BernieHund: The Political Watchdog

Ho-hum!  More of the same old, same old.

Hillary wins Pennsylvania by 9.4 points and declares a victory, a change of the tide.  Of course, everyone expected her to win.  But, the spin is remarkable.  Before Tuesday, everyone said Senator Clinton would need at the bare minimum a 10 point win to be able to keep going.  Six weeks ago she had a 20 point lead and Barack Obama was trying to close the gap as much as possible, never expecting to win the state.

So, let’s see.  Hillary didn’t quite make the 10 point spread.  Barack closed the gap by a hair over 10 points.  And, the new spin is that Hillary is the big winner and that she has all the momentum.  Now, what’s that about?  Before and after… and how the spin changes.

The candidates have moved on to Indiana and North Carolina and it’s more of the same.  The Sunday morning media spin concentrated on tearing the party apart.  But, we all know better than that.  For my part, I’m getting tired of the same old talking points and worn out with the daily reports.  I guess at some point any game can go on too long and interest begins to dissipate.  But, sooner or later the in-fighting will be over, the Democrats will unite around one candidate and the real contest will begin.  Okay, so I believe there will be some negative effects from this long and winding road, but in the end, when faced with the alternative… John McCain… I can’t imagine the Democrats sitting back and watching him move into the Oval Office.

The FDA was under scrutiny this week.  If you read “Bernie” regularly, you have to know, the FDA is a pet peeve.  And, again, this week we are reminded of why.  In testimony before Congress, the FDA was portrayed as out of sync, out of quality control, and dysfunctional.  Yet, the FDA wants more money so it can do less.  “FDA approved” leaves something to be desired and more money won’t correct the problem.  Let’s hope Congress sees it that way, too.

The VA was exposed for trying to cover up the number of suicides of veterans.  For reasons I don’t understand, the VA seems to have a problem admitting the truth, perhaps not so much because of the high numbers, but for the lack of the administration doing anything to head off the trend.  Our veterans and on duty military deserve better.  That goes without saying. 

Speaking of military related issues, General Petraeus is moving up to the Central Commander’s job.  It is a given that he will be confirmed by Congress. 

The Farm Bill was extended again.  Apparently, everyone hasn’t put their piece of pork in the bill.  By the time the bill is renewed and updated, we can rest assured that we will have more pork in the barrel and more poop in the bill.

A couple of the “big box stores”, Costco and Sam’s Club, have begun limiting quantities of rice it will sell to any one person on any one trip to the store.  With a reported shortage of some types of rice maybe that’s what is needed.  From season to season, there are bound to be shortages of some commodities.  I suppose the alarm bells wouldn’t have gone off so loudly if Sam’s Club had not added the little note…. wheat and gas are not being limited at this time.  Is that a predicter of things to come?  Or, are we just overreacting?

Perhaps, the highlight of the week was Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s interview on Bill Moyers Journal.  There is a link on the sidebar to the right.  I suggest anyone who hasn’t seen it take the time to watch it.  I do believe it will give those with an open mind a little insight into the preacher.  Of course, I know there are those who, no matter what is said or done, won’t be satisfied.

And, our newest embassy… the Iraqi palace… isn’t quite big enough for all its tenants.  Yep, $700 Million taxpayer dollars and one month before the big move into the monster, it is discovered that it must be remodeled.  I cannot quite imagine how that happened.  But, the single apartments are being split in two.  That should slow things down and keep us in Iraq a little longer.

Speaking of wasted tax dollars… the Great Wall of America… the one that separates us from Mexico has hit yet another $20 Million snag.  The towers that were erected to run the “virtual fence” in some areas don’t work.  Now, the taxpayers… $20 Million already wasted… will have to foot the bill for new towers and technology.  It seems that maybe the government needs to purchase those extended warranties consumers are usually offered.

All in all, waste ruled the week.  Tax dollars are wasted faster than the IRS can collect them.  Ergo, the huge national debt that is growing every day.  But, not to worry… President Bush that the checks are in the mail.