What Should They Do?

My personal vote for what I would most like to see our government do:  cut defense spending 5%.  Just 5%.  It's 55% of the Federal budget as it is.  Just 5% and we could restore the NEA and public media funding and create some infrastructure and green jobs.  I'm not asking for the moon (we aren't funding NASA anymore in the first place).  Just 5%.

But there are other things they could do -- like tax the rich or corporations more.  Or lower oil company subsidies (God knows they don't deserve higher ones after what they did to the Gulf of Mexico, which essentially destroyed business and real estate on those coasts).  Or make our bloated health care system contribute more.

What is the one thing YOU'd like to see the government do?  It's your call...

How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Helping Those on the Farm After They've Seen Paree?

I observed a discussion among a bunch of Billy Bragg / Leon Rosselson fans, mainly from the British Isles (read: European liberals) on youtube today.  The results were interesting to say the least, because actual knowledge, thought and feeling about politics were involved (like a conversation among Poli Sci graduate students on a college campus), in contrast to the average American conversation about social issues.  Here is one example: 


SOCIALISM is the only way this planet is going to survive humanity.  Otherwise it will destroy us - there is a finite amount for us to consume and if capitalism keeps driving consumption on, the end is nigh a lot sooner than it should be.


The argument was another opinion:


False; anarchism is another way, but I wouldn't spit at a free socialist state, it's definitely better than what we've got...


And another voice piped up with:

The state of nature is brutish and cruel. People are not nice enough for an  anarchic paradise.

This was my response (the ending to which was limited by the length allowed by youtube):

The problem with "isms" is they are all beliefs and all must believe in them for them to work. Even "socialism" is doomed to fail because it presupposes common belief in the survival of the entire society, not just the fittest or the fattest. The will to dominion has existed since the first human realized our brains and hearts give us an edge over brute animals. It's been subjugate/annihilate ever since as far as the strongest or the richest are concerned.

(But don't forget, I spoke as a thinking, feeling AMERICAN - and I know how and why Columbus went for the gold; just 2 pages of Howard Zinn's PEOPLE'S HISTORY will tell you that.  In fact, I'm wondering which natives (from the handful left) should rename this country.  I'm tired of calling it after Italian Amerigo Vespucci.  Tired and disgusted.)

But another voice said this:

If we made an effort to teach people that they are human, and should therefore act as caring adults -- don't harm others, be kind, and help others in need -- we'd be alright.  Of course, we'd also need to create a way of life that promoted those things, instead of promoting the dick-sucking of the rich for "crumbs" of their monetary "feast".  If such a way of life could be promulgated, all our lives would be less brutish and cruel.  I don't know about you, but I've never had an honest thought to inflict brutish or cruel behavior on anyone, and I'm a human like everyone else.


Now, I personally believe wholeheartedly in what the last guy said, but the question is, how do we get that to happen when those in power like their power and exercise it absolutely with guns and money?  How you gonna keep 'em helping those on the farm after they've seen Paree?


Feel free to weigh in...

The Final Jeopardy! Answer: "What IS The Debt Limit?"

I don't like Fox (or as my friends call it, Faux) News, but I have to admit:  once in a while I feel they "dumb down" their approach for the RIGHT reasons -- because the population at large really IS that dumb, i.e. ignorant of the issues that surround us and of why they should know about them.  (Remember the old one-liner about "What's wrong with ignorance and apathy?"  "I don't know and I don't care!")  Anyway, on the opening to today's John Stossel show on Fox, they asked "What IS The Debt Limit?" and they actually interviewed The Man In The Street -- who, of course, didn't know what it is or why the politicians are fighting so hard over it.  (As we approach a relatively consensus-driven vote to pass a new ceiling, Chuck Schumer gave the soundbite to NY1 News, "I think people [in Congress] are relieved."  You think you're relieved?!?)

So -- "What IS The Debt Limit?" - and what I want is to hear EVERYONE WHO READS THIS weigh in: either "I don't know" or "It's..." and be as CONCISE as possible; I don't want to hear about "Reagan started this with..." or "Bush started letting the debt climb in 2004..." -- I want to hear "The Debt Limit is..." and IF you want to weigh in with "and this is why Congress has been so deadlocked over it" that's FANTASTIC -- but BE CONCISE.

Okay?  The Final Jeopardy! answer is...  "What IS The Debt Limit?"  What's the Final Jeopardy! QUESTION?  Weigh in with 30 seconds to go...

What Did YOU Major In?

You never know what scalawags (look it up!) your friends are until you visit their pages on Facebook.  A friend of mine entered "Fucking Shit Up" as his area of study at Rutgers.  Another studied at E CANNABIS UNUM University.

