China?

The Olympic games in China has opened a window that we can use to see inside the real China.

It is enough to cause a Republican's heart to soar when they see all that the Chinese government does to involve itself in the daily lives of its people.

What controls! The power to control the population by limiting the number of children allowed to be born, curtail industry when they temporarily want to limit the smog, limit internet access, driving, cell phones, news and newspapers, approve religion, business, education, and the list could go on and on.

I know it was the desire to show to the world how far they had come in modernity and prosperity that led China to apply to host the Olympics in the first place, as it probably is with any country applying. Pride in all they have accomplished and all that, but something else has begun to be shown as well. We now have seen a government that tries to manage the private lives of each of its citizens to an unprecedented degree.

Unprecedented? That may not be true because there have been regimes that have tried--the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, Cuba, the U.S. under George Bush, and others, I am sure.

It is incredible that to be conservative today means to have a paranoid view of the intelligence and wisdom of the citizenry. You'd think that the be a conservative rightist would mean to protect the Constitution, the rights of individuals, free and active thought, and privacy. But, no, to be a Republican in good standing today apparently means just the opposite. It means to control what people see and do, to control the news--and if you think that is not true consider that the administration stands adamant in not allowing the newspapers or TV networks to show the flag draped coffins of our military returning home from our wars.

It means to be hateful of different ideas, suspicious of conflicting thought. If it is not the party line, it is not allowed. If you disagree--perish the thought--you will expose yourself to economic and political recrimination.

Privacy is not a right, they say, but the present administration demands it themselves. Department heads are not permitted to talk freely to the press. Where's "Deep Throat" when you need him?

It's Easy To Blame Others

Let me tell you, the economic news we are hearing today is downright depressing. I could say scary or or even frightening. No, I know the US of A is not going to fall apart completely, but I do know she is in trouble. She is broken and needs to be fixed.

But who is to blame? We all like to point fingers. We even point fingers to take away credit.

Remember when the Repubs said that Clinton was enjoying a good economy--surplus, employment, etc.--because of the wisdom of the first Bush administration? They sought to deny Clinton credit. Now, eight years since they have ruled from the White House and twenty years since they took over Congress (the Democs have been the majority, a slim one at that, only since the 2006 elections), we now are having severe pains like we haven't felt for some time. We need a doctor.

The Repubs point to the largely Democ refusal to allow drilling in our protected waters as one of the reasons why we have such high gasoline prices. A pox upon you Repubs, of house of vipers! Tell us the truth about Cheney's secret meeting with the oil companies at the start of the eight year reign. Yes, I know, the high prices are our fault. So you say.

There are many reasons why things are a mess today. One is the Dollar. It is cheap in relation to other currencies. It takes more dollars to buy the oil we need. It is one of the reassons why so many foreign companies are taking stake in America by buying many of our companies. Budweiser, for instance. The Belgium company purchasing it is enjoying the fact they don't have to spend as much because our Dollar is so cheap.

How did this come about? Uh, George W's sentient wisdom. That's right. It was revelation. No need to back the Dollar because we all know we are the richest and most powerful nation on earth and, besides, God is on our side. So saith George W. Bush, never a second guess George W. Bush.

It is almost comical, the character that George W has become. Never flinching, never agonizing over decisions, right is right, black is black, never gray, he walks--no, struts--with arms held out to his sides as if he were wearing a pair of six-shooters on his hips. Reminds me of the cowboy characters I remember on the black and white screen as a kid in Miami in Saturday afternoon matinees. Strong, resolute, unshaking. They didn't even kiss girls.

Does George W wear blinders? Can he not see what is happening around him? His biggest fan in Texas, Phil Gramm, says that all this bad economic stuff is in our imagination. Is it? I am retired. My income is fixed. The price of gas has greatly reduced any excess spending I might have done. Is it in my mind? Yes, I need to trim my weight, but I'd hope that it would be my choice, not forced upon me by food prices I cannot afford.

Well, George, in a few months you'll be gone. I, for one, say good riddance. Whoever is elected this fall will have to take a mop and clean up the mess that has been made in the White House. That's too bad. You'd hope that whoever occupies it would take care of it. We, the owners, have to be more careful about who we let live there.