Ramblings

By

William D. Dannenmaier

I read that the multi-millionaire Huffington has been awarded several million dollars – I think ten – to keep her blog or Huffington Post out of bankruptcy. It seems only reasonable. She worked hard enough to discredit the Republicans and elect the Democrats. Perhaps her efforts should be rewarded. If that is true it may be a legitimate expenditure of taxpayer money. I wonder, were I to apply for a thousand dollars for help on my frequently broken down computer to keep my blog going, if I would receive it.

The difference with which our leaders and the news media treat the wealthy and the poor in our country - founded on equality - is interesting. Driving to Nashville for an interview with Dr. Petracik, I saw an older man, at 78 I hesitate to call someone who appeared to be in his sixties “old,” walking down the street in one of the poorest parts of town. His hair was disheveled, long, white and dirty. His beard was similarly long, white and dirty; and his clothing was ragged and dirty. It occurred to me that if he were to stand outside the courthouse and proclaim that he had invented the Internet, that man-caused heat was warming the universe – without regard to five consecutive years of global cooling – and that humans were destroying the earth the police would probably pick him up and take him to a mental hospital. On the other hand, when a multimillionaire, a former Democratic candidate for the Presidency, does it, people pay him hundreds of thousands of dollars to give speeches, award him a Nobel prize and the press honors his every word. 

Two recent blogs address the subject of global cooling. Debra J. Saunders in an essay entitled “When the Warmest in History Isn’t” (December 1, 2008, Townhall.com) reports that a recent report from the NASA Goddard Institute which said that this past October was the warmest in recorded history was based on erroneous data. Two bloggers discovered this. The error was acknowledged within twenty-four hours, but not before it had been released to the believing public. Reports I have read, and cited by Ms Saunders claim that the earth has been cooling for the last five years. 

More amusing, after thought, was an article in the Telegraph.co.uk. Stephen Hockman, a lawyer and former member of Bar Council, is calling for the establishment of an International Court for the Environment which would have the power to punish companies and countries which contribute to global warming and/or fail to protect endangered species. My first thought was, “another international body paid for by U. S. taxpayers and designed to punish the United States.” Other ideas included an attempt to abolish automobiles and return to horses and feet, but the least charitable was the idea that Mr. Hockman foresaw himself in a high paying job with glamorous secretaries and subservient assistants running a court he had talked a bunch of jackasses into creating – again at our expense. My suggestion is that if this is approved, it be housed in the Congo and all members be required to establish residence there.

Several recent news articles have noted the opposition of the automotive executives of the Detroit Three and of the automotive unions to the idea of declaring title eleven bankruptcies, which would not destroy the companies – as it did not destroy the airlines – but would require their reorganization. Two articles I have read, most currently “Recent Musings” by Burt Prelutsky (Townhall.com, December 1, 2008) mention that workers currently cost the companies $78 per hour. Mr. Prelutsky, I think a bit unfairly, extends this to figure the cost of a worker at $156,000 a year. In an attempt at fairness, I figured some of this went to retired workers, so I recalculated at $50 dollars per hour for a person actually working and came out with a salary average of $104,000 per year. Not bad. A bit better than teachers. On the other hand if the products of the automobile companies were as good as the products of the public schools, most of us would walk.

To return to the opposition, I have been told by my lawyer children that Chapter 11 bankruptcy would require a complete reorganization, probably costing these million dollar executives their jobs and restrict pension payments to fifty thousand dollars a year. Until now, I have been unable do discover what pensions retired workers receive. It is 90% of their working salary, plus medical and dental costs for themselves and their families. No wonder the Unions are opposing this! Ninety percent of $104,000 per year is $93,600 in income, plus medical (I pay $390 a month for my Medicare and Blue Cross insurances.) We would impoverish those millions of retired workers by reducing their incomes to 50K a year! On the other hand, my most liberal son says he doesn’t understand why someone working for $10 an hour at a store should be taxed to pay $93,000 dollars a year to retired automotive workers. I agree with him. For once!

Thanksgiving is now past. My bride baked eleven pies (four apple, four pumpkin and one each of blueberry, pecan and peach). She also baked a turkey with dressing and cooked a mountain of mashed potatoes, string beans, carrots, and macaroni and cheese. We also had a large fruit salad from our own fruit, deviled eggs – a dozen – and a Black Forest cherry cake. A visiting friend brought another pumpkin pie. In addition to the “boys,” Stephen and Andrew, Megaera and Shane came early, actually the night before so that Megaera could learn how to make dressing the way Sheila does – Shane loves it. Additional guests included Cindy and her daughter Cory with JoAnn and John with their daughters and JoAnn’s sister later in the day. No turkey is left and I can’t speak for the other remnants, which are stored in the fridge, but remarkable to me were the pies. When I wandered out at five this morning, one whole pumpkin pie, two half apple pies and half of the peach pie were all that were left of that total of twelve pies.