Archive for the 'Recent Posts' Category

Talk about a backfire!

Posted by: bob parmelee
Under: Human Interest, Politics, Recent Posts
3 Mar 2009

President Obama and Prime Minister Brown touched upon the need to create a world regulating agency which would oversee all financial institutions — banking — everything, tracking all money moving anywhere.

So the bankers really blew it for themselves this time. No more international safe havens. No more protection from prying eyes.

What if all of a sudden, follow the money actually lead somewhere?

What if we could see the red stain of cash making a trail all the way from our pile in the desert back through Halliburton to Dick Cheney’s pocket? But that will never happen. Who would be brave enough to dip his toe in that river of molten lava. For all we know the last guy to disagree with Dick got his face shot off.

But maybe big oil, and big money, and the big guns got too big for their britches. (I hope — I don’t want this to pi** off anyone still important) Just maybe world government is the only way to effectively regulate big world-wide businesses.

Let’s see; from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. I make $18(average country wage) and the guy responsible for losing trillions received just shy of a half a million for that same hour. Assuming we both have weekends off, of course.

Yeah, right, I want protect this guy’s right to put all that money into his pocket at the expense of my kids education, health care, clean air and the environment. Or do I?

 



The quickest way to turn things around.

Posted by: bob parmelee
Under: Recent Posts
26 Feb 2009

Here are two thoughts.

Take for example, the 30 top venture capital (hence to be called vulture capital) firms which manipulated the oil market and extracted trillions of dollars from the economy.  These top vultures paid themselves an average of $877 million for last year’s evil deeds alone.  That is over 30,000 times what the average American worker makes annually.  Yet these men put their pants on one leg at a time.

 

If we took just last year’s ill-gotten gains back from the dirty-thirty, allowing them to feel the pain the rest of the nation and world is feeling for just a second, we recapture $26 billion.

 Well, we just financed national healthcare and the 30 vulture donors won’t even notice the dip in their cash accounts.

 Or take the Merrill Lynch (should be lynched) top executives who paid themselves $120 million in bonuses on top of salary for last year  They took this money as fair compensation for losing billions upon billions of shareholder and depositor equity.  So we take that back and give one million people $120.  That’s one million people who are $120 happier and 4 vultures miss their bonus meal.

 

Think these moves would lift some spirits?  It would put an instant smile on a million people, and a sad face on 34. The rest of the country gets free healthcare for a year. You still get to go to your own doctor, and you can move ahead with the stuff you’ve been postponing for years; and when you’re all shaped up the government gets the bill. You think that would make a few people happy?

 

Of course this is all a pipe dream.

 

The local, state and mostly federal revenuers usually confiscate first and ask questions later when crimes are suspected. But not when these suspects (“gentlemen”) step out of stretch limos in Armani suits.  Then they bend over and kiss these “gentlemen’s” rings and take the fragrant grease

 

All kidding aside, if we did punish the real criminals for a change, I mean the really bad guys. the ones who are ruining lives by the millions I think the whole world would applaud.  Confidence would be restored in American leadership, money would pour back into the system, and we would be on our way to a full recovery.

 



Under: Recent Posts
19 Feb 2009

It would appear that President Obama’s detractors

have found a very tiny target indeed.  So far they have

proven him human; he can make mistakes after all. 

But for this country he is like Don Quixote riding

Rocinante to the rescue.

 

We managed, despite incredible odds, to overthrow

the oligarchy and we elected a noble idealist. A great

president in time of great need  The people have spoken.

 

IMHO we are the most optimistic and forward

thinking nation on the planet today as a result of our

spectacular election process and result.

 

If we can keep the detractors away for another day,

optimism will again sweep the nation.  By spending

money on ourselves we help stem the hemorrhage of

cash moving abroad. For my money I would prefer one

or more universities and schools per state in our country

to a 700 million dollar pile of  rocks in the middle of a

foreign desert!

 

A few more good moves and we are on our way.

 

Instead of all our money going to the biggest greediest

gangsters in the world we may all get to share a little

more.  If we squeeze these crooks back by demanding

our government tax obscene profits which, coincidentally,

were a major contributor to the world financial meltdown, 

we can get that money back and spread it around

where will actually do more good than harm.

 



Teflon Ron

Posted by: bob parmelee
Under: Human Interest, Politics, Recent Posts
16 Dec 2008

Incredible as it may seem, it appears the Illinois governor might be found innocent in a court of law for attempting to sell Obama’s vacated senate seat and expect (extort) numerous other favors for family and friends.

 

I think in the court of public opinion, however, he is as guilty as they come.  But if they brought the case too soon there is every possibility that, because he hadn’t overtly (yet) committed any crime, he may not be found guilty of anything.

 

 IMO whether or not he gets convicted he should not be permitted to appoint the next senator.

 

That PRIVILEDGE, to change political history for better or worse, for both Illinois and the Nation, should go to an honest man.

One thing is clear; Blagojevich’s pick will be bought and paid for.

 

 



Feels good to be a cat.

Posted by: bob parmelee

We love them for their fur…. and their purr.

 Think about it.

 There is something incredibly tactile about a purr rumbling through thick fur.  If you are lucky enough to be close enough, you can get a therapeutic benefit akin to a heat pad and a vibrator combined.

And then, there is their fur.

To run your fingers through the silky fur of a long-haired cat is like sliding velvet covered fingers on glass. The feeling is hard to describe, but so comforting it almost feels illegal. 

 And then,  of course, cats are so clean.

Sure, they are imperious.  You’re darned right they have their own agenda.  On occasion, they defer to their “master” and allow a few behind the ear or belly scratches.  Consider yourself lucky are if you are deemed acceptable to a award these perks.

Feels good to be a cat. They are so cool.

So be cool.                         

Purr.                  

Be like a kitten.

You’ll get all the attention you want — probably way more than you are looking for.