Poker Perambulation

Bastion posted a pic of a gussied up old car. I commented that I recognized I was getting old when I could recognize a vintage make and model and couldn’t name/recognize the current year stuff. That disconnect has spread.

I wasn’t a big fan of George Bush. All those lawyers telling him to “Go ahead. After all, you are the President.” gave me concern. Obama, for all his shouts of change, hasn’t introduced that regarding presidential excesses.

The congress isn’t bothering to do its job. They’ve become followers since the Clinton era. A media standard was always this battle for superiority that was carried on between branches. They roll it out on slow news days. It is the best idea that came from the constitutional convention.

While we laud the founders, they weren’t any better than normal folks on the street. They were selfish in protecting or garnering benefit. Some would have made excellent lobbyist today. But, they recognized that there had to be rule of law and societal protections from the very people many of them were. The idea they came up with – checks and balances – worked for many years. This let the nation avoid most of the egregious excesses folks will try to work to their benefit.

They knew we’d find excesses we’d try to benefit from. Angle shooting is, in fact, an honored tradition. Bad things will always happen. We had the trusts and busted the trust. Reconstruction gave way to Jim Crow and that got smacked down. The list is long. Corrections are consistent with those checks and balances. Sadly, we always need some bubble excess to recognize what took place over time.

Today is different from my day but overall the flow is normal and predicable – at least in hindsight. My era is often described as boring and complacent. But, the other side of that is the supposed Chinese curse of “May you live in interesting times.” and we are doing that these days.

Priorities need reordering. In the stock market that happens with regularity. It is often a temporary change. But, our world is undergoing major change. And we are reacting in a sluggish fashion. How it ends is up to us. Past success is not a promise of future prosperity.

ADDENDUM:

Emphasis is on replacing fossil fuels. The president is adamant and willing to reorder priorities. A great deal of the TARP funds have end up there. We don’t have an infrastructure that can build American. It is adding to our import woes. We’ve directed a large investment in that area already to supposedly create jobs be we are off-shoring many of those jobs. Two-cent of every KWH is taxed and directed there and has been for several years. What is the success?

Green Energy

We won’t eliminate our fossil needs in my lifetime or probably yours. In the process, we can’t destroy the economy.  Proceeding at current rates and without creating our own manufacturing,  we have one-hundred years to wait and spend to obtain today's needs.   It isn't doable without a major change and that isn't where we are heading with current planning.

The other night I watched an interview with a fellow who is supposed to have some breakthrough green technology.  He looked for funding and visited the Energy Department for help.  He was turned down.  The interview was between the interviewer and the man — he was in China.  They are building a plant there for him.

Related posts:

1. The Times
2. Interesting Times