New Year's Resolution

In approximately 12 1/2 hours we will say good bye to 2008 and begin our journey into 2009.

Some things apparently will not be changing.

Israel has refused to enter into a a cease fire against Hamas.

The governor of Illinois selected a former state comptroller and attorney general, who happens to be black, to fill the US Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. Of course this is in defiance to the Illinois legislature and the US Senate. It will be interesting to see if this turns into a racial issue, rather than a power struggle issue between a governor accused of corruption and a legislature who wants to take control.

Iraq and Afghanistan show no signs of improvement.

Pakistan is facing internal problems with the Taliban and Pakistani insurgents, as well as problems along its border with India.

China is reaching out, heading to fight Somali pirates, and just maybe attempting to influence life on the African continent.

With all of this occurring its hard to feel there is much hope for the world. Yet, I think there is.
I believe that there are a lot of young people through out the world who have not been blinded by hate and corruption, who have positive attitudes, and who want to make a positive difference.

So my New Year's Resolution (in addition to trying to lose a few pounds) is to do what I can to assist the world youth, and our future, to achieve their goals. Whether it is contributing to some scholarship funds, mentoring or simply praying , I figure anything we can do to positively inspire our youth will be beneficial to all of us in the long run.

Let's enter this new year with a positive out look. Let's smile more and criticize less. Let's share more and hoard less. Let's listen more, compromise more, and be less demanding and obstinate.

Let's become the person we always wanted to be, the shining light for all to see.

When people see we are positive about ourselves, we inspire them to be positive about themselves.

Its Common Sense!

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

Middle East Strategy

As the fighting continues between Israel and Hamas over the Gaza Strip I have been reading and listening to various commentaries on the crisis and have noted that this current crisis could have far more reaching effects than I originally thought.

Several commentators are of the opinion that Iran is behind the current Hamas rocket attacks on Israel and that soon Hezbollah will begin attacking from Lebanon, forcing Israel to fight on two fronts. More disturbing are concerns that both Hamas and Hezbollah are going to increase their activities against the Egyptian government, with the intention of hopefully collapsing that government and putting Egypt in the position where a theocracy could take power, much like that currently in Iran. With two strong theocracies at the northern and southern ends of the Middle East, the spread of Islam Fundamentalism could spread rapidly into Jordan, Syria, and once the USA withdrawals, into Iraq.

That would leave Saudi Arabia - which I believe is headed for a civil war within the the next five years -, Lebanon - which could go anyway at anytime - and Israel - fighting opposition on all sides.

When viewed in this light it is obvious that peace in the Middle East is highly unlikely, especially with extremist from both sides calling the shots. Since I do not see radicals being replaced by moderates anytime in the near future, I fear that the USA is going to be sucked into providing aid in one form or other for decades to come in the Middle East.

We as a country are going to need to seriously decide just how large a commitment we can make, what we can afford, and what good we can actually make.

It is sad to admit that many of our commitments in that region are oil based, not human based.
True, we have supported Israel for decades, but how much of that commitment is based on the fact that we need an ally where we can base troops if things get out of hand in Saudi Arabia and Iraq?

I mention our oil based commitments because of the violence currently taking place in Uganda and the Congo. Hundreds are dying, but no troops are being sent because the atrocities are not being committed by "terrorists" just crazed rebels. And of course there is no financial gain to be made, no natural resources the USA needs are being threatened, so we will sit back and watch things play out.

As 2008 comes to a close it is sad to see that the world continues to be run by greed and terror, rather than love and concern. When will people be willing to make a commitment for the good of all, rather than their own personal good?

If you reflex on the teachings of all of the major religions, the key to all of them is good works, peace and freedom to worship. Too bad that none of the nations who supposedly embrace these religious traditions actually practice what they preach.

Starting with 2009, we the people need to do what we can to force our governmental officials to live up to a code of honor and justice for all. We have to have the courage to speak out against injustice and call people to task when they fail in their duties to serve the people of our country. No longer can we afford to sit back and grumble among ourselves, we need to make our voices heard.

