Daily Archives: 2012/02/07

The blueprint…

I must admit I was less than impressed with the Super Bowl Ads this year. Maybe it was because they were viewable on-line before the game. I liked it better when they were a surprise. Nonetheless there is the matter of the Clint Eastwood Ad, and everyone is talking about it. Eastwood has been a hero of mine since I was very young. His success on-screen and behind the camera is the stuff of Hollywood legend. Moreover, the man who brought us the character Dirty Harry and movies like “Gran Torino” and “Unforgivin” has always been a larger than life figure in American culture. So when he appeared during the Super Bowl Half Time Show espousing America itself was in a sort of “Half Time”, I quieted the noisy house to listen to the iconic raspy voice and came away with mixed emotions.

Firstly, I would not question this man’s patriotism or his intentions, for there is simply no reason too. When you listen to the Ad you hear the passion in his voice and feel the genuineness of his approach. I believe Mr. Eastwood is correct, though what he metaphorically refers to as “Half Time”, I have called the “cross roads” many times. Simply put it is time for us to come together as a nation once again and solve our countries problems. We have done it before and that historical blueprint for success remains today, one nation celebrating that which bonds us and not that which divides us.

However I question using Detroit, and more specifically Chrysler as examples of success. Yes there are signs of improvement in the American Auto Industry, but the price has been high and the end is not yet in sight. GM still owes billions to the American Taxpayer, and Chrysler is majority owned by FIAT of Italy having finally severed ties with another foreign entity Daimler just prior, and having taken billions in bail out money as well. Ford remains the shiny penny at this point.

Anyway, it appears to be a great and inspirational commercial on its surface, but leaves many somewhat perplexed as to how this theme was reasoned in. As of today and having watched it a few times now, I will stand with Eastwood on his faith that we may yet rise to the challenge(s) as the second half begins. However, the stakes are much higher than a shiny “Vince Lombardi” Trophy and a trip to Disney. And the price for failure is always the bitter lesson taught us by history.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PE5V4Uzobc’]

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Good news…

Still stinging from the Patriots embarrassing loss to the Giants Sunday night, I have decided to move past my disappointment with Mr. Brady for the moment and do some news.

The jobs report is on the tongues of every pundit out there, so I’ll throw in yet another two cents. Republicans are going to have to accept the reality that the latest jobs numbers are damn good news in some ways. If we analyze the Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers for the last quarter, and extrapolate out the trend going back to about the fall of 2009, we can clearly see some movement in the right direction in the areas of Science and technology, engineering, construction and services, to include a pretty good uptick in retail for fiscal 2010-2011. It is noteworthy that in a recovery that has muddled along at what can only be described as a snail’s pace, these types of “numbers inside the numbers” do show improvement. What I mean by this, is putting aside for a moment that the work force has shrunk considerably, and that 24 million Americans remain significantly “underemployed”, the U.S. economy is doing what the U.S. economy always and eventually does, rolling over and coming about, despite whatever Washington is doing to “muck it up”. Some of my readers may recall my writing on this very notion around the time of the great “stimulus debate”.

Appropriately however, I think the Republicans should do their own homework and not get caught bad mouthing any good we can take from very bad times. There is plenty to focus on in the areas of inflation, fuel costs, European financial chaos, our own debt here at home, and how these factors will inevitably impact future jobs reports. But the fact remains that many who have struggled to find work to feed their families and hold on to their homes have found it, and this is absolutely good news…

Posted in "Patriot64", America, Campaign 2012, Congress, Economy, Fred Comella, Jobs, Right vs. Left, Socioeconomic | Tagged | Comments Off on Good news…