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The Daily Dose/July 17, 2011
By Gaylon Kent
The Writer's Shack
Notes from around The Human Experience...
UPDATE…OR NOT: We were hoping to have some breakthrough news on this nation's current financial imbroglio, but we don't. It's the same old partisan bickering we get whenever Congress tries to do anythinge except when they forge a broad based coalition to herald National Superglue Week or something equally important. You get the impression you're watching four-year-olds negotiate on a playground.
Now Hear This: Republicans are now talking about a constitutional amendment that would require a balanced budget.
Please, No: This is a bad idea. While we don't need the staggering deficits we currently have, we do need the flexibility of running a deficit. A little debt isn't too bad.
Here We Go Again: Nobody is actually putting this forth as a concrete proposal, it's merely being thrown out there to see if anybody likes it. This trend, and its been around for awhile, of running ideas up flag poles or tossing them out as trial balloons is not a substantive way of running any organization, much less a government, but that's what we get from our government because 1) we put up with it, and 2) it prevents anybody from making a tough decision. They can just shrug and say, "hey, this is what the people want'.
Listen Up: Hey guys and gals of Congress, you know what? We're a bunch of idiots here in the electorate. Proof of this can be found in the fact we keep sending you numbskulls back to Washington every two and six years, despite the fact you have us on both the short and long-term brink of financial ruin.
So we will pretty much approve of whatever trial balloon you float that does not require too much sacrifice from us regardless of whether or not it solves the problem, because we're not into to sacrifice right now. There's too much tee vee to watch and too many meals to be super-sized.
The Void: What we need, and if fact are begging for, is some leadership. We need someone who has, not a "grand bargain" or some other catch-phrase based plan that wont solve anything, but who has what we like to call a "solution".
But nobody's stepping up because nobody wants to be the one responsible for pissing off lobbyists and voters by cutting their fave projects.
Ideally, this leadership comes from the president, but we're not getting it. We've said this before: this country hasn't been led since Kennedy and we were so thrilled with that we shot him.
Sigh…Here We Go Again: Johnson tried, but got sucked into the Vietnam vortex. Nixon was evil. Under other circumstances Ford probably would've been a heck of a presindent, but Fate insured he never had a chance. Carter was not up to the challenge. Reagan came closest, but he was the most managed president in history, setting a precedent that still plagues this country today. The first Bush was ineffective, Clinton, well, it was always something with Clinton, the second Bush was not bright enough for the job and Obama issues some pretty impressive rhetoric, but he is too busy trying to be all things to all people.
The Bottom Line: We need a president who has the guts to put forth a solution. Not plans that will temporarily put off the imminent financial catastrophe while pushing the hard decisions off till later.
HIGHER…STRONGER…AND WITH MORE DEBT: The Montreal Olympics begin on this date in 1976. Despite the fact Montreal's mayor said "the Olympics can no more have a deficit than a man can have a baby" the Montreal Games would produce a debt that took three decades to pay off.
USA! USA! Still though, the Montreal Olympics reestablished American dominance in men's basketball, key after the Munich fiasco where the goddamned Soviets were handed the gold medal on a silver platter, and American boxers, led by Sugar Ray Leonard and Leon and Michael Spinks, won five gold medals.
Women's Lib: Women's participation in the Olympics increased as well, as they participated in basketball, team handball and rowing for the first time.
Bummer, Eh: Canada became the first host nation in Summer Olympic history not to win a gold medal, a feat they would duplicate at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.
Dry, Technical Matter: Montreal was the first of three consecutive summer games that featured significant boycotts. While China showed, in 2008, it was possible to invade other countries and kill protesters with impunity, 28 nations, mainly African, stayed away from Montreal over rugby matches, because New Zealand's national rugby team, Official Writer's Shack Faves the All Blacks, had toured South Africa earlier in the year. Four other nations withdrew after a couple of days of competition.
Play Ball: The Minnesota Twins become the first team in major league history to turn two triple plays in one game on this date in 1990.
Uh, Thanks Anyways Guys: The Twins still lost, 1-0.
FunFact: This is also the only major league game to have two triple plays, regardless of which teams turned them.
This Is Definitely A Violation Of Company Policy: A TWA flight from New York City to Paris explodes in the air near Long Island, New York on this date in 1996. 230 people died. An explosion in a fuel tank is suspected as the cause, however no one was able to determine exactly what happened, though the FBI, after a 16-month investigation, announced they found no evidence of criminal activity.
End Of An Era: Woolworths closes its doors after 117 years on this date in 1997. The first Woolworth's had opened in Pennsylvania in 1879.
Brother Can You Spare A Five And Dime: Woolworth was such a force in American business it had been a longtime component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, from 1924 until being replaced by Walmart in 1991.
Thought For The Day: Nothing can be added by you or me to what has been said by others and will be said in every age. - John Adams, second president of the United States
Answer To The Last Trivia Question: An undeclared naval war with France was the reason for the Alien and Sedition Acts.
Today's Stumper: What company did Woolworth replace as a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1924? - Answer next time!
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