We will have to be patient, not get discouraged, and realize that some change will probably not happen within our life time. However, if we can inspire others by our example, one day we can be assured that this country will be ruled, if not perfectly, with a goal of commitment to the common good, rather than the individual.

Its Common Sense!

Prejudice 2008

As 2008 comes to an end things are not looking too good. The recession is moving along big time. Bail outs are continuing, two of the Big 3 got their first installment today. Hopefully it will save jobs for the short term, but unless the industry changes and the UAW works out a new contract, will the loans actually save the US auto industry?

Israel is bombing the Gaza Strip, in retaliation to rockets sent by Hamas.

Pakistan is moving troops from troubled Al Queda territory within Pakistan to its border with India. Could these two nuclear powers be heading to a war?

China has sent warships and marines to fight pirates in Africa - a humanitarian gesture on their part or is there a bigger plan at work here?

In the midst of all of these problems that are having global repercussions, as the USA prepares for a new presidential administration to take power, a candidate for the chairmanship of the Republican Party releases a disc regarding Barack the Magic Negro. How pathetic.

At a time when the USA should be showing support for man who will be contending with a very troubled world, we have people who think its important to remind the world that the so called " Number One Country" is still plagued by racism, prejudice, ignorance and stupidity.

Why should anyone listen to the opinion of the USA when they see we still are judging people by their skin color, rather than their abilities? Do these people really think the world is that stupid?

I personally believe that if anyone is to lead one of the major political parties in this country that they need to show they are a leader - in all of the meanings of that word. It might be fine to be a comedian (a poor one in this instance) and be appreciated by Rush Limbaugh but that certainly does not show the individual has any leadership capabilities.

Seeing things like this make me happy that I disassociated myself from the Republican Party many years ago. I feel sorry for the members of the Republican Party who are trying to bring it into the 21st century and have to contend with idiotic pranks like the current one.

As we head for 2009, let's judge people by what they say and do, not by color, or shape, or nationality.

Its Common Sense!

Good Samaritan

The California Supreme Court has just ruled that a man who tried to save a co-worker can now be sued for his attempt to be a Good Samaritan.

Evidently a group of co-workers were coming home from a party in 2004 when their car was struck. Fearing the car might catch fire one of the men dragged a female co-worker from the car. She is suing him because she is now a quadriplegic. The woman states that she should have been left in the car until professionals came to rescue her. Of course if the car caught fire maybe she would have a different opinion.

So now the question is, the next time you see someone in a precarious situation - a car wreck, someone trapped by a flood or falling building, someone being mugged or raped - do you attempt to assist them, or because of fear of being sued, do you stand by silently and watch?

Will this ruling by the California Supreme Court make people fearful to ever be Good Samaritans again?

One thing is certain, you should check your current state law dealing with Good Samaritan Acts.
I do know that the Federal Government will no longer guarantee Federal employees protection if they perform CPR on a co-worker and something goes wrong. Why offer training if you do not intend to back up your people?

I was CPR certified for 20 years, I renewed my certification every two years and thought I might do some good. However, once the announcement was made that our agency would no longer support us and that we could be liable for lawsuits, I informed my manager that I would no longer be participating. The sad truth is we would like to think that no one would go after us for trying to help them. But the reality is you just can not trust people you do not really know.

Unfortunately, at the end of the day you have to protect yourself and immediate family first. Society is such that we can not always do a "Christian act of kindness" because we never know what we may have to pay.

If you believe that we have an obligation to take care of our fellow man, in a real manner as opposed to a psychological manner, then check your state law regarding the Good Samaritan Act, know if you are protected and then the next time you are in a life or death situation make the decision that your conscience dictates.

Its Common Sense!

