A guy can hope, can't he?

Maybe the state of America isn't so bad. Or not as bad as I imagined. After all, the opinion polls are swinging more and more in favor of Barack Obama. He actually might be elected president. Yes, a man with a brain that functions. Rather than a George Bush or something that might even be worse, a ticket comprised of John McCain and Sarah Palin. Of course, the election is still a month away. There's still no guarantee that America will come to its senses. But hey, a guy can hope, can't he? --Jim Broede

...and all is well in the universe.

Oh, it would be a nice story-line. The Chicago Cubs lose the first two games of a play-off series to the Los Angeles Dodgers. And in the process, they play lousy baseball. Errors galore. No hitting. Bad pitching. All this after the Cubs posted the best record in the National League during the regular season. Then the Cubs go on the road, to Los Angeles, and start a miracle comeback. They win the third game, the fourth game and finally the fifth game back in their home ballpark, Wrigley Field in Chicago. Cub fans go crazy. It's a wild celebration. Then the Cubs go on to the next round of the play-offs and make it all the way to the World Series. Again, more celebration. And the Cubs become known as a resilient team. Finally, shedding their reputation as merely loveable losers. Yes, they become loveable winners. For the first time since 1908. That's my dream...and all is well in the universe. --Jim Broede

...the art of inane politics.

Fellow Americans, I don't know why we put up with it. We let politicians do whatever they want. Take the vice presidential debate tonight. Between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. Palin was asked questions by the moderator. And she just more or less ignored many of 'em. Instead, she just spouted crap and cliches about other totally unrelated topics. Whatever she chose to talk about. And said she was just choosing to address the audience of TV viewers with what she wanted to say. Crap. Rehearsed crap. Her campaign's talking points. Guess that makes sense for Palin. Because when she's been asked questions in interviews in recent days, she's been flummoxed. Made a fool of herself with idiotic unintelligible answers. She still does that. Which goes to show that Palin knows how to be a fool in many, many ways. She's mastered the art of inane politics. --Jim Broede

She's a 'post turtle.'

A guy named Greg posted this story on a New York Times blog site today:

While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old rancher, who’s hand was caught in the gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

The old rancher said, “Well, ya know, Palin is a Post Turtle.”

Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a ‘post turtle’ was. The old rancher said, “When you’re driving down a country road you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that’s a post turtle.”

The old rancher saw the puzzled look on the doctor’s face so he continued to explain. “You know she didn’t get up there by herself, she doesn’t belong up there, and she doesn’t know what to do while she’s up there, and you just wonder what kind of idiot put her up there to begin with.”

...plenty of fixing still to do.

I think the motivating force in life shouldn't necessarily be to get monetarily rich. In a capitalist society, such as we have in America, the idea is that everyone should have the opportunity to become filthy rich. Millionaires and billionaires. Because these money-grubbers will make other people prosperous, if not obscenely rich. Essentially, money is seen as the route to happiness. The rich are happy. The poor are unhappy. And as we have been told by our founding fathers, we all should be entitled to the pursuit of happiness. Well, I have a way to bring this about for a greater number of people. I want the rich to surrender much of their wealth to make the poor less poor. To assure the poor -- everyone, for that matter -- with the basic necessities of life. Yes, a decent living. Good and guaranteed health care. Adequate shelter. A job. Good pay. Education. Social security. Pensions. To pay for all this, we'll have to narrow the gap between the rich and poor. In a sense, we have to try to raise everyone to the middle class level, more or less. Yes, that may require a bit of socialism. Because we'll need the government to assure that everybody receives the basic necessities. Private and capitalist ventures aren't going to do it. At least not adequately. Or voluntarily. For proof of that, look at what the American capitalist system has wrought. Quite an economic crisis. And inequality. A climate in which the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer. Some, of course, will say that many of the poor are lazy. They have opportunity to get rich and to provide for themselves. Why should government feel obligated to help them? Well, the fact is that government helps the rich. By giving them tax breaks. And by allowing them to exploit people. For the sake of ungawdly profit. Remember, folks, our nation was founded with an economic system based, in large part, on slavery. Yes, exploitation of a large segment of humankind. We still have immoral exploitation. In forms somewhat different than slavery. But still, it ain't right. We have plenty of fixing still to do. --Jim Broede

...winners in my heart.

Oh, my. My Chicago Cubs are off to a bad start in the play-offs. Losing the first game to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-2. We Cub fans generally expect the worst. But still, we have some degree of faith. We dream that the Cubs could even lose the first two games. And then come from behind in dramatic fashion and sweep the remaining three games. And advance to the second round and still make it to the World Series for the first time since 1945. And yes, to even win the World Series for the first time since 1908. We've had a good season. A winning season. For the second year in a row. Many sportwriters call the Cubs the best team in baseball. And many pick them to go all the way. But still, we all know that the Cubs are loveable losers. Ultimately, in the end, they finish on a losing note. The grand prize remains elusive. But still, they remain winners in my heart. --Jim Broede

What has America come to?

I'm beginning to believe in the impossible, I guess. After all, no way, did I ever believe that the Republicans could but up a presidential ticket worse than Bush-Cheney. Yep. The GOP has done it, folks. John McCain and Sarah Palin. I gotta think that's the worst presidential ticket ever nominated by a major political party in the United States of America. Please, someone, tell me it's all a hoax. An April Fool's joke. This can't be, can it? I keep reading newspapers and tuning in the TV news. Daily. Expecting a revelation that this is a put-on. A prank. A Monty Python skit. After all, I've even seen it on Saturday Night Live. I swear, the script was written by Sarah Palin. Yes, I muse, somebody is pulling my leg. But then I see the serious news reports. From respected journalists. So, yes, it's true. McCain and Palin are real people. Wanting to become the leaders of America. And they're actually going to get some votes. Impossible as it would seem. They are being taken seriously. They ain't joking. Our founding fathers must be turning in their graves. Wondering. Wondering. Wondering. What has America come to? --Jim Broede