all. Let not those who would suppress the freedom of choice for every voter gain the upper hand again.

MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT!!!!!!!!!!!

MY OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE

Well, to begin with the Olympics have if nothing else been interesting. Human interest stories are anything but lacking. Michael Phelps as expected took home a lot of gold. The Jamaican sprinter U. Bolt shattered the world record in the 100 meters easily. The US did not make much of a showing otherwise. So far, I do not believe any US female sprinter has even placed in the 100 meters. We have to wait for the 200 meters to see what the US has to offer. Now the 400, that is the race to watch. We will see some new things there. Our 400 mtr. relay team should blow away the rest of the field.
Our Basketball team should make a lot of noise, too. They have a point to prove. So far, they appear to be doing just that. I have to wonder, with all the doping scandals attached to US sprinters are they just plain distracted or the best is yet to come. It's funny how everyone is so vocal about the medal returns, the discovery of doping eight to ten years later and all the sickening events attributed to illegal substances, yet no one seems to want to know how all of these "discoveries" came about. I am more than sure no athlete just voluntarily came forward and admitted to doping. I doubt very seriously if "eyewitness testimony" carried that much weight. So where did the information come from and how reliable is it really? How deep does this thing really go? And of course, my biggest question: Are we going to find out that today's heroes had the same flaws twenty years from now? Are they gonna add new substances to the banned list and make them pay later?
Nothing surprises me. Don't get me wrong, doping is bad, it's wrong. It's too bad we live in a time where "win at all costs" is the thought for the day. Everyone is trying to get an edge because of all the accolades and financial gratuities attached to a winner. Well, this is the world we live in and only we can begin the change. Each one teach one. It may take awhile, but it can happen. For right though, let's support our heroes and urge them to achieve their goals the right way. Let's openly congratulate those who have done it the right way in such an era of temptation.
No matter where they are from; celebrate them! They have earned it.

I'm Back

Well, hello everyone! It's been awhile. Been a little busy, just dealing with life on its own terms. As usual, though...things still are haywire. The days leading up to the next election appear interesting to say the least. Senator Obama has went to the Middle East to get a feel on what is happening there. Senator McCain is bashing him for denouncing the success of the surge of troops. Well, it looks as though this is a preview of things to come. On a lighter note, we have the Olympics coming up and it looks as though there will be very interesting competition in track & field. China and Cuba have excellent hurdlers that will definitely give the US entry a run for his money. In other Olympic competition, the US looks okay. Swimming is going to be a blast. The eyes are on the US basketball team. The question of whether or not they can bring back the "Dream Team" glory days is on everyone"s lips. With Coach "K", the fiasco of Larry Brown should be a distant memory. It appears as though our guys are ready to play. Its going to be fun to watch. Well, we should all wait and see.

Presidential Betrayal

Well, it appears that one of GWB's own has turned the tables on him. His tell-all book trashes the stories this administration has told us over the past eight years. The reasons for the war; the oil crisis, the economy....all B___ S___!. Now the spin crew is at it. Calling the man "disgruntled" and just falling short of calling him a liar. The real deal is that we as a people have been misled by our leaders in no uncertain terms. We need to read that book. The excerpts I have come across are very interesting. I will let you be the judge. Personally, I think we as a society need to wake up and not take everything this administration says at face value.