"Calif Bill" wrote


The sad part is



whisper Pss... Bill, your senility is showing /whisper


How did the trip to Burney go? Did you fish the Fall River? I have an
Outback 'Fall River Special' Pram I bought 20++ years ago especially to fish
there, but I haven't been up there in at least 10. Last time I was there
the .. um, unnamed ... fly shop was 'guiding' it's Johns by drifting boats
sideways through pods of rising fish (putting them down of course) with big
bobbers and nymphs while the guide shouted "set, set" to said Johns ... so
pathetic and sickening, so 'how many' 'how many' 'how many' that I've
never had the desire to go back and be forced to witness it again.





BTW, I've supported Obama precisely because I feel he's the best hope for
rebuilding this country and giving my son's ( he's 21) generation a chance
to somewhat reverse our errors. But, the biggest challenges they face will
only be indirectly financial and it will take investment to have any prayer
of solving them.


I'm retired, and watching my personal security go down daily as markets
crumble, it's scary **** I agree, but no where near as scary as a future of
'more of the same' for my kid.

MY response to my fears? I sent a few more of my scarce buck$ to Obama last
night, it's an investment for my kid. NO, I don't expect that
investment to make big improvements in MY remaining life, and NO I see no
guarantees except that failure to wisely invest will destroy this country.
The problems on the horizon are huge and far more important than just GDP
and Wall Street. Because I love my kid ( most kids, really ;-) I'm
willing to cut back for them and I'm willing to gamble on a new direction
.... not much of a gamble really, since the old one is certain failure.




When it comes to government, "small" is always relative, it's always big by
definition, "smart" and "honest" are the keys to success ... Obama is smart
and honest, smart enough to see years down the path, smart enough to
surround himself with the very best in each field and of all pursuasions and
actually listen to them, and honest enough to actually give a **** about
representing the people and working for their benefit ... long term as well
as short.



"Your old road is rapidly aging, please get out of the new one if you can't
lend a hand" G


ASIDE: For years it's seemed to me that the Republicans ( not Joe the
Whatever, or the Churchy Moms that just vote R ... the smoke filled room
guys at the top of the party ) do NOT see themselves as "representatives of
the people" rather they see themselves as "the ruling class" Those two
things are very different.

Given the inconvenience of our system they have to get people to vote for
them. Like ruling classes over history they see the peasants as stupid and
treat them that way ... thus Palin and Bush II and 'policy' that appeals
to one issue sound bite accepting wingnuts ( 'get yo hand off my gun,'
'protect all babies until they are born, then to hell with em,' 'NO taxes' )
As long as those wingnuts don't fight more money and power going to the
already rich and too powerful, those rich and powerful 'rulers' are willing
to 'support' such crap, whether they believe it or not ( look how far
"socially right" McCain claims to have moved in the last 4 years as he's
prepared to run, does anyone actually believe that change is real, I don't
..... but I DO believe it's totally dishonest ).

END ASIDE: