Who's in Charge???

It was never clearer than during the reign of the Bushmen, that the President of the United States is not the one calling the shots. He’s simply the media presence, the fall guy, the ventriloquist’s dummy. George W. couldn’t put three sentences together without a teleprompter, much less answer questions from the press spontaneously. Everything during his reign was staged. The smug idiot president who didn’t even win the election, was finally on his way back to Texas. Whew! It was never clearer that the president is not “in charge” than it was with W. Unless, of course, you want to roll back the hands of time to the Regan era where that president, the Hollywood actor, had Alzheimer’s Disease but remained in office anyway.
As the scope of the chaos left behind became clear, I wondered if Senator Barack Obama might change his mind.. After all, the job he was applying for had changed drastically while he was campaigning. It was possible that he wasn’t interested in the new job description, that he didn’t want to devote that much time to being a member of the clean up crew.

The Clintons, a seasoned political team, moved into the White House with high hopes. They were a team, they said so, and they had intellect and political savvy. We mobilized, we got out the vote, we wanted to help. We ‘d been convinced that some big things would change. Hilary rolled up her sleeves and immediately went to work on health care reform. She pounded out a plan, she took it to Congress, then something big happened. It wasn’t very clear what happened, but it was big. The media attacked. She was hailed as a bitch and a ball breaker, there were rumors of her being a lesbian, she was accused of interfering in important matters of state. Suddenly she went from seasoned team player, attorney at law, working mother, back to an archaic and traditional first lady. What would be big enough to make an accomplished professional woman like Hilary Clinton go back to the drawing room with a smile pasted on her face while there were no changes whatsoever to the bleak and inadequate system of health care in America?
Bill Clinton’s intention to make the military a safe place for homosexuals, turned into an assanine “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Clearly an embarrassing compromise with someone, but who? What convinced an intelligent man like Bill Clinton to stand in front of an entire nation and say something as ridiculous as Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. What makes Hilary put her tail between her legs and go back to the mindless role of First Lady instead of back to her life as an accomplished attorney? Many things happen that we don’t know about, and the investigations, and hints of scandal that surrounded them for the rest of his term would indicate to me that they put up a good fight. The price tag was high. They (whoever THEY are) dragged old mistresses out of the closet, gave them makeovers and paraded them in front of the nation. There was a possible real estate scandal that never amounted to anything, and of course, the grand finale.. the white house intern who put her semen covered dress in a plastic bag in her mother’s freezer, as if that were a perfectly normal thing to do. The Clintons started out in a ray of hope, a beam of light illuminating their path, and after many disappointments were drowned in the scandal of The Blow Job in the White House. Like anyone really cared, or like it was the first time, or like Kenneth Starr had never had indiscreet sex. I do believe the Clinton’s resistance resulted in the media undermining them, and successfully attacking their credibility.



If we watch carefully, we can see the same thing happening to President Obama. He, too, generated hope, hope for change. The time was right, the country was desperately in need of an overhaul, and he was the man to do it. He convinced us. He was going to balance his family life with his job. He and Michelle were going to have date night, once a week where they would mingle with the common people, have dinner, go dancing, take in a movie, drive around alone together in their car, just the two of them . He could handle it, he was confident they would succeed. We believed him. Michelle Obama gave up her career as an accomplished attorney and became an Amerian fashion icon, eliminating any threats to the status quo.

