Obama's Bridge to the Future

Surprise! It doesn't go anywhere.

It's been awhile since I've commented on Obama's activities. However, today he's making headlines with some pretty heavy (planned) public works initiatives. In the wake of the loss of 2 million plus jobs (and counting), Obama's plan should help to 1) stimulate the economy and 2) re-till the very ground (base) which gives birth to the mighty industrial-socio-economic superstructure which is American power. Let us all dance to the obamarama.

Yet one thing puzzles me regarding Obama's plan: why is the largest part of the infrastructure project geared towards roads and bridges? If the future demands that we move towards a 'green economy', shouldn't we be building mass transit, such as high speed rail, maglev trains, smart roads, etc (for some specific etc's, see below), rather than improving the very system that has been responsible for many of our current problems? I suppose if these proposed new roads and bridges are flooded with green cars, such investment will be worthwhile; but that potentiality would hinge on the Detroit bailout, which is still undecided and vague. To make an analogy to the body: why clean out the arteries that carry unhealthy fats if you're just going to keep ingesting more of the same? Rather, we should do away with the problem altogether - or at least radically rethink both the problem as well as the solution.

Here are two links to Obama's plan. If you haven't read up on what Obama wants to do, please take a moment and check it out. I've followed up with some links to alternative types of 'infrastructure-transportation' improvements that I beleive to be more prudent.

NYTimes:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/us/politics/07radio.html?pagewanted=1&hp

Politico:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16258.html

So hey Obama, Instead of focusing on antiquated ideas, how about thinking of new technologies and real alternative transportation solutions. Here are a few:

http://www.smartskyways.com/index.html

http://www.fastransitinc.com/

And this might be the coolest:
http://hyrail-backup.us/

Obama in Richmond

A little shout-out to my home town, where the Obaminator fed cool-aid to thousands on the 22nd of October.

But really, he has such a pretty mouth and he says such seductive things, how can one not vote for this guy? Now VA might turn completely blue... with two democratic senators, a democratic governor, and a democratic win for the presidency. Pretty exciting, I suppose

Though I still don't buy into Obama's rhetoric, here's the clip.

Barack Tease

Yesterday I posted a reminder regarding Obama's appearance on the O'Reilly Factor, and today I thought I'd offer a follow up for those of you who missed it:

Well, it was a total joke. Only a small portion of the complete interview was shown - the rest of which will air over three nights next week. Hence, I sat through about 45 minutes of crazy Bill ranting and raving before the 'interview' even began. So if you didn't watch it, you didn't miss much.

But if you're ever-curious and you do want to know what you missed, I transcribed the interview and posted it below. You can read it here:

*****

Bill: Senator, I'm going to take a very complex issue and reduce it to a yes or no question and then demand that you answer it in such a way that you 1) make republicans look awesome, or 2) make yourself look like a hypocrite.

Barack: OK, But I'm going to take your reductionist question and infuse it with nuance, reassemble the nexus of causality, and attempt to help people understand that issues are not simply black & white.

Bill: Fair enough, but while you try and talk, I'm going to start screaming: 'answer the questions senator! answer the question senator!'

Barack: Well, it is your show and I expected such behavior, but it probably won't help us to reach an understanding. It certainly won't help viewers at home to grasp the subtleties of geopolitics, international relations, and the historical chain of events...

Bill: *turning red* yes or no, senator! yes or no! everything is black and white, right and wrong, powerful conservative or pussy liberal

Barack: *smiling... tiny head with giant ears bobbing on thin neck* ...continues trying to explain complex, multidimensional issue...

Bill: *becoming hysterical; screaming now, mantra-like...* yes or no! yes or no!


repeat ad nauseam... more to come next week

*****

Caveat: it has occurred to me that my recent postings on Obama might be viewed as some sort of positive praise or excitement about Obama as the democratic nominee. Just for the record, I want to be clear that this is not the case.

Obama does O'Reilly

He's so Cute!

Just a heads up: Obama will appear on the O'Reilly Factor tonight at 8pm - an hour before McCain's acceptance speech. So for all you die-hard politicos, grab your favorite bottle of chardonnay and prepare to curl up for 2 hours of nail-biting excitement. What crazy hate-filled lies will O'Reilly spew forth? How nervous and fidgety will McCain be?

The Obama'rama

Well, it's official. Here is the endorsement you have all been waiting for: I have decided to fall into line with DNC mandates and support the cleanest and leanest candidate running for president, Barack Obama.

Yeah yeah, I still think Hillary got screwed and would have been the better choice. And yes, I still hold that Obama totally sucks for not picking Hillary as his VP (though he should never even have had the option as that he should have been Hillary's subordinate). But the prospect of 'president Palin' is simply too scary to leave up to fate. Had McCain chosen a different VP, I might have used my vote to protest the crappy two-party system - along with the de-mock-racy that it represents (yeeah, I did that... sorry). But alas, a choice between the lesser-of-two-evils strikes again.

All of Obama's accomplishments are in the future (I think that's from a David Brooks op/ed), while McCain already shows signs of senility. Great; two terrific options. So this November I will take a brief respite from my four years of slavery to help elect one of my two choices for new potential overlord.

I guess the upshot is that if Obama does win, there isn't a higher office for him to run for. Thus, he will actually finish his term(s).

I hope this post clears things up for those of you who have been 1)trying to convince me to vote for Obama, or 2)judging me critically because I'm not fully on board the Obama bandwagon.

God Prepares to Smite the Republicans

Well, though the future is still a bit hazy, it looks like as the diabolical Republicans gear up for their convention-of-hate&lies, not one but two big fat hurricanes will smack into Florida and the Gulf of Mexico (the latter of which might actually pummel New Orleans yet again).

And while I do admit that I myself am no theist, it does seem a bit ironic that those theistic Republicans are - serendipitously? - about to try and convince the country that they should be elected to power yet again while the country is simultaneously about to be reminded of Bush's failed response to Katrina three years ago.

Is God trying to tell us something? There sure weren't any frogs dropping from the sky when Obama gave his acceptance speech last night (which, by the way, was pretty convincing).

Will the levee's break just as McCain shuffles up to the podium? We will have to wait and see. But for now it looks like God likes democrats more than republicans. I guess Jesus will vote for Obama.