Long way from Holy Cow!

I was listening to President Obama’s State of the Union address today. As expected, he spoke about the urgency of the country to come out her current economic turmoil, and the actions he is taking to help the middle class. I was struck by this portion of his speech:

“How long should we wait? How long should America put its future on hold? You see, Washington has been telling us to wait for decades, even as the problems have grown worse. Meanwhile, China's not waiting to revamp its economy. Germany's not waiting. India's not waiting. These nations aren't standing still. These nations aren't playing for second place. They're putting more emphasis on math and science. They're rebuilding their infrastructure. They are making serious investments in clean energy because they want those jobs”.

Yes India has become one of the countries America has to watch out for! What a change from the days I arrived in this country. In those days (mid 60’s) I used to get two standard questions when I tell someone that I am from India. “What about the famines there?”, “What is holy cow?” We sure have come a long way!

Another Jimmy Carter?

After the Massachusetts disaster, President Obama is blaming himself for not communicating better (“I think we lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people,”). What the hell is he talking about? He is on TV giving interviews almost every day. He is off to a town hall meeting whenever something does not go right, like he did last week. Looks like our President has no clue on what is going wrong with his Presidency. People want a President who makes things happen. They do not want a President who stays out of the debates, and let the corrupt Congress do the work (like he with the health care bill). They do not want the person who promised ‘Change we can believe in’, doing backroom deals with business (as he did with the Drug and insurance companies for health care bill). They do not want a President who listens to the Wall Street establishment (Timothy Geithner, and Larry Summers), and allows financial institutions to make obscene profits while the Main Street struggles. Rousing speeches and slogans will not cut it anymore. It is delivery time now. Unless he makes some drastic changes in his governing style, like a failed athlete who fires his coach and starts a new training regimen, President Obama is doomed. Of course, he will still score high in the polls as a decent person. So did Jimmy Carter!

A disaster in the making!

I am quite upset at the prospect of the Democrats losing their Senate seat from Massachusetts in the special election next Tuesday. This will make them lose their bare 60 vote filibuster proof majority in the Senate, allowing the Republicans to obstruct the healthcare reform which was close to coming to fruition. I hear that the people of Massachusetts are angry at the Obama Administration, and they are going to vote for Republicans, in protest. This is like one cutting off the nose to spite the face! Don’t they know that the Republicans are for the rich and the well off, and they will not do anything for the welfare of the common people? How can they forget so quickly the eight years of nightmare under the Republican President George Bush? It is amazing how the Republicans were able to make up stories (death panel, socialism, Obamacare etc.) and run with them while the cowardly Democrats watched from the sidelines. The foolish ‘hands off’ tactic by President Obama to get a bipartisan healthcare reform is another reason for the present fiasco. (I still cannot understand why a President with over 70% job approval, and fantastic communication skills, stayed in the shadows without pushing for a history making achievement in his Presidency). If the healthcare reform did not pass, the Democrats are going to lose badly the 2010 mid-term elections giving the Republicans more power. Everything is going to come to a gridlock in the Congress, and the Democrats will be voted out of the office in 2012. This is exactly what the Republicans want. Of course, the country will go into the toilet in this process. But that does not matter. It is winning the elections which matter. I am disgusted.

My Epiphanies

For Christians like me, the Epiphany season has started. This is the time we think about finding God in our lives – just like the three wise men saw baby Jesus in a manger at Bethlehem. Unlike people who wait for miracles to see God, I see the God almost every day in my life. Here are some instances:

· I see God in the patience and love of the caregivers who take care of the handicapped like my son. It is truly amazing.

· I hear God in the music of Mozart. As Antonio Salieri said in the movie Amadeus, God was speaking to the humankind through that ‘little’ man.

· I see God in the works of Michelangelo and Raphael. They could not have done it without divine intervention.

· I see God in the beautiful mornings in California after a rainfall.

You get the idea!

My New Year Resolutions

Today is New Years Day. As usual, I have a few resolutions. Of course, I do not remember any of past resolutions ever being met except for things which had to happen (like completing my MBA, giving a great wedding for my daughter). Anyway, I am posting this year’s resolutions here as I feel it will give me more of an incentive to keep them.

1. Do something fun every day. Enjoy life. (May sound easy, but could be the toughest to keep)

2. Focus on my artistic abilities. Complete a minimum of 50 oil paintings in the year, and get selected for at least one art exhibition (God has given me a gift here which I have not used well so far)

3. Reduce the time in front of the computer to a maximum of four (4) hours a day (I think I have already broken this!)

4. Reduce weight by 10 pounds -- at least by 7 lbs before my 50th class reunion in mid April. (Do not have much confidence in meeting this, although I always lose around 5 pounds during the lent season – no sweets, chips, drinks!)

5. Talk more about myself in the blog (This post is a start. The only readers I have are a handful of relations and friends who can get better political commentaries from everywhere else!)

Let us see how I do. (To keep me focused, I am going to review the status of my resolutions at the end of every month!)