Mad Men Running The Asylum

Sooooo....we have a problem with our government. Hopefully NOT with our governance. No, I think it is definitly with the government or more specifically the people we have sent there. I have always had a fascination, indeed a sick fascination with the mentally ill. Even as a small child the idea of being “cuckoo” or “crazy” seemed very freeing to me. As I got older I just aspired to be an individual and that often met abhorant or “crazy” behavior and now that I am ancient I still like the idea of being “a little off”. I believe those who know me can attest. But also as I have gotten older I have realized that mental illness is no joke and most of the people who really suffer with it are deeply and profoundly unhappy people. These people are often marginalized by life or education or employment. They are often ostracized by friends and even family and they find it very difficult to lead a meaningful and productive life. Sadly for many of them, this leads them to a life in politics.

I know this might seem cruel or random but these are the thoughts that arrive at four A.M. when I am not thinking about my clients and they are a welcome, welcome distraction so humor me. Think about the gathering rabble we have who are just about to really start in earnest competition for the right to take the White House from Obama. Shit, think about Obama. The go back with the Presidents and it is easy...Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter, Ford*, Nixon, Johnson, Kennedy, Eisenhower. You really have to go back to Eisenhower to find one whop is not a genuinely damaged person and Ike probably was too but it was just far enough back that I was not born yet and there was no 24 hour media circus to explain how crazy they were. Ike at least had the sense to identify “The Military Industrial Complex” and warn us about them on the way out the door. Thanks Ike. Carter of course is someone I like and perhaps he was not a manic depressive, megolomaniac...but he was a shitty President. Wonderful person though and probably the only one in the group I would want to have a beer with other than Clinton but with Clinton the conversation would have denigrated into discussions of women.... and in his case girls.

The point is not that our Presidents are mentally ill. In this day and age you really have to be mentally ill to want to be President. To think that “making a difference” means being President. To think that is the way you have to serve of God forbid to think that “God has called you” to the office. On that note, let me quickly say that God could not care less who is president of the United States. I think he cares about that in the same way he cares about Notre Dame and Tim Tebow and that is (and this is what is so great about God) more than you could ever know and less than you could even comprehend. The point is that we now are calling crazy, manic depressives, bi-polars and people who are a few clowns short of a circus at EVERY LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT!

State and Local Government, as I sit, are a huge dis functional problem. On the local level we still have the divided St. Louis, City and County. We still have a City police that are run out of Jefferson City and we still have people trying to do artificial, tax driven development in north city. All recipes for disaster. In the County we have Charlie Dooley, struggling to remain in power and spreading a lot of dis function as he asserts authority. On the State level the Republicans OWN both bodies of the legislature and yet can agree on nothing and can get nothing done and passed. Somehow saying “NO, I will not compromise on my principles no matter what!” has become a sick badge of honor. The people who we are electing have forgotten that once elected they are representing everyone. Not just the people who agree with them. That there is some obligation or social contract to work for the greater good but to make sure that government works.

We are totally screwed on the Federal level. I don’t even need to comment on it. The sad thing is that I agree that government is too big. I agree that government cannot solve all of our social ills. I agree that they often make things worse. But what I am seeing is that the conservative approach appears to be to shut down government through inaction. Make sure nothing gets done, no one gets what they want and slowly through inertia and financial strangulation government dies. Which in a vacuum and on paper might seem fine. Have government provide police, maybe some courts, some very basic laws and just let the market work it out. Have a standing army to protect our trade and oil rights. Health care, copyright law, it all can be worked out by the free market. Until your son is autistic. How does the free market deal with that? Or mental illness...your daughter is bi-polar and shoplifts and hordes. How does the free market serve her? Or you are returning 100,000 vets. Who takes care of them after the price they paid? Charities? Our Churches? In a perfect world yes. In the real world, no. But I digress.

