Tit for Tat # 1

Johnny Carson as the Great Carnac

With all that is going on in the world, it would be nice to be well informed. You know, have a strong press that reports and researches and investigates the news. Searches out connections with their resources that perhaps we may miss. I would like the mass media to look into Russia and Putin with the continued fall in the price of oil. What are the implications of that?

Unfortunately, sometimes the press is less than diligent in their job. Chris Matthews is too busy getting chills down his leg and making sure Obama's administration does not fail, so I am not sure how effective they will be. The New York Times has had how many reporters make up the news?

Another thing that really bothers me is that they will look back to FDR and how Obama is emulating FDR's administration and just get all squishy and soft in the head about it. Do not misunderstand me. The Republicans have not showered themselves with glory or even with sticking to their principles--they seem to have their greedy paws in the taxpayer pocket just as much as the Democrats. But a little bit of, maybe not skepticism, but a little bit of looking at the world with a less leftward tilt would be nice.

During the Depression, FDR created his "Brain Trust." Super smart people to help guide America out of the Great Depression. FDR liked to play with our currency. Here is a quote from a book by Amity Shlaes called "The Forgotten Man":

"Roosevelt personally experimented with the currency--one day, in bed, he raised the gold price by 21 cents. When Henry Morgenthau, who would become Treasury Secretary, asked him why, Roosevelt said, "it's a lucky number, because it's three times seven." Morgenthau wrote later, "If anybody ever knew how we set the gold price through a combination of lucky numbers, etc., I think they would be frightened."

Now, do you remember the justified ridicule Reagan got for Nancy consulting an astrologer? It was embarrassing to be a Republican. Why even try to defend such silliness? It was a justifable source of late night humor. Do you think we would have heard anything about this had it been a Democrat? Do you think the late night comedians would have had a field day with that?

I have one for Bush and Obama, but I will save that for Tit for Tat #2.