The Hollow Men

Say what you will about Donald Trump as a candidate for president, but you must admit that he speaks his mind.  Unlike other candidates, he isn't afraid to give you his opinion and get something done.

If only all politicians could be so endowed.

President Obama was recently overheard on an open microphone taunting Republicans by saying "You want to repeal healthcare?  Go at it.  We'll have that debate.  You're not going to do that by nickel-and-diming me in the budget.  You think we're stupid?"

Reporters also heard him privately rip Wisconsin's very own Paul Ryan, the GOP's Budget Committee chairman who had proposed cutting federal spending.  "Paul Ryan says his priority is to make sure he's just being America's accountant, "Obama said.  "This is the same guy that voted for two wars that were unpaid for, voted for the Bush tax cuts that were unpaid for, voted for the prescription drug bill that cost as much as my healthcare bill, but wasn't paid for.... So he's not on the level."

Lincoln
A man of action

Every so often you get a chance to hear what these politicians really think about each other -- and it's no surprise that they can't get anything done.

The lovable persona that is staged on television (shaking hands and holding babies while the U.S. flag flies in the background) or on Sunday morning talk shows (my good friend, Senator McCain) is one of a concerned politician who is "working hard" for the American people.

Unfortunately, that translates into the American voter, since so many politicians are mostly concerned about being re-elected.  So concerned that Democrats (and for the most part Republicans) will 1) do nothing, 2) say nothing and 3) propose nothing that gives the slightest hint of substance.

Isn't it time we get more out of these fraudulent wind bags?

Take our country's national debt -- estimated at 14.2 trillion.  President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Reid and Speaker of the House Boehner made daily headlines trying to avoid a government shutdown over the federal budget.  Each participant let it be known that they had a moral responsibility to reign in out-of-control spending while maintaining critical programs needed by the elderly, disabled and children.

In reality, they were fighting for their constituents who demanded that no action be taken on Planned Parenthood and new Obamacare spending (Democrats), raising taxes (Republicans) and almost anything to do with Social Security and Medicare.  Bottom line, with 2011 spending at $3.87 trillion, our fearless representatives are having orgasms over a measly $28 billion in cuts.  Sounds like business as usual in Washington, where every year since 1969 politicians have spent more than they have taken in.

I'm beginning to think every politician in Washington is nothing but an empty suit filled with nausea-inducing sound bites -- like this one from Mr. Boehner, "The biggest accomplishment of the first 100 days is that the spending debate ...  has turned 180 degrees."  How about that?  It's now a major victory to say that "talk" has changed in Washington.  All politicians DO is talk - how is that an accomplishment?

Truth be told, this country is in big trouble unless we can get politicians to do MORE than talk.

Another example of the "meaningless babble" we get from Washington has to do with the high cost of gasoline.  Everyone is feeling pain at the pumps these days -- from commuters and truckers to anyone heating their homes or buying groceries.  Since 2008, the price of a gallon of gasoline has increased from $1.84 to almost $4.00 in most parts of the county.

Naturally this ties in nicely with the country's overall energy strategy, which since the mid-1970's has produced no new oil refineries, and no new nuclear power plants since Three Mile Island in 1970.  Is doing nothing really a strategy, or is it just cowardice on the part of these politicians to avoid taking a stand against environmentalists who would like to see America riding bicycles and heating their homes with ear wax?

So let's play the blame game -- something else politicians are good at.

Who's responsible?  Local and national media would have you believe one of the following:  1) Obama, whose restrictions on drilling for new oil in the United States means we can't even take advantage of our own resources; 2) Congressional Republicans who refuse to support alternative fuels which would reduce our dependency on foreign oil; 3) market speculators who have bid up the price of oil in order to make a killing; 4) freedom fighters in the Middle East and North Africa who have destabilized major oil producing areas; and 5) supply and demand with the recovering economy and recovering demand.

President Obama -- completing the final trifecta of all good politicians -- calls for an investigation into the high price of oil, thinking this will somehow provide an answer (but not lower prices since he has stated numerous times that he wants higher oil costs to support his alternative energy agenda).  Investigations are like catnip to politicians who would rather discuss the problem, rather than a solution.  Remember the arrogant and condescending Senate hearings into auto companies in 2008, which included testimony from the CEOs of Ford, Chrysler and General Motors?  What ever came from that charade?  Government Motors and electric cars?

Nonetheless, not to be outdone, the following congressional committees are gearing up to investigate the situation:

May 8th:  House Energy and Commerce Committee
May 9th:  House Select Committee on Energy Independence & Global Warming
May 10th:  House Science and Technology Committee
May 15th: Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee
May 16: House Judiciary Committee
May 22nd:  House Oversight Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Can you believe we actually have that many committees?  And that's just energy.

Imagine the political theatre that will follow when politicians -- on television, of course-- tell oil executives to stop price gouging (oh, no!) while taxing those profits to expand wind and solar energy.   And then pass the cost for their political ineptitude onto us through even higher gas prices.

Politicians will continue to play the part of hollow men as long as we allow them to play it.  It's time we put some people with substance in Washington to take care of business.

On the Wings of Mercury

I must be dreaming.


