Quote of the Day
I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.
Nathan Hale
"Recovery Summer"?
I'm sure that most laypeople can't figure out why the stock market has an up day when the official unemployment rate climbed from 9.5 to 9.6%. Obama, in fact, waxes enthusiasm over the fact that the private sector employers were continuing to add jobs and we are "headed in the right direction". A couple of explanatory notes: some earlier presented private sector jobs numbers were adjusted favorably upwards--but there's an overall negative because US Census layoffs/terminations more than offset the private sector gains.
However, you can't put lipstick on a government pig, President Obama. The recession started in December 2007, and most recessions last less than a year. Let's not forget: over 100,000 new workers enter the labor force every month--and that's over and beyond the 15 million whom are unemployed or underemployed (involuntary part-time). And there's no doubt we have seen a dampening of growth and job numbers as the year has advanced, hardly compelling evidence of a rebounding economy in a virtuous cycle.
There are some reports that President Obama wants to explicitly link the added revenues of the renewed Clinton tax hikes (at least on the wealthy) to small business and other sources. THUMBS WAY DOWN! As far as I'm concerned, you give everyone paying taxes a break--or nobody. This class warfare argument where he is desperate to shove a tax hike down the throats of the job creator and investor class, for purely ideological reasons, is illogical and untenable. I don't want to be repetitive here, but the well-to-do have the ability to time when to take profits, which becomes a taxable event, or to structure and defer compensation. How long is it going to take this man to understand he's playing with a double-edged sword? You are not going to get money off the sidelines and invested in the economy until business feels that conditions are right for expansion. A good compromise would be to phase in slight tax hikes AFTER we have achieved a more stable business environment.
Arizona Governor Brewer's Debate:
Thumbs DOWN!
Well, gaffes are part of life. Remember how Biden said that "jobs" is a 3-letter word? Or Obama's 57 states (actually he said he hadn't been to the last one yet, so really 58)?
I shouldn't be hard on Jan Brewer. I still remember my high school valedictory, my first public speech; I had memorized most of my speech, but as I headed down the home stretch, my mind suddenly went blank, the lighting at the podium was bad, and I lost my place in my notes. I stopped for maybe 10-15 seconds or so, but it seemed like forever. I suddenly remembered the rest of the speech and quickly finished it; today, I cringe at the memory not just of my pause, but the content of the speech and the stupid orange graduation gown I had to wear because of my classmates' eager desire to demonstrate their school spirit (i.e., the Longhorns). I was feeling so embarrassed after the speech; thank God for random acts of kindness, like the older man, a stranger, whom sought me out after the graduation and pumped my hand, congratulating me on giving such a wonderful speech. If I hoped nobody had noticed the pause, it was dashed within about 10 seconds of getting in the family vehicle for the drive back home.
In fact, I loved teaching and delivering papers at conferences. The classroom was my stage; there have been times I've been in the zone--when I know I had my audience literally waiting on the next thing I had to say. I also have a sense of humor, as you might tell in some of my posts, but in particular I employ a lot of dry humor. (The problem with dry humor is people aren't sure they're supposed to laugh. So I'll sometimes get delayed response laughing.)
[Sometimes the humor can get embarrassing. I was sitting next to an Indian developer colleague at an employee joint lunch last year; one of the staff mentioned the upcoming St. Patrick's Day potluck and suggested we incorporate the color green into our dishes. I stated in a deadpan manner, "No problem--I'll just pick something at random from my home refrigerator..." (Not really.) I think only my Indian friend heard me and he started laughing hysterically--to the point everybody started looking at us and wanting to know what was going on.]
Today (as you can probably tell with my constantly turning out new commentaries) I'm rarely at a loss for words. There's only one situation where my mind turns blank and I start babbling incoherently: when I'm in the presence of a beautiful woman. But I think that's something I think I share in common with most other men.
But Governor Brewer: no politician should ever have a "senior moment" in the middle of listing his or her accomplishments in office. (The only good thing is that voters this fall are unlikely to have a "senior moment" when it comes to a referendum on the effectiveness of the Democratic tax, spend, and regulate agenda in a weak economy.) This is painful to watch:
Political Humor
"President Obama was in New Orleans for the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Halfway through his speech, FEMA finally showed up." –Jay Leno
[Um, guys...Hurricane Earl, New England...]
"Before President Obama's address, he called former President George W. Bush. I'm not saying the economy is bad, but he called collect." –Jay Leno
[Not only that, but Obama wanted reassurance that Bush wasn't going back on his promise to release his book just before the mid-term elections...]
Musical Interlude: The American Songbook Series
Mary Martin, "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" (another Cole Porter classic!)
