Day 91. Very Disturbing

Money really is the root of all evil.  Yesterday I read a most disturbing article that someone had posted on Facebook.  Even more so, because tomorrow Americans go to the polls to elect a President.  So today, I’m compelled to write about ethics (which, coincidentally, begins with an “E”).

I am including a link to the story I’m referring to, but essentially it’s about Mitt Romney who, it alleges, has violated the federal Ethics in Government Act by improperly concealing his multi-million dollar windfall from the auto industry bailout.  It seems that he and his wife made anywhere from $15.3  million to $111.5 million through their investments in a hedge fund, Elliott Management, which held a stake in the auto bailout recipient, Delphi Automotive.

If this is true, not only did Mitt Romney make a fortune from the misfortune of others, he failed to disclose his profits.  Which happens to be in contravention of the law that requires presidential candidates to disclose their personal finances.

According to the article, The United Auto Workers, the Service Employees International Union and other groups plan to file an ethics complaint against him. And apparently, they’re holding a press

Day 82. Hush Now

Honestly, I can’t take it any more. You cannot open a newspaper, or watch television, without being absolutely bombarded with political opinions. The pundits are dissecting every word, every nuance, every stance, every plan, every wink, every blink, every smile, every frown, every step, every misstep, every platform, every remark (snide and otherwise), every criticism, every accusation that is coming out of anyone’s mouth.

They’re commenting on the opinions of other pundits, other networks, former politicos, the candidates, members of congress, celebrities and businessmen and women. They’re even commenting on what Mr. and Mrs. average American citizen is saying, as they’re interviewed coming out of malls and movie theatres and parking lots.

No wonder people are confused. How are you supposed to think with all that noise?

This is not my country, I’m talking about. It’s not my election. Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are not my candidates. I can’t vote. But I do vote here, in Canada. So this I know.

Day 67. It’s Debatable

Did you watch the debate last night?  I wasn’t planning to.  The first of the 2012 Presidential debates did me in; and I didn’t think I could inflict another one on myself.  But then, by about 8:00 p.m. I thought, “Who are you kidding?  Of course you’re going to watch.”

It wasn’t essential that I watch.  I’m a political junkie, but I’m not an American.  I don’t have a vote.  I’m not one of the ‘undecideds’, still trying to find a candidate I can believe in, and relate to.  But living in Canada, as I do, does make us close neighbours.  Whoever gets elected will make decisions that impact us.  Plus, if the U.S. continues to ‘hurt’, so will the rest of the world, Canada included, despite the fact that so far, we’ve weathered the storm better than most.  Whither thou goest, in other words.

So, yes, I did watch.  I’m not going to dissect every word that was spoken, though.  First, I’m not qualified.  Second, every pundit on the planet will be doing it, ad nauseum.  But I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have something to say.  So here goes:

In my opinion, the clear winner last night was Martha Raddatz.  In case you didn’t watch,

Day 59. O Canada

Like millions of folks the world over, I also watched the 2012 Presidential debate last night.  No, I am not going there.  There’s enough regurgitation going on, without adding my opinion.  Consider yourselves spared.  Besides, I have a whole other point I want to make.

I was also monitoring social media.  Among my Facebook friends, there wasn’t that much conversation going on.  Some (I was probably the most vocal), but not a lot.  Twitter was going nuts, though.  Not surprising.  It was all fun and games until I saw a post from The New Yorker‘s Nick Paumgarten, who tweeted:  “What is this, Canada?”  I saw red.  Well, red and white, actually; and tweeted back:  “You should be so lucky.”

And so he should.

The lack of knowledge about this country (Canada) by too many of our neighbours to the South has always frustrated, disappointed and annoyed me.  As a child when I went to

Day 38. Staying Focussed

Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68.  

While his adoptive great uncle Claudius, who he succeeded, built many new roads, aqueducts and canals Nero, whose interests leaned more toward the cultural life of the Empire, had theatres built and promoted athletic games.  Known for his extravagance, and also as a tyrant, he was responsible for many executions, including his mother’s (so much for the notion that blood is thicker than water).  And on June 9, 68, amid rumours of his impending assassination, he became the first Roman Emperor to commit suicide.

History lessons aside, my real reason for bringing him up, is a story (or rumour, as Tacitus insisted) that goes something like this:  While the great fire of Rome burned for six days, Nero was off, playing his fiddle.  Which, in itself, is technically incorrect.  Apparently there were no fiddles in first century Rome.  He would have been playing the lyre.  But never mind.  The point is, he was doing something else while the Empire, over which he ruled, was being destroyed.

He was distracted.  He wasn’t paying attention.  He wasn’t focussed on what he should have been focussed on.

Sadly, this makes me think of the 2012 Presidential race.  While the candidates, and the parties, are slinging mud at each other, the United States is in one hell of a mess!  And with all this nonsense going on, how is anyone supposed to decide which

Day 30. Slim Pickings

Between yesterday’s Quebec election (the outcome of which made me want to swallow arsenic) and it also being the first night of the Democratic Convention, I would have been far better off if I’d never turned my TV on last night.

In past years I would have been glued to CNN.  I’m a political junkie.  In ’08 I didn’t miss a debate.  I watched all the primaries.  Both conventions.  All the Town Hall meetings.  The endless, and repetitive, discussions and disagreements between the political pundits; and the equally endless high tech electoral maps.   And, then, I watched the inauguration, live, from a remote hill station in Southern India, on the one TV in the lodge, at 1:30 in the morning.  But this year, I’m so disgusted with the way both parties are running their campaigns I’ve tuned out.

Worse than the lies, though, worse than the licentious nature of the campaigns, is the fact that the real issues are being ignored.  Neither of the candidates is really talking about what’s wrong with the country and what they’d do to fix it.  And how.  They’re spending all their time, and money, dissing their opponent.  They’re pointing fingers all right, but not at the problems.  Not at the threats.  And definitely not at the solutions.

And here we are, inching closer and closer to election day in the U.S.  What’s a voter to do?

I’ve got to say, I’m not crazy about either of them.  I know that President Obama inherited a mess from Bush and his cohorts. I know that no one could have predicted