Tangled Times: Unusual News and Views

Don't Hate Wolfowitz...Hate the Game

It's hard not to vent about Paul Wolfowitz's flagrant lack of character and credentials.  But I'll do my best.  It's easy to go for the jugular when a public figure screws up - low-hanging fruit of bloggers and reporters alike.

So try as we might... we can't ignore this grinning Bush goon.  One has to be smart to get into this kind of trouble.  Foxy smart... with some guts to match one's lack of a conscience.

Bush appointed Wolfowitz back in 2005.  (Prior to that, he was known as the principle architect of the lovely skirmish in Iraq.)  As President of the World Bank, he presided over some 10,000 employees.  One of those 10,000 would prove to be his downfall.

Shaha Riza entered Wolfowitz's life and became a romantic interest.  And he responded by promoting her up the ladder, with tax-free bonuses, boosting her salary into six-figures.

Well ain't that special.  A little love on the side - and a payoff to boot.  Some women are hard to keep happy - and in this case, damn near impossible. 

Call it a crime of passion.

Everyone knows...whether you're managing a Wendy's restaurant or the Whitehouse staff - you cannot, should not, must not have direct control of a romantic partner or relative.  Yet this type of hanky-panky goes on ALL THE TIME.

So Wolfowitz got burned.  He was forced to resign.  (I call that a time-release firing...since no one at the top of the pyramid ever sees a pink slip.)

Then he has the nerve to tell the AP, "I think it tells us more about the media than about the bank and I'll leave it at that."  In other words... he was not responsible for...anything.  It's a classic 'spin cycle' defense. 

Well, not to worry... "Wolfy" will be fine... he's mined a pretty penny out of his various government contacts... and enjoyed a tax-free salary all the while.   Bravo, Wolfy, the system was you - and you beat the system.

So where does that leave us?  Among the weeds, of course.

As we approach 2008, a critical election year, the pols trot out their weed-wackers.  They bonk each other on the heads with rubber mallets and toss accusations like frisbees in the spring air.  The grass appears greener - the garden flourishes. 

Then the event is upon us - an election occurs.  And the weed-wackers are put away.  Back comes the undergrowth... up comes the crab grass... stifling and corrupting everything in its path.  It's back to politics as usual.

I hate Wolfowitz as much as I admire him.  In some strange way, he's achieved the American dream.  We all know he's gone about it the wrong way, at least in part.  But he's there all the same... not in a jail cell... not fearing for his life... not threatened by bad resume references.  So what gives? 

That's a question we should all critically ask when reviewing the course of human events.

From Coffers to Coffins, Pols Die in Style

So... you think your elected representatives are bad?  Be glad you don't live in Italy.

Citizens of the famed peninsula are fuming over the perks offered to local politicians.  Give-aways include, free lunches, parking, expense accounts and now funerals!

That's right, when a local rappresentante kicks the bucket... his constituents foot the bill. 

Legislation passed under cover of darkness gave pols the right to a free (up to $10,000) funeral.  According to a recent Reuters report, Veneto council president, Marino Finozzi said, "it's not true we approved it at night because we were ashamed. It just happened to be late."

Despite Finozzi's best lavoro di rotazione (a.k.a. "spin job") the public outcry has been fierce.

So there you have it.  Us proles can muddle along, coughing up 40% of our hard-earned income until we croak.  Then the government takes its 50% death tax on any estate over $2,000,000.

If you want to get a laugh out of your accountant... ask her if your funeral costs are "deductible."  Meanwhile, some pols like these Italian "councilors" get a free pass to eternity thanks to the undying, mandatory support of a burgled public.

Eccellente!

Ron Paul's Legacy Unfolds, Catching a Nation Offguard

Each year, much is made of the comparison between American Idol and American politics.  By a huge margin, more votes are cast for up-and-coming singers than campaigning politicians.  But that fact is about to change.

And who's the man responsible for this historic shift?  George W. Bush.  "W" has Americans scanning the horizon for a replacement with a nagging intensity.  Even die-hard conservatives are itching to pull the "trap door release" in the Oval Office. 

With 2008 right around the corner, the Republican party is in no way short of Presidential aspirants.  Rudy Giuliani...Mitt Romney...John McCain and a host of others have come out swinging.  Rumor has it that even Newt Gingrich will throw his hat into the crowded ring.

But while most Republican candidates are circling the wagons and blurting out stale party lines... one man is defying their consensus trance and awakening the American spirit.

As you'd expect, he's a bit of a fringe player...with a comparably small war chest.

Perhaps you've heard of him... his name is Ron Paul. 

Dr. Paul, a Congressman from Texas, has captured the hearts and minds of Republicans and Democrats alike, with his message of smaller government, low taxes and non-interventionist foreign policy. 

His message rings true to all who realize that Americans are living on borrowed time - and borrowed money.  By and large, our representatives in Congress and the White House have blown immense sums of cash - like it's going out of style.  And perhaps it is.

The value of the U.S. dollar has plummeted  90% over the last century... in large part due to trade imbalances, government growth and an out of control Federal Reserve that continues to keep the printing presses smokin'.

Then there's the runaway train of entitlement spending on government pensions, Medicare and the 800 pound gorilla in the budget, Social Security. (The "third rail" most politicians will actively avoid.)

What separates Dr. Paul from the rest of the pack, including Giuliani, McCain, Romney, Clinton and Obama?

He's the sole Presidential aspirant to publicly question the abject failures of his co-workers. 

Let me explain... All candidates attack, blame or smear their rivals.  Paul is no exception - but when he goes on the attack, he has a few references in tow, including a little piece of paper called the U.S. Constitution (a document many a Washingtonian has mistaken for toilet paper).

This expression of truth has been a bitter pill to swallow for direct competitors, especially Rudy Giuliani - and much of the Republican base. 

And it's understandable... as it stands, America is a fabulous country to call home.  In terms of the standard of living we enjoy... all the technology and safety so often taken for granted... we are near the top of the heap. 

But imagine, if you will, an impressive mansion, towering on a hill.  Complete with a fresh coat of paint, carpeting, granite counter tops...the works. 

Pretty nice, eh?  That's the view of most Democrats and Republicans.  What separates Ron Paul from the politi-bots across the stage is this:  he has the intelligence, balls and ability to point out our "house's" termite infestation.  The rotting underbelly of a bloated, far-flung empire.

I truly believe it's not too late to save America.  And there is MUCH worth saving.  But if 2008 rolls around, and it's business as usual in Washington... the clock will be ticking on American prosperity. 

We're a young, powerful nation that's hell-bent on self destruction.

Such destruction is not wished for by U.S. citizens... nor willfuly enabled by their representatives.   But it's happening all the same.

If you agree that we cannot allow our great nation to spiral down the drain of history... If you value personal freedom and the right to pursue happiness free from the shackles of big government... If you want to live in a world where preemptive wars and far-flung, political military operations are a thing of the past...

Then check out Ron Paul.  He just might be the candidate you've been waiting for.  Come 2008, we could finally see American Idol taking a back seat to American politics.  For once, there's a candidate to get passionate about! 

For more information, visit:

http://www.RonPaul2008.com/

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=RonPaul2008dotcom