Not Complicated

When I was about four years old I asked my dad why the box of Christmas ornaments had a symbol and the words 'Union Made In America'. He said that the health of the American economy depended on the economic health of the American worker, and that unions defended the pay of the workers.

That was some time ago, but it still seems to be about right.

Hoover's Back

You're right, it could be Herbert or J.Edgar- but right now I'm focusing on J.Edgar, specifically, his habit of illegally spying on us to build files for blackmail.

That was the secret of J.Edgar's longevity- files on every Congressman and President, and every other public figure, that he used in a 40-year campaign of black mail and extortion.

And that's the real reason the Republicans want to wiretap all of our e-mail and phone calls- to build those files again and blackmail us.

In the end, J.Edgar was revealed to be a cross-dressing gay person, a bitterly ironic revelation to the thousands of people whose lives he ruined, and the millions denied security clearances or jobs. Undoubtedly much the same is true of our current crop of Republican gangsters And that, in short is what it is- gangsterism, pure and simple.

If you build it...

...they will come. Mutu takes the chance to get under something that vaguely resembles a box....

Not For Cars

America's cities were designed for travel by rail and ship. This is the heart of the decline and rebirth of the cities.

Have new, auto-centric cities been built? Probably, but they haven't replaced the old cities. And now the older cities are roaring back with a vengeance.

In a very short time, the American obsession with motoring will be seen for the insanity it always was. Stick a fork in it, it's done.

Vital Signs

You go to the doctor and his nurse takes you temperature and blood pressure. And really, you have to be pretty sick for these to be out of line.

But when we look at our economy, what do we see? A Dow that has lost 20% of the value during the Bush years. Wages that are unchanged, in adjusted dollars, from the early 70s. Income inequality resembling South America more than France or Germany. An extra $3 trillion on the national debt. 47 million without health insurance. Gas prices that have tripled in the past seven years.

And you know something is happening here, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?

This isn't an economy going for an annual check-up. This is an economy discovered on the point of death with the Keystone Kops ready to do CPR.

Seattle Streetcar

Inekon, which built the new Seattle Streetcar, has posted photos of the new buildings along the streetcar route, here.

If Goldwater Had Won.......

The Vietnam War would have been a Republican War. The burning of the cities would have been a Republican social catastrophe. The American people would have demanded a Democratic president in 1968.

Be careful what you wish for.

Enough Already

Bush says we should have done something about Auschwitz. As I recall, Bush's grandfather did do something about Auschwitz. He invested in a steel mill that used energy created by the slave laborers at Auschwitz. He collected profits from that steel mill until, in 1943, the Feds threatened to throw him in jail. The profits from that mill went into George W Bush's trust account and sit there today, "earning" money for George Bush.

I think the verdict is in- never has such a slimy no-good skunk inhabited the White House. In fact, compared with George Bush, your average skunk is someone you'd like to have a beer with. In fairness to George, though- what about those Israeli politicians kissing up to him? Aren't they just as bad?