Has Our Political System Run Its Course?

The time may have come for Americans to think about a new Constitutional Convention. Why? The population of the United States in 1776 was about 2.5 million people. At the end of 2007 the United States prison population was almost exactly the same number. Think about that. About 2.5 million Americans were in prison at the end of 2007. The United States is fast approaching the 300 million population mark, one exceeded only by China and India. When our Constitution was written it was done so for a relatively small amount of people in a small geographic area. In other words, it was a controllable population in a confined location. Today you would be able to drive from the northern most point to the southern most point in perhaps 24 hours. But, to me the problem is that we have grown far too large for the type of government designed by the Founding Fathers. Such a huge population in the third largest land mass on Earth spells trouble. And trouble we have. Crime is out of control. We don't adequately educate a large percentage of our children. There is no health plan protection for many Americans. New Orleans is still a mess. We are bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan. And worst of all is Washington. Or actually it's our political system in general. Perhaps the freedoms granted us no longer apply. Maybe there are too many people to handle so much freedom. Let's face it, we are no longer a working Republic. In a Republic the people vote for a representative who theoretically has their best interests in mind. But how can this be when most Americans probably have no idea who represents them either locally or nationally. James Madison once lost an election in Virginia because he refused to hand out liquor to voters, he felt he would no longer have the where with all to vote for what he believed was best for ALL the people. Today in Washington they hand out billions of dollars to their buddies who run the banks, the same people who plundered the system to begin with.

So, since the system may have run its course, what we need is change. Where have we heard that before? From the same clowns who now run the show. Here comes the new boss, same as the old boss. We are too large for a political system based on a world view 230 years old. It's time for a modern Constitution, or at least some change in the way we do things. Real change, not Obama-change (which is really no change at all). We are a one party political system run by a two headed monster.

WHO IS WITH ME?

The Madoff Smirk

Maybe it's just the pictures, but it always appears to me that Bernie has a smirk on his face like the cat that ate the canary. In his smugness I see a guy who thinks by pleading guilty to his crimes he has saved his family and friends. Maybe he thinks he has redeemed himself from the wrath of heaven by not revealing who aided him in his Ponzi scheme. Maybe he thinks this makes him a good guy in that by pleading guilty he does not have to expose himself to a public trial. And since he is actually being sentenced to death he can lie at will. The guy is 70 years old and will never be a free man again. So it will be a death sentence for sure.

But, Bernie, by not telling what you know you really are exposing everyone who ever worked for you to guilt by association, whether they were guilty of wrong doing or not. You may be protecting family and friends, but you are making life far worse for the people who worked for you, who pushed papers around in fear that if they didn't they would lose their jobs. By not exposing your accomplices you condemn everyone.

More shame Bernie.

Dear Mr. Cheney...

A friendly note to FORMER Vice President Dick Cheney: Your eight years in Washington were quite enough, thank you. Now, please just shut up and go away.

Bernie and the Tooth Fairy

So now Bernard "Ponzi Scheme" Madoff is locked up. Madoff made off with countless billions of dollars, or so we are told. The man pleaded guilty and said he was sorry. Nice guy. The shame here is that by pleading guilty there will be no trial.

My question is, what might the SEC have had to do with his plea? He did not get a plea bargain. He gained nothing by pleading guilty. He doesn't seem to me to be the kind of guy who would plead guilty without getting some kind of deal or avoiding telling the entire story. I have to believe that there is so much more to this than a simple guilty plea. How could the SEC, which was warned time and again about Madoff, simply ignore this house of cards?

Last, and I've said this before, I do feel sorry for the charities and non-profits that lost all their money. This would include Elie Wiesel and his Foundation for Humanity. However, it is difficult to feel anything for the millionaires and billionaires who lost money. To me, they are as greedy as Madoff and believed in him only because they looked to profit from his outlandish claims. You'll only believe in 46% return on your money if you also believe in the Tooth Fairy.

Can You Grow a Bigger Brain?

A study was conducted measuring the brain size of London cabbies. Why cabbies, why London, you might ask.

Cabbies have a very brain taxing job, despite what you may think. This may be even more so in a large city such as London. Cabbies must memorize the complex layout of the city and be able to figure out the fastest routes between thousands upon thousands of starting and ending points. They must do so quickly and under a certain amount of pressure. This study showed that the cabbies with the most experience, which would also be the most innovative because they have come up with all types of ways to innovate, were continuously challenging their brains so that they could survive in a very competitive industry. These cabbies had larger than normal right temporal lobes, ie bigger brains since they used them so often in so many challenging ways.

So if you want to grow a huge brain, and be extra intelligent, get a job as a London cabbie. But be sure to buy a new hat!!!

Mr. Watson, Come Here I Want You!

With these words, Alexander Graham Bell successfully tested his invention, the telephone. On March 10, 1876 the first words were transmitted by Bell to his assistant, thus opening a new era in communication. Bell, a native of Scotland, launched the Bell Telephone Company in 1877. He became an American citizen in 1882.

Daylight Saving Time Say Wha?

When told the reason for Daylight Saving Time the old Indian said...

"Only a white man would believe that you could cut a foot off the top
of a blanket and sew it to the bottom of blanket and have a longer blanket."