I have been making a point, of not watching morning news lately, in the form of Fox & Friends and MSNBC's Morning Joe, as everything on either venue is so biased in one direction or the other that it only serves to make my already bad disposition worse. But, this morning something really neat happened. Jim Kramer was on MSNBC and Fox had a surprise visit from the venerable and distinguished Republican Senator, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and some Democratic Senator who resembled Mr. Whipple from the Charmin toilet paper ad's. Now, the reason I bring up Jim Kramer was that he had just finished one of his commentaries on the slightly outdated thought process utilized by most of our representatives in the Democratic Congress and Senate when they try to convince their constituents that something is bad, as in the case of offshore drilling, by making comparisons to events that took place during the Civil War and ending just prior to the Industrial Revolution in America. Basically, they are out of touch with what is going on around them and only serve to hobble the economy with their ill thought solutions, inaction, fiscal fixes and lack of understanding of the workings of the world economy.
Well, I thought this whole thing might best be sorted out in a partial reality dream sequence that I hope gets the point across. We have Saxby Chambliss, the Republican Senator from the great sovereign State of Georgia, sitting on the veranda of his Antebellum Estate (that's an old plantation in the south)that he inherited from his father who inherited it from his father who inherited it from his father ad-nausium, in a large overstuffed white wicker arm chair decorated with a tasteful floral print depicting magnolia blossoms floating through the warm southern air, how genteel. In his hand is a fresh mint julep on a sliver plate with two sugar cubes to the side and a long handled silver stirring spoon ready to add just a little more sweetness to this fine traditional southern concoction . His senate tie is loosened, his expensive white cotton shirt is without a wrinkle and he has his neatly polished black loafers up on a small wicker hassock, legs crossed. The gold Rolex and cuff links given him by his Senate colleagues glisten in the setting sun. Why, is that a little shine on those nails Mr. Saxby, ask's Ms. Fadita, his full figured African American maid? He looks out over the expansive, impeccably manicured lawn and down the moss covered tree lined drive that looks as though it goes on forever, thinking to himself, how wonderful it is to be retired. RETIRED!!!!!!!the thought hits him like ten thousand volts. His eyes bug out of his head, he spills his mint julep down the front of his expensive white shirt leaving a long brown stain that resembles the same brown stain he just left in his pants. His Rolex turns into a Timex and he sees for the first time, in his privileged life, that time may finally be running out for fat cats like himself.
RETIREMENT !!!---His awakening from the worst nightmare a Senator can have launches him into action. Retirement he thinks, is bad, but retirement at the hands of voters is unthinkable and unless he and his colleagues can come up with some new ways to trick the voters he and many of his pals might get just that, retirement. Worse yet, they might have to get real jobs, and for the majority of those in the ruling bodies, a real job is not a viable option. He gets on the phone to his Democratic Senator friend, you know the one that looks like Mr. Whipple, and tells him of the horror he has just experienced, the two decide to leap into action and call a news conference to announce that the two sides of the aisle are in the process of discussing offshore drilling. They are only somewhat aware that gasoline prices have risen substantially, remember they are Senators and the tax payers pick up everything for them, and really his only contact with the little people is the complaining by his maid, Ms Fadita, about how expensive it is to get to and from work, he thinks she should be car pooling, whatever that is. They get on a conference call with the President himself and explain the dilemma as best they can. The President, not wanting to leave office as the lowest rated President in history goes along with them even though his family and friends are probably making billions on the current crisis, this one's about ego. They go on TV to show America how concerned they are about their jobs, I mean how concerned they are about the millions of American who's wallets are being emptied trying to keep gas in their cars and food on the table. That the House and Senate all want to cooperate with each other now, and how they believe they can work through the differences they have with regards to drilling offshore. When the cameras stop, they make sure they are really off and are avoiding a Jesse Jackson moment, they comment to each other how sincere each looked and they hope the American public has bought into whatever it was they just read from a teleprompter. The dream sequence ends.
It appears that in real life, the good Senators, Congress and even our illustrious President are starting the get the message. To say they have dropped the ball is an understatement. How could a government with all of the think tanks and resources they fund on both sides of the fence have missed this one. Maybe it's that they fill the think tanks with like minded boobs that are as out of touch as they are with their countrymen and it's economy. Laws of supply and demand are not rocket science. Did the government strategists think that China and India would continue with the ox cart as the principle mode of transportation as their economies developed? Drilling is the quickest solution but only a short term one in that it will buy us the twenty years or so that is needed to tool for other means. We need elected officials who are forward thinkers that push for the development of every economical energy source that will put our country on the leading edge and have the rest of the world beating a path to our door to buy it from us.
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