Staying on the safe side, I told the truth:  Lawyer's Assistant Certificate Program at Adelphi.  I know, "Bo-ring!" (Actually my Lit major at SUNY-Binghamton was closer to my heart, but so was my Women's Studies Certificate...)

So what did YOU major in?  (Feel free to be a scalawag... it's more fun...)

Easy Questions Time!

I've been taking one-day Summer blog breaks recently, so the 7/27/11 blog question follows...

Just to see who's paying attention, I'm going to ask a question with a one-word answer:  Chocolate or Vanilla?

My personal A:  Vanilla.  It's creamier-tasting than Chocolate.  (It's GREAT frozen yogurt.)  It was one of Haagen-Dazs' founding flavors and IMHO is still 1 of the best (although their Vanilla Swiss Almond IS pretty outrageous...)

What's YOUR preference?

What ABOUT That Domestic Economy Thing?

Back in 2008, some presidential candidate named Barack Obama made a noise about "Green Jobs."  Now he is leading the country into an economic deluge, with not a word about those "Green Jobs."  So here's my question for today:  What Public Works project (a la those enacted during a certain similar-sounding crisis called The Great Depression) would YOU like to see happen first (pick one):

(a) Wind generator plants in Detroit and Milwaukee
(b) Solar panel factories out West
(c) Hydroelectric dams on the Mississippi

Time for you to weigh in...

Should The Victim Be Vilified?

Our Question for Today:  Should The Victim be Villified?

The hotel maid who alleges Dominic Strauss-Kahn forced her to perform oral sex on him at his Sofitel suite [Blogspot won't let me enter her name because it's not in their dictionary], has given ABC-TV and Newsweek interviews detailing her allegations, which Strauss-Kahn publicly denies.  Fox News has given much time to video sound bites from her TV appearance and implies the interviews are a bid for publicity on the part of the victim.  I feel such an implication vilifies the victim involved.  According to her account, she was forced, she was frightened she might lose her job, and she was more frightened afterwards, when she realized the powerful position of the man she had legally accused of assault (not having known who he was at the time she lodged her complaint).  She feared she might be lethally targeted for her accusations (she is now under police protection).

What do you think?  Do you feel her coming forward is a mere bid for publicity, or an effort to avoid a stain on her name resulting from the highly-publicized legal proceedings?  Should this victim be vilified?

What Is An Achiever To You?

Today's Question:  What is an achiever to you?

Is it the writer of an unstoppable hit single praised by the record company, or the author of a well-written, thought-provoking, socially-conscious song praised by all their friends?  Is it someone who gets the JD and the Deanship or Justice position, or the dependable paralegal who always has files ready?  Is it someone who sacrifices family for a brilliant career in the limelight, or someone who raises 2 children successfully while holding down a job?  Is it the Olympic track star or the woman who consistently runs 5 miles a day, every day, for years?  Is it the .330 average or the morale guy who hits .230 but is always there for the team?  Lots of TV shows and movies are about the latter, and I believe in the little guy (just as my father did) -- but that's not my point.  My point is, so many pay lip service to the latter and actually worship the former.  So what is your real measure of success?  What is an achiever to you?

Do think before you weigh in...

Who was your favorite high school teacher and why?

Who was YOUR favorite high school teacher?  I keep blanking on the names of mine (there were a couple), including the all-time winner, a warm, wise, wonderful woman who taught English at Hunter High School when I was there and also started a Women's Consciousness-Raising group in her spacious Manhattan living room that I was privileged to be a part of (as I recall, one Margaret Raymond also was a member, and I'll have to look her up to see if she remembers the name, because her memory is probably better than mine).  She was sensitive and caring, crucial qualities for running a consciousness-raising group, and that pretty much made her #1 in my book.

Who was YOUR favorite high school teacher and why?

Happy remembering.

When do YOU remember it last being like this?

(This is Friday's blog, since I was sweating too hard yesterday to operate a keyboard...)
2 100-degree-plus days (not counting the Temperature-Humidity Index) were on the docket for Friday and today here in New York City, and came in as advertised.  I discovered I can drink a 32-ounce large iced tea from Dunkin Donuts in 3 blocks flat (did it on 2 consecutive days).  I did a large family laundry and soaked through my underwear and shell (which accompanied me into the shower for washing). I lost 3 pounds and am under 140 for the first time in a year.  All that weight loss while abandoning my jogging routine!
When do YOU remember it last being like this?  What I always remember is 1965, when I was six.  I was upstate with mom (and dad on weekends; he continued to work in the city, poor man, while we maintained a summer bungalow near Poughkeepsie).  She played WINS Newsradio 1010AM every day all day while working around the house (even though we were about 100 miles north of the transmitter, which meant constant static), and the regular recap was like "the temperature in Central Park is 103 degrees..." "104 degrees..." "105 degrees..." for days in a row.  I thought, "Gee, it's hot in the city" (I was too self-absorbed to consider the fact that dad was commuting in it).  I believe history later counted it as the summer of Harlem and Newark riots.  No surprise there.
So, New York area friends: When is the last time YOU remember it being like this?  Time to weigh in...