The Suzuki motorcycle appears out of the darkness, racing past indistinguishable shapes and strangely colored lights.  As I look out the window of the car I am riding in, I see that the driver of the motorcycle isn't wearing a helmet, his head bobbing slightly with the rushing air.  Within seconds, I can see that his eyes are closed and his breathing measured as if in a deep sleep.  Miraculously, the motorcycle stays true, picking up speed as if shot from a cannon -- when suddenly a car materializes in the lane before him.  I look again and see that the cycle driver's eyes are still shut and now I can hear the driver snoring despite the rushing wind coming from my open window.


"Wake up!"  I shout at the cycle, as the car ahead appears closer.  As if distracted, the driver's head turns toward me, with eyes still shut.   I shout again, "Wake up!  Wake up!"


    


Suddenly, I open my eyes and find the alarm clock flashing 5:59 AM.  Within seconds the alarm goes off, reminding me that it's time to get out of bed and continue my training for a 5K run, which is part of the La Crosse Fitness Festival being held later this month.

 

As I slide my legs from bed, I rub my face and ask myself why I am doing this.  I am not a runner -- and to prove that point, my feet send a sharp jolt up to my knees before it retreats to a dull ache by the time it reaches my lower back.  At my current age of fifty-two, my dad was already suffering from his battle with Parkinson's Disease, so I am not able to draw on any rational memory of him getting up to run or ride a bike.  His early morning departures had more to do with fishing and hunting, a pastime I didn't share with my brother and sister.  I was always interested in basketball, football and maybe tennis, although the later was a pathetic attempt to keep up with my high school friends.

After dressing and eating a bite or two of a banana, I head out the back door and walk toward my destination, the football field at Central High School.  At 6:20, there isn't much traffic, but the occasional light in the windows of the houses I pass tells me that I'm not the only body stirring this morning.   And there's something new in the air today -- snow flakes, swirling around my head.

As I pass the tennis courts , I am trying to convince myself that this will all be over in 35 minutes -- long enough to run 6 laps (twice) around the track.  Today's snow is accompanied by a gusting wind that is blowing fairly hard from the Northeast.  As is usually the case, I have the whole track to myself.

As I start my first lap, my thoughts wander to a call I received four weeks ago from my good friend, Paul Mundinger, a fellow pentathalete (that's someone over 50 trying to be active), who convinced me to try running in this event, as a way to shake off winter and lose a few pounds.  "It will be fun and it's not too far to run.  5K is only three miles," he continued, "and we can run it together."

To understand the irony of that moment requires listening to him say "we can run it together" last fall when we were planning to run a 10K during Oktoberfest.   At the time, neither of us had run any distance for probably 25 years, during which we had gained quite a few pounds and a measurable amount of gray hair.  At best, Paul had probably run no further than to the bathroom after finishing another beer during a Badger football  game.  I -- at least -- could run up and down a basketball court.

By the time I am nearing the end of my first lap, my breathing has become labored, and I am tempted to use the excuse of stretching just to catch my breath.  But as I cross the first lap marker, I gain a level of confidence that feels like a glowing ember rising from the warmth burning inside me.  "Let's make it another lap, " I tell myself, as a sky full of wet snowflakes continue to drop.

 

Running a 10K during Oktoberfest was a challenge that required more than opening my wallet for a new pair of running shoes (with sure lace and dual density collar) and a light-weight shirt (with a moisture transfer system).  It required an amazing amount of effort despite heat, humidity and early morning darkness.  It required a way to convince myself that I could complete 20 laps with minimal downtime, while ignoring pain from my ankles, calves, hamstrings and lower back.  And much to my dismay, --running the race alone, when Paul unexpectedly backed out because of a leg injury...

Fifteen minutes later, and one and a half miles later, I slow to a walk to catch my breath, which quickly blows away in the swirling wind.  As usual, by the time I take my first break from running, I am feeling pretty good -- my muscles having stretched enough to respond to the turns and pushes of the track.  The high you get from running was kicking in.  "You're half way there," I say as I begin my second round of six laps.

My mind wanders back to Paul's phone call to try a shorter race.  This time the challenge was not the 5 week commitment that I knew would be needed, but finding a way to overcome the effects of winter and five months of little activity.  For last fall's Oktoberfest race, I had been doing some core training and riding my bicycle.  This time, the early spring weather was cold, wet and dark -- obstacles which were proving difficult and highly unpredictable.  And less than three weeks into training, Paul strained his knee, putting him -- again -- out of the race and with his wife and my wife (who would be walking the 5K race).  I remind myself that the next time Paul asks me to run a race with him that I hang up before accepting the challenge.

As I was finding out for the second time within 6 months, the challenge of running is not something physical, but something mental -- overcoming the unexpected weather, and not depending on anyone to get you out of bed, to run and to finish.

With snow covering the black asphalt to my left, I continue to pound out the laps.  Sweat is dripping down my face and flakes of frozen water flutter into my eyes, which are staring straight ahead.  Plumes of frost escape my mouth as I place one foot in front of the other.

