It's a good thing we have a couple of comments, anecdotes and one stellar joke to add to the podcast, because the main topics are pretty grim. Among them:
"Life is Harder Now, Experts Say": And don't most of us know it. But Bob Sullivan's piece published on MSNBC last week is an excellent summary of the comparison of life in the 70's and today in terms of where earned money goes, pointing out that added income, much in the form of both spouses working, has been eaten up by the huge increase in fixed expenses, such as child care and housing costs. Listen up and yearn for the good old days!
"Outsourcing Government" by Naomi Klein, published Friday in the L.A. Times is another grave glimpse into reality. Her point is that the administration's overuse of contractors both here and abroad has left the public sector unable to perform it most basic functions. That's right--private companies not only perform the work, but they also identify the work to be done, write up the work orders, implement them and also oversee them. So what is the government's function? To simply pay the bill because it no longer knows how to do anything else! Think about this. Sort of like putting children in charge, huh?
Scott Ridder's "On the Eve of Destruction", published Monday in
www.Truthdig.com, addresses President Bush's press conference comments about World War III and imprinting, explaining his former role as an "imprinter" while a weapons inspector with the UN. Fascinating and frightening at the same time. You'll just have to listen to find out why.
Thanks for listening. We'll be back Monday, October 29. Keep the comments coming!
