On Face The Nation: Greed Is The Root Cause Of Financial Crisis

Yesterday afternoon I see the scariest of headlines on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It said, basically, Bush wants additional emergency powers during the nation's current financial crisis. Today I hear the most amazing thing on Face The Nation.

Senator Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) and Representative Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts) are on the show. Mr. Shelby addresses a question about overhauling rules and regulations by stating:

"What caused this? What's the root cause of all this, and where we are today? Greed and lack of regulatory oversight."

Mr. Frank ended the segment by saying "Amen" to what Mr. Shelby said. I'm no expert in economic matters. But I do know that there is probably plenty of blame to go around for this mess.

To put this in context, there have been discussions about executive compensation throughout all this. Some are saying, "tax the executives." Sounds good to me: punish those irresponsible few which put their "needs" first instead of the needs of the many. How wonderful that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson seems to be ignoring the role of executive compensation, based on his interview on This Week with George Stephanopoulos.

Experience, Umarried Pregnant Teenage Daughters, and Values: What If?

So now we are entering a very interesting time, politically speaking. Inexperience seems to be a common theme these days. Add real life and conservative values and what do you get?

Oh, where to begin. What if..

On one hand, we have a young candidate with an elder running mate. On the other hand, we have an elder candidate and a younger running mate. At least with regards to age the politics seem a little consistent.

Next take experience into account. One ticket has an inexperienced person in the highest government position. The other places an inexperienced person as second in command. Looks like inexperience is good for one but not the other.

Personally I'm impartial about the experience question. I despise hearing the phrase, "not enough experience" or anything remotely similar to it. I am far more likely to trust an eager, hardworking intern than any tenured employee with a sense of undeserved entitlement anyway. How is anyone is expected to gain experience if they're being held back and/or not given a chance?

Next up, what happens when you try to prohibit what people do and restrict what they learn? There are far too many examples of that.

Let's take a quick look at Sarah Palin's family. Conservatives around the country are praising the family's pro-life family values in action. I suppose for this high profile conservative family it doesn't matter that the pregnancy happened outside of marriage, regardless of what Bristol was taught.

I agree that this is a private family matter. I was thrilled to see Obama quickly tell people to back off. Yet, I cannot help but wonder what would've happened under a different set of circumstances. What if Bristol's life were in danger? What if Bristol had been raped? This article appears to answer the latter question.

The two hypothetical questions can be seen as pro-choice rhetoric. Its difficult to really know anyone's response to a situation until faced with it. Regardless, the Palin family's approach to these two questions are the true test. I cannot help but wonder what they would do publicly and privately. Would their actions be consistent with their values?

This much is certain: mom's abstinence values did not rub off on Bristol nor were lessons learned. Clearly focusing on abstinence and responsibility for unwed parents is not always the answer.

I surely haven't forgotten my teenage years. Nor have I forgotten my siblings' teenage years, and what we all put our parents through. Uncontrollable teenagers is a reality any family may face.

Experience, values, and who they apply to. Most intriguing indeed.

What if..

Marquette Interchange: Fabulous Finish, But We Don't Know How To Merge..

The time is finally here. The morning of Tuesday, August 19 marked the opening of all ramps that make up the new Marquette Interchange. Only final touches remain, but its time to test if the tax dollars poured into the new system pays off.

Don't get me wrong. I love the work and the end result. The project team has done a phenomenal job in keeping the project WAY ahead of schedule and under budget. Many, many complements on a job extremely well done. It certainly helps that the weather was, for the most part, cooperative during crucial portions of the implementation.

It is definitely a beautiful structure, and actually quite fun to drive around.

However there are several design decisions which stump me and apparently I'm not the only one. For example, the addition of the I-43 North to Michigan St. exit and the open space between the I-43 to Lakefront / I-43 to I-794 ramps. My gut tells me the latter is an accident just waiting to happen. It seems far too easy for a rushed and frustrated driver to take the Plankinton exit and make a last ditch effort to switch lanes to go to the lakefront or the other downtown exits. Other people have agreed with me: no amount of signage can combat human nature.

Maybe its just a matter of getting used to all the new ways of getting around. I've keenly noticed that since the majority of the ramps opened a week or so ago, that traffic actually appears to be worse than before on the I-794 leg between the lakefront and the I-94/I-43 split. I'm anxious to see how the traffic flow changes over time, and am confident it will improve once we're all used to the new digs.

A good friend of mine summarized it best by saying, "we are in a society that does not know how to merge." At least here in Wisconsin. Yes, to those of you that know me: feel free to twist that statement any way you'd like..

Come on, people! Start using the new ramps and learn how to merge already. By the way -- the drive on the new I-43 North to I-94 West ramp has one hell of a kick-ass view!! As is the drive from I-794 West to I-43 South. ;-)

John Stewart's Review Of The Don't Ask, Don't Tell Hearing

May this video never be removed from the Comedy Central web site.

Here is a comical review of Elaine Donnelly's comments against repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Sure is something to watch someone like her try to keep a specific group of people from having the choice to serve in the military. Land of the free indeed.

Enjoy!

Don't Ask, Don't Tell: A Dumb And Bonkers Donnelly Crusade

A House of Representatives panel holds a hearing on the absurd policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. They bring in some twat named Elaine Donnelly who respects gay veterans AND is on a crusade to keep gays out of the military. Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.) says it best, labeling her statement "just bonkers" and "dumb."