What's Hot on the Charts?

This is an easy music question if you're talking BILLBOARD (Eminem was on repeatedly last year, the only artist to boast over 4 weeks at #1):  Rap is Pop.  But you out there may have other opinions.  R&B is big, of course, when you consider Beyonce and Rihanna; and those BILLBOARD charts have showed an interesting tendency to veer through several distinct genres at #1, especially early last year.  (The year wound up with Eminem topping sales, Taylor Swift #2 and Susan Boyle rounding out the Top 5.)  The Justin Bieber fans wouldn't agree that Rap is Pop (he was also huge last year), nor would the Taylor Swift listeners.  So my question for you is:  What do YOU think is hot on the charts?

Is Obama The Angel of Debt?

The debt measure passed by the House last night sounds like a decent compromise.  I say that (plus the fact Obama wasn't backing it at press time) makes it a definite veto.  I also have an unpleasant feeling Obama's not going to back anything that is either agreed to by the most decent Congressional personnel or beneficial to the majority of Americans.  What do YOU think?

What Is The Songwriter?

My Q 4 2day:  Does a songwriter have a responsibility to create expressly political work?  Is the ideal songwriter a poet, a polemicist or simply a creator who uniquely sets their own feelings to endearing music?
Some say Phil Ochs was right to stick to his political guns and Bob Dylan was wrong for not sticking to his.  Some would say Bruce Spingsteen was right to grind axes, while others would say they prefer his introspective stuff.  Some would tell me to add more to my political repertoire.  Others prefer my love songs or pop.
I like recently-deceased folk songwriter Jack Hardy:  he did everything, did it well and apologized for nothing.  He was, like Dylan, both political and romantic.  He obviously did not create out of any major sense of responsibility or preference.  He just created based upon his desire to express feelings, political or personal.  That's closest to my attitude.  I am bothered by people who suggest a writer is not carrying out their responsibility or destiny because they don't adhere unceasingly to one line or the other.  I like Bob Dylan and Jack Hardy:  be an unrepentant creator and do what you prefer to do.  It will best express your feelings.

What do YOU think?  Time for you to weigh in.

The Women's World Cup

Q.  How did you feel when Japan won?
A.  I was reminded of when the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl:  if YOUR town had gone through Hurricane Katrina, wouldn't ANYONE want your team to win the Super Bowl?  For earthquake-devastated Japan, this is that kind of morale boost.  I feel it's hard to boo about how your team should have won when the other side needs a morale boost that badly.  I looked at the crestfallen U.S. team and the wildly screaming Japanese and thought:  good for Japan, they really needed this one.
Time for you to weigh in: How did YOU feel?

Sh*t My Dad Says

Today's Q:  Are all geniuses pricks?
My A:  My dad (who was a Silver Age Comics Creator, among his writing credits) once told me, "I can't be a genius, Pam, because I've read the biographies of several geniuses, and they all left their wives, two-timed their friends, neglected or ignored their children.  They were all pricks, and I'm not a prick.  At least, I don't think so."  It was, actually, the God's-honest truth about Dad; he was a mensch, the nicest genius you ever knew -- but, in my opinion, nonetheless a genius (or he wouldn't have co-created GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY).
So, today's Q: Are all geniuses pricks?
Time for you to weigh in...

My 1st QnA 4 2day

Q # 1 will be a simple one primarily for the ladies (or would-be ladies?) out there:  What HAS Emma Watson been thinking since she embarked upon her modeling career?
My A:  Nothing, apparently.  Have you SEEN what she was wearing to the Potter premiere at Lincoln Center?  I'm sorry but, IMHO, hideous is insufficient.  It looked like strapless The Gap with Marilyn Manson eyeliner, and that pouffy skirt... the dress just DID NOT WORK for her, and I am unsure for whom it WOULD work, other than Ladies Night at the Department of Sanitation!  The bodice actually MINIMIZED her bustline, and the last thing someone attempting to transcend child stardom needs is to appear to be 12 years old!  PLEASE!  Get this woman a stylist, and I DON'T mean Harvey Fierstein!  Otherwise her looks will belie that she actually has TALENT!

Ok, time for YOUR A...