What I really want to talk about is my theory on WHY this happening. Quite simply, we have gathered up all the crazy people and asked them to govern us. Nancy Pelosi/Eric Cantor. Harry Reid/Mitch Mc Connell. Just different sides of the same coin. Fundamentally broken people who are crazy enough to be gathered in one place to govern us. One of my favorite authors is a guy named Will Self. He is a Brit so he is probably a socialist and a commie but he writes a lot of interesting stuff and is a studier of human nature and people. I continue to believe that artists and writers of fiction continue to have some value. A long time ago he wrote a collection of short stories called “The Quantity Theory Of Insanity”. The premise was that there was only so much sanity and inanity around at any one time and it was spread among the population. So you could gather groups of sane people in a room or in a city to help balance the sanity in that place and influence outcomes. Our problem right now is that the sane people have opted out of the system and relegated it to the bi-polar, manic depressive, power seekers. They are not fit to govern. They are destroying us.

So what? Where does that leave us? A lot of us elected Obama because he had the opportunity to be a game changer. Instead he was the opposite side of the Bush coin. He played the same game, the same way. He called us to nothing better. Just a different version of the same. Granted he was greeted with a vitriol and hate no President had to deal with in my life, but whether he has done a good job or a bad job with the hand he was dealt means nothing. He did not change the game. He missed an opportunity. We do not have a chance to really change things in 2012. We will Obama or we will have Romney and they are the system. They are mentally ill demagogues trapped in a non functioning system. We need to elect smart, selfless people who will do the right thing, compromise, work for small, smarter government but recognize that government in any moral environment must take care of those without a voice. That is what has made America the shining light and the city on the hill. The compassion has left our leadership, as has the intelligence and we are left being ruled by the crazy and the ill. Elect thinking people who do not spout catch phrases. People who realize it is complicated, it is hard and it will take shared sacrifice, and who have the balls to lead us through it. Happy 2012!

In case I do not get to it. Romney wine Iowa by 5%.

Happy New Year: Music Is Everywhere!

Soooooo my son gave me a XM/SIRIUS thingy for my car and a 3 month subscription. My wife already had it in her new car. I am really excited but it made me realize that I am starting to get overwhelmed by music availability. I have more places to listen to new and varied music than ever but feel like I am hearing less and less that is new that I am really interested in listening to. Lets look at how I used to find music:
1. Rolling Stone
2. KDHX
3. No Depression Magazine; and
4. Word of Mouth

Then I would buy a CD and make a mix tape to listen to in my car. Then I put music on my computer and that was awesome. I could make my own mix CD’s and after a few months of burning had most of my music library on my computer. I am convinced that there has never been more music out there as bands use he technology to make their music and distribute it but it is just too much to sift through. When we had only the record companies you were made aware of all major releases through advertising and buzz and then as the industry evolved which Indie labels were worth following. As the business has devolved it is a glorious chaos. Now I am in the middle of doing something called “iTunes Match” where I put it all my music on the cloud. I am told that I can now access my music library on any device and at any time. I don’t even know yet exactly how that will benefit me but I also know that Apple will find a way. In regard to music generally though, I am just sitting here feeling overwhelmed. Here are some of the things overwhelming with music as we start 2012:

1. Spotify: Spotify is cool and has easy access for even the computer semi literate like myself. Ease of use is what Apple gave us along with design that was more like art and made you feel cool for owning it. Spotify is similarly easy and intuitive for streaming artists you want to check out. But you got to find the artists. They do not make suggestions or at least meaningful suggestions and if your tastes are all over the place, don’t go here to find music, just to listen to it.

2. On Line Music Reviews: They are all over but what are the “trusted sources”. There is a great music industry blogger/email new letter guy named Bob Lefstz lefsetz.com who has turned me onto some good stuff but finding the guys you trust is really going to be the key to on line music in the near term. Who are the “filters” going to be that turn you on to good shit?

3. You Tube: A day killer. Pump in a bands name and check out videos and sometimes just the music of anyone...in the world. It will suggest similarly named videos but can do nothing to suggest types of music or artists.

