GroovyMan

Have you have ever, like, wondered whether the politicians you have elected are screwing you?

As um, shall we say “difficult” as this may be to digest, it’s time for America to accept the beltway for the brothel that it is. If, by some miracle, the country finally wakes up to this reality, then it might be time to elect a real Porn Star (instead of settling for a simple streetwalker).

Call us prescient, but that is why we are putting all our estimable media power RIGHT NOW behind the next Ron Jeremy to be (whoever that may be) for President in 2012.

A candidate of this caliber will already have hosed so many people in so many ways that, frankly, they might want to try something new.

It might also be rather difficult to corrupt them with cash. After all, there is so much of it in online porn these days it seems difficult to assume they could be seduced as easily as the average Chicago Alderman.

If you think we say this all in jest please know that politics has always catered rather willingly to cockroaches. That is why the average corrupt elected official is so difficult to exterminate (with the exception of that former exterminator from Texas, miraculously.)

Which is why we ask you to seriously consider our exploratory committee to put Ron Jeremy’s protege’ in the White House. While a real Porn Star for Prez might be considered a little icky at least the august Mr. Jeremy himself was called “The Hedgehog” in his day. Which is far less filthy than a bug.

While we are not economists, our immediate thought about Japan is this: it will cause Japanese pocketbooks to open. Sometimes it takes a seismic change to shift behavior. If anything, the Keynesian policies of the Japanese intelligensia have failed to stimulate domestic consumer demand. This earthquake may have suddenly, and irrevocably, altered that equation. Once the nuclear hysteria has passed (and we pray it will) Japan might rise from its artificially-enhanced recession. They will have no choice but to spend heavily, and, once the rubble clears, invest.

We say Amaterasu is smarter than any animal spirit. That is why she might be telling Keynes to ship off the island and let the Japanese regain their equilibrium. What do we know?

America can be a very insular place. For example, as we sit and type away it escapes us that Australia has a female Prime Minister. We are men enough to admit that we know nothing about her nor were we even aware that this had happened.

Every year my son’s elementary school awards a student of the month prize - every child will win once during the year.  The theory is to recognize the good and unique of every student.

The question is whether this is good for the students. Should we reward everyone regardless of actually excelling and performing?  I know the argument is that it helps build self esteem, and particularly among elementary students in an era of bullying, but is it possible that it contributes to a spirit of “mediocrity as acceptable,” since everyone equally wins?

Particularly in a society that is increasingly fragmented into the wealthy and the poor, and that struggles to take care of the bottom end of the spectrum, what is the benefit of rewarding everyone when we are young regardless of performance?

Is this the sort of peanut butter approach to childhood performance that causes out of sort reactions from teenagers in an attempt to otherwise stand out?

Fascinating article in the October 25, 2010 New Yorker about David Cameron’s “Big Society,” his plan to devolve centralized governmental power (massive spending cuts) and return ownership to local communities. Cameron’s plan includes public-service reform (cutting red tape), community empowerment (transferring authority to the local level), and social action (voluntarism and philanthropy).This is interesting in light of the broader European discussion about austerity measures to help address debt.

Over here in the states, public discussion focuses on the Tea Party with its vitriol around “getting back to the constitution;” spoken by potential leaders who fail to cite the specific amendments that support their claims. Our hope is that we begin to think like the Europeans, and begin to engage in these higher level discussions around austerity, what that means, and what it will take to fully reengineer our own economy. (e.d. Is Cameron touching the NHS? The rest sounds lovely.)

Richard Cohen – Boehner’s health delusion. Read this article to see and understand why we DO need to pay attention to politics and continue to care about the direction that the “new right wing” is taking us. 

The future speaker of the house believes – despite all evidence to the contrary – that the US health care system is the “best in the world.”  Maybe it is in the financial white elite system that he participates in, but for the rest of society, there are so many gaps.