Like the crow in Aesop's fable!

Looks like Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana, has spoiled any goodwill for Indians created here by the movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ (which won 8 Oscars on Sunday, including the best picture). The crafty Republicans publicized Jindal as the next “Obama’ and put him up to rebut President Obama’s address to the Congress last Wednesday. Like the crow in the Aesop’s fable, Jindal believed all the hype about himself, and tried to imitate Obama. ‘Oh,God!’ was the common reaction when he faced millions on TV, right after Obama had spoken to them. His speech was painful to watch. He came across condescending with a 'sing song' accent, and did not make much sense with his exhortation, ‘we are Americans, we can do anything .. and the government is the problem’. To make matters worse, the blogosphere is now ablaze with accusations that he was lying in his speech about his role in Katrina hurricane rescue. I think Bobby Jindal is now ‘finished’ as a 2012 Presidential aspirant, and I do not feel sorry about it.

The dreaded ‘N’ word

I have no confidence in the economic recovery plans presented so far in this country. I feel that the stimulus plan and the TARP are all ‘band aids’ trying to stop a major hemorrhage. I am especially uneasy about our Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner who has the look a dumb student gives me when I ask a general question to the class (‘don’t ask me.. there are smarter students who can answer it better!’). Unless the toxic USA banks are completely cleaned out, there will be no recovery in this country. Giving the big banks more money to save them, is like giving water to thin out the poison in ones bloodstream. It is not going to work. The most straight forward (and I feel the only) solution is for the Government to nationalize the major banks, and clean up the mess. But 'nationalization' is ‘socialism’, a dreaded word in this country. I was pleasantly surprised to hear some prominent Republicans suggesting this option. Mark my words, the Obama administration is going to do it, after a few failed ‘token’ attempts to save the banks.

Televangelist logic!

The Republicans almost unanimously opposed President Obama’s stimulus plan. They wanted less spending and more tax cuts in the package. For Republicans to preach fewer deficits after changing a surplus budget to a trillion dollar plus deficit budget while in office, shows a lot of nerve and contempt for the intelligence of the common people. As for tax cuts, it was the tax cuts under President Bush which started the downward spiral towards huge budget deficits. How can a Government reduce deficits by collecting less money as taxes? It does not make any sense. It is like the televangelists on T.V. urging people to contribute more money so that God will save them from their financial troubles!