10. Steve Austerity, The $6 Man--made from non-bionic spare parts
9. Fred Austere--now you know why he was dancing with cleaning tools and climbing streetlamps: those were his second and third jobs
8. Jane Austerity--Victorian Cliff's Notes
7. Austerity City Limits--Guys sitting around playing their knees with spoons
6. Austerity Powers--one word, "Coppermember"
5. Austerizer Hand Mixer--Oster's budget line of kitchen gadgets: a pair of gloves and a bowl
4. Austere Cook--fat dude in a bean bag chair, chewing tobacco while introducing British B-movies
3. Aus' Cartwright--only wears a 5-gallon hat
2. Austelot--wild cat with no spots
1. The Wizard of Aus--after following the "Yellow Snow Road" one rough winter, none of Dorothy's friends get the operations they need, they are forced to eat Toto over a hobo campfire, and Dotty never catches the bus back to Kansas (also, the Wizard loses his hidey spot when he makes the gut-wretching decision to burn his beautifully-upholstered drapes to heat his crumbling abode)
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Showdown, Hoedown, Throw down, Leave town: Your Congress at "Work"
Well I had 75 in the "office pool" so I was close. As you probably know, the Senate just passed the debt deal bill--which should never have been necessary because the raising on the debt limit should never have been tied to any other conversation, including the nation's deficit--74 to 26. At least that mess is settled for the time being.
I appreciated President's words on the White House lawn just moments ago, especially his shout-out to our personal cause in this household. (No need to get into the weeds on that now.) And I do believe he has the ideas at the ready to get the economy turning in the right direction at a much greater pace. I fear he may lack the support from the other end of the Avenue, however.
Speaking of things President has, there's one quality I particularly covet: pragmatism. Of course there's patience, which I cannot begin to fathom the depths of, and have watched with utter amazement since the campaign. And that is no doubt part of the package leading to his pragmatism: his ability to keep calm while all around him is chaos. Yes, as a progressive that sometimes frustrates me, but as a citizen and political observer I find it to be reassuring. There's at least one adult in the room, as it were.
So I will keep a light on in the window of my skepticism by hoping that the "dome dwellers" will heed President's call to action on the growth items which will be vital to our Recovery. And I will hope against all odds that those folks at the other end of the street will finally decide that if the Bush tax cuts as they apply to the rich and the corporations haven't worked in nearly 13 years to create jobs, then they aren't bloody likely to work now. I will bathe myself in the thoughts that perhaps the quiet glow of realism will wash over our 535 friends on the Hill, reminding them that those "who dealt it" need to "smell it" in the form of fair taxation. For you and I, my pals, should not pay a higher tax rate than the Wall Street-thugs who bet for and against US in order to line their own pockets only to have us turn ours inside out, searching our "Hoover Flags" for cash. A chicken in every pot is fine, but what we need in the teapot dome the Capitol has become these days is not chicken but the courage that is the foundation of great statesmanship. And one aspect of that, my friends, is a pragmatic vision.
I appreciated President's words on the White House lawn just moments ago, especially his shout-out to our personal cause in this household. (No need to get into the weeds on that now.) And I do believe he has the ideas at the ready to get the economy turning in the right direction at a much greater pace. I fear he may lack the support from the other end of the Avenue, however.
Speaking of things President has, there's one quality I particularly covet: pragmatism. Of course there's patience, which I cannot begin to fathom the depths of, and have watched with utter amazement since the campaign. And that is no doubt part of the package leading to his pragmatism: his ability to keep calm while all around him is chaos. Yes, as a progressive that sometimes frustrates me, but as a citizen and political observer I find it to be reassuring. There's at least one adult in the room, as it were.
So I will keep a light on in the window of my skepticism by hoping that the "dome dwellers" will heed President's call to action on the growth items which will be vital to our Recovery. And I will hope against all odds that those folks at the other end of the street will finally decide that if the Bush tax cuts as they apply to the rich and the corporations haven't worked in nearly 13 years to create jobs, then they aren't bloody likely to work now. I will bathe myself in the thoughts that perhaps the quiet glow of realism will wash over our 535 friends on the Hill, reminding them that those "who dealt it" need to "smell it" in the form of fair taxation. For you and I, my pals, should not pay a higher tax rate than the Wall Street-thugs who bet for and against US in order to line their own pockets only to have us turn ours inside out, searching our "Hoover Flags" for cash. A chicken in every pot is fine, but what we need in the teapot dome the Capitol has become these days is not chicken but the courage that is the foundation of great statesmanship. And one aspect of that, my friends, is a pragmatic vision.
Monday, August 1, 2011
One Down, One to Go
I'm not thrilled with this "compromise" debt-solving bill, but hey, I really did hope to buy food for my kids this weekend, so I gotta take what I can get. (We live off the federal dole around here.)
I was surprised at the margin the "ayes" had over the "nays" in the House, which leads me to expect at least 70 or more senators to sign on to this train tomorrow. We'll see.
Remember, this is just Act One in our little drama. Come September we'll have a big fight over whether or not to shut down the government, as the fiscal year begins on October 1st. Then, if we survive that one, Act Three will come the day before Thanksgiving (how sweet) when our "Super Committee" will give us their recommendations for another trillion and a half in cuts in order to escape the "triggers" which will automatically cut defense spending, much to the chagrin of the elephants, and cut entitlement funding, to the dismay of the donkeys. That mutually-insured cooperation by way of threat is Washington's idea of working together these days.
So as soon as we have the news tomorrow, I'll be glad to update this week's photos and I will give you another list of "austerity-related" items. I would go ahead and upload the new pix now but I am sort of superstitious and I wouldn't want any of this foolishness on my head.
I was surprised at the margin the "ayes" had over the "nays" in the House, which leads me to expect at least 70 or more senators to sign on to this train tomorrow. We'll see.
Remember, this is just Act One in our little drama. Come September we'll have a big fight over whether or not to shut down the government, as the fiscal year begins on October 1st. Then, if we survive that one, Act Three will come the day before Thanksgiving (how sweet) when our "Super Committee" will give us their recommendations for another trillion and a half in cuts in order to escape the "triggers" which will automatically cut defense spending, much to the chagrin of the elephants, and cut entitlement funding, to the dismay of the donkeys. That mutually-insured cooperation by way of threat is Washington's idea of working together these days.
So as soon as we have the news tomorrow, I'll be glad to update this week's photos and I will give you another list of "austerity-related" items. I would go ahead and upload the new pix now but I am sort of superstitious and I wouldn't want any of this foolishness on my head.
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