Comedians like David Letterman will surely miss our present President. I doubt Obama or McCain will offer such hysterically embarrassing "Moments in Great Presidential Speeches."
But we surely won't miss the Bush stammering, whether John or Barack comes to occupy the Oval Office. Both men speak facilely, although McCain seems to rely a bit too much on teleprompters and cue cards, even at town meetings. And, in this author's opinion, Obama excels at impromptu, extemporaneous speech.
But on the subjects of health care, the economy, taxes, inflation, interest rates, unemployment, technology, the middle east, and the environment, a void persists where amusement is concerned. Nothing tickling my fancy comes to mind on these subjects, unless it is a cousin of mine who refers to Arabs as"those dumb rag-heads!"
Ethnic humor has never bothered me. I know about as many jokes as any former bartender, and grew up being called a "wop.'
But, back to brass tacks...
Our health care system should be the best in the world, but is not - merely the most expensive . Many Americans go to Europe or India for surgical procedures if they can afford the medical expense out of pocket. My own cervical, degenerating spine calls out for yet more fusions of vertebrae, and to have the sides of them drilled out where they impinge on nerves. I'm putting it off, hoping better technology soon arrives in the UnitedStates.
The economy? Let's face it, it's plainly in the dumps. We can't just cover it over in some remote land fill with a bulldozer. There's too much that's toxic in that refuse! Our poor, besieged farmers certainly couldn't use it for mulch.
Which brings us also to the greening of America and nuclear energy. Pay attention, all you mousie little Topo Gigios: No one, but no one, has yet figured out what to satisfactorily do with the radioactive by products of our nuclear power plants. "Sawright?" "Sawright!"
Taxes? I got an e-mail which took me via a link to the official IRS site, saying I had a "$899.25 refund due. But when I called the IRS, they said not to trust their own site, and to be careful of scams. I know scams abound on-line, having been hard stung by one in the past year, which has nearly destroyed my previously nearly perfect credit rating. Would the next President please address these legal but unethical practices on the inter-net!?
Obama's tax plan is clear. Relief for the declining middle class. Who can claim they are in that stratus if they make far below $250,000 a year? Republicans historically have always handed out incentives to the most wealthy, and even to multi-national companies in America that ship our jobs overseas! Ninety five percent of the time McCain aligned himself with Bush in these matters.
Who was that voting and speaking all those times? McCain's "evil twin" from just over his shoulder?
So we come now to jobs. Far too many citizens are in the adolescent position of having to "write when you get work!"
Whence will these jobs come? Obama, with visionary zeal, proposes that adult education - as well as all school systems - be infused with the necessary money to put our country back on track to produce the best of students in technology,science, and the arts.
The arts have become an endangered species of late. Reagan cut budgets for them along with National Public Television. And now in Colorado, we see Rocky Mountain PBS running fund raisers about every two weeks!
How are things going for the theater arts? Well, there are not many angels out there to produce new plays, and, as we used to say in the theater: "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the show?"
Obama proposes adult education in technologies specifically devoted to energy. He also believes that civil service should be an alternative to military enlistment. Makes sense to me. We've a lot of friends and allies to regain from a Peace Corps revival!
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