Is anyone in charge?

We are all concerned about the fiscal crisis, of course. It was our hope that after firing the previous administration and bringing in a high-powered team of financial experts with more degrees than an expensive thermometer, our new leaders would finally get a handle on the situation and restore fiscal integrity.

Instead, I get the distinct feeling our financial future rests in the hands of bickering politicians and confused experts. In normal times, economists rarely agree on anything, so that's not unusual. But these aren't normal times, so we expect some kind of consensus to arise other than telling us what we already know - we're in deep kaka. The head financial guru, Mr. Geithner, looks like a kid in his first job, not sure where the men's room is much less where the economy is headed.

As to our politicians, the Democrats were successful laying blame on the Republicans, and the Republicans are practicing their blame speechs for the next election. However, while they're 'fiddling' around, our financial future is burning.

Bright ties, bright minds?

I was watching the news one day this week and a group of Republican Congressmen were gathered at a photo op to lambast the Obama-Democratic administration. Politics as usual? Well, there was one striking difference.

Every one of the lambasting Congressmen was wearing an almost identical gray suit -- but each of them had a strikingly different, bright solid-color tie. The last time I saw such brilliant colors was for the expertly staged "Mission Accomplished" aircraft carrier reception for George W. Bush.

So I asked a fashion-conscious friend of mine if I should attach any significance to the gray-suited, brilliantly-tied Congressman. She opined that the gray suits reflected their collective conservative views, while the bright ties represented an attempt to look hip. I suppose this is a strategy in part due to the new Republican effort to woo younger voters.

Someone needs to tell them it's what they say, not how they dress.

From the Nile River to the Alimentary Canal

Two of my favorite TV programs are Anthony Bourdain: No reservations and Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern on the Travel Channel. Tony, Andrew and I have a lot in common – they’re from New York, I’m from New York; they’re writers, I’m a writer; they’re both chefs, I like to cook; they’re famous, I’m from New York.

Another similarity is that I enjoy eating strange foods in far away places. I’ve done chibuku (native beer) and Mopani worms in Zimbabwe, fried grasshoppers in Uganda, durian fruit in Thailand, so smelly it can’t be sold in a food store. I drink local water in Morocco and fresh vegetables in Egypt. Yet, I rarely suffer the usual tourist consequences. My brother, who traveled with me to Egypt and ended up sick, refers to me as the family goat.

So what’s my secret? Yogurt. Before going on a trip, I eat a cup of live culture yogurt every day for ten days. Some people rank yogurt right behind chibuku and Mopani worms, but I like it. No fruit or cheesecake flavoring. Just plain yogurt. Many travelers prefer the opposite approach, taking Cipro or some other antibiotic as a preventive. But my philosophy is, hey, the first humans ate road kill. Totally organic. No preservatives. Whatever didn’t kill them, immunized them against food-borne diseases. Today we try to sterilize our food. It’s unnatural. Try yogurt instead.

global warming?

In spite of dire warnings that the sky is falling -- well, at least it's a bit heavier with all that carbon dioxide floating around -- there are many who still disbelieve global warming warnings. These are probably the same people who said cigarettes don't cause cancer even though it says so on the pack and that big banks could never fail.

You only have to look at all the cold, snowy, miserable weather this winter to prove the earth is not getting warmer, they say. Well, one year a trend does not make. I've known people with a terminal disease who have occasional good days. Do they go around saying this proves they don't have cancer?

Even if you don't believe in global warning or cancer, you should take the symptoms seriously, considering the potential result.

Please comment

I would like to receive some feedback on this blog, comments on the posts, suggestions (keep it clean, this is G-rated)...

Remember the jet in Pocahontas Park?

For those of you who have been around Vero Beach long enough and have wondered whatever happened to that fighter jet that used to sit in Pocahontas Park, check this out.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Museum_Marines_aeq.jpg

Will Piper continue to fly?

Piper Aircraft is almost synonymous with Vero Beach, just like the Dodgers once were, but our nation's current economic crisis may relegate the venerable firm to aviation history. It seems like only yesterday we were basking in the afterglow of Piper's decision to remain in Vero and add up to 500 more jobs to its workforce of more than 1,000. That was yesterday. Today, the company's 650 or so remaining employees wonder what the future holds for them. There seems to be a pattern of near-failure, rescue by a new buyer, near-failure. A number of potential suitors have visited the plant, including Japanese, Russians, a presumably, even Americans. Through all its ownership changes, Piper has continued to produce popular light aircraft. Let's hope the current market funk doesn't permanently ground it, or worse, live for another day as Piper-san or Piperski.

http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2009/090309piper.html

How to become a psychic in one day

At the risk of offending those who believe in (or belive they possess) psychic abilities, I thought this article was an interesting take on the subject. It's probably not going to change anyone's opinion, but for those skeptics out there, it should provide an "I told you so" moment.

http://www.skeptics.ca/articles/shermer-psychic.html

Welcome to Florida - the Third World of American education

The statistics are shocking -- according to the Press Journal, almost 1 in 5 children have no health insurance (2nd worst rate in America); about 30% of 4th grade public school students did not meet even minimum reading proficiency on the latest FCAT; one-fourth of public high school students don't graduate; one of every 5 chlidren under 8 years old lives in poverty; college graduation rates are below the national average; pay for child care professionals is less than animal control workers and parking lot attendants.

