Talking Heads Know No More Than Me

Obviously as a poltical blogger, I watch most of the television shows discussing politics. That means watching CNN, Fox, and MSNBC. I also listen to many talk shows on the radio. I always thought these ladies and gentlemen may obtain interviews with the various elected officials but they really do not know a great deal more than me about the likely outcome of any event.

The most recent evidence is John McCain’s selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for Vice President. This morning’s Los Angeles Times mimicked those talking heads in suggesting that the likely choices were Mitt Romney, Tom Ridge, Joe Lieberman, or Tim Pawlenty. Sarah Palin wasn’t even mentioned as a long shot. When I initially heard her name without the identification that she is the governor of Alaska I had no knowledge of her.

So why do all of us poltical nuts watch those shows? We are all hoping to learn something about what will happen in this unbelievably complex world. Since none of those talking heads know the real plans of John McCain or Barack Obama my ideas and opinons are just as valid as any of theirs. Actually my opinions are better than theirs because I try to watch a listen to all of them and then reach my own conclusion.

Happy Birthday John McCain

Congratulations on your 72^nd birthday. For a man your age and the torture you went through in Vietnam you are in remarkably good condition. You have served our nation well and everyone honors that fact. However, just because you were a POW and have been in the Senate for 14 years does not qualify you to be president of the United States.

I will not review your voting record here. I do question your wisdom and judgment when you select a totally unknown person to be your running mate in this election. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has been in office for just two years and prior to that was the mayor of a small town that is unknown to most of America. In addition she already has questionable record. I am adding this interesting Alaskan perspective about Sarah Palin.

The job of president is extraordinarily difficult. Given your age I would have expected you to nominate a vice president who is qualified to handle that position with ease if you become incapacitated. Selecting a vice president is your first decision and your choice was not in the best interest of this country. It was a political choice and not one for the good of America. Gov. Sarah Palin is a very poor choice!

There are many other reasons that I could identify for not supporting you but your nomination for Vice President answers the question of my choice.

I am wholeheartedly supporting Barack Obama for President.

Warm and Motherly – Democrats Need to Attack

Of course I will be watching both political conventions. The Democrats started theirs with a warmth that any mother would love. The problem is that there needs to be more than motherly love to win an election. I went to bed last night wondering if the Dems will ever get to attacking John McCain. This morning I found this column by Paul Begala that says it all.

The most important part of Paul’s column was this, “If the Democrats do not spend the remaining days of their convention — hell, the remaining days of the campaign — in an all-out assault on the ruinous Bush-McCain policies, they will lose.”

McCain’s Flawed Health Care Plan

This morning on Face The Nation one of the Democratic speakers commented about John MCain’s health plan that will result in higher taxes on health care provided by employers. I researched this issue on the internet. Here is what I found.

John McCain’s plan is vague. He is opposed to any kind of universal health plan. He thinks that more competition will lower the cost of medical insurance. It’s not true. Here in California there are 118 companies licensed by the state. They provide group and/or individual coverage. Is that enough competition? It doesn’t help because most people are insured by the very big companies. That is a handful of insurers. Most of those same big insurance companies are in almost every other state. The names are familiar to everyone. They are Aetna, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Cigna, Kaiser Permanente, Golden Rule, Mutual of Omaha, Pacificare, Hartford Life, and United Health Care. In Mr. McCain’s Arizona there are 39 companies licensed to sell group insurance and another 13 licensed to sell individual plans. I checked Arkansas and most of the same big companies are selling insurance there too.

McCain’s plan according to almost every report I have read will end employer income tax deduction for the expense of providing medical insurance. Some reports have even said that the employees themselves will have to declare the cost of the insurance provided as part of their income. Those actions would result in a tax increase for both individuals and companies. The result would likely be that companies will stop providing medical insurance to their employees.

This one issue alone is reason enough to vote for Barack Obama.

The Cloak of Wisdom

Barack Obama is viewed by many people, including me, as being short on experience. He likes to point out that he was wise enough to say the Iraq War is a mistake. That alone is not enough for me to expect he will be more than adequate for the job of president. To reassure me and all of us Independents, he selected Joe Biden as his running mate. It was a very good choice. Biden has the experience and wisdom that Obama lacks. I thought that Hillary Clinton would have been a better choice but the Bill Clinton issue apparently could not be overcome.

George W. Bush was viewed as a candidate with limited experience when he ran for office in 2000. John F. Kennedy faced the same challenge in 1960. So Bush selected Dick Cheney as his running mate because of Cheney’s federal government experience. Similarly Kennedy selected Lyndon Johnson in part because of his significant experience in the Senate. Of course there were other factors that motivated those VP choices.

The selection of Joe Biden to the VP slot on the Obama ticket was most certainly motivated by Biden’s significant senatorial and foreign affairs experience. The third reason must have been Biden’s speaking skills that will help in connecting with Blue Collar voters. Biden’s connection with “regular” people in the mid-Atlantic states will help Obama in winning votes there and throughout the mid-west and along the entire east coast. Perhaps the most important reason for adding Joe Biden to the ticket is he impresses me as someone who will say “no” to a President Obama.

I am almost sold on Barack Obama but I still need to hear more detail. Hope and Change are wonderful themes. It’s action that we need. Neither candidate has defined a vision or set of goals for this nation. As an example I want a president that will say he will work for energy independence within a specified time (the dreaded time line). Perhaps the debates will provide more clarity. I really don’t want to hold my nose when voting. I really would like to be whole heartedly behind one candidate.

Barack Obama’s Campaign is in Trouble

Barack Obama has not closed the sale on his nomination at the DNC. The list of opponents to his nomination is growing. I just saw a leader of Just Say No Deal on Hardball. Diane Mantouvalos is one tough cookie. She made it clear that Obama’s loss to McCain would not cause her to lose any sleep. The list of groups opposing Obama’s nomination is becoming quite significant. Even if Hillary Clinton were nominated for the VP spot I do not think these groups will be satisfied.

The Obama campaign has a major sales job on its hands. Selection of the running mates by Obama and McCain may be the deal maker or breaker.

What’s Wrong with California?

Actually there really is very little that is wrong with California. I should know. My family moved here 60 years ago. I have traveled over most of the state’s highways. I can say that this state offers more opportunity for any endeavor that you might have.

Most Californians live within 50 miles of the Pacific coast. The temperatures are fairly moderate in most of those areas. The educational opportunities include some of America’s best universities including UCLA, USC, Stanford, and UC Berkeley. The arts and entertainment is second to none.

What’s not to like? The cost of housing is at least twice the prices of most other cities. Even the poorest neighborhoods are expensive. Los Angeles public transportation is very inadequate thus car ownership is almost mandatory. Street gangs have impacted city life by making evening walks impossible in some areas (mostly the poorer neighborhoods).

We just took a brunch cruise this past Sunday on Hornblower Cruises in Marina Del Rey in Los Angeles. The Marina Hornblower is not their most attractive

ship from the outside but inside they have dance floor and a fabulous buffet. The yacht toured around the bay giving us a view of the many beautiful ships and sail boats owned by the rich. The entire bay is surrounded by homes and condominiums that most of us cannot afford (all owned by people who will be pay higher taxes if Barack Obama becomes president).

Marina Del Rey is just one of many beautiful places in this state. San Diego has La Jolla and Mission Bay. Metropolitan Los Angeles has so many beautiful communities that are in and around it that they are too numerous to list here. Beverly Hills and Bel Air are the two most famous. Twin Peaks and Marina Park seem to be the choice areas of San Francisco. However there are many other less known communities through out the state that are really the choice places to live and work. My two favorite places are Mission Bay in San Diego and Ventura County just north of Los Angeles.

What about the rest of the state? We have Mt. Shasta in the North. There is Lake Tahoe in the middle along with Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. In the south there is Palm Springs where it rarely rains.

Then there is our population diversity. California is the diversity capital of the nation. We have all races colors and creeds. From the Gay and Lesbian communities to Scientology everyone is part of this state. If you are unable to accept diversity this is not the place to be. My problem is I just can’t afford the cost of living on Balboa Island.

Financial Literacy Is Not a Government Responsibility

It’s hard to be a social liberal and still be in favor of a government that does not intrude in the private lives of individuals. How does a government help its population without intruding like a parent that keeps telling its children, “No, no, no. You’re doing this all wrong. Let me show you how. If you do fail I will be there to help pick up the pieces.”

I have been briefed by a few people who have teaser rate, adjustable rate home loans. Every one of them knew that they had acquired loans that could be financially devastating. I know that many people have claimed that they were misled about the low interest rate loans that enabled them to buy a home. How could they not know they were in for trouble when the payments were so low and the down payments were either nothing or near nothing?

Now a California assemblyman wants to add another bureaucratic layer to help people with their financial literacy. This proposed law is AB 2123, California Financial Literacy Initiative, is for the training of the public in financial literacy. This proposed law is supported by the AARP. The AARP brought the law to my attention.

The money to provide the education would come from donations from nonprofit entities into an educational fund. However, there would be a cost to the state in the form of a Financial Literacy Advisory Committee. There is no explanation how the committee would be funded. I foresee another government mandated activity that could cost all Californians more tax dollars.

I am sympathetic to everyone’s plight as I had a near bankruptcy experience about 25 years ago. It was not the result of an adjustable rate loan. It was the result of a job loss.

California government is in financial difficulty. This is not the time to enact any new laws. Has anyone heard of the library? Those are marvelous places where the books on all subjects are free to read.