Update to date
· Just read an article about how multiple US Economics Professors would fail the GOP 2012 Presidential Nomination field. Bachmann will not get gas down to $2 a gallon. Fail – if anything, we’d probably see $5 soon enough no matter what and that’d likely jump to $6 if a GOP profiteer was in office. Rick Perry cannot balance the budget with less tax revenue. It doesn’t work – see, W. Bush tax cuts and how a surplus turns into record deficits. The Gold standard coming back? Nope – the dollar would fluctuate based on a commodity. Sorry Ron Paul – fail. How about a trade war China as perpetuated by raiser tariffs, per Mitt Romney? Fail – China would call the bluff through our purchased bond debt – we also tried this to stem off the Great Depression in the early 1930s and it backfired. How about a flat tax. Fail – too regressive and wouldn’t help the deficit as tax revenues could have a massive shortfall. Bottom line? The GOP talking points, if made into law, would make us hit rock bottom and start digging. They are recklessly stupid.
· Democrats won 5 of 6 contested state seats in Kentucky, and retained the Democratic Governor. And I thought the south was devolving again! Also, Mississippi voted down the ‘personhood’ abortion-restriction amendment – something Colorado conservatives twice tried to pass and also failed. In Virginia, the GOP fell short of taking the majority in the State Senate, but still has the Governor and House.
· In Ohio, the right to bargain collectively as unions won big time against the GOP Governor, who said he needs to ‘reflect on this.’ Better idea – step down, and let the real adults get back to work at leading this country. It won by37 points – suck it, GOP. In Maine, same-day voter registration was allowed, which the GOP hates as they try to keep people away from polls.
· Obama is opening up more areas for oil drilling in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico via acting through the Department of Interior, which is headed by Colorado’s own Ken Salazar. It’s a limited spread, and predictably, the GOP is saying the 15 lease sales are not big enough or in the right areas. Figures. Huh – maybe the BP oil spill wasn’t big enough either. Obama is also cutting down on federal employee spending on cell phones, cups-pens-shirts-swag, travel, the vehicle fleet, and PR material. Take that, Tea Baggers!
· In Bill Clinton’s new best-seller, he advocates taxing the rich and letting the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans expire in 2013. He, being one of the 1%, said he can afford to pay more and that being asked to do so isn’t class warfare as the top 1% are the only people who’ve seen their income go up in the last 30+ years. Per Clinton, people aren’t mad or jealous of success – they’re angry at being taken advantage of and being ripped off. The middle class keeps getting fewer bangs for the buck in political influence, in affording groceries, in healthcare. Clinton said all the gains are going to the very top, and that’s not sustainable. He’s also thrilled with the OWS Movement and believes it’s getting beyond the assembly phase into the action phase. I’m not sure on that one yet, but nice to hear he supports it. I still say that if he could run again, he’d win in a landslide.
· Speaking of OWS, a few of us in Colorado Springs will be on the north end of town the Saturday after Thanksgiving outside the Shoppes at Briargate, which is a Mecca (just kidding, they wouldn’t allow Mecca’s that close to Focus on the Family’s HQ) of yuppie extravagance. So far, the OWS folks have stuck to downtown, which is a comparatively friendly and progressive area. From 10a-2p, we’ll be in front of people who may not like us from the north end of town where the new money lives. I should know – I grew up in Briargate and District 20. Downtown, the ratio of being called ‘fags’ or being told to ‘get a job’ (got one, and statistically speaking, I’m in the top 14%) to those honking or cheering in support is about 1-10. Up north, where people think minorities are a threat by their very existence, I expect that to be 2-1. I can take it – the truth is on my side. We’re not there to start shit, but to just show the northies that they’re part of this too.
· Last night I actually watched the World Series of Poker final table main event, at least until I fell asleep. A 22-year old student from Germany beat a 35-year old pro chess player from the Czech Republic to win an $8.7M pot. It went back and forth for nearly 5 hours. I still say poker isn’t a sport – but that was some game and a fitting battle for an event which started with 6800 people and a $10k buy-in back in July. Plus, it was at the RIO, which I think is one of the most fun places in Vegas.
· JoePA’s days in Happy Valley are numbered. They were numbered anyway – after 46 years of leading Penn State football – Linebacker U – the 84-year-old was in the last year of his contract regardless. But to have it end like this – because he apparently knew about an ex-coach sexually assaulting young boys, IN THE LOCKER ROOM, and looked the other way? Time to go, pal. He’s retiring at season’s end, but I think given the circumstances he should’ve been walked today – education at Penn State is the institution, not him, not for this.
· The Colorado Avalanche dropped to 7-7-1 after a hot start. Let’s hope they can turn it around with one of the NHL’s youngest rosters. They are fun to watch.
· Which is also more fun than watching the NBA lockout – seriously, can’t they just play ‘let’s make a deal!’ and get it done? As each day passes, I’m reminded more of how much I loathe David Stern and his Napoleon complex. He’s just so tiny.
· Just a few days until Elder Scrolls-Skyrim; that gives me a couple more days to wrap-up Elder Scrolls-Oblivion, for the third time. Sandwiched between wrapping one and starting the next, I’ll be making a quick 3-day weekend jaunt to New Orleans. My first time in the Big Easy.
· I need to catch up on this week’s ‘Walking Dead,’ and also watch the new ‘Drinking Made Easy.’ I wonder how those two shows would mash together? I think Steve McKenna would be a legendary drunk zombie. It’s the beard.