Thursday, June 21, 2007

Friday random thoughts...

• Sent in by alert reader Bill Lawrence: Tracy teens (and parents) often complain that there isn't enough to do around town, especially in the summer. Instead of waiting for sports fields, why not try this?

• "A Band-Aid on a bullet hole." That's how attorney Mark Connolly described a recent offer of affordable housing by a developer whose project was approved Tuesday night. He's right. If a medical analogy is to be used, Tracy's affordable housing stock needs a a rapid infusion. Stat.

• The Press editorial board is right when it says the new Democratic Congress has done distressingly little to curb the earmarks and ethical abuses that plagued both houses (especially the lower one) in recent years. I only hope there's more reform in store.

• There's no such thing as an American political party against big government. Whichever party is in power wants that power expanded. Big government is here to stay. So it's a matter of what priorities we want our government to have.

• Just when the Bush administration gets close to doing something that would reinforce American values, the meeting gets canceled. Maybe there's no hope after all.

• President Bush has compared the Iraq situation to South Korea, permanent bases are being constructed in the country, and military officials have said that counter-insurgency efforts usually take about 10 years. So, who wants to bet our troops will be home by next October?

• Welfare for the rich: Tracy Press contributor Tim Michael Case wrote Tuesday: "Our capitalist society is turning more and more into a socialist society with every growing tax bill." He's right. Look at how much money in no-bid contracts the government is sending to Halliburton et al. (Here's a hint, no-bid contracts aren't free-market capitalism at work). I also wonder if Mr. Case is referring to the millions of dollars the wealthiest Americans have recieved in recent tax bills as a result of tax cuts.

• Random thought of the week: "If at first you don't succeed, failure might be your style."

• Calvin and Hobbes quote of the week: "They say two wrongs don't make a right, but what are you supposed to do then? Just let the biggest guy make his own rules all the time? Let might make right? ... that sounds reasonable."

2 comments:

Erdos56 said...

The South/North Korea analogy might have worked iff (if and only if) the country had been divided into thirds along ethnic lines. The continued insurgency arises from several sources, but a division would have at least quelled the sectarian issues somewhat, with the intermixed populations choosing quick immigration as the minefields went in. But, yes, the Kurds and Shia would have controlled the oil, and the Shia would have aligned with Iran, and the Sunni would have felt marginalized, but at least the only remaining source of discomfort would have been Al Quaeda Iraq against the invaders...us.

Anonymous said...

Well, Jon hopefully if any Tracy kids go to camp they won't come back and put their newfound knowledge into action ... especially on the sports park site.