“Yes we can”?
Obama’s date with destiny started with a train ride on Saturday, January 17 from Philadelphia to Washington. I start to wonder how much secret service he had. I ponder that thought along with how much money was spent on that train ride.
The amount is sure to be impressive.
Emmett Beliveau, executive director of the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee said "As part of the most open and accessible inauguration in history, we hope to include as many Americans as possible who wish to participate, but can't be in Washington," And in Obama’s own words “you are never too old to toot the horn”.
Next on the agenda, We Are One: The Obama Inaugural celebration. A star studded event on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Just one catch the concert is on HBO a premium subscription cable channel. We are one, meaning only those of us who can still afford the luxury of HBO.
I guess being accessible to as many Americans as possible only matters every now and then. I am sure that HBO forked over a hefty sum for the rights to the concert. How very Democratic of you Mr. President.
Tuesday, January 21. 1.2 million People made their way to D.C. to be part of the inspiring Inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama. Not to mention the 34 million viewers who tuned in to watch as Obama takes the Presidential oath of office.
Isn’t Tuesday a workday?
Oh I forgot over 2 million Americans lost their jobs this past year.
The excitement is palpable. The promise of a new day has gotten 1.2 million women, children, and men, to endure the freezing cold to experience history.
“The state of economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act-not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.”
And then I shall walk on water and turn it into wine. Ok I embellish he never promised to make the water into wine.
Inauguration day was a success the start to rebuilding America and restoring the people’s faith in government.
However, the misanthropist in me can’t help but wonder. Was Chief Justice Roberts trying to tell us something with a slight misplacement of the word faithfully?
Who can overlook the fact that the stock market crash was the worst in Inaugural history?
Senator Kennedy collapses at the luncheon. And Senator Byrd security detail decides to remove him also.
The following morning Caroline Kennedy decides to withdraw from the race for Hilary’s vacated senate seat due to personal reasons. Maybe the omens of the previous day are too much for Caroline.
Obama later addresses his White house staff and says “During this period of economic emergency, families are tightening their belts, therefore so should Washington. That is why I am instituting a pay freeze on my senior white house staff making over $100,000.
Shortly after that Obama is sworn in again at 7:35 p.m. in the map room of the white house.
Thank you, President Obama for tightening your belt along with the rest of us.
One question though did it ever cross anyone’s mind to skip the over the top inaugural event to the tune of $170 million dollars. In lieu of a nice quite ceremony similar to the one held on Wednesday considering “this period of economic emergency”?
The answer came to me in the most unexpected place from the most unexpected person. I was watching the tonight show and Jay Leno says "do you know who gave the shortest inauguration speech in history? George Washington, whose speech was just a couple minutes long, which makes sense because, remember, George Washington couldn't tell a lie, right?"
Friday, January 23, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Recession or Depression?
As most of us I have been watching the news, listening to the radio and reading the newspapers. Every day I am hearing, seeing, listening, and reading about the doom and gloom of our economic crisis. In spite of this, there was one word that went unspoken until recently. It was hinted at, and danced around ever so carefully, but never actually verbalized.
I am sure around the dinner table, at the office water fountain, or let’s face it at the unemployment line. We have spoken about it, whispered it to each other, and pondered it in our heads. What vocabulary word is so scary that we can not say it out loud? What declaration is it that the media and the economist have not wanted to articulate? Like, it has not been the giant pink elephant in the room?
As if the whole world has regressed back to their childhood days. And if we don’t say it out loud, write it down, or read it in print, it’s not really happening….. nanananbobo
Until now! I guess it is time to throw our security blankets to the wind, stand up straight, and look the ugly little words in the eye.
Recession, last week it was made official. I can almost hear the collective sigh of relief as the news caster makes the statement.
Well that wasn’t so bad; I mean we all knew this as the truth. We don’t have to be economist to figure this one out.
However, once the band-aide has been pulled why stop there? The next thing is not only are we officially in a severe recession, but we have been in a recession for a year Hmmm… it was a little tougher getting rid of those security blankets than we thought.
Brace yourselves; our blankets are gone and our band-aides have been pulled. There is an even more frightening utterance yet. Since the term Recession has been officially vocalized. There is another ugly little word looming. It has been whispered about, eluded to, and danced around.
Depression….. Yep there you have it. The roaring 20’s are back again. Well that has a nice little ring to it……..they had those cute flapper dresses, and it seemed like it was a pretty fun time in spite of everything……. I mean they call it the roaring 20’s how bad could it be?
Oh crap, never mind! Put away your pearl necklaces and your vintage flapper dresses. Break out your monopoly board, your cheap wine, and put extra locks your doors. The last depression started with the stock market crash in 1929 the official end of the roaring 20’s. And brings us into the Depressed 30’s, with it came Monopoly, Al Capone, and the end of prohibition.
Well, at least there was the end of prohibition. I mean you could drink away your sorrows.
Maybe this is what our beloved stoners need to finally legalize marijuana?
On second thought AA was also started in the 30’s.
Well, this has made me wonder what the difference is between a Recession and a Depression. I was on a mission to find out.
Well actually not so much a mission as a date with Google.
