FEMA needs to once again become a cabinet level agency, on its own. Under the ever posturing Joe, seeking glory, FEMA must seem relatively unimportant, but a competent FEMA is critical to a President’s effectiveness. Virtually all of what FEMA deals with will fall under the category of natural disasters. Look what Katrina did to W’s reputation.

It’s fairly evident that Bush sublimated FEMA under DHS so that he could award his corporate supporters. I’ve gone OT, but I am trying to consider the Prez-elect’s perspective too.

Lieberman did a bad job as Chairman of Homeland Security, bad enough to lose the chairmanship for incompetence rather than treachery, but Obama knows the real mover and shaker is the executive. Things can be fixed with or without Lieberman. As for the fifty billion, it’s a lot, about what it costs to keep AIG floating for a quarter. As the late Senator Dirksen said, “A billion here, a billion there and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.” We should up date it to ” fifty billion here, fifty billion there….”

Unfortunately government is not transparent. It is intentionally obscure to the point where the Dems will have a secret ballot on Lieberman. Whose feelings (or interests) are they protecting? and from what? Still, if Obama doesn’t want to go to the mat on this, I say OK I’ll give you this. If Obama wants Lieberman in the caucus, but not chairman of anything, I hope he makes that clear before the vote.

Maybe Obama’s right. Maybe we need a new politics of forgiveness. Obama’s no patsy. He told George Bush he intends to reverse many of his executive orders. He probably asked him to refrain from signing any more. Just the difference in style between him and McCain is gladdening. Obama stood by himself in front of thousands of people. McCain always seemed to have someone standing behind him. Michelle went out on her own, something Cindy could not manage. I say let Obama do it his way, not to the point of the Senate losing its separate powers, but as a persuader of Senators to try something new.

Just pinch off his head.

A*I*P*A*C* is a PAC, the four major religious groups -Jews, Mormons, Christians and Catholics are also the equivalent of PACs, and have no place – anymore- in undermining the ethics or governance of this country.

Harry do your duty. Because if you don’t we will.
Joe, quit running to your big donors for cover. Stand up and take your medicine.

And you other Senators – fear no one anymore. Just do the right thing on behalf of all of us.
‘Cause we’re watching!

And what has it gotten us? Nothing.

Not exactly nothing.

The other day I deposited a larger check than usual into my bank account — nothing amazing and absolutely less than the magic 10 grand.

I wanted to put some of it in a different account in a different bank, so I asked for a cashier’s check for 3 grand. That action flagged me for a “special audit” for the government that had nothing to do with bank policy.

The teller clicked some clicks and in about two minutes I was “free to go” — she said congrats, you survived a “xyz” (I don’t remember what the real acronym was).

WTF? I’d say we’ve gotten something for Homeland Security, Inc.