It’s true that the mess left by the Bushmen was enormous, financially, politically and emotionally. It’s also true that President Obama, now, a year into it, seems rather naieve. He, like Hilary, thought he could overhaul the healthcare system. God knows it ‘s only working well for the insurance companies. People are being denied quality health care in the richest nation in the world. It’s an international embarrassment, a stigma on the history of America. His administration went after it, talked about universal health care, the need for a public option. We had hope. After months of misleading information, we ended up with nothing but a few new guidelines for the insurance companies. It was too expensive some said…too expensive for who, I wonder.
So far, the only real clues I can come up with are these.
There’s oil in Iraq. Thick rich dark oil. Americans crave it, use it, bathe in it, and apparently will lie, cheat and steal to get their hands on more of it.
There’s poppies in Afghanistan. Opium poppies. I’d say this has something to do with the drug companies, who have something to do with the health insurance industry. Whatever it is, it’s important enough for President Obama to send 30,00 more troops to Afghanistan when he campaigned on an anti war platform, and won the Nobel Peace Prize. How embarrassing for a man like that to accept the Nobel Peace Prize while he’s sending more military might into another foreign land, driving people from their homes, demolishing their livelihoods and disrupting their way of life.
If you break it down far enough, in America, it always comes back to greed and profit and money, money and more money, while we the people have no idea who is conducting the orchestra. . I can only hope that President Obama will step back into that ray of light that was illuminating his path, causing us all to wear our sunglasses at night. Meanwhile, it’s the same old shit., with no hope in sight.

Can I Live on 20.00 a Day?

CAN I LIVE ON $20.00 A DAY??

OK, so it appears as if I’ve become a spendthrift! I didn’t notice it when I was working but now that I’m unemployed it’s apparent that if I see it, and I want it, and it’s under 500.00, I buy it! This isn’t such a good thing when that paycheck is no longer making it’s regular appearance in my bank account.

I’m embarking on a personal experiment. Can I live on 20.00 a day?

This does not include:

My recurring monthly expenses

Gas and insurance for my car

Xmas presents

It does include:

Food

Entertainment

Personal items/clothes and cosmetics

I’m a family of one, my cupboards are very well stocked with staples and condiments, and I have plenty of clothes.

Day one:

Beginning Daily Total: 20.00

As I was getting ready to go to Renton, in the hopes of recovering some photos that Debbie lost in her computer the night before, my mind began to wander.

“I’m going to be in Renton,” I thought. Maybe I’ll pick up some bras while I’m there.”

“But I have to also get some peanut butter and chocolate chips so I can make more peanut butter bombs for the holidays” Oops! Scratch the bras.

Along with the peanut butter and chocolate chips I picked up a small loaf of bread.

Total cost 10.00.

When I got home I discovered the karaoke sight on MySpace. What fun! I sang for a while, then realized that if I paid 8.00 for a premium membership I would have the ability to not only change the key of all the songs, but put some reverb on my voice. That was another 8.00

Total for the day 18.00

I now have 2.00 to roll over into tomorrow.

Day 2:

Beginning Daily Total: 22.00

Helen wanted to go to lunch, and when I told her about my personal experiment, we went to the International District for a $7.00 bowl of noodles and a thai iced coffee.

Lunch was 11.00

Parking was 1.00

And just to cover all my bases, I bought 4 Lotto tickets

Total for the day: 16.00

I’ve now become aware that I have been eating out whenever and wherever I want to with no awareness whatsoever of the financial impact.

I have 6.00 to roll over

Day 3:

Daily Beginning Total: 26.00

I’ve been pondering how to approach this Sunday dinner with Houston, playing with various possibilities. Lucky for me he called and wanted to eat Latkes in honor of Hanukkah. Whew! I can do that easily for 26.00! While I was there, I picked up a couple of other things bringing my total to 33.00. I’m now 7 dollars in the red, but the latkes were fantastic and I do have left over kugel, along with two chicken breasts to cook for another day.

Day 4:

Beginning total: 13.00

Ingrid called and wanted to do art day at her house. That was beyond good with me because I needed to design a Day of the Dead toilet seat., and not spend any money. It was a great day, and I didn’t spend any money whatsoever. Ingrid fed me and we shared a bottle of wine while the day passed quietly and productively

I now have 13.00 to roll over

Day 5:

Beginning total 33.00 I’m rich!

Guess that’s the pay-off to having a Zero day.

