SHADES OF '92

Back in the Presidential race of 1992, George H.W. Bush Sr. was running against a young upstart Governor from Arkansas named William Jefferson Clinton (as well as against Ross Perot). The race was not going the way of the challenger despite Bush Sr. having had a divisive Middle East War, a failing economy and a banking crisis called the S&L Scandal. One day a nearly unknown Clinton advisor named James Carville hung a sign on the door of Governor Clinton's "war room". The sign read simply, "It's the economy, Stupid." Clinton took the advise to heart and the rest is history.

Fast forward to the present time and we see history replaying itself once again. This time the young upstart is named Senator Barrack Obama and the Steward of the past administration is Senator John McCain. But the issue is still the same. The economy.

As our jittery market sways back and forth like a tire on a frayed rope ready to break, Americans are pushing the economy to the front of the issue line. This was most evident in the first Presidential Debate moderated by Jim Lehrer this past Friday. The subject matter was supposed to be "foreign policy", presumably John McCains' strongest position. However, from the very first question, it became clear that the economy was going to dominate. When Obama flat-out accused McCain of being wrong on the fundamentals of the economy, moderator Jim Lehrer asked Obama to "say it directly to him," meaning McCain. After Barrack repeated his accusation face to face, McCain gave the funniest statement of the debate. Turning to Lehrer, he bitterly questioned, "You afraid I couldn't hear him?"

Senator McCain then tried desperately to divert attention away from the economy by injecting war stories and dropped the names of every politician and political player he's ever worked with from Henry Kissinger to General Petraus. Obama would have no part of it however, At ever opportunity he steered the conversation back to the economy. The approval monitors CNN had given to the audience told the tale. When the economy was the issue, Barrack's approval soared while McCain's faltered.

From my stand point, the debate went very well for Senator Obama despite some high points for McCain on taxes and "the Surge". If the economy doesn't turn around before election (and it's hard to see how it could), McCain will continue to suffer for it. Just as it's hard for Barrack to separate himself from his past, Senator McCain will have a difficult time separating himself from the deregulation and policies (such as Social Security Privatization) that he once supported. As shady as some people find Obama's past acquaintances, the fact remains that it didn't cost the American public any money, or possibly their financial future. My instinct is that we will see a repeat of 1992 this November and I am boldly predicting that, barring any unforeseen ethical scandal, Senator Barrack Obama will be our first black President. The math is simply against the Republicans this time around. In most people's mind it will spell out like this; Two Bushs, two Wars with questionable motivations, two recessions, two banking scandals and now two bailouts. John McCain will never be able to totally separate himself from the policies and people he once supported. Shades of 1992? Yes, once again, "It's the economy, Stupid." H.C.

THE REGULATORS

Let's do a little critical thinking. Reach into your wallet and pull out a one dollar bill. (Assuming you have any left after the financial chaos of the past week.) Hold it up and take a long look at it. Now ask yourself a few questions. Why is this piece of paper worth a dollar? Who decides how much it's worth? What keeps it from being damn-near worthless like so many other foreign currencies that have failed? Will it always be worth a dollar? What exactly is a "dollar"?

The main reason that dollar in your hands is worth a set amount of goods is because you believe that it is. Faith is the true currency. You believe that when you accept that dollar from someone, you will be able to use it in the same way to buy something from someone else. If you start to doubt that for one instant, it all falls apart.

The best way to view a currency from any country, is to think of it as stock in that country. If your country is powerful and stable, your "dollar" is worth more. Likewise, if your country is failing, your stock falls. Once again "faith" comes into play. In order for your dollar to be safe, people around the world have to have faith that your country is stable and financially secure.

And so we get to the problem that has faced our financial markets this week.

Around the world, that "faith" is on the decline. The main reason is because we have become a debt society and a debt country. When other countries look at our balance sheets, they see a country that has no savings to fall back on should things suddenly go south. Our houses are borrowed on beyond their worth. Our credit cards are extended beyond what most of us can afford. Our banks have taken all their assets and put them on the table as bets on Wall Street with nothing to fall back on should these bets fail. With no assets to borrow against, it's hard to imagine a way out for our middle class. Foreclosures are everywhere, and with fewer people able to buy, house values are falling to a point where it's no longer profitable for contractors to build.

How did we get here?

