Health care

How is it, that with a majority in both the House and Senate, the Dem's don't have the guts to tell, Joe (Sheriff Droopy Dog) Lieberman, to take a hike, and pass a bill with a public option? I know, I know, they don't want a filibuster. But would it matter if they did filibuster? Don't' we have the votes to pass it when it was over? Are they going to drag out debate for three more years? Or are they just waiting until after the first of the year, so they don't miss any Christmas vacation?

"God" (every, Republican's, "imaginary friend") only knows.

Glenn Beck is advising his following of mouth breathers who only buy books at Costco, to buy gold. Good advice. Two years ago! Gold is at record high prices right now, and the company's who sponsor his show and sell, you guessed it, gold, are charging a 40% retail markup for THEIR gold. He has a, "3 G's plan": God, Gold, and Guns. Yeah, that will help you through the bad economy that, "W" left us to help his oil/banking/pharmaceutical buddies. As, Stephen Colbert said tonight, he probably has another plan as well. One with, "3 K's in it". Ever seen a, Black guy at a teabag/9-12 rally on TV? Didn't think so.

I went downtown today, which I rarely do since I quit working. My wife likes to take some, "care packages" if you will to the children at, The Road Home every Christmas. She enjoys putting them together, and I put on a concealed weapon, since I arrested a lot of people in that area of town over the last 20 years, and I take her. I'm a Grinch. I can't help it.

I was struck by all the men standing around outside. No where to go, no jobs, and they can't just stay in the shelter all day, I know the rules, as much time as I spent in there as a Probation/Parole Agent for 23 years. And it made me think of something my mother told me about when I was a kid.

She grew up in West Virginia in the, Great Depression. Her father was an, Engineer on the B&O. Died climbing into his locomotive in the 1960's. A railroad man all his life. And during the depression, President Roosevelt created the, Public Works Administration, known as the, "PWA". My mom says the letters stood for, "Papa Works Again" around her house. She had three brothers and a sister.

My wife talks about her father's stories of, PWA work, long before she was born.

It made me wonder, have we made a mistake by bailing out the banks, when we should have just put people to work rebuilding our infrastructure, or improving our National Parks like they did in the 30's and 40's?

Was it the right decision to save the banks that issued the bad mortgages instead of employing the folks who lost their houses, so they could PAY those mortgages? There by saving their house, and the banks at the SAME time?

I'm not an economist, and I admit, I might have NO idea how this really works. And right now, I'm rich, and don't need to work, and my investments are making it so I can stay retired, and not have to go back to work.

But I don't manage them. I pay a guy who knows about this stuff, to do it for me. And four times a year, I meet with him, and do what he tells me. And he does it for a fee of 3/4 of 1% of my money. So If I make money, he makes money. It's a win/win for the both of us.

And, all signs of every previous recession/depression in this country's history shows that unemployment peaks, and sometimes at REALLY high numbers, just as the recovery starts, so it's started now.

But, wouldn't have putting people back to work lowered the unemployment rate, AND saved the banks since people could pay their mortgages? I'm asking, not asserting. I really don't know. And when, Paul Krugman and Thomas Friedman read this (I bought their books, so I'm SURE they read my blog. Right?) maybe they can answer the question.

If anyone knows, Joe Lieberman personally, please tell him the only Democrat in Utah thinks he sucks.