I realize this has been an especially brutal winter on so many levels and that may account for my grumpiness. But there are a few things I just have to bring to your attention.
-Isn’t it just a touch early for the unveiling of the official Michelle Obama first lady portrait? And could we pull back the throttle on the Jackie Kennedy look? We get it.
-The CEO of Europe’s largest budget airline Ryanair is quoted as saying he was considering charging a fee to use the bathroom on his planes. Talk about squeezing the last drop out of the customer.
-Nice to see 89 year-old Manhattan DA, Robert Morgenthau, finally hanging it up after 35 years and and 3.5 million cases. He clearly overstayed his welcome but you have to love a guy who got himself re-elected a few years ago at 86.
-Speaking of octogenarians, the New York Post fired gossip columnist Liz Smith. Her column was a bore and a half and somehow included an Elizabeth Taylor mention every day but she did have a great exit line. Liz told a TV interviewer “there was something exhilarating about getting fired at 86.”
-Newly minted New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s poll numbers are dropping faster than the stock market. Her public appearances have become unintelligible political babble often interrupted by staff notes telling her to shut up and move on. Somewhere Caroline Kennedy is smiling.
-Speaking of Caroline Kennedy, she makes one of my favorite arguments about celebrities and privacy. How many phony wannabees jdo you see or hear complaining about the paparazzi and the media invading their space. Well there have been few people more famous or sought after than Caroline Kennedy. But she has managed for years to be nearly invisible except for her intentional embrace of the media during her ill fated Senate quest. With that over she has retreated again into thin air proving if you want to you can avoid the TMZ treatment.
-The race to succeed Gillibrand seems to be all Jim Tedisco. The republican assembly leader is saturating the airwaves in anticipation of the March 31st special election and leads his democrat opponent Scott Murphy by 10 points. Either someone forgot to tell Murphy when the election is or he has no money for ads.
-Did you see that story about the English businessman who dropped his cell phone on a beach and it was found a few days later in a cod’s belly and the fisherman hit redial and traced the phone back to the owner? Color me cranky but that’s why they call bogus stories fishy.
-Hillary Clinton seems to be enjoying high stepping it around various foreign capitals pontificating on the great issues of the day. Note to Hillary: It still doesn’t make you president of anything.
-The stock market continues to give the various Obama stimulus/mortgage plans the back of the hand. It seems to be saying his plans are either dead wrong or not enough. At some point soon this will become his economic disaster. People are really getting killed out there and don’t need the president telling them what they already know. They want results not speeches.
-BTW…Can somebody just take Citi bank and Bank of America outside and shoot them. Both are complete train wrecks and putting another dime into them is a fiscal obscenity. Let them go belly up and have fresh private capital reassemble the pieces. The same is true of GM and Chrysler. Why would you give them another nickel?
-Obama gave a speech yesterday detailing his plans for an Iraqi surrender, I mean withdrawal. Was it just me or did he and his timetable sound a lot like George Bush. I guess only a republican is eligible for war criminal status.
-Finally if you want to get your protest groove on in these waning days of winter, try dialing up NYProtest.com. It’s an internet listing of street protests distributed by lefty activists. Talk about a good time! Peace out my brother.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Of Chimps, Crazy Ladies and Stimulating Talk
This has been quite a stretch for news my friends so let’s get to it. We have had the President of the United States telling us the end is near and any delay in implementing his stimulus bill will result in a catastrophe of biblical proportions. That dire warning was issued moments before the President with family and friends in tow took Air Force One out for a jaunt to Chicago. There he played some hoops, got a haircut and took his wife to dinner at a restaurant owned by Oprah’s personal chef. My question is if we’re at the gates of hell, why isn’t the president at his post like the rest of us. And if the democrats are going to continue to squawk about corporate executives using aircraft paid for by shareholders, where’s the outrage over the new president winging it all over the country on the taxpayer’s dime?
Then there’s the mortgage bailout plan. The 90% of us who pay our mortgage on time are now supposed to bail out the losers and flippers who got their hubris and irresponsible behavior caught in the wringer. Let them go bust and we’ll pick over the carcasses. Too bad.
The story I’d like to ignore but can’t is “Octomom”, the lunatic California woman who just popped out eight babies after some obviously successful fertility treatment. Clearly the woman is demented and has no business having children and thinks these kids are her ticket off the welfare roll. But what about the fertility doctor? This clown should have his license yanked and be sued for malpractice by the eight children assuming any of them make it through childhood.
