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Sunday, September 30, 2012

Undecided? I Can Help.


As we find ourselves little more than a month from electing a president, a fairly sizeable number of people refer to themselves as “undecided.” That may or may not include some who really mean “None of your business, pollster.” Some elections seem to be between Frick and Frack, so you can flip a coin at the polls and it really won’t matter. Not so this year.
Obama supporters liked him four years ago, and haven’t found any reason to turn him out of office with unfinished business. No, he’s made mistakes, he could have done things better, but he seems to be trying hard. On health care alone, he’s gotten some momentum toward real changes, and grudging acceptance that the old system is broken. He’s bringing our troops home from wars we should have never started, and it will take many years to heal the wounded and to heal the hatred from those invaded countries. It will take years to get us out of the Great Recession and to take steps to prevent a recurrence and to mend the economy. His supporters are not undecided.
People may be undecided about the best way to do these things, but there is general agreement that they need doing. Romney supporters do sincerely believe that he can do these things better. I have never heard less undecided people than Romney supporters. Even the lower-income and less educated voters who pay no taxes and reap the most benefits from the programs favored by the Democrats are Romney voters for sure. It’s not just because he’s white, they assure us. It’s not just because Obama might be a Muslim or might be coming after their guns. They are not undecided for a minute.
I have not heard a single soul admit to being undecided. Not that I’ve asked, but the TV interviewers and the pollsters have. Are they the apathetic, the ignorant, the angry? I wish I knew who they are. I’ll help them.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Memories of Cousin Sara


I have fond memories of my late cousin, Sara Giles Moore. Her husband, Ray, was not as rich as a Rockefeller, but was by far the richest person I knew. Sara was a major contributor to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, and loaned or donated many art works that she had collected during her world travels. She also had a biting wit. 
We had a cousins’ weekend at her home on Tuxedo Road in Atlanta. She had donated a huge silk oriental rug to the museum. The museum built a separate wing for it. We went to the opening, and the rug was surrounded by velvet ropes on stanchions so the guests could walk around it without touching. She leaned over to me and said “Wonder what they would say if I told them I wanted it back?”
On another visit, our daughter June was with us. I wanted her to really experience the house, which was a showcase. On a servant’s night out, we were getting ready to eat take-out lobster. Sara and went down to the wine cellar to select a proper wine while someone popped a try of rolls in the oven. When the smoke alarm went off, we ran upstairs and found that June had taken the burning rolls out the kitchen door, setting off a burglar alarm. After turning off the alarms, Sara came out back with us while the smoke cleared. June asked her where the garbage can was, so she could dump the rolls. She said “I really have no idea.” She had lived there for over forty years.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Things That Make Me Go "Hmmm."


Nice to have time to read the whole paper.

The Scott Peterson jury is confused. In the absence of any physical evidence, the legislature decided to let the prosecutors substitute hearsay, as in things his ex-wives said to other people. Not all ex-wives, just those who survived marriage to him.

The Nite Moves lap dancing and strip joint in Albany, New York, is appealing a decision denying them a tax exemption on admission fees under the dramatic or musical performance loophole. Might work.

The Secret Service is investigating a break-in at Mitt Romney’s accounting office. Missing are copies of Romney’s tax returns. the burglar wants $1 million to keep them hidden. Great idea, guys!

Vladimir Putin will wear a fake beak while piloting a hang-glider to lead a group of Siberian cranes on their migration path. Might work.

And, from Time magazine, quoting Obama, taxes are lower than any time since Dwight Eisenhower. Mine aren’t, but I was just a kid then.