THE JOB CREATION MYTH

Some desperate politicians will say anything to win elections. In these troubled times of foreclosures and joblessness, the current promise of these electoral wannabes, with not much else to offer, is a "policy of job creation." Back in my engineering career, when the corporate boss wanted to increase our efficiency and pare costs down to the basic essentials, the search was on for "dead wood." By definition, the dead wood included those the Company could get along without. The 1980s and early ‘90s were a time of job reduction for many areas of the private sector. In the early years of the Clinton-Gore Administration, Vice President Gore was put in charge of "reinventing government," a process that resulted in widely-announced numbers of federal jobs eliminated. Any businessman who inflates payroll without an increased demand for his products and services doesn’t remain in business for very long. So how in the world does reducing income taxes for the wealthy bring about more jobs? It’s worse than a myth for the vulnerable and the gullible. It is a bald-faced lie.

POLITICAL MONEY

A week of punditry has come out of Wisconsin. The recall failed and many are the supposed lessons spreading across the land. My tweet describes an empty suit stuffed with money, who bested the loser mayor from 2010. Too bad Democrats didn't rally with the labor union candidate to defend the right to unionize and bargain collectively. It's not enough just to fight and raise money. We've got to battle smarter and make every dollar and every volunteer hour count. I'm not singing the blues about all that Big Money from billionaires. Truth is, politicians of all stripes have gotten very comfortable with Big Money - Liberal and Conservative Money. How many votes will Charles Koch and his brother cast this November? The same number as you and me! Yes, a lot of distractions have been erected by politicians who think they can fool enough of the people this time. Do you want a picture ID for every voter? Are you shook up about homosexuals marrying each other? We have serious questions to think about between now and November. Questions for citizens who seek out facts, opinions, and exercise their own judgment in making decisions. No amount of money can persuade you otherwise, when you have judged right from wrong. These are the questions on my mind tonight: war, joblessness, child poverty, foreclosures, new graduates with debt, a changing global climate. I want candidates to answer these questions to my satisfaction, before they will get my vote. I have chosen three candidates to support and have sent them "political money." I have urged others to consider voting for these three. I will be at my polling place for the Primary and General Elections, as an election judge, to see that our precinct has integrity. Some things money cannot buy.