Apparently the economy is fixing to crash. Again. In fact, our ole' friends Fannie and Freddie are even in the news again, as credit ratings on those institutions plummet. As if they weren't already in a 5-mile hole it had drilled in the crater made by the last market tank. The cause of the whole commotion seems to be centered around the fact that our Congress has finally realized that you can't expect to both borrow trillions of dollars and pay off trillions of dollars at the same time. (This is especially difficult with trillions of dollars in broken programs hanging onto the trillions of dollars in revenue the government brings in. Just pointing that out.)
In fact, it's apparently gotten so bad that Congress has realized bandaids aren't going to fix their bleeding head wound. They might have to cut more than the $1.5 trillion they'd planned on from the budget deficit. Over the next decade. Of course, we can't get rid of any really important programs like that extra aircraft carrier, Congressional salaries, or the Department on Aging, but we'll see what we can do.
Meanwhile, the 2012 presidential campaign seems to be getting started. Yay. Can't wait for that drama. Something I've observed: adult drama is just as tiresome as teenage drama, they're just older, and political drama is just as tiresome as adult drama, it's just the politicians have more money to spend. (We won't get started on celebrity drama; it's basically just teenage drama with more public scrutiny.)
Rick Perry, Texas' very beloved governor is cementing his run for President, most notably with a day of prayer he hosted recently. Of course, all the conservative Christians are now singing his praises, declaring that they'd love such a righteous president. Blech. Study what he's done to Texas sometime, then come talk to me.
The rest of the GOP field is just as depressing, with the hesitant exceptions of Ron Paul and Gary Johnson: Michelle Bachmann, Herman Cain, Allen West. It reads like a list of who's-who of warmongering Republicans. But I'm being unkind. Can't have that.
I've not really researched the Democratic field, but I'm pretty sure (quite positive, actually) that President Obama will be their candidate. Not only is he in a strong position as an incumbent president, no matter how unpopular, but he still has the hearts of quite a portion of the Democratic voting base. And so, this race will come down to Obama and the candidate who wants to get butchered in the polls.
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Actually the race will come down to "the economy stupid". But its possible the GOP will nominate someone less palatable enough to insure a candidate who wants to "get butchered in the polls". If it ends up being Romney, I wouldn't bet against him (I wouldn't bet for him either, especially since I share the reservations about any non-Johnson/Paul candidates).
If it's someone else, then perhaps all bets are off. Perry for example is likely to stir up some of the same liberal defences than someone like Bachmann or Palin would have. (I haven't heard that West is running, though he certainly fits the point of "be unctuous by being obnoxious to your enemies" rather than actually having meaningful things to say yourself).
You are astute to note the "drama" quotient. It paints over the actual sentiments involved and dresses them up into a cute little pageant at a cost of some billions of dollars every few years. Human beings are ever so fond of signaling. And its almost always a complete waste of time and money.
Also, any thoughts on google plus being as you appear from these posts to be a facebook addict?
Very true Sun Tzu. The economy issue is going to be a big factor, yet again, and I can't wait to see how it'll play out. Should be fun. >.>
And yes, the political drama is pretty much a waste. Sometimes I think campaigns before Lincoln's time were much smarter.
And I'm a bit confused by your last post. I'm not so much a Facebook addict as a lazy person. I have sadly neglected this blog in favor of mindless internet games. Which is sad. But I'm going to make an effort. XD
Campaigns before Lincolns? You have seen newspaper ads and cartoons (attack ads) relating to Jackson or Adams or Jefferson, I assume? I think people just over-estimate the divisions and the primacy of "now" over "then" in favor of nostalgia. Politics always been thus. It just has different forms.
Mostly I was curious about google plus use, if any. It seems less easy to waste time there than facebook (sans the mindless internet games, for now), but much more useful for posting things that don't make it into full blown blog posts. At least, that's been my impression.
I was referring more to the overall "popularity contest" feel...though perhaps that has also always been an element. I suppose I wouldn't know, considering I wasn't alive back then. :D
I don't know about Google plus, either...I've never really seen it, since it seems to be fairly new, and I've been out of touch for the past month and a half. :D
Why do you care who the GOP nominates?
I'm voting for Roger Rabbit.
Oh. You didn't know he was running? Interesting.
@Tragedy- I suppose so I won't have a completely out-field candidate to support. Besides, Ron Paul won't run as a libertarian, but I really like him, so I'd love to see him get the GOP nomination. It would tell me that not all hope is lost in the GOP. >.>
@Christopher- haha. Sounds like a plan.
All hope is lost in the GOP. What do you mean when you say that? Hope for what?
Hope that there are still sane people in this country. Considering Dr. Paul has been leading all the straw polls, it's looking like there might be.
Very interesting!
What do you mean by sane people? Is it your opinion that government dictates sanity?
I don't know you got that implication from my comment. My hope is that there are enough sane people in the midst of the electorate at large that we'll be able to get a decent president.
I know.
Ron Paul in my opinion would not be a decent president. By your logic, I need do no more to be insane.
Now that I am insane, I will occasionally ask you questions. Of course, because I am insane, you should not expect them to be rational or follow a logical and sane order.
I want to understand sane people.
You're free to believe he wouldn't be a decent president, and I'm free to believe you're insane, like you say. ;) I have quite a few insane friends, mostly of the Perry-would-beat-anybody variety. Blech.
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