Author: coastcontact

I am a somewhat cranky but mostly optimistic 65 plus who refuses to give up on this maddening world. The purpose of this BLOG is to express my feelings, thoughts.

Think about it…

Let me see if I have this straight…..

* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you’re ‘exotic, different.’

* Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack you’re a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.

* Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you’re a maverick.

* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.

* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you’re well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate’s Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran’s Affairs committees, you don’t have any real leadership experience.

* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you’re qualified to become the country’s second highest ranking executive.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you’re not a real Christian.

* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you’re a Christian.

* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

* If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state’s school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you’re very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family’s values don’t represent America’s.

* If you’re husband is nicknamed ‘First Dude’, with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn’t register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

OK, much clearer now.

Who Is In Charge?

If ever there was a case of ineffective government it is the AIG scandal.  After bailing out that company with $85 billion the government had to provide another $37.8 billion loan.  To add insult to injury AIG held a $400,000 party at a very expensive California hotel resort.  Oh well it’s just to motivate the sales people so it’s OK.  It has been reported that another party of the same size will occur next week.

 

Our Congress has authorized $700 billion to be spent on a “recovery plan” which really is a bail out of our financial markets.  Where will all that money go?  Well it won’t be to the taxpayers and it won’t be to the homeowners with loans they can’t afford.  We the people have had a gun held to our heads.  They tell us if we don’t support this insane plan it will impact our savings, our banks, and we might lose our jobs.

 

The election is just 27 days away and neither Barack Obama nor John McCain has offered a coherent plan to resolve our economic problems.  Barack Obama was on ABC’s Nightly News and told Charlie Gibson that he would give us the confidence to succeed just as FDR did.  The difference is that FDR offered specifics in the form of real action.  Obama simply said we will try different things until we find the ones that work.  Wow! How inspiring!

The Town Hall Debate That Did Not Happen

The second McCain-Obama debate was very disappointing.  Rather than offering a plan to revive the economy they restated their previous proposals for tax cuts and health care.  Both of them used the same words they have used before in previous speeches and discussions. 

 

There was exactly one new proposal and that was offered by John McCain (he insisted that it was his new idea).  He proposed buying defaulted mortgages at discounted rates and enabling the impacted home owners to keep their homes.  The Associated Press reported that the authority to buy individual home mortgages is in the just passed $700 billion bill so it isn’t really a new idea.

 

The dismissive “that one” remark by John McCain definitely displayed the intense dislike, possibly hatred, he holds for Barack Obama.

 

This debate provided no new insights about either man.  Thankfully there were no character assassinations.  John McCain looked older than he has in recent appearances.  Perhaps that was because Barack Obama looked young.

 

This debate was boring and uninformative.

A Pundit Depression

During this election season everyone has an opinion.  Just watch CNN.  The number of “experts” in the current season seems to be growing daily.  There are so many of them that they are crowded around two tables.  I thought Bill Schneider was their primary commentator but wait a minute there is Jack Cafferty but wait minute what about David Gergen.  Oh I forgot Gloria Borger, Campbell Brown, and Jeffrey Toobin.  I haven’t even mentioned the commentators who clearly support the Democrat or Republican with blind faith.

 

If you change the channel to Fox News or MSNBC you get their lineups of commentators who must amount to another few dozen.

 

What will happen to all of these people after November 4?  I do not know.  I watch them hoping to hear another idea rather than the same comments using slightly different words.  It’s like watching “Ground Hog Day” over and over.  I think I will spend more time watching Comedy Central’s Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report.

Down and Dirty

Here in Los Angeles County there is one open supervisory district position.  The replacement will be for the retiring Yvonne Braithwaite-Burke.  She is 76 years old.  The runoff election is between the former LAPD police chief, Bernard Parks and state assemblyman Mark Ridley-Thomas.  It appears that the race is close although I suspect that Mr. Ridley-Thomas is in the lead. Now that the election is just a month away the name calling has become very loud.  The innuendo is astonishing. Along with the shouting have come the law suites.  Each side claims the other is a scoundrel.

 

There is no difference between the race for supervisor and the race for president in terms of determination to win.  When a candidate realizes he/she is behind and reasonable campaigning has failed to sway the voters you then turn to name calling and outrageous accusations.  That is the condition of the presidential campaign now and is likely to stay that way for the rest of the campaign season.

 

Current poll information         

RealClearPolitics: Obama at 264, McCain at 163, Toss Up at 111

CNN Election Center: Obama at 250, McCain at 189, Toss Up at 99

 

I can understand the McCain/Palin frustration when they see the polling results.  ABC Television gave a very strong lead to Obama/Biden.  Here are two sets of polling results on the internet.  John McCain’s staff is looking for a way to reduce the Obama lead.  Have they found it in the character and patriotism question?  I hope not.  McCain seems to have deteriorated into back alley fighting.  If he wins he will face a very uncooperative congress.

Selecting the Vice President Does Matter

The first decision a President makes is made before he/she is elected to office.  It’s the choice of vice president.  The choices made by John McCain and Barack Obama do matter.  Nine vice presidents have become president as the result of the death or resignation of the president.

 

Barack Obama is 47 years old. Unless he is forced to resign from office or is removed by impeachment the liklihood of Joe Biden replacing him is slim.  If that should happen we know that Joe Biden has many years of experience.  He came to the Senate in 1973. He has held two chairmanships as senator (Judiciary and currently Foreign Relations).

   

John McCain is 72 years old.  His selection of Sarah Palin as vice president was not based upon her government experience.  She was selected to help solidify the conservative base of the Republican party and to draw disaffected Hilary Clinton supporters.

