She will not be upstaged

OK, Michael Jackson passed away today and, I assume, it came as quite a surprise. I know I haven't kept up with him since his fame turned him into more of a freak show than talent show. He was a true talent and entertainer and my thoughts go out to his family, friends, and fans.

What I found more depressing today was the passing of Farrah Fawcett. Yes, she was definitely my grade school (OK high school too) crush. She burst on the scene as a blond bombshell. I can still remember being at K-mart and my dad telling me that "I knew why" I wasn't allowed to have that famous poster. But I did get several others!!

Over her career Farrah rose above her sex symbol image and proved herself a talented actress in works such as The Burning Bed, Extremities, Small Sacrifices, and The Apostle. She received three Emmy nominations and accolades off Broadway. She succumbed to cancer today and dealt with that tragic disease with all the class and strength one could ever expect.

I don't put any entertainer on a pedestal but I know that the rabid media has already forgotten about Farrah and will swamp us with 24/7 coverage of Michael. Farrah conducted herself with grace and class and I just wanted to acknowledge that.

We also lost Ed McMahon this week. He was a man who entertained me more than Michael ever did.

OK, now back to the media circus . . .

The United States of . . . Chicago?

Have you heard about Gerald Walpin? Probably not since the main street media won't cover it. He is, was, the Inspector General for the Corporation for National and Community Service. Obama fired him stating that Walpin was disoriented and confused during a meeting. I just saw Mr. Walpin on a TV interview and he seemed to be quite together. Mr. Walpin was investigating Kevin Johnson, mayor of Sacramento, for alleged misuse of federal funds. Kevin Johnson is a big Obama supporter.

This is yet another example of the change Obama has brought to Washington - Chicago style politics. Use intimidation, false statements, character assassination, whatever it takes to get what you want.

And let's not forget that the General Motors bondholders did not want to agree to the government bankruptcy terms but, after a meeting with Obama's people and threats of IRS audits, all of a sudden the bondholders agreed. Now the union has 55% ownership of the company it works for. Gee that ought to go well. It's like giving an alcoholic the keys to the liquor cabinet.

What's even more intersting in the Walpin case is that Obama skirted a law that he backed as an Illinois senator. The law states that the administration is to give Congress 30 days to review such decisions. So go with a diminished capacity charge and get right around that pesky law. Remeber the media and congressinoal outcry when President Bush lawfully fired the attorney generals? It's new day in our nation's capital indeed.

We can only hope we the people wake up before it's too late. There is a glimmer of hope. Just the other day, Bill Maher the HBO liberal "comdedian" host of Real Time, was wondering when Obama is going to do something (although I think he's done quite enough already). Maher even gave Bush a backhanded compliment.

Can those 52% of the nation that voted him be far behind?

How Biz-Czar!!

In 5 months as president, Obama has appointed 21 Czars for various causes. This far surpasses the number of appointments by past presidents over 4 or 8 years. Does anyone care about this? Here the trouble as I see it:

• Obama is expanding government even more by adding new positions
• He is circumventing the balance of power (and constitution) by appointing people to fictitious posts with no opportunity for congressional debate or vote.
• He is rewarding his campaign supporters by giving them comfy posts inside the administration.

Take your pick, I don't know which of these points is most egregious.

He has appointed a friend and Chicago activist to be the czar of the Great Lakes. I thought we already had the EPA to oversee this. He has appointed a czar to oversee executive pay. Great, so now the government has more control over this too. There's a car czar to make sure the the car companies bow to the government's whim.

Besides these czars there are also these:

CyberSpace Czar
Technology Czar
Drug Czar
Copyright Czar
Climate Czar
Energy Czar
Health Care Czar
WMD Czar
Education Czar
Economic Czar
Housing Czar
Mortgage Czar

Again does this bother anyone?

Isn't czar a Russian word? How appropriate!!

GM = Government Motors

We've all heard this by now. And while the saying is cute, the situation is far from it. So now I, as a taxpayer, own a part of GM. I own shares in a company I would have never chosen to buy. So much for the free market.

Why did this happen? Because GM was too big to fail. So now the government owns it. Let me remind you again of their track record: Post Office - can't turn a profit, Amtrak - dido, Medicare/Medicaid - don't go there. Can the final GM failure be far behind. We will have spent over $70 BILLION and still are not sure GM will survive. It wold have been cheaper and swifter if the government simply let GM file bankruptcy months ago.

All we can hope for is that Obama stays true to his word. He said he does not want to run GM. I want to believe him but he has made so many false promises already.

People need to start paying attention. This administration will prove that government is not the answer. Big bad capitalism (with all of it's warts) and the ingenuity of the American people will revive and grow our economy.

I just wish I bought Ford stock when I had the chance. I'd be up 400% and own shares of the only US car company left standing.

Great leaders don't look back

You hear the media talk about what a great leader Obama is. Again, just because they say so doesn't make it true. No doubt the man can talk. His cadence, rhythm, and presence are impressive. And yes his rise to the presidency is inspirational. But someone needs to talk about substance and true leadership.

Obama needs to stop looking back and blaming and engaging the past administration. He is the president - act like it. Rise above the din. He needs to tell congress to let go of the whole interrogation fiasco. He (and his press secretary) need to ignore Rush and Cheney and all the rest. If this administration wants to deal with the war on terror differently then fine, do so. History will judge the results.

All great leaders accept the situation they walk into. Of course they don't ignore the past. They learn from it and move forward. They don't dwell on it and place blame.

Remember the campaign? This guy is supposed to be different. He needs to start acting like it.

Thank god that's over

Well the Notre Dame commencement speech has come and gone and I have to give some credit to the school. I will never agree that ND should have given Obama an honorary degree but at least the school and students handled it with class. The story lines here were many. Here are the important ones as I see them:

• A Catholic university should not give a degree to someone who has displayed blatant disregard for a basic tenant of the church
• People have a right to protest when they do not agree with such things
• That right is only to be extended to peaceful, respectful protesting
• The president of the United States deserves to be treated with respect
• This includes all presidents (including George W Bush)

I think it is great that ND kept all of the media off campus. The live feed of the ceremony was carried by ND TV. I am sure that all those news channel producers and talking heads are bumming. There is no more story. Obama came, he gave his usual eloquent, sometimes humorous, and always well rehearsed speech.

The swine flu story is fizzling, and now this is over. What will the media cover next?

Hey, there's always Nancy Pelosi - go get her!

A little piece of mind

I took the advice of a friend and took time off from listening to cable and main street media news. Wow, how relaxing. It gives you a good idea how the media tries (very successfully) to rile you up.

It is true that I do not agree with much of what Obama and this congress are doing. But I have to have faith in the American system and believe that even this one minded government can not do irreversible damage. The American people will wake up and realize that we can not sustain the out of control spending that is going on.

And we will not put up with over taxation. We will all realize our limit. I did catch a headline that now they want to tax soda pop as a way to pay for national health care. What is next?

I can only hope that people will pay attention to their own personal situation. If they do they will soon realize that more and more is being taken from them. Don't listen to what the biased media and self serving politicians are saying. The proof is in your pay check.

And, if you are not receiving a pay check and are OK with that, then you are part of the problem, not the solution.