4. Pandora: Is still fun and one out every 10 songs is something I have never heard and one out of every 20 is an artists I have never heard. I like to leave it streaming while I am working or reading to see what, if anything they come up with and take notes.

5. XM Radio: Great for filling need of what you want but you have to know where the new music shows are on your favorite channels. Still more for listening to what you like, rather than finding what you might like.

6. Pitchformmedia.com: Overwhelming! You should always want to go hear but they cover everything and whether you or I like it, electronica is huge, rap and hip hop are still forces and they cover EVERYTHING. They do it all in a self important justified “voice” that appeals to me. Sometimes wrong but never unsure, Pitchfork provides new music, and opinions as to quality. The key there is once again spending time and finding who the reviewers are that can really point you in the right direction.

7. NPR: For an old fart this is probably the best. Listen to their shows and touch their music pages at NPR.com and they will turn you on to some good stuff. They have become a trusted source and filter for me.

8. No Depression.com: This is what is left of the old No Depression magazine...RIP. It is still good for the alt-country/Americana music I love. My one complaint is that they are relentless cheerleaders for the genre. Sometimes you have to call something crap and stand by it. Everything they review is glowingly reviewed. Still, their annual top ten lists are something I always tune in to.

9. Radio: Normal, terrestrial radio is dead and irrelevant for music. Unless you are going to be satisfied with classic rock or big hat country, it is dead as a music source. Live with it. Move on. KDHX is the sole exception to this locally and they really are a treasure. They of course veer towards the Americana music that I like but they are deep on blues as well and provide a gathering place for those excited by music. Become a member. kdhx.org. Other than that, listen to NPR or if you want to be angry listen to 97.1. Other than that ride in silence.

Ok....so that is my thought on the current overwhelming state of music. There has never been a better time to be a fan and to find obscure things that no one else has ever heard of. Unfortunately it takes time and it takes sifting and I don’t have it anymore. At 50 life has suddenly...caught up to me. I never thought it would happen to me.

Diner Review: PW Pizza

Soooooo....PW Pizza.... I really, really like it. I was turned onto it by an awful...awful lawyer who is an aggressive food snob and degenerate prick. I like ahim a great deal. He also turned me on to Mi Ranchito in Fairmont City. PW Pizza is on the first floor of Vin Du Cet. I would like to tell you all about it and how I was the first one there but I have never dined or drank there so screw that. But PW....I have been there a half dozen times now. It is pretty far east on Cheteau but not as far east as Ralson.

It is tricked out woody place with a nice little trendy spice shop, wine shop, cheese shop (useless) and a small bar (pleasant) as you come in. There are normally friendly people at the hostess station and if you get there by 11:30 you can always get a seat for lunch and if your ater be prepared to wait or sit at the bar. They have a nice selection of beers that can make any stay at the bar more enjoyable....even at lunch...even =when you have a client meeting....even when your going to going to court to argue against your client getting the death penalty at 1:00. I normally drink Grisedick Brothers there but that is just me.

Start with a salad. All of them are good. Very fresh and interesting. But then get what you are there for which is either pizza or calzone. I am currently higher on the pizza than the the calzone but the calzone is excellent too. My problem is that they use the buffalo mozzerella rather than good old fashioned processed mozzerella like God intended. But the crust is perfect. The sauce is generally very good and their red sauce just has a little...itty bitty bit of heat. They are good and slightly bigger than your head.