A look at the history shows lots of blame to go around. Both Dems and Reps have had their hands dirtied in this mess. Rather than do the right thing long-term, they all opted for the quick buck. We live in a "quarter culture", where our CEOs, our stockholders, our politicians and even our population only looks at the fiscal quarter to see how they are doing with very little concern over the long term. Our Presidents all encouraged such behavior by removing the barriers against spending more than we even have. G.H.W. Bush deregulated, Clinton deregulated, and Dubya deregulated. The only thing that mattered was how things were going right now. Unfortunately, the future no one cared about is now.

The blame can be spread out, but examination of the players shows the same names popping up all over the place. In the early '90s, the Savings and Loan Scandal raced through the financial markets. Spurred by deregulation brought about through bank lobbyists, S&L's sold bonds that had no real assets backing them up. When shady corporate weasels funneled off the only money in the system, the taxpayers were left holding the bag to the tune of $160 billion dollars. Privatized profit with Socialized risk. Infuriated, the taxpayer demanded to know what happened and the Keating Five found themselves in the spotlight. One of the "Senators for hire" was none other than Senator John McCain. Among the big benefactors was the Bush Brothers, Jeb and Neil. The deregulation was pushed through by their father, George H.W. Bush. Working with him behind the scene was Texas Senator Phil Gramm.

Fast forward to the present. Phil Gramm, who until recently was John McCain's financial advisor, was instrumental in the most recent wave of deregulation. G.W. Bush has allowed the banks to operate with nearly no oversight. Oil companies are practically guaranteed alternative energy is kept on the back burner and profiteering will go unpunished. Once again John McCain is front and center and once again we are supposed to believe he didn't have a hand in the cake even though his face is covered in chocolate.

We, the taxpayers, are now on the hook to the tune of nearly $1 trillion dollars. The industries that made the most during the run up to this crisis are having their debt cleared because we can't afford to let them fail. The very fact that we fell for this twice is disturbing to say the least. That we need more regulation and oversight of our financial institutions isn't even debatable. Now John McCain wants you to believe that the same people that created this mess twice are the ones to trust to fix it. Well as G.W. himself once said, "Fool me once, shame on me. fool me......." well, you get the idea. H.C.

MCCAIN, REPUBLICANS IGNORE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE

The young man stood up in the back of the crowd at one of Senator John McCain's many small town stops. "Senator McCain, what are you going to do about DHMO?" the young man questioned. Quickly McCain's security detail moved in, escorting the young man out of the venue. "It's killing our children!" the man shouted repeatedly as he was forced out the door. John McCain ignored the disruption just as he and the Republicans have ignored any environmental issues throughout the campaign. But what is DHMO and why do the Republicans try desperately to keep it off the list of campaign issues?

DMHO is the acronym for Dihydrogen Monoxide. A substance that is so toxic a thimble full can kill a child. In fact, it is the leading cause of death of children under 4. Despite this fact, it is an ingredient in manufactured soft drinks, soups, and dozens of other products sold throughout the U.S.. However, the dangers of DHMO do not end with it's consumption.

Dihydrogen Monoxide, also known as hydroxyl acid, is the main component in acid rain. Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage in humans and in animals. It contributes to the "greenhouse effect" which is warming our planet and quantities of dihydrogen monoxide have been found in every stream, lake, and reservoir in America as well as in the rivers, streams, and lakes around the entire globe. It kills thousands yearly, while Republicans shove millions of dollars of lobbyist contributions in their pockets to keep it legal.

So who benefits the most from DHMO? Mostly, it's companies like Coca Cola. Since adding DHMO to it's products, Coca Cola has seen their profits rise exorbitantly. It now accounts for a full 1/3 of all their profits. But it's not only the soft drink industry that fattens the pockets of politicians, it's also industries that produce products like automobile coolants, solvents, fire retardants, Styrofoam, pesticides and too many more to even list.

The Earth is our mother and if we don't make an effort to stop the politicians (mostly Republicans) from receiving lobbyist monies to ignore this problem, I fear it may soon be too late.

There is a lesson here that needs to be learned. Research for yourself the dangers of DHMO and of remaining ignorant. Understand that we are all constantly being manipulated by people who use fear mongering and our lack of understanding of the problems to push us toward policies that make no sense. Is DHMO a major problem? Yes, but more so because we don't take the time to even know what we are supporting, or opposing. H.C.

