California Elections 2016

As I write this, it looks like we are headed for a Hillary v. Trump presidential election. I have voted in every presidential election since Kennedy-Nixon back in the day. Now I pause. Over the years, I developed a couple of standards. First, I don't vote for demagogues. Secondly, I don't vote for assholes. Which leavrs me with no one to vote for this fall. On the other hand, I can now rejoice in the fact that I live in the one-party state of California, where my vote is absolutely meaningless regardless of which way I would vote. The state is so much in the clutches of the Democratic Party that they really ought to just cancel all future elections as a complete waste of time and money.

The PEACE Prize???

So I awake to the news that Saint Obama was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Inquiring minds ask, "For what??"

The only possible explanation: Afghanistan didn't get a vote.

Random observations

So, Mr. Obama goes to bat for the City of Chicago on its bid to host the Olympics in 2016. In the middle of his busy work schedule he and Mrs. O find time to travel internationally and flex their clout. We all know the results - Chicago was the very first of the finalist cities to be eliminated from consideration, going down on the first round of balloting.

Which inevitably leaves one with this question:

WHAT KIND OF CHICAGO POLITICIAN DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO RIG AN ELECTION????

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I was at LAX last week, going through the security line before going to the gate for my flight. TSA was doing it's usual wonderful job of routing people into the longest lines, making unintelligible announcements about their latest quirks, failing to provide adequate plastic buckets, --- you know --- the usual.

I was stoic, as is my want. But people around me were steaming, complaining and bitching left and right.

So, I simply asked them one question:

How are you going to like it when these guys are handling hospital admissions?

If you like TSA, you are going to love government-controlled medicine.

Winter Storm

As I look out my window, just north of Los Angeles, I see snow covered mountains. It is cold - under 40 degrees F. - and has been for several days. The Grapevine is closed both ways by snow.

I can only hope that some eco-freak is stranded on the Grapevine trying to explain how terrible global warming is to her fellow travelers.

But, the cold and snow make one realize that the holidays are upon us. It's the time of year in California when you go around wishing people a pleasant non-denominational gender-neutral holiday of their own choosing. You gather around the non-denominational gender-neutral tree and sing traditional non-denominational gender-neutral songs (Don't you dare use the word "Carols")

Unless, of course, you are a Druid. But that's a different story.

For me, the Holiday Season has a whole different meaning. It's the time of year when otherwise perfectly sane people, who really know better, go out and buy Mannheim Steamroller albums.

Post-election reflection

No matter what your views of President-elect Obama, everyone must concede he has already served an extremely important public service: He kept Hillary Clinton out of the presidency.

Saint Obama, pray for us.

The process of ageing - on the internet

I have noticed that the internet decided I have aged.

It used to be that most of my spam consisted of ads for Viagra or penile enlargement devices.

Now most of my span is trying to sell me colon cleansers.

Price of gasoline

So, which oil company is going to be the first to equip its stations with a new class of employee - a loan officer?

Let's see.

We won't drill for oil in ANWAR because it might bother some (non-endangered) polar bears.

We won't drill for oil off shore because it might threaten the breeding ground of a species you never heard of.

We won't build new refineries, because that might smell bad (Haven't built a new refinery in the United States in 30 years!!)

And yet we can't make the connection that some or all of these things might be leading to a supply problem?

Next time you fill up, and gas has just exceeded $5/gallon, don't think of it as a testiment to greed; think of it as a monument to stupidity. Think of it as chickens coming home to roost on people who turn a blind eye to the full implications of their public policy decisions.