Normally I would hate a place like this. It says shit on the menu like:
“Crusts available in Original, Honey Wheat or Gluten Free
Vegan – daiya cheese substitute available”.
I don’t even know what that means. Get original. It is awesome. They have all kinds of items and they are all fresh. I have been extremely boring and generally get sausage and pepperoni. It is really good. Also, they only serve pizza in 12” pies and they serve two but I like to try and eat one by muself because I am after all a gross pig. I am generally of a mind right now that it is the best pizza in St. Louis. They are doing everything right currently and it is kind of a fun destination. perhaps one of you can get to Vin Du Set and tell me what that is all about. But you would have to likely get a job first and move out of your parent basement. Here is the link:

http://pwpizza.com/our_menu

Thanks GIVING! Weekend Address

My fellow diners. Lincoln did it. He was a Republican, how hard can it be? At Glendale Lutheran our now retired Pastor Steve Albers used to read Lincolns Thanksgiving Day Proclamation every year. I internalized it, loved it, got sick of it, and came back around to it again. It is a pretty nice piece of writing:

http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm

There is much to be Thankful for this year. We are bringing troops home from over seas. The NBA season was delayed and almost canceled. The Republicans are debating every few nights and it is proving that the scariest ones, really are the scariest ones and as divided as we are, we really do not want obviously crazy people running the government. The Democrats should be doubly pleased because the only candidate who could obviously beat Obama, John Hunstsman has been abandoned by the party and the press. It has been a mild fall. Hurricanes have not been an issue. Corn prices are at a record high which is good for farmers and perhaps will make high fructose corn syrup too expensive to put in everything. According to the government more than 91% of us are employed. The economies sluggish pace, still appears to be a pace going up. Fewer Americans are killing one another. The show “Charlies Angels” was canceled. Indeed a great number of blessings.

As I prepare to write the annual family Christmas letter (I believe my son Jon took it over last year) I can really contemplate that despite all the negativity. Despite Glenn Beck predicting the end of the civilized world due to the dreaded and un-named “them” and the even more suspicious “they”... our democracy still stands free and America is still the most blessed country on the earth. Despite the inability of congress to do anything. Despite our President’s inability to lead on economic issues... I and my family are still eating, driving, working, sleeping in a warm, secure, gun free house. I am blessed with friends and acquaintances who tolerate me, amuse me and sometimes banter with me. I am, a lot to tolerate.

Once again despite the ravings about to come about this years “war on Christmas”, I continue to be allowed to worship at Glendale Lutheran Church with my family and my other Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Hindu and Muslim brothers continue to worship unmolested (with a few sad exceptions) as we, and they please. The ability to exercise freedom of religion is such a gift and it is not that way in all parts of the world and we should be very, very, thankful. We also are blessed with opportunities to serve other people every day and all of us have the talents and possessions to share to make other people’s burdens easier and that is a huge blessing.

I am pleased to have a newish band that I like named Dawes.

I am especially blessed by the tolerance of my wife and children...and the aforementioned friends.

I am really thankful we got most of the family over, our bird turned out OK and we had an awesome day.

I am thankful to catch up a little at work.

I am thankful that Michigan beat Ohio State.

I know it has not been a great year for everyone. I work every day with people who have literally had the shit kicked out of them economically but I am blessed because even these people, staring financial ruin in the face, are able to wake up every morning, put a brave face on and go out and do what they can to take care of themselves and their families. And in this great country they are able to. With all of the divisiveness, with all the harsh partisanship and name calling and petty bickering at every level of government and politics, this is a time to reflect on how blessed we are to live here. How blessed we are to fight with words instead of guns. How blessed we are to worship free. How blessed we are to gather with our families and be Thankful, for one long weekend every year, and have that spirit of gratefulness which God wishes we could muster every moment of every day.

So on this Thanksgiving day weekend I am thankful to God for the sacrifice of his son for my sins. I am thankful to and for my immediate and extended family. Life is good. Have a beer and go to bed.

Saturday...In The Bar... Bogarts and iTap (International Tap House)

Soooooo.... often I find myself at loose ends on a Saturday afternoon. I work in the morning when I am in town. Generally this is due to a lack of imagination and a general lack of motivation on my part. This makes me sad. There are many fun and wonderful things to do and eat in the Lou. I bitch about living here a lot but... God help me...I really like it here. Yesterday my wife was hosting another wedding shower for another of the innumerable children of our friends who are betrothed. Fortunately it was being held at someone elses house but there was still lots of set up, slicing of fruit, brewing of tea, lacy things and all thing imasculine and to be avoided.

