by Dr. Larry Moses
No one asked be but…Our Republican President and our Democratic Congress seem to agree on one thing, this country can spend itself into solvency. The government has decided that it will give each tax payer $600 to spend during this next year. This gift comes from a government that is presently running a national debt of nine trillion dollars.
Some people have speculated that to give this money to the American people the government will have to borrow it from China. Each American will be encouraged not to use the money to pay off their personal debt but to purchase new items so the money is put into circulation. Since very little is made in America any more the money spent will go into foreign countries, like China. It makes one wonder whose economy we are going to stimulate. This plan reminds me of the drunk who used to drive to the neighboring town to drink. When asked why, he stated the beer was a nickel cheaper. When asked how that made any sense, he said he drank until he showed a profit.
No one asked me but…It is sometimes difficult for me to remember that we are not in the presidential election process but merely watching the two major parties select their candidates. All of the news coverage gives this process more legitimacy than it deserves. Some people feel that it is not a very democratic process due to the fact that the super delegates of the Democratic Party may decide who will be the democratic candidate. After all the fuss and bother of the primaries and caucuses, the candidate may be selected by a little over 800 party leaders. The person who ends up with the nomination may not be the one the peasants of the Democratic Party selected.
The Republicans can only pray that the Democrats will arrive in Denver with Obama in the lead and the super delegates select Clinton. This could well split the party and cost them the election. The way the press has covered the primaries and caucuses makes the peasants of the two parties think they are actually voting for a presidential candidate. Folks, you are merely selecting people who are going to Denver, Colorado, to select a Democratic candidate to run for the presidency. While it appears that the Republicans have found a candidate they, too, are only preparing for the convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In my memory this is the first time we have gotten this excited about the nominating of candidates prior to the conventions.
No one asked me but…Mitt Romney has now come out in support of John McCain. Romney’s position among the conservatives has been an interesting thing to see. Originally, there was concern over the fact that Romney was too liberal because he was able to get elected in Ted Kennedy’s Democratic Massachusetts. Of course, there was also that Mormon thing that upset the radical religious right. But the better the RINO (a Republican In Name Only) McCain did, the better Mitt looked to the more conservative branch of the Republican Party. When Romney suspended his drive for the nomination, those who had been attacking him for being too liberal found in him a noble champion of conservative rights. I would not pretend to know at what point Romney converted from right to choice (support of Roe v. Wade) – to pro- life but apparently he made that change. When did Romney go from being the Governor of the gun control capital of the world to an NRA booster? While he was campaigning, the arch conservatives certainly had a field day attacking him for flip flopping on issues. The problem is that the radical conservative right has no candidate. Mike Huckabee is done. He just won’t admit it. Ron Paul is a Libertarian and never really had a shot to become the Republican candidate. With all of the real conservative Republican hopefuls gone, it leaves the nomination to McCain.
While some believe, and may be proven right, Romney is setting himself up for the Vice Presidency I would hope that Mitt would be politically wiser than that. The Vice Presidency has not been a stepping stone to the presidency. It has always been a place to balance the ticket, reward a party hack or kill a political career. With the exception of Dick Cheney, who many believe is the “evil” power behind the throne, the Vice President has been a person who wakes up in the morning and asks, “Is the president alive?” and if the answer is, “Yes,” goes back to bed.
If you don’t believe this, look into history and see how many Vice Presidents become president in their own right. If you exclude those who ascended to the office you will find they are far and few between. If you want to know how obscure those men are, name a few of the last Vice Presidents. How many of these went on to become president? Richard Nixon, but he lost the election as the incumbent VP and sat out the next election. Who was George Washington’s Vice President? Who were Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first three Vice Presidents? At the turn of the century the Republican Party selected Teddy Roosevelt Vice President with the sole intent of killing his political career. Mark Hanna, a Republican political hack of the day, made the prophetic statement: “What have you done, don’t you realize that mad man is only a heart beat from the Presidency.” I find it hard to believe that a man of Mitt Romney’s ability could be happy filling the Vice Presidential role. With the thought, however, that McCain is 71-years-old and that he might not finish out his term, it might be worth a try. It would, however, serve one well to remember McCain survived five and half years in the Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War. Actually one does not have to remember that fact because John McCain will remind of you of it every fifteen minutes during any campaign speech. McCain is also quick to point out that his 94-year-old mother is on the campaign trail with him. John, don’t be so cheap, find a good senior center and put her in it.
Thought of the week…Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them? the new Moapa Valley Water Resource Center.
Thought of the week…Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.
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