Will dinosaurs determine 2012 election?

Scientists tell us that dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago. Its still tough for me to accept that because I encounter daily the voting dinosaurs who roam the landscape spouting nonsense that emanates from a far away pre-modern time.

They call the President a "Kenyan" who destroyed our thriving economy upon assuming office at a time of imagined prosperity on January 20, 2009. They call him a "skunk: half black, half white, all stink". They denigrate him as a "community organizer" who is "lazy" and unengaged. They pretend that the 40 million folks with no health insurance are doing just fine waiting hours in the Emergency Room for a solution to their cancers, or other catastrophic diseases. They see the banksters getting off scot free after absconding with uncountable billions, yet argue that financial reform was unnecessary and we actually need less regulation. They ignore climate change as if they literally had a dinosaur's brain. They lament for the time when women stayed barefoot and pregnant and didn't have control over their reproductive health. They demand that creationism be taught in our schools. They ignore the fifty percent divorce rate among themselves and their peers yet proclaim that gay marriage is a threat to their marriages. They demand more tax cuts even if fabulously wealthy and expect that the truly needy foot the bill. They cheer our veterans at sporting events but won't spend an extra dime for their care after they are broken in body and mind fighting senseless, unwinnable wars. They chant "drill baby drill" for endless investment in 19th century energy technology while other nations promote 21st century renewable energy sources.

No, dinosaurs aren't extinct. They just morphed into human form, and they most certainly threaten our future.

14 times for Romney; just once for the voters

This Tuesday, presidential contender Mitt Romney was rummaging for votes among the horrific hurricane chaos caused by Sandy. He pretended 14 times not to hear reporters' question that those affected by the disaster want answered: Will a Romney administration abolish FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)? The reason for Romney's temporary deafness may result from his previous statement regarding this valued federal agency that has been improved and professionalized under the Obama administration after it was gutted by the Bush administration: "Every time you can take something from the federal government and give it back to the states that's the right direction...and if you can go even further and send it back to the private sector, that's even better".

Next Tuesday, the tens of millions of voters, who now realize all too well the fabulous job that FEMA is doing to alleviate their suffering from Sandy, will have their chance to feign deftness to Romney's plea for their vote and his chance to privatize FEMA. Unlike Romney they won't need to avoid the question 14 times. One time will do just fine.

Earthshaking news: Cong. Roskam discovers poverty

A very curious email arrived from my IL Sixth District Congressman Peter Roskam Sunday. It was titled: "Looking back: jobs down, poverty up over last 4 years".

What was curious and stunning, was that Congressman Roskam even mentioned the word "poverty". He was in Congress for the last two years of the Bush administration which saw the policies that Roskam champions, trillions in tax cuts the the wealthiest Americans and gutting sensible financial regulations, bring America to the brink of another Great Depression. Roskam watched silently as 700,000 jobs were being shed monthly under Bush without ever mentioning the word poverty. His focus remained, as it always has, on additional largess for his base, the "Have Mores".

As House Chief Majority Deputy Whip, Roskam banded with the Tea Party faction and the House Leadership to bloc every sensible measure to improve the economy for those millions of folks slipping into poverty to realize their primary goal of making President Obama a one term president.

In his 2008 election, a wily Roskam, seeing the groundswell of support for Barack Obama to replace the man who implemented Roskam's policies to catastrophic effect, trotted out an ad highlighting Obama supporters who were inexplicably also supporting Roskam. For the 2012 election, Roskam, attempting to distance himself from the heartless Tea Party folks who zealously seek removal of virtually all government help for those in poverty, has had an epiphany. Nine days before the election, Congressman Peter Roskam wants us all to know that there is poverty in America and he has a plan to eradicate it. Oh yes, it involves removal of sensible governmental regulation....and more tax cuts for those who couldn't see poverty with a telescope.

Also published in the Daily Herald, November 2, 2013