I had considered making another run to Tienda Ranchito with the father of the groom and the poor lost soul whose wife was actually hosting the party. it is a festive thing to do because it calls for going to another State and not going to gamble or go to topless bars. This generally adds to self esteem. For one reason or another it seemed likje a reach so I suggested Bar B Que and specifically suggested either Pappy’s or Bogarts. Pappys has become an institution but Bogarts burst on the scene in the last year. They are related somehow in management or former management or ownership or something. Details, as is often the case, elude me.

So we all drove in to Soulard. Now I love Soulard. Lots of good bars, some decent food, too damn much blues music that all sounds the same but it is an area with character and history. It is kind of cool. I always explain to out of towners that when you lose your license on your 3rd DWI, you move to Soulard so you can walk to bars...and catch public transportation. It is really the only option unless you are going to stop drinking, or go to jail. But I digress. Bogarts is on the south west corner of Soulard Farmers Market on Lafayette.

There is always a line but this should not intimidate unless it is really cold. We walked in and there was a guy standing there handing out these brilliant...BRILLIANT chicken wings that were smoked and seasoned. We immediately started looking on the menu for them when we were informed that they “were not available” because they just did not have enough room in the smoker to make it a menu item. Shit. But we chatted up the guy and asked if they had beer and that is when the brilliance started. He said, “No but you can order a carryoiut and take it down to iTap or you can call in and we will deliver down there.” BRILLIANT!

Bogarts Menu: http://bogartssmokehouse.com/menu/

We grabbed a carryout menu and walked the 30 yards to iTap and settled in at the bar. iTap, The International Tap House, is one of those places that have 62,000 beers and tap and over 2 million different bottled beers. Once agin, I could not give a shit because I drink (in order of preference) Busch, Stag and Pabst. I am not proud of this. I do like good beer but obviously putting good beer in front of me is kind of a “pearls before swine” proposition. We settled into the bar and dialed up or order and they said “ten minutes and you can walk straight to the counter and not wait in line”. Despite all the beer selections we ordered some Schlafly Kolsch and a Boulevard Pale Ale (because they have a cheaper price for Missouri Beers when Missouri is playing) and we settled in to watch some Missouri texas football along with a little Michigan State.

Tap House Website: http://www.internationaltaphouse.com/

We walked down and got the food. One guy got a pulled pork sandwich and the other and I both got the ½ slab of ribs with an order of meat. They gave us a selection of sauces abd we chowed down. The iTap at the bar has three sweet large flat screens which makes it easier for an old guy like me. They also have a few tables and some couchy, loungy areas. I think they only serve beer. I did not see anyone smoking but I have stopped paying attention. The ribs were absolutely unstoppable. I had always gone pulled pork before but the ½ slab was meaty and perfect with great smoke and a little spice. When ribs are good, they are always “the best ribs ever” and these were THE BEST RIBS EVER! They really were good. Moist and plenty of meat. I did not even get to my pulled pork or any of the sides because the ribs were so much. I ate it today for lunch.

I really do have to recommend this as a great way to watch football and eat ribs. It is definitely a boy thing. I guess girls could be allowed but with beer, football and ribs wouldn’t that be kind of stupid? That is all for now, I am too good to you people.

Diner Review: La Tienda Ranchito, Fairmont City Illinois

Sooooo seriously, it would appear that my FFL Franchise is on it’s way to a really, REALLY unprecedented 2nd year championship. If that happens I plan to quit practicing law and just bask in being a GOD AMONG MEN for a year or so. Fantasy Football might easily be one of the stupidest things that i do but it does keep you focused week to week on the NFL which I guess is a good thing if you are 50, like me, your children have abandoned you, like me and your wife is happiest when you are parked in front of the TV (where you can be found, observed and or quaranteened) and not pressuring her for sex on the weekend. The league is made up primarily of plaintiff’s attorneys and as near as I can tell they take great risks and generally make butt loads of money. There are some losers in the league who are not like that, like me and an investigator and an “Investment advisor”. It is NOT an exlectic group but it is an interesting one.

