When Rick Perry was told about North Korea's Kim Jong II, Rick Perry said, "I never heard of him, but then again, I don't listen to that kind of rap."---Leno
- I always check out what's trending on Google. Guess what? Rarely do political names come up. In fact, the only related political issue that's trending on Google today is the debate of whether to extend the payroll tax. Makes me wonder how many Americans and others really care about politics.
- Regarding the debate over the extension of the payroll tax, once again, both parties---in my opinion---are showing their incompetence. Brinkmanship on both sides of the political isle is evident. The Democrats want to cut the tax for only an additional two months. The Republicans want it extended another year. The Republicans also want the Keystone pipeline to be approved, because it's believed the project will create anywhere from 6,000 to 20,000 jobs (no one really knows the exact number). The Democrats don't want it, appealing directly to their environmental base. So we're left with nothing right now. By extending the payroll tax cut for only another two months, one outcome is certain. We'll be going through this insanity again in February of next year. In other words, back to the starting line. And where is Pres. Obama? I think you know.
- Last week, I questioned why the departure of our troops from Iraq was so low key. I and others surmised it was largely due to not giving the Bush administration any credit for our victory in Iraq. I'm not the only one asking that question. Vincent Ignizio wrote a piece this week entitled, "A Parade For Our Heroes." He reminds everyone that NYC and Washington held parades for our returning troops after the First Gulf War in 1991. Thousands showed up for the ticker tape parades. Yet, after this victory, nada, nothing, zero, zilch, nic...Cities across the nation have ticker tape parades after a baseball team wins the World Series or a football team wins The Super Bowl. But for our real heroes: nothing.
- In fact, New York City, each year, has the following parades (and this list does not include all of them) Gay Pride Parade, Puerto Rican Day Parade, Pulaski Parade, Brazilian Day Parade, Dominican Day Parade, Universal Hip-Hop Parade (say friggin what?), Phillipine Independence Day Parade, NY Persian Day Parade and about 8 others. Thank God they at least have the courtesy to have a Veterans Day Parade. In addition, there have been shootings and stabbings in a number of these parades over the years. And some people were killed (becha never heard about that in your newspapers) NY Post, Dec. 19, 2011
- Quote of the Week: A writer to the NY Post wrote of the Post Office problems: "Saving the USPS in the Internet Age is like trying to save the horse and buggy after cars were invented." Mike Thomas
- How well is it going in Syria and Egypt? In Egypt the military is still cracking down. In Syria, the government is still murdering people.
- Electric cars, at this point in time in our history, appear to be a bust. They are not selling. Also, most of the electric car companies are going bust. Think filed for bankruptcy protection. Aptera reported they will liquidate. Fisker just raised the price of their vehicle from $80 to $120k per unit. And Telsa is ending production of one of their units. In addition, Capcon is reporting today that the Chevy Volt is costing taxpayers---get the duct tape out---$250k per vehicle. Those are the federal and state incentives for the vehicle. Moreover, those that have purchased those vehicles are complaining they can't find enough charging units. USA Today
- But there is some good news on the jobs front. 43 states have reported a decline in the jobless rates. Nevada is still the highest at 13% with North Dakota at an incredible 3.4% (note: only 10 people live in the state. That means almost 4 are out of work). Bureau of Labor
- Finally, Newt said yesterday: No more Mr. Nice Guy. Really, Newt thinks he's been a nice guy? One word comes to my mind: delusional.
- Oh, and one more thing, LA Times is reporting a recent study shows that people are more likely to lie when they text you.