Senator Mikulski on Presidential Pardons

Back on November 28th I wrote to my representives regarding Executive Orders and Presidential Pardons. Senator Barbara Mikulski (Democrat Maryland) responded yesterday and I will share her response.
It appears I'm not the only one questioning the president's powers.
Maybe it really is - Common Sense!!

Dear Mr. Wolfe:

Thank you for getting in touch with me to express your support for H. RES. 1531. It's good to hear from you.

I agree with you. It would be outrageous for President Bush to pardon members of his administration who have committed crimes, or who may be prosecuted in the future.

That is why Representative Jerrold Nadler introduced legislation that would prevent the President of the United States from issuing pardons to senior members of his administration during the final days of his term of office. This legislation is currently pending in the House of Representatives. Knowing of your views will be helpful to me should this legislation be brought up in the Senate.

I appreciate that you took the time to contact me. Please let me know if I can be of assistance to you in the future.
Sincerely,
Barbara A. MikulskiUnited States Senator

Obama's Inauguration

In a little more than a month a new president will be sworn in. Obama has been putting his team together. There are a lot of impressive names in the group, it will be interesting to see how all of the egos get along. Obama is making plans, all of them unfortunately are going to cost big money. Where the money is going to come from is any one's guess, but I have a bad feeling taxes increasing in one form or another are going to be involved.

I read that Obama's staff has stated that contributions of no more than $50,000.00 will be accepted towards paying off the Inauguration celebration. Wouldn't you love to be one of the people who had fifty thousand lying around to give to a politician so you could go to a couple of parties in DC and say you were part of history?

Maybe I'm a cynic, but wouldn't the money be better spent on helping the thousands who are recently unemployed, rather than paying for champagne in ballrooms?

Another disturbing thing about this Inauguration are the amount of tickets being sold. I thought the tickets were free, you just contact one of your representatives and take what's available. Now it seems people are getting their free tickets and are then trying to sell them. I know this is a unique moment in the history of the USA,. Its sad to see that there are those more concerned with greed than history.

Of course, I'll be working so it won't matter. If I was off, I would watch it on television in the warmth of my house. I have been in DC crowds before, before Homeland Security and terrorists, and it was bad then. There is no telling just how bad it will be this time due to security. Keep your money and watch it on TV.

I think Obama should try and keep spending in check for this inauguration due to the economic condition of the country. He should lead by example and a proper tone.

Obama was elected to lead the country out of war and into economic security. From the moment he is sworn in as president, he needs to start living up to his promises.

Its Common Sense!

Bush's Farewell to Iraq

One of the big news items today is that George Bush in in Baghdad, showing his appreciation to the Iraq government for working with the United States for bringing peace and stability to their country. (Whether that is true or not is a whole other story.) More importantly, I believe that Bush is there to thanks the troops for all of the sacrifices they have made in what is turning out to be another unending war.

As Bush's time comes to end (thank God) I think some reflection on what he has done, positive and negative is important. I do not believe that George Bush is a bad person, in truth I believe him to be a good hearted man, a patriot and unfortunately a man who listened to a lot of bad advice and allowed himself to be be guided by a group of short sighted, ambitious men and women who had their own interests first rather than the the interests of their country.

I agreed with Bush when he wanted to send troops into Afghanistan after 9/11. I thought he should have sent a lot more and that he should have tried right from the start to get a strong coalition of European and Arab States to join us.

I was amazed when I learned of all of the funding Bush made available in Africa to help fight AIDS and hopefully give thousands of people a chance at some kind of better life. I do not understand why Bush's PR people are not doing more to push that image of the President, rather than letting the public continue to see his failures.

Now, I want to state that I do not believe the economic crisis in the United States is George Bush's fault. Unfortunately, after years of build up the collapse unfortunately came on his watch. I find it embarrassing that today his staff are still trying to find a way to bail out the Big 3. Let them and the UAW work a solution out among themselves. They can save themselves and their jobs if they put their heads together and make some sacrifices. It is not the president's place to try and come up with the solution for them.