Three of us are pretty much locked at our desks all day emailing inanities and annoying the others by filling their boxes. The rest occasionally wade in. One of the only benefits I have seen from the league other than the millions in prizes I won last year is that it gives me a network of people who really like food and eat out almost every day and several of them eat out every night. This has lef to the following discovery in Fairmont City Illinois. It is Tienda El Ranchito, located at 2565 N 32nd St. in Fairmont City, IL 62201. Their phone is (618) 875-1521.

This place is....unstoppable. I have been to all the places on Cherokee and have a great respect for them. the same can be said for Durango on Page and a couple of the places in Overland. They are all literally shovelling out high quality food every day at a very reasonable price but Tienda is to be much lauded and glorified. Every time I go (and I have been there 5 times now) I drive by it. Take 55/70 East and get off at the fairmont City Exit that has the place that was formerly an old Venture. take a right on Collinsville Road. If you go left you see the burial mounds and eventually get to Fairmont Park, but if you go right it will sneak up on your left. On your right you will see the looming landfill by the highway. It sits back from the road and has one sign. When you park go to the left to find the door.

When you go in it is just a Mexican grocery with all the beauty that entails including tons of pepper and peppers and masa and Mexican sugar cane coke and little Mexican chotchkes and a full meat counter with all nature of chicken, pork and other treats, If you bear to your left as you go in and follow the wall it leads to to the restaraunt and bar in back and you have arrived in heaven. The TV’s during the week carry a steady stream of some Mexican MTV and another one will have on the Telemundo soap opera and if at all possible soccer will also be on. That is VERY important. On Saturdays there is also football (as opposed to Futbol) and Sundays they shgow the pro games. They have a full bar. they have a Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tienda-El-Ranchito/120919354588146

The place is normally chocked full of the nicest people in the world. the staff tends to be helpful and patient although they can get busy. they will bring you out home made chips along with verde and a little red sauce and some of the best salsa your going to get. really simple with onions, tomato and cilantro and with the chips, heaven. They have a decent selection of cerveza and all the Mexican beers are of course served with lime because without the lime they have almost no flavor at all. Still, they are refreshing.

I must admit that I have been relatively narrow in my review of their offerings. As with breakfast I play in a certain wheelhouse and have a fairly telescopic view of the oferings. That having been said they are making the BEST tacos in a town that now has a LOT of good places to get good tacos. Recently I went for a Saturday lunch because I had heard (therough the FFL grapevine) that they make fresh corn tortillas on Saturday. This was not a lie. I ordered the carnitas and the pollo. They are served with onion, cilantro and lime and with the fresh buttery corn tortilla it was more than a small slice of heaven. My date had a chalupa which although i was incredulous about, looked good and he said was outstanding. The meat in both my tacos was floavorful without being overly seasoned and the heavy cilantro, fresh onions and a squeeze of lime made them absolutely perfect.

It is not often i can write about a place as nothing but a fan but that is the case with Tienda El Ranchito. I did a little more fact finding in another taquiria over there in what we will now dub :The Fairmont City Project”. I will report more on that later. For now, Tienda El Ranchito. 9 Slingers on the 10 scale. Quoting the old Milwaukee’ss Best commercial, “It don’t get no better!”

A Boston Surprise

“I have come to know the wish list of my father.
I have come to see the shipwrecks where he wished.
I have come to wish out loud, from the overdressed crowd,
Come to witness now the sinking of the ship...”

