Robert Scheer asks Is Al Qaida Really All That? Or has the reality been distorted to scare us? Are we right now in the midst of a popular delusion?
The United States is not the first nation to consider privatizing a government run stipend program for the elderly. The good news is that we can learn from the mistakes of others. The bad news is such schemes have been a miserable failure in Britain, Argentina, and only moderately successful in Sweden (where the payroll tax is 18%, somewhat higher than here in the States).
Expenses for President Bush’s second inauguration are expected to run $40 Million. This figure apparently does not include $17.3 Million in expenses incurred by the District of Columbia including such items as police overtime and building reviewing stands. So $11.9 Million will have to come out of the District’s Homeland Security Funds. Keep in mind, the whole city has the potential to be a terrorist target, albeit a difficult target. By comparison, the District estimates it spent $8 Million on the last inauguration. Money is tight right now, the Federal Government is running record deficits, and security is so tight it’s cutting off circulation because after all “we’re at war.” Maybe this time, we could do without a big gala with parades and dances, and who knows what else. Let’s consider a nice little swearing-in in the Rose Garden with dignitaries and lots of cameras. That sure would be easier on the guy who is supposed to swear Bush in.
It isn’t exactly front page news, but the search for Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq is over without finding much of anything, despite earlier claims. So these American and Coalition soldiers and these Iraqi civilians (maybe more) and these contractors died for a lie. The democracy that we now claim to bringing to the Iraqi people is already a failure. Don’t get me wrong, Saddam was not a good man, but the current situation stinks.
And finally, a message for all the bloggers. I have little sympathy for everyone’s fired over his/her blog story, including the latest one, wherein he refers to his immediate supervisor in less than glowing terms. I offer the same advice for blogs as I give for e-mail: Don’t put anything in writing you wouldn’t want to read out loud to your mother, your boss, or a judge. Following these rules will help you avoid embarrassment, termination, and courtrooms.
Clearly, common sense isn’t common.