The Stimulus Bill

January 29, 2009 - 4:50 AM - Woke up early this morning with a lot of things to think about. Decided to use this space to share a few thoughts from time to time. Just random thoughts. Nothing special. Maybe some fun. Hopefully some insights.

Have you read the stimulus bill? You should. It is labeled H.R. 1. It is 647 pages long. I wonder if Nancy Pelosi read it. You will be happy to know that it specifically excludes any of your money being spent on aquariums. Look on page twelve. Read it for yourself. What on earth did aquariums do to incur the wrath of whoever wrote this nonsense anyway? Are Democrats anti-aquarium? I wonder why. I like the Long Beach Aquarium. I think Nancy should visit it. I think she would like it. I guess she likes our iron and steel. All of the iron or steel used in construction projects must be made in the United States unless the head of a federal department says it is not available here. That is on page twelve too. It is a good thing. Nancy should visit a steel mill soon. I wonder what she would look like in a hard hat?

I listened to an economist speak at the PIHRA meeting this morning. I don't remember his name. He teaches at UCI. I would like to take a class from him. He was very good. I admit that I did not understand a lot of what he said. The bottom line was pretty clear though. We are in a world of hurt and not likely to emerge for a long time. Even Iceland is somehow caught up in the sub prime mortgage fiasco and not likely to survive economically. Iceland. Imagine that.

Wind: The wind is blowing. It is 63 outside. In southern California, that is freezing!. The heater has been running off and on most of the night. The windows rattle with each gust. The trees sway back and forth in the glow of the yard lights. I always think of the wind as a speaker without words. Each burst seems to be making a point about someone or something. The slow whining start of each episode leads to an unexplained exclamation point. A brief silence follows to let the point settle in for just a moment. Another follows, sometimes with great patience; sometimes with intense fury. You leave knowing that you heard the speech. You wonder if you got the message. You worry that you will forget the key points.

A Final Thought for Today: These times are tough. Budgets are tight. Going, doing, buying are put on hold. Use the time to cherish a loved one. Walk with them. Hold them. Listen to them. Be gentle with them. In the end, they may be all you have.

That is all for now. May hope and love be yours today, tomorrow and thereafter.