-Joe Pug

So. Boston. October 10th. My borthday. Time to take stock or perhaps after a little more vodka to stake tock. It has been an awesome birthday and perhaps I will recount the trip later. I am still in Boston as I peck away but there seems a gravity that needs to be addressed. Of course I know it does not or at least it does not by me but... here goes.

Boston is awesome. We have never been here before and we are renting the second floor of a brownstone in the South end of the Back Bay. Evidently it is a historically gay area and history has stayed true and it is charming. We have done a lof fun stuff but yeaterday Sandy and I visited the Kennedy Museum out at U-Mass. I was vaguely interested and Sandy was really interested so we took the T out and took another shuttle and there we were.

It sits on the bay. A big glass and concrete facade with a giant (6 story) flag hanging inside of it. We had to wait about 20 minutes between tours and then were ushered to a little theater where they basically told us about the world leading up to his election and gave us a little Kennedy family history. The world is in turmoil, the Russians are about to blow us up, the 3rd world is heaving with early growing pains and everyone hates America as the leader of the former western colonial governments.

In walks the good looking, bornwell, Havahd boy who has a congressional seat and then a Senate seat purchased for him. He walks into office with a beautiful, horsey-set, monied wife and presides over this short, nightmarish Presidency. At every step he faces unbelievable challenges of a bad economy, and Russian pressure and plays hard with everyone he fights with. His speech from his inaugural was a tour de force of everything a leader should bring complete with the call for action, the rallying cry for a country which has been lost. Everyone recalls this fabulous, brilliant line which lunched a thousand programs for the assitance of others:
“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.”

But equally impressive was this line or observation:
“If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. “

Is anyone listening those words of wisdom now? Are any Christians paying attention?

These were not the blatherings of a guy out huckstering and posturing for votes. These were the words of an American, who had fought for his country and had a vision of us being a greater country than anyone, even he had imagined. A leader by example. And by words. Although in our 24 hour news cycle and lack of civility his personal life would have brought him down hard.

The most striking thing about the entire tour, the entire exhibit to me was the headline from a Des Miones newspaper saying “Republicans and Democrats Applaud Presidents Speech”. In what world could that happen in 2011? Obama gave some really good speeches but he was not brave enough to call on us a Kennedy did. That was a bridge too far for him and he, and we will suffer for his weakness and his fear. He had an opportunity to grab us and call us out to be a greater country, to redefine the discussion, to redefine greatness as not being a half million dollar house, a Mercedes and children who want for nothing, but to be a country that leads by example, focused on its religious heritage (not to preach to others, but) to lead and serve as Christ had served and through our example save our country, ourselves and the world.

Instead we labor in acountry where the rich keep getting richer on an accelerated basis. People who do nothing but make bets make tens of millions, hundreds of millions of dollars a year while job creators and the working people scramble for the rest. Which is fine. The rest is fine and we are lucky to have it, but what about those below us? How can they live with the people at the top insisting that they must make more? If they don’t make more they will leave. If they are taxed more, they won’t want to work anymore! I have never met a millionaire who would not keep working because he was taxed. I am not saying taxes are the answer, they are not! Not even close, but when we do not tax, when we stop regulating because it kills jobs, we lose site of the fact that human nature is selfish and those at the top, the very top, will take the want and change the rules through their money and power to keep what they want.

I am so frustrated right now by the same people who declare “American Exceptionalism” and extol our entrepenurial spirit, who run our largest countries but are telling us that “situations are too uncertain to invest their huge piles of cash”. There is nothing exceptional about fear. There is nothing exceptional about hoarding. Lets invest in ourselves and our values again so that there will be no doubt who leads the world. We are a city on a hill and that will not go away unless we allow our leaders, in politics and business to lead us through fear to make selfish, short sited choices.

We need another leader to call on us to be better. All of us. Together. One Country. One Nation. One People. I am ready for that man or woman to step forward. In the meantime we had best work with what we got.

Later this week I am going to explain why we need to consider rounding up and shooting all of our State Senators and State House Members. Should be a hoot.