Then there was my favorite newspaper The New York Post making two very questionable calls this week. One was a front page photo of “Octomom’s” grotesque belly just prior to hatching. Note to the Post and women in general: There’s nothing beautiful about a distended stomach unless you’re the father and that’s a stretch!
By far the bigger editorial mistake at the Post was that horrible cartoon with two white cops and a dead chimp with a none too subtle intimation about Obama and a chimp. I’m white and I found that unbelievably offensive. I can only imagine how black people felt. It’ll be a while before they sell too many papers in Harlem.
The chimp in question was a 200 lb. animal that attacked it’s owners friend taking off her nose, eyes and hands. The owner appears beyond insane giving interviews about her “relationship” with Travis. They apparently drank wine together, bathed together and slept in the same bed. Enough said.
The sports world had to endure another episode of “Who didn’t do steroids.” In this case it was the outing of the incredibly narcissistic Alex Rodriquez. He joins a long list of ballplayers (mostly Yankees) who cheated. The good news is these bums serve to remind us how great the guys were who didn’t take steroids like Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. I played a round of golf with Mays once and asked him how he had gotten so good at golf and asked him if he had any help in the way of lessons. He told me “There’s nobody alive who can teach old Willie how to swing anything.” He didn’t need any help in the batter’s box either.
Politically New York Gov. David Paterson is in free fall for a variety of reasons beginning with the handling of the Senate seat. As goofy as Caroline Kennedy was, Paterson still comes off as the bad guy. But Paterson really shot himself in the foot when it was revealed he handed out hefty raises to staff members and cronies while talking down the State’s financial condition. A poll showed the odious Andrew Cuomo creaming Paterson in a head to head for the democrat nomination.
Speaking of Caroline Kennedy, it appears her Uncle Ted may have made his last appearance in the Senate. He is ensconced at an undisclosed Florida location and friends say the end is near. His departure will mark the official end of Camelot. Back next week with some interesting news…I hope!
Then there’s the mortgage bailout plan. The 90% of us who pay our mortgage on time are now supposed to bail out the losers and flippers who got their hubris and irresponsible behavior caught in the wringer. Let them go bust and we’ll pick over the carcasses. Too bad.
The story I’d like to ignore but can’t is “Octomom”, the lunatic California woman who just popped out eight babies after some obviously successful fertility treatment. Clearly the woman is demented and has no business having children and thinks these kids are her ticket off the welfare roll. But what about the fertility doctor? This clown should have his license yanked and be sued for malpractice by the eight children assuming any of them make it through childhood.
Then there was my favorite newspaper The New York Post making two very questionable calls this week. One was a front page photo of “Octomom’s” grotesque belly just prior to hatching. Note to the Post and women in general: There’s nothing beautiful about a distended stomach unless you’re the father and that’s a stretch!
By far the bigger editorial mistake at the Post was that horrible cartoon with two white cops and a dead chimp with a none too subtle intimation about Obama and a chimp. I’m white and I found that unbelievably offensive. I can only imagine how black people felt. It’ll be a while before they sell too many papers in Harlem.
The chimp in question was a 200 lb. animal that attacked it’s owners friend taking off her nose, eyes and hands. The owner appears beyond insane giving interviews about her “relationship” with Travis. They apparently drank wine together, bathed together and slept in the same bed. Enough said.
The sports world had to endure another episode of “Who didn’t do steroids.” In this case it was the outing of the incredibly narcissistic Alex Rodriquez. He joins a long list of ballplayers (mostly Yankees) who cheated. The good news is these bums serve to remind us how great the guys were who didn’t take steroids like Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. I played a round of golf with Mays once and asked him how he had gotten so good at golf and asked him if he had any help in the way of lessons. He told me “There’s nobody alive who can teach old Willie how to swing anything.” He didn’t need any help in the batter’s box either.
Politically New York Gov. David Paterson is in free fall for a variety of reasons beginning with the handling of the Senate seat. As goofy as Caroline Kennedy was, Paterson still comes off as the bad guy. But Paterson really shot himself in the foot when it was revealed he handed out hefty raises to staff members and cronies while talking down the State’s financial condition. A poll showed the odious Andrew Cuomo creaming Paterson in a head to head for the democrat nomination.
Speaking of Caroline Kennedy, it appears her Uncle Ted may have made his last appearance in the Senate. He is ensconced at an undisclosed Florida location and friends say the end is near. His departure will mark the official end of Camelot. Back next week with some interesting news…I hope!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Peggy Lee May Have Been Right
As the fledgling Obama administration struggles to find its way, I’m reminded of singer Peggy Lee’s 1969 hit “Is that all there is.” In this existential song, Lee expresses disillusionment with events in life that are supposed to be unique. She concludes by saying “Break out the booze and have a ball-if that’s all there is.”
