Grateful Dead

Read it, agree with most of it. It is surprising for Cal. My view is so far to the left of that I can't even spit it out here. In a land where Donald Trump can be seriously taken for a presidential candidate, can anything be taken seriously anymore? I guess I'll just say "...the pursuit of money is a noble thing" is a horrible curse, a hammer, the root of evil and the death of our planet. Though there are a few corporate CEOs who have taken cuts for their workers (and just regular owners of companies for that matter), they are so few as to be unmentionable. GDean, one thing I've always wanted to ask you.... do you wear sports-coats with elbow patches and smoke a pipe? You always sound so moderately reasonable!

The Lefetz Letter (http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2011/04/07/income-inequ…) linked to a Vanity Fair article about wealth inequality (http://www.vanityfair.com/society/features/2011/05/top-one-percent-2011…). Vanity Fair?. Maybe the revolution IS on the way? I need to get that "Building Barricades for Dummies" downloaded onto my Nook.

But I read a column by Cal Thomas yesterday that I actually agreed with...something I'd have considered impossible before I started reading. On the subject of wealth distribution, a seemingly uncharacteristic opinion from this arch-, though traditional, conservative: http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/thomas040511.php3

The German economy is up 22% or so. More jobs and higher wages to follow. But now it is official that Portugal is in trouble, as you said Gonzo. I like and agree with your last post, btw. Am just in a very fine mood, so wanna report good news today! ********************************** I am not young enough to know everything. Oscar Wilde

The House passed a 61 million dollar cut that then went to the Senate who have so far acted like children who can't share or make compromises. One of the problems of living in a republic instead of a democracy. There is no doubt that the fledgling economic recovery launched by Obama will be hurt by ashutdown, not only that it will cost millions to shut down and power up again. The Teapanistas are holding Bohner's feet to the fire (Repub. head ramrod). They won't be satisfied until Washington DC is sacked. The Democrats and Obama have everything to gain by making the Repub. look like the inhuman monsters they are. Mod.. Dems & Teapanistas and Independents will vote against them for forcing the shut down in '12, thus assuring a Democratic majority in both houses and Obama's reelection. That would mean programs for the POOR will continue while the MILITARY will be cut and I'm all for that. For that and other reasons to numerous to mention I want the government to shutdown. To be fair, what Repubs. and Teapanista's are screaming about is all true (except Social Security which we all paid for). A 1.4 trillion deficit is not sustainable and will lead, ultimately, like Portugal and Spain to higher interest rates for government bonds. Higher than the .41 on $1 we already pay when we hold a T-Bill auction and the Chinese buy it up. Cut the throats of the mega-corps. and their stinking metrics, ratchet taxes on the rich and police them so they have no where to hide and no way to let their kids inherit more than a million without 80% tax rates and cut the military to the bone. Or let the rich rule and get ready for your standard of living to be slashed.

No relation to Psychedlic Sam... KC has 38,000 feds and Denver 54,000 workers. A furlough and delayed, or no, paychecks will be tough on many, compounding the frustration of other folks who need federal assistance, like the poor and elderly. Hopefully, the cat and mouse House of Reps game will end without shutting the government down.

Torrential rains in Australia have have bred a huge population of 30" rats that are about to over-run Alice Springs. Crocodile Dundee had no comment.

Could we just have a little more unrest and anarchy around here?

And 16 people in Afghanistan have died to date due to Karzai trying to make political hay out of the incident. What a friend we have in Hamet and his heroin-addicted brother. I know! Lets all burn the Koran and incarcerate every Muslim who breaks the law. This is a sure psychological test of who is a fundamentalist and prone to violence. Besides, the private prison industry is hurting in our country and we need to fill those beds!

Unit #3 has sustained the worst damage with a 70% meltdown of the core to date. Radioactivity is now many times higher from the steam and water escaping from efforts to cool down the overheated rods. Gone are the mention of plutonium and played up is the half-life radioactive iodine isotopes with an 8 day half life. One wonders if climate change will force all nukes to shut within Tsunami range (whatever that would be). The 38 foot wave that swamped this nuclear complex may be nothing compared to, say, a 120 foot tsunami crashing into the California coast from baja to SF. 2 nukes totally underwater while a swamped population struggles for survival. ... As an alternative, clean-burning coal will fill those gaps as well as underwater oil exploration. Obama, who took huge campaign contribution from Chicago area energy companies says for the US to be oil independent we must use all sources of energy, even the ones that destroy the environment.