MidtownMark's Blog

The posturing in Washington is looking more and more like an attempt to give Senator McCain what he himself has said he knows nothing about: economic credentials. It also looks more and more like a reward system to the billionaires who now own him. I expected Bush to bomb another country to get McCain elected, but I did not expect even him to do a last minute pillage of what's left of the Treasury. Unfortunately, thanks to the Bush/McCain policies we taxpayers are over a pork barrel. As always, it is all the Democrats fault and W is the innocent victim. Like Saint Ron’s economic policies, which resulted in the crash of the Savings and Loan industry and the previous biggest bail out ever. John McCain has systematically abandoned his own values even to the point of condoning torture. Now he and his handlers are politicizing and exploiting a problem eight years in the making that we working class taxpayers will be saddled with for the foreseeable future.

This oughtta get me some heat from the yes-folks.

If I was looking for an excuse to be offended I would have been by Palin's speech last night. She mocked those who serve their community, she mocked those who care about the environment, she mocked those who think torture is vile and un-American and she used the same laguage to describe the Iraq war as terrorists use against us: a holy war. Of course, I realize these were not her words. The so called reformist McCain people bragged about how an entrenched Bush speechwriter wrote the words.  In fact, I'm not even offended by the words. I don't offend easily. Otherwise I'd have to mention how nasty it was seeing John McCain leer at her during his announcement of his hiring her. John! Dude! She has a face! She deserves more respect than having her boss slobber at her on national TV.  It kind of gives me the creeps when I think about what he and his boys may have put in her VP job description.

Thanks for the piece about the Kansas City job market, but it is much worse than it seems. Don't take my work for it. A good measure is to look at how many more positions are open for collections, another is to look at how the pay scale for even temporary positions (if you can get one) have declined significantly.

The unemployment rate locally is supposed to be at 5.9; however, one of the main thermometers for that figure is the number of persons actively receiving unemployment benefits. It does not include those who have exhausted, have been disqualified for or have simply given up trying to get benefits.  Fox 4 recently did a piece reporting how much more difficult it is for the disabled to get benefits in Missouri. The same is true for Unemployment benefits. Again, do not take my word for that either, just Google Unemployment statutes for Missouri. There have been significant changes in the last couple of years. Making it harder or even impossible to get benefits keeps the unemployment rate artificially low making our economy look much better than it is. Maybe we should send Mr. Blunt a thank you.

Lets's get real on the smoking ban on the ballot next week. If this were about  a health issue we'd be voting on a ban on french fries. It's really about self rightous zealots getting to ban something. It does not matter what. These types just like to ban. It could be straws or waxed paper or something. The idea is to impose a something on some body.

Obviously I am against the ban, but, like the zealots, it is for my own personal pathetic needs. You see: I do not smoke. I will not even date a smoker and I am majorly single. Yes, I have the gall to be picky. When I am out at a bar (not a health club) and I see a potential looser...I mean date, I can take 'em off the list when they light up. With a smoking ban, I could waste a cupon for a free meal or worse go in for the kiss an then ... Well,  those of you who do not smoke know what it's like to kiss on a smoker.

So, KC please, please, please do not pass the smoking ban. I'd like to have one last decent date before I croak.

Mark