We need fresh ideas

Congratulations baby boomers, we're the first generation who can say that we will put more into Social Security than we received. Spare me; don’t tell me how much you could have earned if you would have had a chance to invest it. Number one, you don’t know and the other is, it’s a” you pay for others as others paid for you” retirement supplement Yep, if you're a baby boomer, we can say that we weren't as much of a socialist as our parents and grandparents were. However, that's only a comfort for those people who use that line of reasoning.

Every since I heard the word " misinformation" sometime last week , I just can't get that word out of my head. I agree that the media, in one form or another is the probable cause, but I think of it as replacing the roof shingles. It's best if you replace the old shingles and felt paper and start anew. We still have people trying to convince us what the founders meant, or they want to use philosophy from the 1900s. America was once an isolationist country and afraid of the military; we're now at a leader in the global economy and have the largest military known to man. The fundamentals are the same, such as spending less than what we bring in but today; we have to deal with huge budget and trade deficits and preventing our financial sectors from bringing down our country, with their predatory schemes.

I flipped on Fox News Sunday to hear what potential Texas senator to be, Ted Cruz, had to say, but I can't say I was surprised when I heard the boilerplate rhetoric. I was disappointed because, if elected, he'll be another obstructionist. When asked if he would compromise with the Democrats he said, "I am perfectly happy to compromise and work with anybody,” Cruz said. “Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians. I’ll work with Martians. If — and the if is critical — they’re willing to cut spending and reduce the debt."... That would sound reasonable except, he won't consider raising taxes. We're back to that," won't take $10.00 in spending cuts for $1.00 in revenues" deal. For the record, I am very anti- Ted Cruz and his ilk. I understand his line of thinking; he thinks that the government does not need any more money to spend, but he doesn't understand that we cannot cut our way to prosperity. Ted Cruz is bought and paid for by the Club for Growth and FreedomWorks.,so he 'll never understand that it's going to take a balanced approach.

Try going back to my " replacing the roof'" analogy'" where I said that we were going to have to start fresh. I think the partisan propaganda we've been fed throughout the years won't allow new ideas to penetrate. Chicago's Mayor Rahm Emanuel, realizes that our Federal government is tapped out but the infrastructure in Chicago is in a state of the decay. The mayor knows that the city of Chicago won't be able to grow unless they fix the infrastructure. What company would want to move to a city full of potholes, busted water mains, and inferior public transportation?

 The mayor will use conventional methods like raising utility bills and issuing bonds, but the city will negotiate a private-public trust fund with three banks to fund their needed repairs. For the record, the city of Chicago sold their parking meter rights to a private company, that is making 10 times more than what the city ever did, and they have also issued long-term leases on their parking garages, which amounts to the private sector owing that source of revenue for a long time. Chicago is not letting those two mistakes stand in the way of yet another risk taking proposition. On paper, it looks like a win- win proposition; the banks have been waiting for a safe investment to spend some of their low-interest money on. The city will use private contractors and make them pay for any cost overruns because, as we know; cost overruns and can run into millions. The city will install cost saving devices such as smart meters and use that savings to pay off their debt. If everything works well, the city will get their needed repairs without extra cost to taxpayers. Cities and states are copycats, so if this project works in Chicago other cities and states will adopt it. This is just a temporary measure until our country's economy recovers, and then we can go back to federal government grants and loans when it's more feasible.

I know that occasionally we will take an exit road to discuss some social issues and that's OK, as long as you understand that some will evolve and others won't. The economy doesn't work that way. The economy is like a baseball pitcher who has to make adjustments on every hitter, umpire, and his capability. I heard a great discussion about the Keystone XL project this morning. On one hand, the proponents of fossil fuels say the tar sands from Canada will provide $45 billion a year in revenue and 500,000 jobs by 2035. I think it's a bit exaggerated but on the other hand, what will it do to the natural gas and alternative fuels industry? We shouldn't let the lure of cheap fossil fuels make us forget the environmental impact that this project will have on greenhouse emissions. That's why I say we need to keep an open mind and not be persuaded by those who stand to benefit by our lack of interest.
 


Yet, another senseless shooting but again this is not the time to talk of measures to try and prevent those “impossible to stop” tragedies. If only one of those Sikhs were armed! I can hear the same old talking points.