My apologies for the spacing weirdness above with respect to the lyrics. I don't know why that is happening and don't know how to fix it. But the spacing issue doesn't change the meaning so sorry for the technical difficulty.

Blech!!!!

Lousgirl84: I am not familiar with the term "Blech" but I infer that it is derogatory. If so, then may I politely suggest that you listen and learn from your more experienced elders -- assuming that '84 is the year of your birth? But whether it is, or it isn't, learn to identify, when you see one, a soul-searching, poignant, historically-referenced and intelligently-interpreted blog, like this one.

You do realize of all the denizens of the 100 acre woods, the one who did far less and was most feckless was poor always depressing Eeyore.

Oleeb -- excellent, and thought-provoking. Is there a reason you didn't break it into paragraphs? I am worried that some will give up without reading this because it is ponderous without para breaks.

This is great writing. Thank you. It is a keeper!

Good suggestions. It was almost stream of consciousness when being written. I'll see about breaking it up.

“Don’t mourn for me. Organize!” - Joe Hill

Great stream Oleeb~~~~~! All the incoherent political decisions roll around in empty stomachs these days.

I have cynic rising. Non-threatening opinions of hungry people are considered irrelevant to the "grafters" in DC. Their Chinese credit cards for war aren’t quite maxed-out. Pie in the face would do them some good. But who can afford pie?

Why, thank you, READY, but I'm trying to learn to tone it down.

Well said, Oleeb.

And don't even get me started on the GOP meme that we must pass tax cuts for small businesses because that is where all the new jobs are being created.

I fear they might be right about the creation of new jobs. But just how many of those jobs are family supporting? Probably not many, especially given the GOP's concern that HCR is too much for small businesses to absorb. It seems providing health care benefits for workers is simply too extreme a cost for these job providers to shoulder.

And is it not the case that small business is where the jobs are at only because we have transferred almost all manufacturing jobs to other countries?

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate small business entrepreneurs. But I never felt comfortable trying to build a sustainable economy on a series of bed and breakfasts or a whole network of craft shops selling the latest in homemade fashion wear. I most certainly don't expect these entrepreneurs to provide jobs that can sustain a family, and I fear instead that the GOP and "WE" would argue that such wage and benefit levels are simply unreasonable to expect in today's economy. (Meaning, "WE" win and you lose! Get used to it, sucker!)

It's far better to fight back, and it will take some real creative leadership to arrive at a plan - and a movement - that can knock "We" on "OUR" asses.

The biggest problem with all of that is that small business cannot, under any circumsances, create the literally millions of jobs that we need to get our people back to work within any reasonable time frame. It would take decades for small business to produce that number of jobs at any income level, let alone at a level that pays living wages.

Other than big business, which obviously could not care less about the welfare of it's own employees let alone the American worker generally speaking, only the federal government has the resources to put large numbers of people to work quickly enough in productive activity to make a real difference. The conservadems, unfortunately led by our President, reject government work programs, not because they don't work because they do, on ideological grounds. That is the only way out of this economic depression and it is, indeed, a depression. If Obama stays on his present conservadem course he's going to look a whole lot more like Hoover than any Democratic President since Hoover. We are hearing from him the same nostrums that the Hoover administration ladled out to the public between 1929 and 1933 and all we have to do is recall how badly out of touch and off the mark Hoover and his response to the economic collapse was.

Now, in the aftermath of the first economic collapse since the 30's our officials remain in the same sort of denial the stalwart free enterprisers of the 30's were in as they are stymied by the situation and not having any adequate response they counsel the nation to allow the all benificent marketplace to magically regenarate the 8 million jobs lost in the past year. The surreal scenes depicted on our tv's of our highest government officials discussing a "jobless recovery" demonstrates just how out of touch they are with reality and the circumstances of our people. The vast numbers of unemployed are merely and intellectual construct for the chumps in the White House and in Congress. It is not a reality they recognize, acknowledge or feel any urgency doing anything about. Their emergency was last year. Their chief client, Wall Street's criminals, was saved from anything like the pain they should have suffered as a result of the criminal fraud, ponzi schemes, and irresponsibile greed thus they tell us that had they not given them nearly a trillion dollars in free, freshly minted money from our treasury it would all have been worse and it was the only way that it could have been done. This is, of course, a pathetic lie that is being allowed to stand by our media and even much of left blogistan because it is such a mind boggling situation. But the truth is one needn't understand all the details to know that giving a bunch of unethical crooks free money is a bad idea. At minimum, every dime given away should have been given only on condition that it be repaid with substantial interest and that the industry do nothing to oppose the regulation required to prevent the greed addicts from falling off the wagon again and destroying the world economy a second time.

History will not be at all kind to the capitalists, but likewise it will not be kind at all to Obama or his henchmen (particularly Geithner and Summers) or the Congressional Democrats all of whom failed to protect the interests of the nation or it's people going forward.

I got to thinking also about campaign promises; I remember that Obama spoke about the need to re-draft some of our international trade agreements. As soon as some folks yelled "Protectionism!!!!" he backed off, yes?
I'm just listening to (god save me) Hardball while I'm doing chores. Tweety and Chuck Todd are agreeing about Obama's trip to Allentown, PA, being god, so that O can show how he does empathize, like the sainted Bill Clinton (of de-regulatory and NAFTA fame) "feel the pain of the worker." Again, they point to the Perception of Obama; not the reality of the policies put forward by "Pointy-headed intellectuals."
I'm a regular person, and I don't care much about selling empathy; I care about the health of the middle and lower classes. Where do the folks at the top think this will end? Apparently there have been a number of conceal gun permits issued to Goldman Sachs employees. WTF?
And I had forgotten totally about Leona Helmsley!

You're aboslutely right. I look forward to the left hitting the streets and pray for it daily. That's what woke up the government in the 30's and it's what it will take today.

Thanks for the advice, and I think you're right; the funny bone is the best one to beat someone over the head with (hahahaha!). You and I have sparred from time to time, but I've also learned from you. I am glad that I am still capable of that, and I appreciate your feedback.