My twelfth and final lap is always my favorite quarter mile -- with nothing to stop me, I feel strong, fast and ahead of time.   I laugh at myself and shout, "I am unstoppable!"  Imagining wings sprouting from my ankles like the Roman god Mercury, I sprint around the last bend, feeling the possibilities of a new day.  Straight ahead is the finish -- and an end to heavy legs, the physical pain to my back, and to the fear that I can't finish the race.  As I cross the final lap -- in less than 33 minutes --  the relief of finishing is quickly pushed aside as I ponder another morning just like today.

And another 5:59 A.M. showing from my alarm clock.

Every Vote Counts

I don't think my son could have picked a better time to cast his first vote.

November 2, 2010 was a memorable night, when America turned from Democrat to Republican, and Wisconsin elected a new governor, stopped the re-election of Senator Russ Feingold, and put conservative majorities in the State Senate and Assembly.  It was a night which would resonate loudly for every citizen in the Badger state and throughout the country, sick of Obamacare and out-of-control spending.

It was early evening that he walked into the small school gym where we vote -- and registered for the first time.  (I'm too old to remember the first time I voted, but I'm guessing it was in college, when I was swept up in the 1980 election fervor between Ronald Reagan, President Carter and John Anderson.  That was almost three years AFTER being eligible to vote.)

Sean in Washington D.C.

I don't know how he voted last November, but I have an idea.  As a loyal watcher of Fox News, devoted listener of NPR, avid reader of Ayn Rand's Fountainhead and owner of a copy of the religious Qur'an, he is interested in many divergent points of view.  I would expect no less from someone who is looking forward to college and a brave new world.

I say his "timing" is great because the last 5 month's have been unbelievable in ways that he will remember for the rest of his life.  In just the 157 days since he cast his ballot, he has seen --

. thousands of protesters -- including teachers, students, big union representatives, Hollywood actors, director Michael Moore, and the Rev Jesse Jackson -- gather on the steps of Wisconsin's state capitol building.  Regardless of their misguided reasons, you have to admit that residents of Wisconsin know how to throw a protest party.

. an attempt to remove collective bargaining rights for state public employees.  Back in 1959, Wisconsin was the first state in the US to provide these "rights" to public employees, and unions are not going to let it go without a fight.

. the flight of 14 Democrat senators from the state, leaving 19 Republican senators one vote short of a quorum needed to pass the state spending bill.  State police were dispatched to retrieve the senators, but because they had slipped into nearby Illinois, they were unable to bring them back.

. a "sick day" in schools throughout the state to allow teachers to protest in Madison.  Weeks later, these same teachers held a make-up day of school, but since students weren't required to attend, the school day for those students who showed up consisted of movies, music and free time on the computer.

. the creation of a Facebook page that lists companies that contributed at least $5,000 to Scott Walker's campaign, with the intention of "bringing woe to companies that support him, and therefore his anti-worker, anti-education and anti-progress politics."

. recall efforts to remove 16 state senators from both parties for their support or opposition to the bill curtailing public employee unions.  One of these, Senator Kapanke of La Crosse, has received death threats, suffered vandalism to his car and discovered nails scattered on his driveway.

. the temporary passage of Walker's bill when the State Senate removed all budgetary measures.  Eight days later, (union-friendly) Judge Maryann Sumi issued a stay on the bill saying it had been passed without the required 24-hour notice to inform the public of the meeting.  It remains in court (never a good omen) as I write this post.

.  an election for a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, viewed as a referendum on Governor Walker's budget battles.  On the morning following the election, results showed Democrat Kloppenburg leading Republican Prosser by a minuscular 204 votes, or 50.1% to 49.9%.  It was the most expensive state Supreme Court race in Wisconsin history, with $3.58 million spent by outside political support groups.

. a reversal of fortunes, when it was reported that a Waukesha county clerk announced that she had forgotten to report to the AP an additional 14,000 votes, giving the election lead back to incumbent Prosser.  Democrats and conspiracy theory advocates have cried foul.

. an eleventh-hour budget deal that prevented the U.S. Government from shutting down.  Budget shortfalls and party programs will continue to force battles between liberal and conservative ideologies until the next presidential election in 2012.

Who knows what the remainder of this year will bring?  In all likelihood, some of the senators being recalled will lose in their special election, and the union-busting bill will eventually wind up in the Wisconsin Supreme Court.  So the future will be anything but boring.

Every morning -- while the smell of coffee brings my household to life --my son snatches the frost-covered newspaper from outside our door.  Like a spy coming in from the cold, the Tribune leads with headache-inducing headlines that speak of open law violations, constitutional crises, trillion dollar deficits, government shut-downs and bankrupt social security/Medicare futures.  Local talk radio is flooded with ads that misrepresent candidates and their positions, and callers -- with too little information and too little time -- blast local events and developments.  Evening news reports are vidid with video of thousands of protesters surrounding the capitol building in Madison.  Teachers, well known throughout the community (and who "teach" our children Monday through Friday) hold signs attacking Governor Walker for being another Hitler or Darth Vader.  And fellow students stand and scream on street corners asking for signatures that will recall a local businessman/owner of a successful summer league baseball team.

What's an impressionable teenager to think?  Or do?

In my son's case, vote.