This is what I found:
There is an old economist joke which says the difference between and Recession and a Depression is that when your neighbor losses his job it is a Recession. And when you lose your job it is a Depression.
Aaahh profound, I can just picture a couple economist, gray haired, smoking their cigars, and sipping their brandy. Chuckling over how clever they are.
Well I keep researching and found that most economists cannot agree upon the difference between a Recession and a Depression. There was a lot of writing about the GDP, BCDC, and the NBER.
Well I can break out my old economics text books. Or, I can put my faith of the truth in humor of my dear old cigar smoking economists.
I can’t remember where my textbooks are so I go for the latter of the two.
While evaluating the changes I have made. I discover I have given up my love for Veuve Cliquot, and traded it for another sparkling wine Arbor Mist. No more Rib eye steak, however skirt steak is delicious.
I like Ramen noodles, I have attributed to the rising stock of Wal-Mart and the dollar store. I clip coupons, and have renewed my library card. I stuff my purse full of snacks when I go to the movies vs. buying them at the concession stand. I also learned I can feed five people for under $10.00 thanks to the $ menus of our fast food restaurants’.
So, to all my fellow friends living their lives in a recession or a depression. Let’s raise our arbor mists to a toast and remind ourselves.
The 30’s brought about little orphan Annie, the Wizard of OZ, Clark Gable, and the end of prohibition.
So there are some good times to come even if history repeats itself.
We have earned our place in the history books.
And we have officially earned the right to tell our grandchildren stories about when I was a kid I had to walk five miles up a hill in the snow to get to ……….
I am sure around the dinner table, at the office water fountain, or let’s face it at the unemployment line. We have spoken about it, whispered it to each other, and pondered it in our heads. What vocabulary word is so scary that we can not say it out loud? What declaration is it that the media and the economist have not wanted to articulate? Like, it has not been the giant pink elephant in the room?
As if the whole world has regressed back to their childhood days. And if we don’t say it out loud, write it down, or read it in print, it’s not really happening….. nanananbobo
Until now! I guess it is time to throw our security blankets to the wind, stand up straight, and look the ugly little words in the eye.
Recession, last week it was made official. I can almost hear the collective sigh of relief as the news caster makes the statement.
Well that wasn’t so bad; I mean we all knew this as the truth. We don’t have to be economist to figure this one out.
However, once the band-aide has been pulled why stop there? The next thing is not only are we officially in a severe recession, but we have been in a recession for a year Hmmm… it was a little tougher getting rid of those security blankets than we thought.
Brace yourselves; our blankets are gone and our band-aides have been pulled. There is an even more frightening utterance yet. Since the term Recession has been officially vocalized. There is another ugly little word looming. It has been whispered about, eluded to, and danced around.
Depression….. Yep there you have it. The roaring 20’s are back again. Well that has a nice little ring to it……..they had those cute flapper dresses, and it seemed like it was a pretty fun time in spite of everything……. I mean they call it the roaring 20’s how bad could it be?
Oh crap, never mind! Put away your pearl necklaces and your vintage flapper dresses. Break out your monopoly board, your cheap wine, and put extra locks your doors. The last depression started with the stock market crash in 1929 the official end of the roaring 20’s. And brings us into the Depressed 30’s, with it came Monopoly, Al Capone, and the end of prohibition.
Well, at least there was the end of prohibition. I mean you could drink away your sorrows.
Maybe this is what our beloved stoners need to finally legalize marijuana?
On second thought AA was also started in the 30’s.
Well, this has made me wonder what the difference is between a Recession and a Depression. I was on a mission to find out.
Well actually not so much a mission as a date with Google.
This is what I found:
There is an old economist joke which says the difference between and Recession and a Depression is that when your neighbor losses his job it is a Recession. And when you lose your job it is a Depression.
Aaahh profound, I can just picture a couple economist, gray haired, smoking their cigars, and sipping their brandy. Chuckling over how clever they are.
Well I keep researching and found that most economists cannot agree upon the difference between a Recession and a Depression. There was a lot of writing about the GDP, BCDC, and the NBER.
Well I can break out my old economics text books. Or, I can put my faith of the truth in humor of my dear old cigar smoking economists.
I can’t remember where my textbooks are so I go for the latter of the two.
While evaluating the changes I have made. I discover I have given up my love for Veuve Cliquot, and traded it for another sparkling wine Arbor Mist. No more Rib eye steak, however skirt steak is delicious.
I like Ramen noodles, I have attributed to the rising stock of Wal-Mart and the dollar store. I clip coupons, and have renewed my library card. I stuff my purse full of snacks when I go to the movies vs. buying them at the concession stand. I also learned I can feed five people for under $10.00 thanks to the $ menus of our fast food restaurants’.
So, to all my fellow friends living their lives in a recession or a depression. Let’s raise our arbor mists to a toast and remind ourselves.
The 30’s brought about little orphan Annie, the Wizard of OZ, Clark Gable, and the end of prohibition.
So there are some good times to come even if history repeats itself.
We have earned our place in the history books.
And we have officially earned the right to tell our grandchildren stories about when I was a kid I had to walk five miles up a hill in the snow to get to ……….
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