Of course the biggest error of the Bush Administration and the one we the people will be paying for during the years to come is the war in Iraq. We never should have gone. Of course hindsight is a beautiful thing but I never understood the rush to go in the beginning and I never understood why Congress never requested more in depth proof of the supposed violations committed by Saddam.

It is interesting that both Bush presidents had wars fought in Iraq during their administrations. If George Senior had allowed his army to march into Baghdad and dethrone Saddam at that time, the current war would never have happened. Of course we have no idea of knowing what the removal of Saddam at that time would have had on the stability of Iraq.

Lots of questions to ponder, lots of theories to offer.

The reality is that George Bush will be leaving office as one of the least admired presidents in the history of the United States. We can only hope that his successor will be able to leave a more impressive legacy.

What do you feel were the positive accomplishments of the Bush Administration over the past eight years? Do you feel that there were any positive accomplishments?

Voice your opinion so others can hear.

Its Common Sense!

Chaos in Illinois

This has been an exciting week for the folks in the state of Illinois. Their governor is accused of all kinds of shenanigans, has been arrested and is out on bail still running the state. His chief of staff, also accused, resigned today and is trying to disappear. The state's attorney general has gone to the state Supreme Court with a request that they remove the governor and allow the lieutenant governor to assume control.

This morning the governor had a prayer breakfast with a variety of clergymen before heading off to the office. Evidently he is of the opinion that God will see him through.

All very interesting. All creating talk once again of the corruption of politics in Illinois. Its sad that rather than enjoy the spotlight of choosing Obama's successor and placing someone interested in helping the state into the spot in DC, the governor was more interested in making a profit on the deal, which appears to be how he has run the government during his time in office.

More and more things keep coming up. Evidently there is a group demanding that Obama's vacancy be filled by another black man, I don't know if there is a group demanding that a white man replace Joe Biden and a white woman replace Hillary but if they aren't out there yet they probably will be.

At a time when the country should be celebrating, especially as we watch the economy crumble around us, we instead have to suffer through more greed of stupid, selfish politicians who think they are above the law. It didn't work in New York or Alaska, why did this idiot think it would work in Illinois.?

I feel sorry for the state of Illinois because whoever is finally selected to go to the Senate, they will be under a shadow the entire time they are there.

I find it fascinating that the Illinois governor can't simply be put in jail, with no bond and let the lieutenant governor take over. I'm amazed that the citizens haven't gone to the state house and run him out of town on a rail. That's how things got done in the good old days.

Oh well, we'll just have to keep watching and see what else develops between now and the inauguration.

Remember, don't take politicians too seriously, they have a tendency to lie a lot more than tell the truth. We might vote for them but they never become the servants we hope for.

Maybe if we run a couple out on the rail the others will get the message.

Its Common Sense.

Airline Baggage Policy

This past Friday my daughter flew from Denver to Baltimore to spend her winter break with her mother and father. She brought her cat with her and decided to fly United Airlines because they allow you to bring a small pet in the cabin. She had two pieces of checked baggage and paid $25.00 for the first and $15.00 for the second. Her flight arrived on schedule and all was well until we got to the baggage carousel and discovered one of the bags was missing.

In this age of computerization the missing bag attendant was able to verify that the bag was still in Denver. For some unknown reason it had missed the flight. However, she assured us the bag would be on the flight due in that evening and there was nothing to worry about.

The evening flight arrived at 7pm and when no one called by 9pm we contacted United's missing bag website, which offered no news. We then called the service number and spoke with a person who could only tell us the bag was still in Denver, but we would get it on Saturday.

To make a long story short, after five more calls, we got the bag Sunday evening.

Back in the days when your baggage was included in the price of your ticket, you wearily accepted the fact that these things happened. However, now that we have to pay to have checked baggage, I think the airlines need to have a written policy on their responsibility if they fail to produce the bag you paid to have shipped with you.