SARAH, SWEET AND SIMPLE

With both the DNC and RNC conventions out of the way, our attention is now turned to the Vice Presidential picks. On the DNC side, Senator Barack Obama decided to go as white male as he could and picked fellow Senator Joe Biden from Delaware. Biden shares his anti-war stance even though he voted for the Iraq war, and adds some foreign policy chops to Obama's ticket. On the RNC side, McCain wisely picked a fresh face from the Governor's office in Alaska of all places. Sarah Palin has everything McCain was looking for. She can steal away women from the Democrats and possibly turn this race around for him. She has the conservative credentials to appeal to the right wing and is an engaging personally to say the least.

Oh, and did I mention she's a woman?

Not just any woman, but an Alaskan woman. That's right, this woman can split wood. She can kill and skin a moose. She also could, I'd be willing to bet, whip the ass of most of the women that will be criticizing her. Maybe that's why the democrat media seems to be so quick to attack her. They fear her. In a very primitive way, they recognize that Sarah Palin is a predator, not prey for their fodder.

The left has always had a difficult time dealing with powerful Conservative women. From Goldie Meir to Margaret Thatcher the Left simply avoids commenting on them. In their view, powerful women do not play by the men's rules, they make up their own separate but equal rules. They should be for Women's Reproductive Rights as long as that choice isn't to have the baby, they should have the right to choose their own careers, as long as that career isn't "Stay-at-home-Mom.",They should be against hunting and anything else that defines Traditional American Male Culture, while protecting every other culture on the face of the earth. For a women to hunt, be against abortion, and be a conservative women's voice, can only mean one thing in their eyes.

She's a Hand Maiden to the barbaric, imperialistic, male dominated establishment.

This is much akin to the way some blacks view other blacks as being a "sell out" or a "Uncle Tom" if he sides with the whites on an issue. This makes Governor Palin a Pariah of the worst sorts. If other women should start looking at Sarah and admiring her, that may lead to more women like her. The left has long enjoyed the lion's share of the women's vote, especially on issues like Animal Rights and Abortion. They're not about to watch it all bleed away because of some self proclaimed "Hockey Mom."

To them, I would like to send a piece of advice......"Be careful, very careful."

Senator Obama went out of his way to say that he would not comment on Palin's family, but the Liberal Media wasted no time attacking Sarah's daughter for getting pregnant. They used it as an attack on Palin's conservative stance on Sex Ed in schools, and as proof that conservative ideas fail. They laughed at her experience as being "small" town and therefore not valuable. They taunted her description of herself as a "Hockey Mom" as laughable, considering the office she's applying for.

Meanwhile, across the U.S., thousands of parents with unplanned grandkids are thinking, "Hey, are they saying it's OUR fault?" The Leftist Media goes after Palin's "Hockey Mom" self description and thousands of Hockey Moms (and Soccer Moms, Baseball Moms, etc.) see themselves being talked down to. They put down small towns and the same people who got angry over Barack's "clinging to guns and religion" comment, get angry about the Latte Liberals showing their contempt for them. The Democrat Party cannot afford to lose these people. Already the RCP polls are showing a strong bump for the McCain/Palin team.

Sarah Palin is set to possibly become the first female Vice President in our Nation's history. If the Left doesn't give her due props, a lot of women could move over to the Republican's side in anger. If they continue to devalue her and not take her seriously they are going to find out what it's like to tangle with a conservative, frontier woman who believes in her values. Sarah, Sweet and Simple? Nah, this women can split wood, and maybe Democrats. H.C.

2008 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION; CATHARSIS OR CHAOS?

Hillary Clinton claims her supporters need a "catharsis", a healing, to get over their loss. To hear her tell it, it would seem that her supporters are the first in history to be disappointed and to have to deal with their candidate failing to meet their expectations. In an effort to placate her supporters, Barack Obama has agreed to allow Hillary's name to appear on the nomination at the convention and to be voted on. For Barack's people, or the DNC, to believe that Hillary's supporters will be pacified by losing yet again in a very public fashion seems insane to me.

At the DNC Rules and Bylaws meeting May 31st of this year, the dems gathered to decide what to do with Michigan's and Florida's suspended delegates, the mood could not have been any worse. Despite repeated attempts by the chairwomen to keep control, Hillary's supporters shouted out comments and disrupted the proceedings throughout. Any Democrats watching must have been embarrassed by the lack of class and decorum exhibited by some of their own. To expect that the DNC convention will be any less chaotic seems naive at best. My prediction is that at least on Wednesday, the day the V.P. nomination takes place, you can expect much of the same if not worse.