 

It may not be fair to point out that John McCain is quite old but it is a fact.  The reality is that average 72 year old men have a life expectancy of  12.01 years.  However that is an average.  McCain’s father, Admiral John S. McCain Jr. died of a heart attack at age 70 in 1981. So did Senator McCain’s grandfather Admiral John S. McCain Sr. at age 63.  John McCain has serious health problems even though doctors have said he is in excellent health.

   

John McCain has been treated for recurrent skin cancer, including melanoma, in 1993, 2000, and 2002.  The melanoma he had was life threatening.

 

Can you imagine Sarah Palin as president?

I am a History Buff

One of the most interesting and exciting trips I have ever taken was a vacation I took with my wife driving from New York City to Virginia.  It was a nine day visit to as many significant historical points of interest that we could manage.  The time was too short to see everything.

 

We took that trip in the first week of June 2002.  The security at many of those historic sites was very high.  After all this was after 9-11-2001.  Checking in at LAX meant arriving at the airport two hours before the flight departure.  Visiting the Statue of Liberty required a two hour wait and removing my belt and taking off my shoes before boarding the ferry.  No one was permitted inside the statue.

 

Washington D.C. had barriers around all of the significant buildings and many of the monuments including the Washington Monument.  In one location there was a barrier down middle of the street in front of the White House.  I tried to walk between the barriers and a policeman yelled at me and insisted I walk around to the end of the block to get to the other side.  There were no tours of the White House or the Capital.

 

The two most impressive facilities we visited were The Smithsonian Institute and Monticello.  Monticello was the most notable site I have ever visited.  Thomas Jefferson’s home was so advanced in its architecture that it could be mistaken for a 20th century house.  A guided tour was provided by excellent docents that really provided an insight into the man.  His home was the center of a very large plantation that was mostly self sufficient.  The property along with the slaves provided much of Jefferson’s personal needs.  If I return to Virginia I will visit that home again.

 

Just three years ago we visited Boston for five days and spent one of those days in Salem.  It was great fun walking on the Freedom Trail and at the same time reading 1776 a book written by historian David McCullough while in the hotel room.

 

John Adams was also written by David McCullough and was the basis for an HBO production of the same name.  The book is a little slow but the HBO production is available on DVD and is very engaging.  It received 26 Emmy awards. http://www.hbo.com/films/johnadams/

In 2008 we are writing even more history.  A Black man could become president or a woman could become vice president.  

When You Are Losing Just Start Name Calling

There are many things that can change the direction of this presidential election.  Certainly this past two weeks has been a game changer because of economics and the stock market.  There might be another economic event or another war related event.  As examples: What would happen if the stock market dropped by 25%?  Another concern is the possibility of Israel attacking Iran’s nuclear sites.  These events could significantly impact the outcome of the November election.  What we do not need is mud slinging.

 

That seems to be the new behavior of Governor Sarah Palin.  Reported on CNN and by the Associated Press is an accusation that Democrat Barack Obama of “palling around with terrorists.”  Is this the way John McCain hopes to win the presidency?

 

I can only hope that the American people will see through this disgusting practice.  The problem is, most pundits say, that it works.  The “swift boaters” and other groups will be making the effort to support John McCain by any means.

 

Barack Obama does not appear to be the type to resort to name calling. However he is from Chicago.  That is a city of tough politics.  Will he resort to mud slinging too?  I hope not.

May the best man win.

No on Waxman, What’s The Use?

Henry A. Waxman represents California’s 30th Congressional District, which includes the complete cities of Agoura Hills, Beverly Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Malibu, Santa Monica, West Hollywood and Westlake Village. He also represents communities including Pacific Palisades, West Hills, Canoga Park, Bel-Air, Century City, Westwood, Brentwood, Topanga, Chatsworth, Woodland Hills, Beverlywood and West Los Angeles.     

Just this past September 30 I wrote a No on Waxman entry in this blog.  Today I received my sample ballot.  There is no one running against Henry Waxman. There is no Republican, no Libertarian, no Green Party or American Independent Party candidates on the ballot.  There is only one name, Henry Waxman.  While I know that Democrats predominate in this state I would have expected Arnold Schwarzenegger’s district to at least have a token candidate.  If only I had known, I would have re-registered and run just so everyone would have an option.

We Are Not In a Recession

OK we may be getting to close to a recession but the country is not there yet.  The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) business cycle dating committee is the generally recognized arbiter of the dates of the beginnings and ends of recessions.  Two consecutive quarters of decline in real GDP is commonly taken to be a recession.  However, by the time the data to make a determination is accumulated the recession may be well on its way and perhaps have ended.

 

Business Week magazine economist, James C. Cooper, detailed indicators that usually proceed most recessions in an issue this past spring.  The indicators are 1)weekly job claims [average, first 3 months of last two recessions 387], 2) monthly job losses [average, first 3 months of last two recessions 114,000], 3) ISM Manufacturing Index [average, first 3 months of last two recessions 44.1], 4) ISM Non-Manufacturing Index [average, first 3 months of last two recessions 49.3]. I set up a spread sheet to track those indicators and as of this date only one of those measurements have reached those criteria.  Weekly job claims are over 457,000.

 

It’s easy to write this when you have a job or have sufficient income to meet you daily needs and still have money to go out to dinner.  So I am not personally facing what is clearly a national economic crisis.  I know three people who have lost their jobs as the result of the economic downturn. The economy is frightening us too.

 

With the election just a month away all of us have to listen to the candidate’s plans and ideas to speed up a recovery.  I know I will be listening.