I believe the policy should state clearly that they will refund double what you paid to ship the bag. After all, you paid for a service and they failed to deliver. Plus, if they made that commitment in writing, I bet there would be a lot less missing bags.

Share your horror stories about airline trips in recent times.

We, the customer have a right to the service we paid for.

Its Common Sense!

THe Unremembered Players in Global Warming

I read an interesting article today about the most recent Global Warming conference taking place in Poland. One of the none government representatives is a Canadian Indian who fears for his tribe's future as changes due to climate and industry - in this case oil producing - are changing the ways of the caribou, a important source of food for his people.

As the nations of the world argue the effects of Global Warming, all to often the most immediately effected are often overlooked. These are the Indians and Eskimos of the Arctic Region, trying to maintain a life style that is free of industrialization, pollutants and waste. The natives and Indians who live in the rain forests that circle the equator, who are losing their lifestyle and sense of being to industrialization and having "civilization" forced upon them.

All of these parties need to be represented at any talks dealing with Global Warming, because they are the ones who can tell the world what is actually happening right now. Their eyes are not shut because they have lived in smog covered cities and had their sense of smell destroyed by smelling the output of paper factories and the like.

These are the people who have tried to live as one with the earth, something the rest of us should be looking at a lot more closely. All of us should see what we can do to help save our planet.

We cannot sit comfortably in our homes and make demands on developing nations, who unfortunately feel obligated to imitate the industrialization of their countries to equal the nations of Europe and the USA, without offering practical alternatives. Who are we to say not to cut the rain forest for mining, lumber, farming and industry if we cannot offer an alternative equally economical that will have less impact on the environment.

Maybe the lesson to be learned from the indigenous peoples of the world who have put the earth as their priority, rather than individual wealth, is that the time has come to return to Mother Earth, that the needs of the community are more important than the needs of the individual, and that clean air, water, and harmony with nature are the only way we can ensure a productive world for those that are to follow us.

Its Common Sense.

OJ Goes to Jail - The American Legal system

OJ is going to do some serious jail time for what he did in Las Vegas. Looks like his luck finally ran out. I just hope that the jury who convicted him did so based on the evidence presented at this trial and not because they felt justice had not been served 13 years ago.

Although I get as frustrated as anyone else when what looks obvious to me is not obvious to the jury, the important thing is that everyone is entitled to there day in court. Is the system fair? Probably not. After all, not all of us can afford top line defense teams and at times have to settle for whatever is available for a court appointee.

On the prosecution side, not all investigations are as complete and prepared (take OJ's first trial) as they should be.

However, even though it is not perfect, the legal system in the United States is a lot better than what other countries have to offer.

Of course the next major decision our country needs to face is what we are going to do about the prisoners in Guantanamo accused (but not proven by any court) of committing terrorism and/or crimes against the United States. Do these individuals have the same rights as OJ? Should they be allowed to face their accusers in a court of law, with no water board present, present their case and allow a jury to decide their fate? Or are we simply going to ship them off to somewhere like Egypt where they will never be seen again?

We as Americans boast of our country's love of freedom and justice. Even though the justice system is not perfect, overall it has served us well.

Now we, and in this case I think the truth of the matter is that the Obama Administration is going to be be representing we the people, have to decide just what American Justice means and who it applies to.

Let your representatives know your views. If you believe the alleged terrorist deserve their day in court, say so. If you believe the proof is there and they should be executed, say so.

Do not sit idly by and let others make this decision with out your input. We Americans are our legal system. It is as strong or as weak as we allow it to be.

Let's make it strong, fair and just for everyone.

Its Common Sense!

Americans and guns

Sometime you have to wonder about Americans and their fascination with firearms. Don't get me wrong, I am one of the biggest cowboy fans around, I've seen all the John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea etc movies and dreamed of having a Peacemaker Colt, Winchester and maybe Greener shotgun. However, I have never dreamed of having an assault rifle or sub machine gun in my home for protection.

