As I continue to swim upstream on a number of fronts and watch news items fly by me heading the other way on the current, I catch and grasp some of what’s going on, and try to play catch up when I can take a brief pause now and then.
Here are a random collection of thoughts on a random collection of things that I’ve picked up on recently.
Politics as usual. It seems like Congress is still the biggest collection of idiots ever assembled on the planet in watching the fight over the stimulus plan. The Republicans are so feckless that they can’t even inspire a decent Saturday Night Live sketch, even with Dan Ackroyd. I always believed Obama would have as much, if not more, trouble from the Democrats as he does with the Republicans, and as long as Pelosi and Reid are in charge, I’m thinking I’m right.
Speaking of the Obama administration, it seems like they are doing a decent job on some fronts, but failing miserably when it comes to others. I guess that’s par for the course, but disappointing in the early going.
Instant gratification. What is the news media going to do while it is waiting for whatever will come from the stimulus bill to either work or not? Flail hopelessly? Continue to prove as ineffectual as they have so far? Continue to try and frighten the hell out of us? Haven’t they proven that all the business reporting in the word is to be kind: completely bogus and as much of a sham as political reporting is? I like the suggestion I heard last week. Nationalize the media, shut them down for two weeks, and watch the economy take a turn for the better. I think there is merit to that.
Is anyone else tiring of the Icarus like behavior of athletes these days? A-Rod. Michael Phelps.
I’m very glad to see that funding for the National Endowment for the Arts survived in the stimulus bill.
The actors union says the effect that the economic downturn is having on the arts is “a galactic catastrophe.” Not sure how I feel about that hyperbole.
Why does Comcast hate MSNBC here where I live. The sound quality is awful on that station and that station alone. Commercials (not that I care about them,) are frequently interrupted before they complete. On a rare night of watching the boob tube, I counted at least 15 commercials that advertisers should demand make goods for.
One thing I hope the “galactic economic catastrophe” changes is the ridiculous timetables for stocking merchandise is stores way ahead of season changes. I was in Kohl’s before my recent trip to buy a belt. I was surrounded by shorts, summer shirts, and the like. The temperature was freezing outside (this was before our recent spate of warm weather, since subsided.) At least 3 customers I ran into were complaining about the fact that they couldn’t find winter weather clothing in the store. I’m not sure, but I think we were about the only 4 customers in the store.
This story on the rise and fall of Mr.. Peanut man, added to the spate of stories of greed, corruption, stupidity, etc.. that have accompanied our recent woes, makes me wonder if we haven’t reached a point where we need to pull back the curtains on this farce to reveal just how sorry the human race has become. It also makes me fear tremendously for future generations. Ah the human condition. Although I don’t think Rod Blagojevich qualifies as a part of the human condition.
