Nothing

Dear Readers,

For the last two months, I've had nothing to say. What can I say? I guess you could call it writer's block. But that entails that I've have this stream of "writing" that was blocked. Maybe... who knows? Maybe there was nothing to be blocked. The well was just dry. Even tonight, I have nothing to write about now. So stop reading. I have nothing to say.

Most of my thoughts are very simple. I wonder why I like the smile and hello of the girl working behind the counter at my gym. I wonder if people full of sh-t like global warming deniers will be ever called out in this lifetime. I wonder what it says about America and our educational system that Rush Limbaugh is the most popular radio broadcaster and that Howard Stern is the second most popular radio guy. (Unfortunately, my fact-checker has left me- unsurprisingly considering I haven't written in two months- so the veracity of this blog should be questioned.)

I wonder if people will start buying electric cars and how that will work out for everyone involved: car makers, urban air breathers, electric companies, oil producing countries. I wonder how, when we can produce and iPad2 or an iPhone4 or an Android or fly into space, (the latter, something we've been doing for 40 years), but we can't give global warming more of a fight (by seriously reducing our CO2 emissions). I realize we are going to get there (reducing our CO2 emissions). It just seems we are taking the slow and cautious approach.

I can envision a world, in which a lot more people drive electric cars.

But, I hope they don't break down all the time. That would suck. If you run out of gas, someone can just put more gas in your tank, so you can make it to the nearest gas station. When you run out of electricity, what do you do? Get towed to the nearest (electric) outlet?

Even with issues bound to happen, I hope electric cars (just like the Israelites that came before them) become as numerous as the Toyota Pri (at least the Toyota Pri in California). Not just to decrease the atmosphere's capacity to store heat, but also and maybe more importantly for the air we breathe.

I love it, because some people doubt global warming, or hate people, or hate people that understand the science of global warming, some people are actually for polluting the air. I can't believe there are people, Dick Cheney, I'm think of you that say, that air you breathe, it isn't dirty enough, not enough inner city kids are getting asthma.

Exactly, how do they (global warming deniers know global warming is a sham? I am including global warming agnostics in my h-te list. The ones that say, yes the world is warming, but I'm not sure it's caused by us, human beings. Not all people can really handle the world as is, so they filter out thoughts that don't confirm their world view.

I understand that life in America can be hard. There are a lot of different TV shows on at one time, and my DVR only can record four of them (at once). Really I understand, the real issue is that there just aren't that many middle class jobs left in our economy anymore. You have to work real hard to become wealthy, even if you just wanted middle class. Otherwise it's being a high school math teacher or working at McDonald's. It's either that, or we could have socialism, pick your misery!

I think people will look back at this time period, and think what f--==g id--ts this guys were. Caring so much about stupid computer tablets, which allow them to play games as the world they live in both politically and environmentally was heading towards the brink. Hey, at least we/they enjoyed ourselves until the very end. Playing games on our little computers, while the real world's issues were a bit more challenging to be called a game or warrant our attention.

My last thought. eh, you don't want to hear it. The thought was here (literally), just not good enough, even for this blog. I got nothing more to say.

Signing off (probably for March),

GCNOF

Letter to the Editor of the Wall Street Journal

A senseless tragedy occurred on Saturday. A federal judge, a congressional staffer, and a nine year old girl died among others, in an assassination attempt of an Arizona democratic congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who may or may not die, or be permanently brain damaged.

Lots of people rushed to politicize the event. Which of course is expected. It was a political event, and a politician was targeted. I personally do not hold the Tea Party or any of its members responsible in any way for this tragedy. However, being politically minded. I do have an angle of this story and maybe something good can come of this tragedy.

What I see as the central issue of this tragedy, is that the "suspect" of this shooting was either diagnosed or suspected of being schizophrenic. He had failed out of school and wasn't good enough for our desperate military.

I'll skip over the fact that he was allowed to buy a gun, given his background, five weeks ago. I guess you have to be a convicted felon not to get a gun. I'm sure if you are really a felon, you'll get one on the black market.

But really, that's not my point. My point is that this man, wasn't institutionalize or given good... wait for it.... Health Care. With good health care, this man wouldn't be out on his own, or given a gun, or been in a position to kill six people and change the lives of several more.

Until the 1980s and Republican hero Ronald Reagan, our country institutionalized a lot of mentally ill in hospitals. Since the 80s most of these people are mostly on the streets or in jail. Some people just can't take care of themselves. Most of the time, these people are harmless to others, some of these people, maybe that's true all the time. Unfortunately in our society, if one person "major objects" and uses his/her nuclear option he or occasionally she, can cause a noteworthy damage to society. And besides of a moral responsibility to our fellow human beings (Americans really), this makes it in our interest to take care of "everyone." (Moses, G-d and Jesus would agree). I know there is another particular prophet out there that would agree, at least I think, but I'm kind of scared to say his name, because a few of his followers are well... you know.