If all that is true -- and I've heard those numbers before -- we have what could be the most serious crisis of all affecting Florida's future. Why is that?

You only have to look at the average age of Floridians to know the answer. People retire here after giving their kids a good education and job opportunities up north so they can relax, have fun, and await death. Oh, and no taxes please.

I once met with a prominent member of the Taxpayer's Association, a retiree from Buffalo, and we discussed the need for education and economic development here in Indian River County (and Florida). He was a nice enough chap, but his response was, "Let them (our kids) go up north for their education and jobs, then come back here to retire like I did." That's the spirit.

I have a great idea --Why doesn't some developer propose a full service cemetery community? The marketing possibilities are endless: buy a plot in the sun, maintenance included in the price, all services within lying distance, only the finest construction materials, totally hurricane proof, and best of all -- no more taxes! I think people would be dying to purchase a permanent residence in a community where there are no kids, no dogs, peace and quiet. Of course, the neighbors are real stiffs...

Do as I say, not as I do

Sarah Palin, with all her sermonizing about family values, abstinence and banning sex education, found herself -- as sermonizers usually do -- with the awkward reality of a pregnant teenage daughter as she was campaigning on behalf of those values. It was okay though, because the teenage father was going to do the right thing, marry the pregnant girl and support his accidental family. All this when most teenagers are more concerned with acne scars than stretch marks.

Well, lo and behold, the shotgun marriage is off. What a non-surprise. I don't find fault with these kids -- unmarried teenagers have dealt with pregnancy through the ages. I feel sorry for Bristol, not only because she probably planned to do more with her young life than be a teenage single mom, but also because she will have to raise two babies - hers and her mother's.

What have we learned?

Remember when it was necessary to pay 20% down buying a home? And your mortgage could not exceed 30% of your monthly take-home pay? If we have learned nothing else with the banking crisis, it is bad business to offer mortgages with nothing down or less (mortgages in excess of selling price), and offer those deals to customers without a credit check or even proof of employment. We have greedy lenders and spendthrift borrowers to thank for the current crisis, requiring a taxpayer bailout of epic proportions.

Imagine my surprise to learn that you can STILL get a mortgage with little or nothing down. I know of a case locally where a mortgage IN EXCESS of 100% was offered!

Let's get serious, folks! We taxpayers are fed up with irresponsible people and institutions turning the American dream of home ownership into the American nightmare. So here's what I recommend -- if your bank or lending institution is offering these pie-in-the-sky deals, tell them you are sick and tired of paying your neighbors' debts. If they don't cease and desist, you will pull all your accounts. Or better yet, you will report them to the FDIC, which is almost broke now cleaning up after failed banks.

http://www.zerodownmortgagepro.com/

Newspapers falling on hard times

For anyone who enjoys reading an actual newspaper rather than a point and click edition, we may be seeing the demise of some prominent publications. If you have noticed our own Press Journal here in Vero Beach, you've seen it get smaller and thinner over the past year to the point it looks like the anorexic version of its former self. The question you have to ask is with cutbacks in editorial staffs around the country, who's going to keep tabs on the people we elect to public office? Democracy depends on a free press, not a dividend-paying corporation.
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1883785,00.html

So how are the Dodgers doing in Arizona?

Here's an email from a friend who visited the brand new Dodgers Spring Training facility in Arizona recently:

We're in Phoenix (actually Glendale) AZ visiting my relatives who live here. I went to see the Dodgers new digs. The facilities are nowhere near finished. There are hundreds of workmen and lots of construction vehicles there working. The Dodgers are there as well. The place has none of the charm of Dodgertown. It is surrounded by fences and security people. The practice fields and batting cages appear to be done. We were stopped by fences before we could get close enough to see anything (see picture). The stadium looks like it will be very nice when complete but we could not get very close (see picture I took through fence) It appears that the stadium will seat 10,000 to 15,000 people. The good seats are $45.00, the cheap seats are $8.00. The first home game is March 1 vs Chicago White Sox whom they share the Stadium with.

It took me some time to find out where they were. Everyone I asked knew nothing about the Dodgers being here and seemed not to give a damn about it. Finally I called the City office and they told me where to go. The place is called "Camelback Ranch" on Camelback Road in Glendale. I don't think they will be done by then.