The reason I bring this up is that I read an article about an eight year old boy who killed himself at a gun show in Massachusetts recently. While dad was getting ready to the film, the boy was given a mini-Uzi fully automatic sub machine gun by a fifteen year old instructor, pointed at a target and told to fire. The boy lost control and shot himself repeatedly.

Now who in their right mind gives an eight year old a weapon that was specifically created for Israeli commandos so they could go out an kill their enemies? This is not a hunting rifle, this is not a pistol, this is an attack weapon made for the purpose of killing.

Hunting and home defense (if you actually know what the hell you are doing) is one thing, automatic rifles and sub machine guns are for either killing an entire herd of deer or for killing people. They were not made for sports, competitions, or home defense and they should not be available for everyone to buy.

In this age of terrorism Americans have to be realistic about what it means to bear arms.

Its Common Sense! (Or is it?)

Capital Visitor Center

Nancy Pelosi and the gang opened the new Capital Visitor Center today. Only $360 million over budget and a year or so behind schedule it will be interesting to see if it was worth the effort and more importantly the money. I will have to get down to Washington and take a look.

Another project way over budget. This happens all of the time. We know the Pentagon never pays what the contract calls for because of - because of what?

I believe that once a contractor bids on a project and says it will cost so much, that's the end of it. You promised to do the job for a certain amount, live up to the contract. The politicians in DC seem to believe that contracts are not binding documents - no wonder things are so screwed up - but rather a means of getting things started.

What would happen if a government agency simply said "The bid was for X$s, that's all we have, too bad if you don't make a profit. Live up to the contract."

Did you ever see the movie "Dave"? He's nobody important, who looks exactly like the president and has to fill in. One of the best parts of the movie is when he wants to save a children's center and calls in a friend who is an accountant to find some money. The accountant is shocked at the bookkeeping method in DC and maybe it is time for all of us to be shocked as well.

Overage is not normal! Wasting taxpayer dollars should not be normal!

Let's call our representatives to task. A contract is a binding agreement, let's make the contractors honor their commitments. There is no more money to go around. The country is going down the tubes. Its time to stop giving the impression that our government is a bottomless money well.

Accountability!!! In the White House! In the Congress! In the Pentagon! In Federal Agencies!
In contracts with all parties!!

Its Common Sense!

Recession - DAH!!!!!!!!

Wall Street fell yet again with the official news that the country is in a recession. What the hell do they think has been going on? They need official word to know that things are screwed up?
Explain to me again why we want to bail these jokers out? (I know its the fancy banks but they are all linked to Wall Street.)

On a hopefully positive note Barrack Obama named his security team. No surprises and some people who at least on paper look pretty good. Time will tell.

Tomorrow Georgia is having their run off for Senate. Sarah Palin came to root for the Republican and the Clintons and Al Gore showed up for the Democrat. Even the Obamas sent recorded messages. Tomorrow we'll see if anyone really cares.

What's the word from Minnesota? Al Franken where are you?

In just 24 days we celebrate Christmas. With all of the craziness in the world - terror attacks in Mumbai, a worker trampled to death in a Wal Mart in New York, insurgencies continuing in Iraq and Afghanistan, civil war in the Congo and Nigeria, the president of Russia invading the Caribbean and visiting Fidel and making deals with Chavez - maybe we all need to sit back and reflex on where we fit into the scheme of things. Those of us who are Christian plan to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace. Have we lived up to his example?

Who am I? What do I want? What kind of person am I? Do I care about the good of the many or am I only interested in myself?

This weekend I watched the HBO miniseries on the life of John Adams and although I do not agree with all he did or said, I do believe that even though he had a large ego, his overlying motivation was for the good of the people and the country.

Do our current leaders have that vision? Do they want to make this country and world better or are they only interested in the own ambitions? Time will tell.

Who do you care about? What do you care about?

To thine own self be true, then take care of your family, then your country and then the world.

Its Common Sense!