Category: Business (Page 14 of 24)

Let’s be honest.  None of us know enough about Macro-economics to know if $700 Billion to make sure Wall Street doesn’t collapse is a good idea in the long run.  It’s just too complicated for us, and our voice is one of millions, unlikely to be heard.

But we can affect stupid decisions at home.  When the Sonics were abandoned by the Seattle City Council, I started subscribing to email lists from Council members.  I wanted to believe that they couldn’t really be as clueless and inept as they had been portrayed in the media.

Usually the email newsletters make me do nothing more than chuckle and be happy that these people are not in charge of building airplanes or elevators.  But Nick Licata can sometimes make me do something rash, like run to AndyBoyer.com and vent.

From this week’s newsletter: 

Time:           6:00-8:30   Doors open at 6pm with refreshments, presentation begins at 6:30pm 

Location:    Bertha Knight Landes Room, City Hall, 4th Ave and James

Date:           Monday, October 6

Presentation by Council Member Nick Licata

Councilmember Licata proposes redirecting a $43 million bond allocated to the Mercer Project to building new sidewalks in Seattle, funding the recommendations of the Bicycle Master Plan, Pedestrian Master Plan, and providing a long-term capital program for meeting our freight mobility needs.  

Reply to Presentation by SDOT:  The Seattle Dept of Transportation (SDOT) has been invited to explain why the Mercer Corridor Project is needed and the $43 million should be spent on creating a two-way Mercer Street and a narrowed Valley Street.

(Editor’s insertion: The Mercer Project is the one where they are widening Mercer Avenue into a two way avenue, so it’s easier to get on and off I-5 when leaving downtown, the Space Needle, Eastlake or Westlake.

Summary: Nick Licata wants to stop funding that I believe has already been approved, for construction on a road that will alleviate traffic, in order to build sidewalks and bike lanes.  Please people, it’s time we moved this guy back to another commune where he can cause less havoc to our lives.  I think it’s great that he wants a society where we can bike and walk everywhere – and maybe he should go build that society in Cle Elum, not a place where we all have cars and jobs.  

Way up here in the top left corner of the map, we tend to get a little isolationist in nature. Lots of people in Seattle never actually LEAVE Seattle for any length of time, and I have been personally shocked by how many people I meet here who have never ben to New York or Washington DC. Because of this, Seattleites tend to have a pretty narrow look at how the country works.

And with that soliloquy to set the context, I bring you a report from Charlotte, NC from the the Mid-Atlantic Regional Headquarters of Andy Boyer.com:

You may think you are having a bad day today because you have to replace your WAMU ATM card. Well, remind yourself of the good things you have going on while you fill up your tank at any of the gas stations here that you can stroll right into…..

Well, it’s happened.  What started as a fantastic 17 person Presidential race, with people sharing new ideas for how to run the country, has turned into a giant mud-slinging session that has left me dis-spirited and ready to move to Croatia to open a coffee stand.

What happnened to this race? We had Bill Richardson’s immigration ideas, Obama’s unifying rallies and Hillary’s messages energizing women.  Giulani and Thompson added star power, Romney was the clean cut businessman with the ability to run the Olympics and a state, while McCain the Maverick was driving the Straight Talk Express.  Even Ron Paul, who people labeled as crazy, at least had an interesting Flat Tax Plan.  Real candidates with real ideas.  

But now, I can’t watch TV or listen to the radio without hearing barking, shrieking, sarcasm and disdain.  No one has any ideas, and everyone has a criticism.  Olberman and Chris Matthews take turns firing shots at Republicans in hopes Obama will dance with them first at the inauguration.  Conservative journalists rail on Obama’s 143 days in US Senate as being unfit to lead.  Media members sitting on the left side of the bench use big words and smarmy sarcasm to imply that anyone who doesn’t agree with them 100% is stupid.  Those on the right  scoff at people and make it clear that anyone who doesn’t know how to climb into the middle class is just useless.

Our whole country is attacking each other and every campaign message is about hate – McCain is too old., Obama too green.  McCain lies, Obama exagerates.  Biden is mean, Palin is crazy.  Then everything that happens must be assigned to someone.  The Financial situation is Bush’s fault, no McCain signed a bill in 1999 that caused this, no Obama’s liberal policies would make it worse, etc…Gas is expensive because we’re in Iraq, no because Democrats won’t let us drill, no because Republicans are beholden to lobbyists in the oil industry….

I’ve been beaten.  The candidates’, pundits’, advisors’ and supporters’  combined message has finally sunk in.  According to what I am hearing from everyone, “Collectively we’re screwed, it’s someone else’s fault, and we’re really going to be screwed worse if you vote for the other guy.”  That’s the message I am getting – please tell me I’m hearing it wrong.  Plus, none of them are explaining to me that they can fix it, they are just explaining to me that the other group can’t.  So I guess that’s the message. Take my money out of the stock market and run.

Oops – too late for that too….Now what?