INTERREGNUM

George W. Bush say it’s not so. James Baker used this word to describe the current condition of our federal government. According to Webster’s Dictionary it means “a suspension of governmental or administrative functions; period without the usual ruler, governor.” Paul Krugman described this period as the same as the period after FDR’s election until he took office in March 1933 and also called it an Interregnum but only after the master linguist, William Safire (didn’t he say he was retiring?) used the word in his own On Language column.

President Bush is in office until January 20, 2009. Is he abandoning his duties? In some ways it appears he has. Henry Paulson has taken the lead in the Financial Crises. Then again he did sign a bill the other day extending unemployment benefits and now he is visiting an APEC meeting in Peru where he spoke to many world leaders about trade relations.

Lame duck presidents have been a feature of our political system since the founding of this nation. It is the 21^st century. Perhaps we need to revise the date a new president takes office.

The Katrina Years

The Katrina Hurricane is metaphor for the incompetence of George W. Bush and all the people who surround him. “Good job Brownie” could just as easily be “Good job Paulie” for the financial implosion that is now being managed by Henry Paulson. Let’s not forget Donald Rumsfeld and the great job he did taking us into a war zone that has gone on for seven years. Then there is the extraordinary debt that our government has now that is growing in the final day of the Bush presidency.

We are down to the last 59 days of a storm that will have lasted for eight years. George W. Bush will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the worst presidents in America’s history. He is perhaps the very worst. Just “Google” the words ‘worst American president’ and you will obtain a long list of articles. Of course we are focused on President Bush but there here have been others who do deserve to be considered in the bottom 10.

U. S. News and World Report offered their list of the ten worst presidents but gives its readers the opportunity to provide their own opinions. Not surprising George W. Bush received 71% of all those voting for the worst president. The History News Network states that in a poll of historians, 61% rated Bush the worst. I almost forgot about Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter who rated in the worst ten too.

I really would like someone to identify one thing that President Bush did that was a success (other than lower taxes for the rich). I know that many will say that we have not had another attack like 9-11 but is that because of any action taken by this man? After all entering this country illegally is still very easy and entering legally and staying beyond your appointed departure is still very easy to do.

Back when Richard Nixon resigned from office we could not imagine a worse president. Perhaps George W. Bush will not be the very worst president after all. He certainly is giving the try for this award his very best effort.

Top 10 New Deal Programs

Conservatives and Republicans seem to be opposed to New Deal style programs. Conservative talk radio hosts and their guests point out that many of the programs initiated by FDR were a failure. We are talking about jobs that at the very least will provide an income for the hundreds of thousands of people who have lost their jobs during this past year. Putting people to work on the many neglected infrastructure needs of our nation is a positive not a negative. The new administration should follow FDR’s lead.

About.com offered these ten New Deal programs as that someone views as FDR’s best ideas. Some of them did not work out as he had hoped. There are three that have impacted America to this day in a very big way. They are identified in bold below.

1. CCC – Civilian Conservation Corps

The Civilian Conservation Corps was created in 1933 by Franklin D. Roosevelt to combat unemployment. This work relief program had the desired effect and provided jobs for many Americans during the Great Depression. The CCC was responsible for building many public works and created structures and trails in parks across the nation.

http://www.ccclegacy.org/ccc_legacy.htm

2. CWA – Civil Works Administration

The Civil Works Administration was created in 1933 to create jobs for the unemployed. Its focus on high paying jobs in the construction arena resulted in a much greater expense to the federal government than originally anticipated. The CWA ended in 1934 in large part due to opposition to its cost.

3. FHA – Federal Housing Administration

The Federal Housing Administration was a government agency created to combat the housing crisis of the Great Depression. The large number of unemployed workers combined with the banking crisis created a situation in which banks recalled loans. The FHA was designed to regulate mortgages and housing conditions.

4. FSA – Federal Security Agency

The Federal Security Agency established in 1939 had the responsibility for several important government entities. Until it was abolished in 1953, it administered social security, federal education funding, and food and drug safety.

5. HOLC – Home Owner’s Loan Corporation

The Home Owner’s Loan Corporation was created in 1933 to assist in the refinancing of homes. The housing crisis created a great many foreclosures, and Franklin Roosevelt hoped this new agency would stem the tide. In fact, between 1933 and 1935 one million people received long term loans through the agency that saved their homes from foreclosure.

6. NRA – National Recovery Act

The National Recovery Act was designed to bring the interests of working class Americans and business together. Through hearings and government intervention the hope was to balance the needs of all involved in the economy. However, the NRA was declared unconstitutional in the landmark Supreme Court case Schechter Poultry Corp. v. US. The Supreme Court ruled that the NRA violated the separation of powers.

7. PWA – Public Works Administration

The Public Works Administration was a program created to provide economic stimulus and jobs during the Great Depression. The PWA was designed to create public works and continued until the US ramped up wartime production for World War II. It ended in 1941.

8. SSA – Social Security Act

The Social Security Act was designed to combat the widespread poverty among senior citizens. The government program provided income to retired wage earners. The program has become one of the most popular government programs and is funded by current wage earners and their employers. However, in recent years concerns have arisen about the viability of continuing to fund the program as the Baby Boom generation reaches retirement age.

9. TVA – Tennessee Valley Authority

The Tennessee Valley Authority was established in 1933 to develop the economy in the Tennessee Valley region which had been hit extremely hard by the Great Depression. The TVA was and is a federally owned corporation that works in this region to this day. It is the largest public provider of electricity in the United States.

10. WPA – Works Progress Administration

The Works Progress Administration was created in 1935. As the largest New Deal Agency, the WPA impacted millions of Americans. It provided jobs across the nation. Because of it, numerous roads, buildings, and other projects were completed. It was renamed the Works Projects Administration in 1939. It officially ended in 1943.

Cool it and Just be Americans

I dislike the attitude of most radio and television talk show hosts. The reason is that most of them try to put Americans into categories. Earlier this year and last year everyone was either a “liberal” or a “conservative.” Most of the hosts could not confront the idea that most people are a mix of both and of many ideas and do not conveniently fall into those two categories.

As we approached the election those hosts began to realize that many of us are in a middle area politically. It’s like all of them have a set of talking points because so many of them say the same things with a slight twist of the words. So now they have identified two new groups “right of center” and “left of center.” I just wonder what is the “center?” I suppose their talking points information instructions will tell them. They really ought to share that information with their listeners.

As I listen to these people telling us their views I realize that most of them do take extreme positions. Perhaps that is necessary for them to keep their jobs. I do know that I am a mix of “right of center” and “left of center.” Perhaps that does put me in the “center.” I do like Barack Obama’s statement, “ There is not red America and blue America. There is the United States of America.”

I guess it would be asking too much for Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Alan Colmes, Keith Olbermann and all the rest to cool it and just be Americans.

CARPETBAGGER

After the Civil War this term was given to anyone from the North who moved into the South for financial advantage. It was especially attached to those people who had recently moved to the South and were running for political office. After the Civil War a carpet covered bag was the popular luggage of the day.

Today the term specifically applied to those people running for office in a location that is not their historical home. Local laws do allow politicians to run for office with relatively short residency requirements or none at all.

The most recent and possibly the most flagrant example of carpet bagging was Elizabeth Dole’s North Carolina’s Senate seat. She is the wife of the former Senator from Kansas, Robert Dole. Robert Dole is also a former Republican candidate for President. She ran and won the seat from North Carolina on the contention that she really is a North Carolinian because she lived there as a child and graduated from North Carolina’s Duke University. Using her mother’s address as her home address she met the state’s qualifications for residency.

California State Senator Tom McClintock(R) is being forced out of office by term limits. His district is in Ventura County just north of Los Angeles. He has always portrayed himself up as a high minded individual unlike those scummy Democrats. However he does like being a politician. So Mr. McClintock decided to run for congressional office from a district that the Republican Party views as winnable because there is no incumbent because the man leaving office is a Republican (facing corruption charges). California legislators must live in the district they represent, but there is no such requirement for House members. So the fact that he lives in Thousand Oaks (just outside of Los Angeles County) is no problem. Mr. McClintock has won by 644 votes. According to the Santa Barbara Independent he has actually been housekeeping up in northern California.

Is it any wonder that many Americans are opposed to professional politicians?

VINDICATED

Barack Obama’s comment that his victory in Iowa’s caucuses last winter had “vindicated” his faith in the American people. What does he mean?

This is a very complicated word. Webster’s New World CD Dictionary offers five possible definitions.

1 to clear from criticism, blame, guilt, suspicion, etc.; uphold by evidence or argument

2 to defend or maintain (a cause, claim, etc.) against opposition

3 to serve as justification for; justify !a success which vindicated their belief in him“

4 to lay claim to or establish possession of (something for oneself or another)

5 [Obs.] a) to avenge b) to punish

The second definition is most likely the one that fits Obama’s use of this word. John McCain saying he has always had faith in his country indicates that he did not check a dictionary for definitions.

Sarah Palin’s reaction to the Alaska Legislature’s Troopergate report was that it “vindicates” her.

If my son’s phonograph record store is a success his idea for a business will be vindicated. That would be the use of definition number one and three. Frankly opening the store was a Hail Mary pass to independence for someone who does not like having a boss.

My wife’s decision to start a tutoring business was vindicated by her success. The publishing of a column of mine on the Huntington Post was a vindication of my writing skills.