Opinion> Mark Shields> Nobody Asked Me But 2008 07 05

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Nobody Asked Me, But ...

Let me express my appreciation to the late and legendary sportswriter Jimmy Cannon, who occasionally wrote a column filled with witty one-liners and random insights, which he called "Nobody Asked Me, But ..."

Now -- with oil on its way possibly to $200 a barrel -- do you believe Alan Greenspan? In his 2007 autobiography, "The Age of Turbulence," the former Federal Reserve chairman made more than a few Bush folks angry when he wrote, "I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: The Iraq war is largely about oil."

How bad is the economy? I just heard a rumor that in New Jersey, the Sopranos family was forced to lay off three judges.

America's premier political humorist, Mark Russell, captures the mixed-race parentage of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama perfectly by describing the Illinois senator as ... the Great Half-White Hope.

I never complain about perkiness or chumminess in a waitress or waiter. What does drive me around the bend is the obviously put-upon waiter who acts like he's some Hapsburg prince who momentarily will be summoned back to his rightful royal post in the palace.

If you think about it, for nearly a quarter-century since the recession ended in the first presidential term of Ronald Reagan until just recently (with a brief detour during President George H.W. Bush's lone term), the American economy has grown at a mostly steady clip, with low inflation and historically low unemployment. This means that most voters under the age of 45 have accepted good economic times as a given and not known hard economic times. Will they lay all the blame for this downturn on George W. Bush and his party?

What -- in the middle of this confidence-draining national turmoil -- will be the public argument for a third consecutive GOP term in the White House? How about, "Why risk changing horses and direction in midstream?"

There was a lot more drinking in Washington, D.C., before May 15, 1978.

That was the day I took my last drink. Still, ethnic stereotypes have always bothered me. You know -- the humorless German, the drinking Irishman, the haughty Frenchman. But the Norwegians really are nearly mute about their feelings. I knew one Norwegian who was so much in love with his wife that he almost told her.

I cannot take seriously anybody who uses the words "proactive" or "incentivize" or who talks about something called a "paradigm shift."

Every city magazine in America does a piece about where locally to find the best hamburger. But, if you're lucky enough to live in California, you're almost certainly within a short drive to hands-down the nation's best: In-N-Out burgers! Not only is everything made to order, but the milkshakes are made with real ice cream.

When 70 percent of American voters believe that their children's lives will not be as full as their own are and have been, then the winner of the 2008 election will be the presidential candidate who -- like Ronald Reagan was able to do nearly three decades ago -- can effectively and convincingly repurchase traditional American optimism.

With all the debate about "free" and "fair" trade, it's worth remembering that wages in Mexico are only about 11 percent of what Americans earn and, in China, factory workers are still paid less than $1 an hour. But the Chinese are "livin' large" when compared to Vietnam, where factory workers make 25 cents an hour for 48-hour workweeks.

When it comes to movie stars, there is Meryl Streep and then there is everybody else.

To find out more about Mark Shields and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

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Sir; I am not sure whose words I am commenting on; but here goes: I wish I had paradigm shift glasses I could hand out on the street corner, because they would save America a lot of Pain. One lesson I took from a book I never read, a psychology book I flipped open to a page, and after reading this one statement, forever closing the book, was this: ALL CHANGE IS AN ATTEMPT AT PROBLEM SOLVING. If you don't have a problem why change? Now; the whole nation has a problem. Beat up old bums like myself are being beat out of our pension checks and fixed incomes by out of control inflation. The economy, and even the whole of society is mismanaged. Those who believe God will save us are in control of the Government, and we must presume they believe Government is only there to guard God's prerogatives. There is real pain out there in America Land. When people spread all across the country can't afford to go home to check on Ma, and Pa; there is pain. When houses beside us, up the street, down the block suddenly go empty as the sherrif evicts residents, and you don't have to wonder what became of so and so, because they're living on the street next to the shelter which for the sake of human dignity begs to those only slightly more well off to feed their brothers -then there is pain. The economy is on life support. When hasn't it been? They say that communism would work well if it were not for the humans, but capitalism would not work at all without the constant infusion of public money to keep it alive. And where is the wealth in tight, dirty, hard working hands? Where is the family farm? Where is the oil fields we could just hand over for nothing to the rich to make them richer? We have run out of medicine we can give ailing capitalism to keep it from its agony. We have heard the message: If it is good for capital it is good for America. Lower wages are good for capital, and good for America. No public health care is good for capital, and good for America. Token taxes for the rich are good for capital, and good for America. Listen, Mr. Shields, If something is good for America it will fund the government in doing good, and it will end up in the pockets of the people, and give them opportunity, and give them hope, and give them the sense that the future holds more than inevitable doom. And if the well is dry then no amount of priming the pump is going to give you a drink. Yes; we need a paradigm shift. We need to see that if the government, or the economy, or the religious denomination were good, as a form, then it would be good for the relationships within. All of our forms have been feeding off the relationships of citizen with citizen for a long time, handing out injustice like it was candy, and making empty promises. No one changes without a problem. We have a problem. It is time to consider change. And we can't change who is our neighbor, and we cannot change what is his character; but he is not the problem. If our forms, which is how we structure our relationships are broken, worn out, and dying; then there is no point in killing our neighbor to give the form an hour more of life. Consider a new paradigm. Thanks. Sweeney

Comment: #1
Posted by: James A, Sweeney
Sun Jul 6, 2008 5:20 AM