Because after a torrid two year love affair, America is beginning to wonder if that is, indeed, all there is. The stock market continues to grind lower, unemployment is off the chart and the credit market is seized up like an old jalopy. It hasn’t helped that a number of Obama’s key Cabinet appointments have gotten bogged down in ethical and tax problems. Just last week Obama had to pull the plug on former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle for Health and Human Services Secretary. It appears Daschle had neglected to pay nearly $150,000 in taxes for a chauffeur and driver while working for a D.C. lobbying firm and only coughed up the information and the dough when nominated. It was disappointing to hear Obama and his spokespeople try giving Daschle a pass because he was so vital to the health care effort. There was more than a whiff of liberal elitism there as if to imply his intellect and commitment to the cause superceded his obligation to pay taxes like the rest of us.
This all occurred after a similar dust-up with now Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Mr. Geithner too neglected to pay his fair share going as far as declaring his kids summer camp expenses as a child care deduction. What makes this even more unsavory is the fact that the Treasury Secretary also oversees the IRS. I have to assume Geithner’s “mistakes” will make it tough for him to play the indignation card the next time some high profile tax cheat surfaces. As he did with Daschle, President Obama went with the “too valuable to fail” argument for Geithners confirmation. Toss in a couple of other nominees with similar problems and maybe Obama’s slogan should be “change you better count first.”
To be sure, it’s far too early to judge the success or failure of this new administration but it does have a decidedly Peggy Lee feel to it. We were led to believe this crowd would be different, more ethical and held to a higher standard. The rapture that was the election and the carnival like atmosphere surrounding the inauguration bordered on national hysteria. Since then we’ve had virtually no progress on anything. Americans today feel like they’re tied to the railroad tracks and the guy who was supposed to save them is off somewhere putting out brush fires.
The President’s decision to address the American people in a prime time speech is a good start. We need to hear directly from him. No one cares what ditzy Nancy Pelosi or Mitch McConnell has to say. The American people need to know their President has a plan and isn’t just winging it. People need to be able to turn off their TV set and get behind a course of action they understand and approve. We need to know that’s not all there is to our new president.
Because after a torrid two year love affair, America is beginning to wonder if that is, indeed, all there is. The stock market continues to grind lower, unemployment is off the chart and the credit market is seized up like an old jalopy. It hasn’t helped that a number of Obama’s key Cabinet appointments have gotten bogged down in ethical and tax problems. Just last week Obama had to pull the plug on former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle for Health and Human Services Secretary. It appears Daschle had neglected to pay nearly $150,000 in taxes for a chauffeur and driver while working for a D.C. lobbying firm and only coughed up the information and the dough when nominated. It was disappointing to hear Obama and his spokespeople try giving Daschle a pass because he was so vital to the health care effort. There was more than a whiff of liberal elitism there as if to imply his intellect and commitment to the cause superceded his obligation to pay taxes like the rest of us.
This all occurred after a similar dust-up with now Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Mr. Geithner too neglected to pay his fair share going as far as declaring his kids summer camp expenses as a child care deduction. What makes this even more unsavory is the fact that the Treasury Secretary also oversees the IRS. I have to assume Geithner’s “mistakes” will make it tough for him to play the indignation card the next time some high profile tax cheat surfaces. As he did with Daschle, President Obama went with the “too valuable to fail” argument for Geithners confirmation. Toss in a couple of other nominees with similar problems and maybe Obama’s slogan should be “change you better count first.”
To be sure, it’s far too early to judge the success or failure of this new administration but it does have a decidedly Peggy Lee feel to it. We were led to believe this crowd would be different, more ethical and held to a higher standard. The rapture that was the election and the carnival like atmosphere surrounding the inauguration bordered on national hysteria. Since then we’ve had virtually no progress on anything. Americans today feel like they’re tied to the railroad tracks and the guy who was supposed to save them is off somewhere putting out brush fires.
The President’s decision to address the American people in a prime time speech is a good start. We need to hear directly from him. No one cares what ditzy Nancy Pelosi or Mitch McConnell has to say. The American people need to know their President has a plan and isn’t just winging it. People need to be able to turn off their TV set and get behind a course of action they understand and approve. We need to know that’s not all there is to our new president.
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