How the DNC thinks this will lead to a catharsis is beyond my thinking.

The problem the Democrats have, and will continue to have, is that they have to explain to a group of very pissed off Hillary Fem-bots how it is completely fair to have one group win out over the other. Democrats sub-groups have been taught by the DNC all their political lives that any loss is the direct result of some prejudice, not the result of one group doing a better job of representing their point of view. Is it any wonder then that a women that every single pundit (including me) thought would win the democratic nomination hands down, now tries to blame misogyny and sexism as the cause of her downfall. This despite the fact that her own chief campaign strategist, Mark Penn, said in a recently released memo that Obama, "Couldn't win against Attila the Hun." It couldn't possibly be that they simply underestimated their opponent.

To make matters even worse, Obama has to try to pacify Hillary's supporters while choosing someone else as V.P.. This has as much of a chance of flying as Lead Zeppelin. While I'm sure Howard Dean will do everything in his power to keep everything under control, this convention will be sure to have Republicans grinning from ear to ear. H.C.

EDDIE

Sad is the story of a life gone past

Muddled in secrets and memories cast

The tears of a child who fears his own home

Ended in a basement dark and alone

Edward Farrar was a "Paste Eater." He was the kind of kid who didn't seem to have a lick of sense. His hair was greasy black and combed in a Pompadour like Elvis used to wear. Strands of it would break loose from the rest and hang in front of his eyes. His clothes were dirty and out of date and he smelled of poverty. He had a maniacal laugh that reminded you of the Joker from the old Batman series and he could be counted on to disrupt every class with his outbursts and antics. He was hyperactive, out of control, and was put on Ritalin by our school. The only time Eddie seemed in the least bit restrained is when the Ritalin would take effect and he would nod off. I don't believe anyone knew why Eddie was like he was, and I don't think anyone really took the time to care. Sadly, this included me.

Eddie entered Merrill Elementary School on the north end of Flint in third grade and right away it was obvious that he was a troubled child. In those days, acting out was not tolerated, children who misbehaved were sent for spankings by the Principle. So common was this form of discipline that our Principle's office included outlined hands drawn on the wall. When you were to be punished, you put your hands on the outline and then your feet were moved back to put the pressure on your hands. This method was devised to keep kids from putting their hands in the path of the swinging paddle. After you were paddled, you were then told the reason for your discipline and what kind of behavior was expected of you. It seems cruel now, but back then it was totally excepted. I have to say one thing about that form of discipline; very few kids acted out and classes were far better behaved then now.

Eddie was clearly the exception to that rule. No amount of punishment seemed to effect him. He beat a path to the Principle's office and soon the Principle gave our teacher permission to paddle him herself. The first time our 60-something teacher tried to spank Eddie, it didn't turn out so well. She lead him out into the hallway to receive his discipline and seconds later, in burst Eddie paddle in hand, our teacher in pursuit. Around and around the desks Eddie ran, laughing and tormenting his pursuer in a game of "Keep away." The class, sensing a rare moment of chaos, roared it's approving laughter. After Eddie was finally caught with the help of two other teachers, his Ritalin was increased to a point where he rarely raised his drugged head from off his desk.

When we were both graduated to Emerson Junior High I knew Eddie's life was going to get far worse. Some of the black kids immediately recognized him as an easy victim and Eddie was tormented endlessly. His tattered clothes and dim intelligence gave the poor oppressed black kids a rare chance to feel better than someone else. Even better for them, someone white. Eddie soon found himself being ridiculed by the lowest rung on the social ladder. For him, it must have seemed life could get no worse. I always watched from a distance, glad that it wasn't me. Glad that their attention was directed on someone else. In hindsite, I could have been a better person, a better human. It's a guilt I still feel today. Normally the few white kids banded together, co-miserating at their mutual misfortune. Eddie suffered alone and walked home alone.

