Aside from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, the great depression, World Wars I and II, and 9-11, plus a few more I can't think of off the top of my head, Rahm is absolutely right. His fatuous fawning over the great messiah will not be missed.

Of course Barack Obama appointed another far left loonie to be his Chief of Staff. Obama is a progressive idealogue who deep down disapproves of the free market and capitalism. He gives lip service to business, but his actions and appointments belie his words. That there is even a discussion as to whether he is a socialist amazes me. It was obvious to anyone who listened to his words when he campaigned and his performance has only confirmed it.

It is apparent that the NAACP is actually just another branch of the Democratic Party. It is also apparent that the NAACP and prominent black spokespersons like the Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, and congressmen like Shiela Jackson Lee and Maxine Waters have too much to lose if the average black person no longer views him or herself as a victim to ever admit that real progress has been made and is continuing to be made. Their actions actually impede this progress by over emphasizing the problems rather than the progress.

The greatest failure of our institutions is not in the 3 branches of our government; it is in the failure of the fourth estate: our news media. We no longer have reporters who glean out the details of the news and the people who make the news. We have advocates who promote their personal agenda, often by just not reporting the facts they don't like. Why can't the facts just be presented and let the people make up their own minds? The media elites view us as too stupid to be able to make intelligent judgements. This failure of one of our hallowed institutions could lead to the unravelling of this whole democracy thing.

Last night Mat Garza pitched 6 innings of shutout ball for the Rays. He was lifted because his pitch count had reached 88 and would most likely exceed the magic number of 100 in the next inning. You see, Mat, who is an excellent pitcher, had been knocked out in 4 innings by the Red Sox last time out and manager Joe Maddon was afraid he would lose his confidence if the Indians got a few runs in the next inning. Today it was announced that the pitching rotation would be realigned after the All Star game and Mat would get 9 days rest before his next turn. How do you think Marichal and Spahn would have thought about that turn of events? Are there any men left in the game?

I wonder how many ethnic studies programs tell the story of Tony. Probably only one, at Tulane where Humberto teaches.

The more government tries to implement policies and directives to make investment safer, the more perilous it becomes for individuals trying to secure their financial future.
There is no "safe" place to invest, including the illusion of safe municipal bonds. My unsophisticated solution is to buy all the cheap wine you can afford and store. Not for the probability of capital gains, but to have available for consumption when needed.