"Every breath you take"

I would like someone to explain to me (in some detail) how it is that Honda and Toyota can spend a billion or so building automobile plants in the United States and make money hand over fist while American auto makers claim they have to outsource and shut down? One explanation I heard is that Ford and GM continued to make SUV's that the American public did not want to buy. As both Toyota and Honda make SUV's I do not find this a very satisfactory explanation although I grant it might have some relevance. Another explanation has to do with pensions and health insurance. Someone today claimed that if Ford only had to pay for health insurance what Honda pays they would have made a profit instead of a loss. They claim that the reason for the discrepancy is that Honda has a much younger work force and therefore their costs for health insurance are much less. In other words, Ford, a company that has paid its workers fairly well, and given them a decent pension system plus medical coverage, is being punished for such a noble attempt. One of the arguments across the board for virtually all businesses in the U.S. is that they can't compete because the costs of medical insurance are too great. You might wonder why they don't conclude that what we need in the U.S. is a single payer universal health care system like every other advanced country in the world. But, no, socialized medicine and all that. Can't have that. Let's just keep caving in to the pharmaceutical companies and the medical groups who will not allow anything sensible like universal health care. Frankly, I hope they all go under.

It is now known that we have at least four permanent military bases in Iraq. Permanent in the sense that they have their own Burger Kings, bowling alleys, swimming pools, and etc. So when you hear anyone say we are going to bring our troops home you will know that doesn't apply to all troops, just those who will not be part of a permanent presence in Iraq (and the Middle East). I have said from the very beginning the U.S. had/has no intention of giving up a presence in the Middle East. Have to protect all that oil, you know, that oil that had nothing whatever to do with why we invaded. We were really interested in just spreading democracy - and spread it we have. Iraq has now democratically decided they would like to be affiliated with Iran, and Hamas has won a landslide victory in Palestine. The march of democracy continues - except we won't accept it. Ah, democracy.

The somewhat belated attempt by the democrats to filibuster Alito is probably not going to fly. McClellan and other Republicans are ridiculing it, and most everyone who claims to know says that it will fail. They claim the democrats will be lucky to get 30 votes, let along the 41 they need. The head of Democracy.com says wait until monday before you decide. I will wait but I confess I am not sanguine about the possibilities. Democrats have become so inept I bet they have to ask Republicans to help tie their shoes in the cloakroom. How I wish there could be a viable second party. But it is obvious that the one party in power will not allow it. Oh, well, American democracy had a long run. Too bad it's all over.

While I was writing this I was listening to the new Republican theme song, Every Breath You Take. You know, the one that goes something like "every breath you take, every step you take, I'll be watching you." How appropriate.