Iraq, the 51st State?

In an unusual display of bipartisanship policy accord, a recent get together here in the State Capital, a suggestion that we make Iraq the 51st state met with resounding agreement. Seldom, if ever, have we seen liberals and conservatives in such accord on anything. The idea that we could accept Iraq as the 51st state was based on several approaches. They have enough oil reserves and production facilities to start an immediate and very substantial repayment on the fiscal obligations incurred in the coalition's overthrow of Sadam. The are also faced with the rebuilding and improving of their infrastructure which would provide employment for the citizens as they will also have the oil supply fiscal capabilities to meet the cost of this effort.

The overall effect would make this state one of the few that could meet its own needs and assist the rest of the US with its shortage of dollars and manpower. This, along with some training of their young people, help reduce the outsourcing of US companies looking for acceptable labor.

We as a cacus are interested in your opinion of this concept, both for, against, and/or improved.

Sunday Stuff June 6th-D-Day

I remember this day well. I was at home in Dallas, it was the middle of the night and I lived near Love Field home of the 5th Ferrying Group, when all the sirens went off and the field lights were turned on bright! I immediately turned on my radio and I was getting the radio transmission from a correspondent in a C-47 that was crossing the English channel. D-Day had begun in Europe and sleep had ended in the rest of the world. I'll write more about my WW 2 experiences from time to time but now is a time for some serious thinking about where the United States is taking this world as one of its leaders.

We are faced with the decision of selecting a president that can offer the kind of leadership and guidance that the country and the world can respect and support.

I offer the folowing comments for your perusal and comments if you desire.

There are essentially two cantidates in this race, Kerry and Bush and in no particular order my comments.

Kerry gives me a nervous feeling as he does not seem to have a real grasp of what it will take to solve the big three problems, Iraq, Economics and the Elderly. With the latter encompassing solving the Social Security debackle. He has offered no solid guidlines of how to exit Iraq yet leave it as a strong middle eastern power that can govern itself. On economics, his multimillionaire wife precludes him having any idea of the economic problems facing the average american family. Finally he has ablosutely no concept of the problems facing the ever growing elderly in the terms of medical care or even basic survival.

Bush is using the skills taught by his father and using the selection of cabinet officers as assistants in White House leadership bodes well to meet the needs of the american people. He inherited Iraq from his father and has made some bold decisions in the middle east. He should be supported in his efforts to return a dictatorial nation to one of basic democratic principles, bearing in mind that these folks have not had the many years of experience to govern themselves as have we here in the US have been blest. On the economic side he grew up in Midland, Texas the son of a young WW2 vet just starting his law practice and raising his children to live within their means. These lessons will be worth their weight in gold as a future leader. He has a real challenge in the problems facing the present and ever growing elderly segment of our population and he needs to look at the inequity of the "notch kids".

As a ww2 and Korean vet, I wish him well.

End of todays sermon, please don't ask for the text.

Social Commentary. etc.

I may well be one of the most opinionated individuals on the planet. So much for my humility factor. I am a conservative on some aspects of my social beliefs and am a quantified flaming liberal on others. These features make for some interesting situations that come up from time to time. I am a "retired" individual that has to work full time just to make ends meet and enjoy some of the simple pleasures I get from having an understanding wife and a great cat that sometimes includes me in her world. As a governmental employee I am discouraged from expressing publicly my support for either an individual or a party, which makes for some interesting conversations between me and my circle of friends.

The one way I manage to keep my sanity, is that in addition to my other talents I am an ordained minister, so I can twist my conversational input along religious lines and get away with it as there is some kind of inherent fear factor that precludes most all political criticism of what I have to say on a given subject.

This gives me a weired pleasure and I frequently take full advantage of it especially when I am dealing with some one with a closed mind. (BIG GRIN)

By all means let me hear from any of you that care to comment on my situation, it will be appreciated.

39 and Holding

I really like it when someone younger than I asks me , "do you really have to work?" I most often smile and ask them the same question. This has the desired results and then I explain that I have some rather expensive hobbies that require copious infusions of dinero!!!