Advice from McGovern

George McGovern has some advice for Obama. First, "Why not order all U.S. troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan by Thanksgiving?" Because that would be destabilizing to the region and put in peril the gains for which so many soldiers have fought and died. Second, cut the defense budget in half, allocating the $250 billion saved to "national health care, improved education, a better environment and restoring our infrastructure" and to "build the fastest, safest and cleanest powered railway system in the world."

McGovern seems to have missed that we recently spent triple that amount on just those kinds of programs. This is liberal spendthrift at its worst.

Swine Flu

As Swine Flu, or A/H1N1 if you prefer, fades from the headlines, perhaps next time we should focus not on the fear of a "pandemic" but on the mighty efforts of the various organizations that helped target, treat, and contain the virus.

Who to Trust?

In relation to Steve Rattner, President Obama's auto industry adviser, and the New York pension investigation, the WSJ noted it was "growing evidence of corruption by officials who use their power over public pension funds to shake down private companies. This is the same political class that has been blaming banks for "greed" in the financial crisis. The pension fund scandal exposes the myth of the superior virtue of the public and nonprofit worlds. Greed is universal. And the opportunity for corruption is enormous when political discretion is tied to vast sums of public money."

The love of money is the root of evil. Americans should not be so naive as to believe that because an individual is a "public servant" they are immune to the pressures and temptations of the private, "for profit" world. The reality is, all people seek profit. We should therefore limit the amount of power, money, and blind trust we give to our "civil servants".

They did it just for fun...

The Wall Street Journal has this headline on A5 - 'Congressional Junkets Defended as Work-Based'. Ric Wagoner and Alan Mulally went to Congress on their jets just for fun...

Honorable Mention

I can't believe our government won't accept its own currency as cash.

At least he got his day in court . What I consider even more damning is the case cited involving the man who is attempting to pay his tax bill in 100s. That's the largest denomination printed. Is the government saying that checks are more acceptable legal tender than dollars? How can the government not accept its money as payment for a debt to the government?

Progeny of Honest Abe

There has been much in the news today about the arrest of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Gov. Blagojevich succeeded Former Gov. George Ryan who is currently serving a 6 year prison sentence for racketeering and fraud. In Abe's case, the apples have fallen very far from the tree.

How does a state elect a two consecutive criminals to their executive post?

After reading through some of the DoJ press release, which I was grateful to find linked in a news article, I highly doubt Gov. Blagojevich will get out of this. The FBI secured warrants to tap a conference room, his office and eventually his home phone. That is a huge treasure trove of evidence. I hope he doesn't get off with a settlement or light sentence. There is little trust in government already; if the other branches do not police each other properly, this will only slide further.

Illinois, what were you thinking?