KK told me about a dollar store in Renton where I could find some stocking stuffers. I couldn’t believe it. Everything in the store is only a dollar. I cut loose and let myself shop. 6.00 later I was happy with my aluminum foil and food storage dishes, although I did grab a bag of Cheetos in the impulse shopping section next to the cash register. They were necessary to keep my blood sugar up while I was being bombarded by the same 20 Xmas songs over and over, in every store, the same songs, over and over…..Talk about kicking a dead horse!

I decided a prize was in order as a reward for so successfully mingling with the masses during this high Capitalistic holiday. I stopped at Starbucks for a delicious 4.00 steaming hot beverage.

As I was chowing down on left over kugel from Sunday’s dinner, I realized that I now have accumulated 23 roll over dollars!

Day 6:

Beginning total: 43.00 Things are really looking up! I could buy a bottle of Jack Daniels and have money left over!

Instead I arrived at Starbucks early early early and splurged on a hot beverage accompanied by a piece of coffee cake. Do they have 12 step programs for Starbucks junkies??? I’m beginning to think I might have a problem. Time to say bye bye to Starbucks, those expensive drinks add up.

I’m quickly working my way through my cupboards. I’m going to have to buy some real groceries pretty soon. I better make a plan instead of going up and down every aisle like I usually do.

Spent 13.00 on chocolate chips for more peanut butter bombs, a loaf of bread and a bottle of Soft Scrub.

I spent 18.00

I have 25 dollars to roll over.

Day 7: total for the day: 45.00! Whoo hoo!

Disaster! Must have been an unrecorded earthquake, my liquor cabinet toppled over scaring the bejeezus out of me, and smashing numerous bottles of alcohol all over my kitchen floor. If it had happened in the night, I would have attacked my kitchen with my .38 . Helen came over and helped me pick it up. I’ve washed the floor 9 times and I’m still sticking to it!

My experiment should be finished today, but I feel like I’ve only just begun. I’m extending it for a month. I need more information.

What's Happened to the Men???

WHAT’S HAPPENED TO THE MEN???

Men have, clearly lost their minds. It’s an orgy of violence and murder, a caveman revival, a global testosterone storm surge. It’s terrifying.

The air is filled with childish rationalizations for this bizarre behavior. “He hit me first, he started it!” Where is the “naughty mat” when you need it. I say we sit all their raggedy asses down in separate corners and keep them there until they think they can behave.

Now, before everyone gets on their high horses and starts defending the male species, let me point out that women, as a group, are not willingly participating in this carnage, unless you want to give Condaleeza Rice far more credit than she deserves.

Religious men are blowing up their neighbors, strapping bombs to kids and sending them into market places. Perhaps they think they’re doing them a favor by getting them out of this mess once and for all. Or maybe they think it makes them look good in the eyes of the world and that people will respect them and listen to them because they’re so big and bad.

American businessmen are slithering around the globe spreading democracy and capitalism like swine flu.

Not everyone wants this sickness, this craving for more and more stuff, more and more money, more and more power. America has demolished the ancient cradle of civilization, blasted it to kingdom come, in the name of liberation. It's annihilation, not liberation!

Bands of rifle toting men in Africa are maniacally running around burning villages, slaughtering unarmed people, and stealing the children. After they give the children drugs, they give them guns and send them out to kill more people, their own people. Is someone, somewhere, keeping score? Could the referees please declare the “winners” so this insanity can stop?

Maybe there’s something in the water. Maybe it’s testosterone poisoning, perhaps someone has spiked the global food supply with anger and it’s pushed men over the edge of the great abyss.

One thing is certain. Repeating the same actions and expecting different results is documented as a characteristic of insanity. Using violence, again and again, as a problem solving method, as a pathway to peace, is nothing but crazy. Haven’t you noticed, guys??? It doesn’t work!

I say we resurrect the gladiator syndrome and let all the angry men grease themselves up, choose their weapons and shoot to the death. Last man standing wins. Let the games begin!