On the day we were told that Eddie had killed himself. I remember that there was no crying. No one walked around with a vacant stare, in fact, no one seemed to care at all. His obituary read like a life wasted. No baseball trophies, no school accolades, no achievements. It described his 9 brothers and sisters and grieving mother, nothing else. For some reason, I started asking questions about Eddie. I realized that despite knowing him for 4 years, I knew nothing about him. I rode my bike past the address I had read in the obituary. His house was a small 235 house (houses given to the poor that only had only about 600 square feet of living space.) I tried to envision how 9 kids and an adult could live in one. The house was in complete disarray; broken bikes, chewed-up lawn, dog feces everywhere and broken windows. I learned from one of his brothers that Eddie had been molested repeatedly by one of his many step-fathers and severally beaten by all of them. His mother was an obese women who tolerated any behavior by her men as long as they would stay. I tried to envision even one happy moment in such a scenario. I could not. Eddie, it turns out, had hung himself in the basement during a very rare moment alone.

The more I found out about the sad life of Eddie Farrar, the more shame I felt for having laughed at him, for being part of making his already pitiful life even worse. I still think about Eddie sometimes and wonder why God had seen fit to treat someone so badly, who had so little to begin with. Life is filled with regret and all you can do is ask for forgiveness. I have tried to make up for my transgressions by being a better person now. Part of that process is recognizing what you have done wrong. The purpose of this post is part of that process. I now recognize that I wasn't as good a person as I could have been to Eddie. That I could have tried to help him or at least listened to him. For that, I am truly sorry. Forgive me Eddie, I didn't know. H.C.

BARACK'S BIGGEST PROBLEM? BLACK PEOPLE

I know what your thinking. How could Senator Barack Obama have a problem with black people who are supporting him 90 to 95 %? Isn't that his strongest base? Absolutely. But Barack can not win this election with black people alone. He needs to have a decent chunk of the biggest group in the U.S., working class white people. And these are the people that are the most fickle constituents that Obama has in his stable. Ask your average white person if there is a disadvantage to being black and the majority of them will say "yes". Ask the same group what to do about it and they split into fractions. Race politics divides. Every since the Reverend Wright videos surfaced on youtube and all of our T.V.s and radios, Barack's support among white people, particularly white males, has fallen. I now believe that the biggest threat to Obama's campaign is the very people who have shown him the most steadfast support.

After the Reverend Wright videos, Barack's support among white people fell off considerably. In fact, Hillary Clinton actually got more of the Democrat's votes afterward. Is that the fault of white people? The mostly white media? No, and I'll tell you why. With the advent of the Internet, it's virtually impossible for the Main Stream Media to ignore a story that big. It's the introduction of the story that is the problem. Afterward, Reverend Wright went on to make even more outrageous statements, dragging poor Barack's misery out even further. Is it the media's fault that they responded to the Reverend's requests? If they didn't allow him his voice wouldn't the argument that Hill made of media bias be even more sound? Of course.

Later, when Jesse Jackson made his infamous, "I'd like to cut his nuts off." statement, was it the media's fault, or Jesse Jackson's? More recently, when Ludicrous, a black rapper, sang about painting the White House black, was it wrong for white people to be stunned? What if a white person became mayor of Washington D.C. and white people started saying it was time to "Whiten-up the place." wouldn't black people be equally stunned?

The truth of the matter is; Barack doesn't need to have race brought into the race at all.

Part of the problem is that black people are not used to black politicians avoiding the issue of race. Far from it. Black politicians usually thrive on it, it's their oxygen. Without it they can't survive or win in their mostly black districts. Obama avoiding the issue seems to black people the same as not caring. That's simply not true. Barack just understands white people far better than the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons of old. The reason both Jesse and Al couldn't make their campaigns work as well as Barack's is because they cast themselves as a "black candidate", centering on black issues. With the possible exception of a very few guilt-ridden white Liberals, most of the white people ran to the white candidates as fast as they could. That is not how you win a Presidential election folks. You win by forming a constituency that is bigger than your opponents.

If these prominent black figures continue to inject race into the election, either through gloating or out of concern that it's being left out, Barack Obama will lose this race. Every time they bring up anything racial in nature, Barack's opponent's will seize the opportunity to make the election a racial issue and Obama loses the support among white middle class voters that he so desperately needs. The right will simply say, "We didn't bring it up." and they'll be right. Black advocates need to take a page out of the Republican hand book on this one. When the conservative right started showing up at functions and making statements, the Republican Party suffered. Now they are kept in the backfield. They still have as much influence, just not so publicly. Black people need to make a choice; do you want to have your problems heard during the race, or do you want influence and win. It's your choice, and I promise you can't have both. H.C.