Misc.

I watched President Obama's speech last night.  I thought it was more like his inspiring campaign speeches than his other recent Presidential addresses.  I gave him a B+ for it.  I certainly give him an A for his remarks on renewable energy.  We will have a successful policy in place when we are off fossil fuels.  I then turned off the TV because I didn't want every single cable TV pundit analyzing it to the point of absurdity.  This constant harping of theirs shows why Americans distrust their government and institutions so much more than other countries own citizens.

The oil and gas industry is worried that Rep. Brian Egolf wont roll over for them in his chairmanship of the House Energy Committee up in Santa Fe.  He already looks successful in my book.  Make them squirm.

Sometimes I think the Russians have it right.  They hold people responsible for malfeasance.  They have already fired the airport managers for having lax security at Moscow's airport where, most likely, religious fanatics blew up innocent people.  Then you can think about how hard it is to fire problematical employees in government in this country.  Bernalillo county is finding that out.  They are tiptoeing around getting rid of the county manager so he cant sue them for millions of dollars.

Having said that there are a lot of dedicated public employees out there.  They are under continued assault by corporate America who want public pension plans scrapped.  Why?  Because they worry their own employees will wonder why they are treated like indentured servants with no benefits.  Today the Albuquerque Journal gave a voice to those corporate bosses on the oped page.  There is always room for some reform, but the corporate boys want no less than a complete eradication of defined pensions.  

Life is too short.