With good (mental) health care, we can prevent some of these senseless tragedies and the silent tragedies of people living on the streets, who really can't take of themselves. So let me simplify why the government is getting involved in the health care industry. Lots of people with the worst conditions can't/don't qualify for/can't afford treatment. This is either because Health Insurance Companies are greedy or that it simply isn't profitable (can't be done by private companies) to insure everyone. Either the market is inefficient or it's simply impossible to make a profit in the health care industry. Either way the government (with its responsibility to the people) intercedes. Which is what our president has already done. Obamacare!!! Listen Mr. Wall Street Journal... the Health Care Industry isn't working based on the free-market, whether because of Collusion of Companies or the unprofitability of the Industry (the latter is what I think). As far as I know, no one has proved that the free market works in every situation. Let alone most. So the government infers, and the next Jared Loughner, is treated before he goes on a killing rampage. Or at least the medical/mental health records get transferred, so he is denied the right to bear arms if say he refuses treatment. G-d bless the departed and wounded.

Sincerely,

George Costanza's Number One Fan

p.s. people are scared about government health care options because of "Death Panels." umm. please to tell me What happens now?... Let me guess our current health care is so good, that you actually don't ever... you know...and no one now is ever refused a life saving procedure, because it's too expensive. Right!

Dumb and Dumbererer

Sometimes I think pieces of information that are tangential to a story can be more revealing than the intentional focus. Reading between the cracks in the accepted narrative of this hard to believe NYT article on the pitfalls of negotiations in the Afghan war, two facts stood out more than the absurd fraud in the headline:

1. The man was paid to participate in the negotiations?!!! Even if he was the real McCoy, he would be just as likely to fake the talks just to receive more payments. A prerequisite to negotiation is that each side has something the other actually wants. If you have to pay the other side to show up, then its a safe bet that any resolution is DOA.

2. The real Taliban leadership is believed to be in Pakistan, hiding with the help of the Pakistani government?!!! At what point does Pakistan stop being our Ally? We invaded Afghanistan and unseated the Taliban in the first place because they were harboring our enemies. How is this very different?

Certainly our interests in the Middle East are very complicated, but it is not backwards land. Up is not down and pigs still don't take off from Kabul airport, yet these two facts that seem essentially like admissions of total failure are "background" to the story.

Hemingway had a simple rule for playing poker: if a hand is good enough to check, it is good enough to raise. If it isn't good enough to raise, then fold. If we can't win in Afghanistan, then there is no point spending another day, another dollar and another soldier's life trying not to lose. In the Middle East we are being strung along like suckers. Only the oil and defense companies will walk away with a smile.

Corrections Dept...

Apparently the TARP, which I have bad-mouthed repeatedly, is not really so bad after all. If it really didn't cost much or anything it was probably a pragmatic band-aid that served stability. However, I still am dubious about it's overwhelming moral hazard and it's favoring of large banks over smaller banks and credit unions that should have been rewarded for their prudence.

Anne Coulter to GOProud:

"Marriage is not a civil right, you're not black."

1)If marriage is not a civil right then a government that outlawed marriage would not be oppressive?

2) "You're not black." Sure, not in that room, but what about the larger context? Does the 14th amendment allow Wanda Sykes to marry her girlfriend, but overlook her paler colleagues?

See Blog dated August 27th.

Please check out my awesome my blog dated August 27th. Thanks! p.s. Politically I said that after Obama was elected President, I would trust every decision Obama made and not worry about politics until he was up for re-election. I realize that is black-and-white thinking. In the future I hope to elaborate on my political thoughts. I may also add how my hero George Costanza might act, if he were elected to a high public office. Again- Please check out my blog posted August 27: Injuries- A Memoir.

Thanks!

GCNOF

Compromising Principles

From TPM: John Boner (sp?) maybe will lead the House GOP to a compromise on the Bush Tax cuts and, effectively, vote for higher taxes on the wealthy. This might be the first glimmer of what will turn into a marked change in the national Republicans after November. Once they have a little bit of actual power I think they will take a slight, but sharp turn to the center for the sake of getting anything done. Hysterical non-sequitors may be a useful campaign tool for the Right, but once they have enough seats to actually affect policy, the Tea Partiers will find themselves under a very heavy bus. Or maybe it's just some random off the cuff remark. We will see what comes.