It’s been a while since I’ve posted, and I’m sorry about that.  Life intervenes, and we often lack all the time we would like – at least if we’re working for our family’s betterment instead of voluntarily sitting on our butt waiting for that support check.

All that aside, I saw a couple of items today that I had to post about. The first just for the sheer, jaw dropping surrealism, and the second because it’s the first ray of hope for America I’ve seen since November.

Item 1: From the American Thinker

“Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said the US should take a lesson from the pages of Russian history and not exercise “excessive intervention in economic activity and blind faith in the state’s omnipotence”.

“’In the 20th century, the Soviet Union made the state’s role absolute,’ Putin said during a speech at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

“’In the long run, this made the Soviet economy totally uncompetitive. This lesson cost us dearly. I am sure nobody wants to see it repeated.’

“Sounding more like Barry Goldwater than the former head of the KGB, Putin said, ‘Nor should we turn a blind eye to the fact that the spirit of free enterprise, including the principle of personal responsibility of businesspeople, investors, and shareholders for their decisions, is being eroded in the last few months. There is no reason to believe that we can achieve better results by shifting responsibility onto the state.’

“Putin also echoed the words of conservative maverick Ron Paul when he said, ‘we must assess the real situation and write off all hopeless debts and ‘bad’ assets. True, this will be an extremely painful and unpleasant process. Far from everyone can accept such measures, fearing for their capitalization, bonuses, or reputation. However, we would “conserve” and prolong the crisis, unless we clean up our balance sheets.’

I mean, what the hell kind of through-the-looking-glass world have we fallen into?

Item 2: Rick Santelli Rant on CNBC

 Select Transcript:
 

“The government is promoting bad behavior. We certainly don’t want to put stimulus forth and give people a whopping $8 or $10 in their check and think that they ought to save it.

“And in terms of modifications, I tell you what. I have an idea. The new administration is big on computers and technology. How about this,  President and new administration?

 “Why don’t you put up a website to have people vote on the Internet as a referendum to see if we really want to subsidize the losers’ mortgages? Or would they like to at least buy cars, buy houses in foreclosure … give it to people who might have a chance to actually prosper down the road and reward people that can carry the water instead of drink the water?

“This is America!

“How many people want to pay for your neighbor’s mortgage, who has an extra bathroom and can’t pay their bills?

“Raise your hands!

“President Obama, are you listening?

“You know Cuba used to have mansions and a relatively decent economy. They moved from the individual to the collective....Now they’re driving ‘54 Chevys.

 ...
 

“It’s time for another tea party.

 ...
 

“What we are doing in this country will make Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin roll over in their graves.”

? Where do I sign up? (Of course it would be Chicago, not Boston, and Lake Michigan, not Boston Harbor, and dumping …?  instead of tea…)