Bill Divorces Hillary

I recently heard a report that Republicans are going to hold all their dirt on Hillary and Bill Clinton until after Senator Clinton has the Democratic nomination won. Then they bring it all out and create such scandals that Mrs. Clinton can't win.

Republicans had better rethink that position. If Republicans start making Bill Clinton the focus of the campaign, Hillary will support Bill and then at just the right moment, Bill will go on national TV, apologize for his indiscretion's and admit that his failures shouldn't doom Hillary's chances. His embarrassments shouldn't cause the country to lose a great president. He will then state he plans to divorce Hillary and remove himself as a distraction. Hillary will emotionally object, but Bill will keep insisting and Hillary will gain a huge sympathy vote. Republicans will look very anti-family and Hillary will skate to the win.

Republicans beware.


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A Simple Question For The Vice President

In my previous post I complained that the Vice President was trying to confuse people by equating the war in Iraq with the war on terror and al Qaeda. I also said that this confusion made the war on terror more complicated. I should have added that even worse, his repeated connection of Iraq and al Qaeda trivializes the war on terror by implying that it will be won or lost depending on the outcome of the war in Iraq. With that in mind, I'd like to ask the Vice President another question.

If every member of al Qaeda now in Iraq were killed tomorrow, would we be able to declare victory in Iraq and start bringing home all the troops the next day?


Technorati Tags: Political Iraq Cheney al Qaeda War On Terror

Accept Your Responsibility

Vice President Cheney in a recent interview said, "I think if we were to do what Speaker Pelosi and Congressman Murtha are suggesting, all we will do is validate the al Qaeda strategy." He then added, "The al Qaeda strategy is to break the will of the American people ... try to persuade us to throw in the towel and come home, and then they win because we quit."

I have a few questions I'd like to ask the Vice President. I'd like to ask the Vice President if he realizes that Speaker Pelosi and Congressman Murtha are reflecting the current opinion of a majority of American voters? I'd also like to know if he ever considered that it is the failed policies of the Bush administration that have led the American people to question the value of surging additional troops to Iraq? Finally, I'd like to know if realizes that his lying to the American people has contributed to the public's disillusionment with the war in Iraq? For example, he continues to confuse the war in Iraq with al Qaeda. The war on terror is complicated and he makes it even more complicated by not being honest!

If the war in Iraq ends as a failure rather than a success, it will be the direct result of the failures by the current administration. If the war in Iraq had already been successfully concluded, they would have claimed responsibility for the success. As it is, this administration alone must accept responsibilities for the failures, including waning support in the US. If the administration could give us a clear definition of victory and a clear plan that had a chance of success, the American people would support them.



Technorati Tags: Political Iraq Cheney Pelosi Murtha

DoughNut Dollar

The US Mint is once again trying to get the American people to accept a dollar coin. They plan to release a series of coins bearing the images of US Presidents starting with George Washington. The Mint may make a mint on the coins people collect and take out of circulation, but this will not convince the public to use these coins.

The first attempt at a new dollar coin was the Susan B. Anthony coin which was too similar in size and color to a Quarter. People rejected this coin for everyday use. The next attempt was the Sacajawea gold coin. This too was rejected. I think it is the same size and weight as the Susan B. Anthony, but it has a gold colored finish. I haven't seen the new President dollars, but unless they are radically different than the previous two attempts to make dollar coins, people won't use them for everyday commerce either.

I believe the problem has to do with size and identification, the reasons that the Susan B. Anthony coins were rejected. As a person who likes the idea of dollar coins and who tries to use them, I think I understand the problem. Put 10 one dollar bills in you pocket and you would never know they are there. Put 10 one dollar coins in you pocket and they start to get heavy and the coins are still too hard to distinguish from a Quarter. A worn Sacajawea coin looks gold colored only in the right light.

I suggest they create dollar coins with holes in the middle. I should note that the Mint considered this and rejected the idea. I can't remember why. Maybe it was because it is hard to put an image on a coin when the center is missing. Even if you kept the diameter of the dollar coin the same, with a hole in the middle it would be easy to recognize and lighter. You can't make the coin too light (for example, aluminum coins feel like play money), but you can make a pocket full less noticeable.

The President dollar coin program is supposed to last about 10 years (four new coins a year), so it will probably be about 15 years before the next new dollar coin attempt. Maybe by then the Mint will have some people who can think outside the box and inside the hole.

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Universal Post Secondary Education

It is time to start talking about how to make post secondary education as available and expected as a high school education for US adults. We live in a world where our manufacturing labor costs cannot compete with the developing countries without drastically lowering our standard of living. Unless we get immigration under control, we will have more unskilled workers than we can use. Our future lies in remaining a country that can produce workers with skills that are as good as or better than other countries. New technologies and new uses for current technologies are being generated at an ever increasing pace. The US must remain the world's technological leader, but to do so it will have to take active steps to increase the number of skilled workers at all levels.

I don't know how we do this, but I'm sure we have people who can come up with many good solutions we can debate. We don't need to do this overnight, but we should start soon with a goal to make a post secondary higher education, continuing education and vocational education available in an affordable and practical way to every citizen within 10 years. I included continuing and vocational education because we know that the labor market will change drastically over the years of a person's life time. Encouraging people to enhance or gain new skills and knowledge will help people in an ever changing labor market.

In addition, as people live longer and our population ages we will probably see the age at which a person can retire increase. Helping people prepare for jobs that match their life conditions and job market opportunities so they can be productive longer and meet their financial goals will benefit everyone.

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