http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/This blog is a threat put into actionhourly12000-01-01T12:00+00:00http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/636366Saturday's vote in the United States Senate was not a vote to pass the Senate version of health care legislation. It was a vote that serves to cut weeks, possibly months, off the legislative process that may result in Senate passage of a health care and insurance reform bill to cover most, if not...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/634854That was the vote in favor of the House health care bill. Every once in a while government takes a halting step in the right direction toward what a nation wants and needs. Such was the case on Saturday. Now we'll see if the Senate has the guts to follow the House's lead. Maybe democracy is still...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/628481The way I see it, there are three easy ways to pay down the national debt of the United States. We could renege on all of our obligations to other nations. Yeah, right. That's the way to maintain status as a leading world power. Run up enormous debts and then say, “Screw you, Charlie. We ain't...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/628006I want health care and health insurance reform. I also want to reduce the national deficit. Unpalatable as it may seem, the one obvious way to accomplish both, as well as pay for ongoing war, is to raise taxes. Impoverished as I am, I'm still willing to bite the bullet for the benefit of my...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/622466The headline is from USA Today and the article is quite interesting regardless of what your age might be. Even more interesting are the comments, nearly 2,400 and counting since the article was posted online a little more than 24 hours ago. For the complete article and access to all of the...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/622225When did we allow that high ideal to become perverted to government by the few with special interests for the few with the same special interests? It may not be quite that bad yet, but it sure has been heading that way and is now so firmly imbedded that it's going to take a lot of elections and a...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/618420The sudden death of famous TV pitchman Billy Mays makes it two of the most famous product promoters in history to have left us this month. The other was Ed McMahon, though Ed was also famous as Johnny Carson's sidekick, and for being a decent comedian in his own right. There were other...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/617741Not really, although I see an occasional article stating that the great recession of '08 is already over. I give little credence to these scattered reports because of the overwhelming evidence from economic reports indicate that at best the U. S. economy has merely bottomed out. Even more...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/609393It was extremely irritating to see and hear all the pronouncements about President Obama’s first 100 days in office before he had actually been President of the United States for less than 99 full days. The 100th day, if you believe a day consists of 24 hours, ended early on the afternoon of...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/591430Congratulations, President Obama I believe you are the right man for the job at the right time in history. It is my firm wish that the rest of this great nation will join me in support for your Presidency. You have made history today, and you now face a daunting challenge in the redirection of...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/589958The countdown is on. In seven days the United States will have a new President. The sitting President has given his last scheduled formal press conference. Little else will remain to him except for time and historians to determine what his legacy actually has been. In seven days a new face will...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/587491My son and I often disagree when it comes to politics. It’s a long-standing arrangement allowing us to debate matters political, religious, and economic without getting angry and spouting words that could hurt or estrange. This is at it should be. He is not a carbon copy of his Dad, nor would I...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/580904The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a five-year low when it dropped more than 400 points and closed below 8,000 day before yesterday. Yesterday it dropped another 400 points while falling to a level not seen since 1997. There will probably be an upward spike, possibly as soon as today, before...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/578678I never have been happy with two blogs in the same category. No special reason other than the uncomfortable feeling that I’m competing with myself and thereby creating a no win situation. Not long ago I jokingly considered putting this blog into News & Politics. Well, why not? It’s as good a...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/577983from a trio of late night TV hosts, courtesy of AP via a Google search: Jimmy Kimmel tickled my funny bone with: “Right now it's a toss up between Barack and Obama.” I also like this one-liner: “I don't want to say that the Obamas are overly confident, but they've already agreed to let Oprah use...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/577061It isn’t always an easy task, but one I accomplished in real life after going through a great deal of effort and soul searching. Now I’m on a waiting list for an apartment that is as close to ideal as I could realistically hope for in my present circumstances. I also have two blogs, this one and...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/571606If you don’t believe me, consider some of my favorite quotes on religion, going all the way back to Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon stated: “Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.” Somewhat more recently American writer and philosopher James Feibleman said, “A myth is a religion in...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/570671There are at least a couple of George Burns fans out there. I know, cause northsage_45 and sam444 left comments on my last post. Occasionally I slip in the old George Burns & Gracie Allen closing bit as a tag line. George always put an end to Gracie’s madcap comments and observations by saying,...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/569980That’s cause I’m only half retired, semi-retired if you will. Like a majority of people today, I can’t afford to be fully retired. Things like having a place to sleep and enough in the belly to stave off starvation keep me working. Fortunately I make just enough play acting as a writer to keep...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/notapoet7687/566431No, I'm not playing around with the idea of taking over the world again. I don't even have dreams of taking over Blogit. Well, I do occasionally dream about being top dog in the neighborhood -- but the effort required to even begin attempting such a task would be too much like real work. For the...