Yesterday illustrated the large disconnect between what is important to the majority of Americans, and what Republicans think they must do and say to get elected (or re-elected). The Republican debates focused on cutting taxes with no real definitive solutions to our economic problem that could be backed up with studies from experts. The Senate Republicans also voted down the President's Jobs Bill.

Meanwhile, what do Americans think is important? For the vast majority of Americans, it is the economy. During the 2010 elections, it was Jobs specifically, which is a component - or possibly a symptom - of the economy. Unemployment continues to be the major concern, and it seems common knowledge that improving the jobs situation will improve the economy. There is a certain chicken/egg disagreement though. Will jobs improve when the economy improves, or will increasing jobs improve the economy? Democrats believe the latter; Republicans believe the former.
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71 comments (Latest Comment: 10/13/2011 14:53:39 by forrest)

I am watching the events of the Occupy movement -- by now, you know that I am watching with a certain amount of skepticism, and hope for its success. It's important. It has great potential. I hope to attend a General Assembly here in DC to further understand the inner workings on a personal level. A friend of mine (Shoq) wrote of them here. It includes a video of how they work, but more importantly, he wrote this:
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55 comments (Latest Comment: 10/11/2011 02:21:38 by clintster)

Good Morning!

An early-ish blog for a Saturday, but I'm not headed for any bloodwork today. Nay, it's my last weekend on the pond with Mr. Bean, as we wrap up our summer kayaking season.

Fortunately, it's supposed to be above 70 today in these parts....and we may be breaking a temperature record tomorrow with temps expected in the mid-80s.

With a bit of Indian Summer in the offing, I'll pause a moment and ponder my favorite season. I know there are folks that live for summer, and spring and winter have their fans, too....but it's fall for me.

It's opposite to what nature is doing, but fall has that feeling of renewal and optimism. With school starting, and sports, and my youth group getting going, September and October usually represent the busiest time of year for me. For those of us with children, the start of the school calendar is a more powerful reminder of the passage of time than even the holidays or the turning of the calendar page.

October and November are also the two best months to be outdoors...the nights are cool and refreshing (and great for outdoor sleeping), the days are often just as warm as the summertime, and most wondrous of all, ALL THE BUGS ARE DEAD!
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3 comments (Latest Comment: 10/09/2011 01:38:50 by Raine)

Do you know what it’s like to be trying to come up with an idea on some nights and nothing strikes the brain?

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19 comments (Latest Comment: 10/07/2011 00:19:19 by Raine)

Good Morning.

Today is our 3,121st day in Iraq, and our 3,649th day in Afghanistan. This Friday marks our tenth year at war. (October 7).

We'll start this morning as we always do; with the latest casualty figures from our perpetual wars, courtesy of antiwar.com:

American Deaths
Since war began (3/19/03): 4477
Since "Mission Accomplished" (5/1/03): 4338
Since Handover (6/29/04): 3618
Since Obama Inauguration (1/20/09): 249
Since Operation New Dawn: 49

Other Coalition Troops - Iraq: 318
US Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 1,791
Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 954
Contractor Employee Deaths - Iraq: 1,487
Journalists - Iraq : 348
Academics Killed - Iraq: 448

We find this morning's cost of war passing through:

$ 1, 258, 605, 800, 000 .00

And just looking at that snapshot, we've spent $344, 918, 004 every day since 2001 on this escapade.
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12 comments (Latest Comment: 10/04/2011 18:48:01 by Scoopster)