Thursday, November 15, 2012

Government is a messy thing.



A lot going on, so here’s a preview:

*  A review and analysis of the recent vote.
*  A look ahead at the city council race and what it costs.
*  And a stench is rising from the CIA director’s emails. (Not what he said, but how
    we found out about them.)

Let’s get started.  


The polls are closed.

Pumpkin, Cherry and a Pecan write-in campaign have taken the day.  Cheese is also voted out of casserole in the green bean dish, but a special call for French’s Onion Crisps lives on. In another closely fought decision, mashed potatoes defeated sweet potatoes, but the margin was so close that even the NY Times couldn’t call it. There are those invited to Thanksgiving Day Festivities who are threatening to secede from the table, if fresh cranberries are not served.

I want to thank all those who took part in our T’day polling. (It has been reported to me that the Pecan delegation went nuts in spending to get on this years’ finalist list.)


Onto other news. Speaking of going nutty in campaign spending, how much do you think a seat on the Dallas City Council costs?  I’ll let you think on that one for a moment, as I remind you that these servants of the people serve for $30,000 a year. Not exactly upper middle class wages, but then again, it is not supposed to be a fulltime job. But just ask Angela Hunt how much time it took from her daily activates and 8 hours seems a fair and reasonable amount. She says it is more than that.

A friend of our families is thinking of making a run at City Hall. Her political machine consists of three high-school-aged girls to put yard signs up and an old democrat letter writer who is penning this blog. Not exactly a huge staff. And our salaries of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches comes out of our own pockets. So how much should she expect to spend in getting elected?  Several political observers and consultants suggest upwards of $100,000 FOR STARTERS.  One even suggested that $250,000 was more reasonable. And if you live in tony North Dallas, the number could jump close to a mil… (That’s $1,000,000 in round numbers.) I joked that we needed some super pack money. The answer came back, “How much do you want?’ It is out there, even for a non-partisan election, there are forces raising huge sums of money to buy and sell our elected officials.

Think about it. A $30,000 a year job that costs (I’m going to do some high-low averaging here) $550,000— got to believe that is ripe for corruption and payola. To me it is a farce. A joke. A damned shame— that to run for a city office a candidate has to be so indebted to followers and special interest as to raise these kinds of funds just to have name recognition. (Oh by the way, if there is a run off, it will cost you even more.)

No wonder ordinary folks like me never seek office in Dallas. It costs too much money. And that is just Dallas. Go countywide it is even more. Go statewide, well forgetaboutit…as they say on Jersey Shores. So the best candidates, the brightest minds, often stay on the sidelines watching. Great politicians, like your average missionaries, are first and foremost great fundraisers.  And I don’t see that in our Constitution or history books.

Democracy and its government has become a big business. And that is a sad, sad state of our country. I can see Obama and Mitt raising millions for the top job, but a half a mil for a city council seat?  Okay, take the low number…$100,000 for a city seat… No way.  That is ridiculous.


And finally:  Did we say ridiculous…how about the Patriot Act? That’s ridiculous, especially the way in which it has been used by The FBI as foundation to infiltrate the emails of the CIA director.  Think about that. The CIA director.  How safe do you think your emails are? 

Another legacy of W’s administration.

How much crap has this guy laid on us?

Seems that a woman got tired of Petreaus’ girlfriend from threatening her so she called on an old FBI flame, who evoked the Patriot Act to secure information from the General’s personal phone and email accounts. When said FBI agent thought the bureau was dragging its feet investigating the “undercover” e-mailgate, he went public through Eric Cantor, the mouth piece for  the American extreme party. Suddenly it is front-page news and we still don’t know what was said in the notes. Now the FBI’s investigation is under the scrutiny of the press and ET. So much for the Constitution.

But wait…if the General was passing along top-secret data…okay…yet, to say ‘I love you, Lumpkins’ and ‘let’s have some more kissy face and rubby toes’, is not high crimes and misdemeanors. More over, it should send a chill up the spine of every America citizen.  What next will some gung-ho, cowboy with a badge and guns decide needs looking into under the law of the land‑The Patriot Act? How about your love note to Aunt Clare’s yard boy? Oh, that was a birthday greeting? Right!

Petreaus is no angel in this matter. He showed very poor judgment in having an extramarital affair. Bad boy. Down. Sit. But his emails and letters and communications, unless they violate national security, are none of your business.  None of mine. Just as ours aren’t any of his business or anyone else’s for that matter.

We should try Bush and Chaney for treason, just for suggesting such legislation as the Patriot Act. And whoever named it, should get life in prison.  So much for the land of the free. The home of the brave has now become the home of the monitored. Can you spell Soviet Union?

If it is important enough to employee the Patriot Act in this matter, then it is time to get Kenneth Starr and awake him from his naptime down in Waco and bring him back into the judicial spotlight.  Go get ‘em, Ken Boy.  There’s a sex crime loose on the American people, again. Sick ‘em.

So what do these three seemingly unrelated stories have to do with each other?  Just this. Our government is out of control. The system is broken. And in the long run, it is going to drive us nuts trying to deal with it. (By the way, the price of pecans is up. Just thought I’d let you know. It started right after the polls were closed.)

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