An opening lunchtime rant. As I was walking down to get my lunch, they had the president’s news conference on the TV in the cafeteria. He was answering a question about the economy, which got me to thinking about Paul Rand’s horrendous budget proposal, and how the talks in Washington are getting nowhere. This is just like what happened in Sacramento that led to my thoughts of running for office. I just wish the President had grabbed everyone by the shorties and said: “Look: Neither of us was elected by 100% of a single party. That means, to represent our constituants, our views cannot be 100% of one party. Just as the majority cannot run roughshod over the minority (a mistake the Democrats made after the 2008 election), the minority cannot hold the majority hostage. It doesn’t serve the party, it doesn’t serve the country, nor does it serve the people. Being elected by a mix of parties means you must find a compromise position—a position that no one likes but that they can live with. You are not doing your jobs if you don’t understand that”.
But he won’t say that. No will any other politician. Sigh.
Now, on to some related observations:
- The Stadium. There is talk of building a new football stadium in downtown LA (never mind that we don’t have a team), but the promise is that no taxpayer money will be involved. As if we really believe that! As proof, I give you the following from the linked article: “AEG is asking the city to provide $350 million in bond financing to help cover the $1.4 billion construction of its planned Farmers Field, and the company promises the city will be refunded with, among other things, tax revenue from increased economic activity and a surcharge on tickets. Also, AEG promises to pay cash to bridge any gap on the amount owed for the bonds each year.” I put this in the set of promises you don’t really believe.
- Obesity. Never mind democracy. We’re doing a great job of spreading the anti-obesity campaign around the globe. Arizona—the home of Barry Goldwater and John McCain—wants to tax the obese and unhealthy while they support the outcry against Michelle Obama’s push for healthy eating. But buried in the news is a significant factoid folks who aren’t fat (and therefore “superior”) forget: ostracized overweight kids eat more. Ask any kid who has been teased, and you’ll know its true. Food is your friend: it loves you and doesn’t yell at you and makes you feel good.
- Aerospace. Good news for the South Bay (and for you Northern California folks, I mean the one in Los Angeles)—not just Hawthore, but the entire area—SpaceX has announced plans for Falcon Heavy, a 22-story heavy lift rocket to be built in Southern California. This is great news for the aerospace industry (little “a”) in SoCal. I wish them all success in their development and launches.