Brief Gnotes

• It appears the “experts” think SOX (which as they say SUX) wasn’t bad enough a handicap for the US economy. For now we’re going to get SOX 2! (Will that SUX more?) That’s what a struggling economy needs, more paperwork, more restrictions. Who is feeding people in the beltway all those stupid pills? Why? Is there something in the water in DC? Who can imagine the way to jumpstart and get an economy into high gear is to increase the paperwork and regulatory load? That after we find corporations can reach a size which is “too big to fail” that either elected government officials are going to be able to keep that in check or that “too big to fail” should be enshrined in statute … without discussion over “too big to fail” is right, if there are alternatives, or if it is even a good idea.
• When unemployment is rising, do we hear calls to lower the minimum wage? Does it occur to anyone that a high minimum wage makes it hard to justify keeping a marginal employee. That it’s easier for a company in a pinch to keep an employee if it can do so by cutting his salary … not his job? Does it occur to anyone that there are indeed people who would rather work for a bit less than not work at all? Does it occur to anyone that requiring and encouraging employer supplied health care is just another way of raising that minimum wage and making that marginal worker unemployable. That unskilled laborer in the US who requires $7+ an hour + benefits worth another $1+ per hour means he can’t compete at all on a global market with a Asian worker who will work for $3 to $8 in a 12 hour day … which means his job has gone or is quickly going to go overseas.
• When Mr Obama says, “I welcome discussion and open debate on this” … does anyone still believe that is honestly intended? Or has everyone now realized that is just one of his many tactics used to stifle debate. After all the last, what three(!?), times he’s said that immediately afterwards legislation is rammed through Congress for “emergency” reasons and signed immediately without pause. The left used to complain that Mr Bush was always lying. I doubted that, in that I though that it was clear that Mr Bush believed to be true the things he said. However, it must be said that when it comes to being dishonest, Mr Obama outpaces Mr Bush by a wide margin.
• Our family saw Up recently. I think the theme that I perceived, that it is not the sharing of grand adventure and the big things in life that matter and mean the most to us, but the ordinary and prosaic. I think that is right. I’m also disappointed that someone snuck a “Disney” dysfunctional dad into the story. Why is it in the Disney world that parents, and almost always the dads are missing, evil, or dysfunctional? And … on another cinematic note, Land of the Lost is already at the dollar theater (actually $3 now) and in the same week that Wolverine and Star Trek get there. So finally I might get to see the second two in the next week or so at long last.

Filed under: Mark O. • You Cry Out

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!