I wonder if Lindsay Lohan will be the next young, talented, addicted, seriously ill, celebrity, to die of her still untreated illness? Addiction is treatable. If left untreated, it gets worse, not better. And, if left untreated, it is fatal.
I wonder how high the price of gold (measured in US dollars) will go in what is left of 2011 and into 2012? I wonder when a country will decide to make its currency convertible into a hard "monetary" asset like gold or silver or, possibly, oil?
I wonder if a decision like that would move the US dollar further and further away from being the world's reserve currency? I wonder, if the price of gold gets much higher, if the US government will begin to make statements like this: "there is too much speculation in the precious metals markets, and we believe it is leading to a distortion in the markets and in the value of the dollar. We will continue to monitor this situation closely." I wonder if this will then be the beginning of another move by the US government to consider the confiscation of gold (and silver) from investors in those safe haven assets? (Gold hit an all time high of $1660.00 today, 8/3/2011; I wrote the draft of this blog on 7/27/2011...hmmm).
I wonder how soon after this temporary debt deal has been approved and signed into law (in order to buy everyone a little more time to delay the inevitable, a significant budget deal where cuts and comprehensive tax reform will occur) the Obama administration will move forward with its next big initiative: comprehensive immigration reform. I wonder if anyone else sees a link between our unwillingness to deal with this issue (because it is messy, uncomfortable and will confront all of the unspoken racism, classism, ageism, and other "isms" lurking around those with unearned privilege) and our collective unwillingness to make a comprehensive deal on future US (and state) budgets? I wonder a lot about that.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Week One of The Weekly Wonder
I wonder how much hoopla there would be in Arizona and in the other US states who have so adamantly taken a stand against "illegal" immigrants if the men, women and children they were complaining so loudly about were white skinned and were from Canada instead of from Mexico, Central and South America?
Just wondering.
I wonder how much support there would be in Arizona and in the other US states that border Mexico
if people who supported the building of a border fence actually knew these facts: border fences don't work, they kill innocent men, women and children, and they are very, very expensive to build and to maintain. Ask the East Germans, the Czechs, the Hungarians, the Poles. And, the people who live on both sides of the Mexican-American border. I wonder about this.
I wonder how much support there would be for "reducing the deficit" if Republicans who currently receive Social Security benefits and are on Medicare, and those who will be eligible in the next few years, understood this fact: their benefits would have to be reduced in order to reduce the deficit by any significant
amount. Those two entitlement programs, defense spending, and interest on the national debt make up the vast majority of the USA's budget. The rest is chump change. Are Republicans really committed to reducing the deficit for the future generations? I wonder about that.
I wonder who will be elected to the United States Senate from Arizona in 2012 when Jon Kyl's term expires?
I wonder who will be elected to the governorship in Arizona after Jan Brewer completes her second term
(and is ineligible to serve a third term)?
I wonder who the Republican nominee for President will be in 2012?
Just wondering.
I wonder how much support there would be in Arizona and in the other US states that border Mexico
if people who supported the building of a border fence actually knew these facts: border fences don't work, they kill innocent men, women and children, and they are very, very expensive to build and to maintain. Ask the East Germans, the Czechs, the Hungarians, the Poles. And, the people who live on both sides of the Mexican-American border. I wonder about this.
I wonder how much support there would be for "reducing the deficit" if Republicans who currently receive Social Security benefits and are on Medicare, and those who will be eligible in the next few years, understood this fact: their benefits would have to be reduced in order to reduce the deficit by any significant
amount. Those two entitlement programs, defense spending, and interest on the national debt make up the vast majority of the USA's budget. The rest is chump change. Are Republicans really committed to reducing the deficit for the future generations? I wonder about that.
I wonder who will be elected to the United States Senate from Arizona in 2012 when Jon Kyl's term expires?
I wonder who will be elected to the governorship in Arizona after Jan Brewer completes her second term
(and is ineligible to serve a third term)?
I wonder who the Republican nominee for President will be in 2012?
Week Two of TheWeeklyWonder
If we perceived obesity in a similar way to cancer, I wonder if there would be as much push back against Michele Obama's program to support healthy school lunches? I wonder if the illness of obesity is perceived as a disease of the "weak willed"? Or, of the lower classes? Or, of "those others"? Obesity kills. Untreated obesity is responsible for a gigantic part of the USA's health care budget, public and private. Just wondering what it is about obesity that has created such a reaction by so many.
I wonder why there is so much support among conservative Republicans for government research and treatment programs for cancer, but not much support for government efforts to fight obesity? Just wondering.
I wonder, now that the federal government has decided to 1. drastically scale back the space exploration program, 2. park the space shuttle; and 3. make no significant commitment of additional resources to a manned flight to Mars or anywhere else, if the "free market" is going to step in to that arena, fully, to develop those scientific areas of inquiry? I wonder if the Russians will put the first person on Mars?
If the federal government doesn't "produce anything" as some conservative pundits contend; then, I wonder what the free market will produce in the realm of space exploration? And, yes, I understand that there are already significant expenditures and activities in space from the private market (satellites, proposed tourist flights into orbit, etc.). But, if government doesn't explore the next frontier, I wonder who will?
I wonder how big the margin of victory will be for Obama's reelection in 2012? And, I wonder how many seats the Republicans will lose in the House and in the Senate in 2012? I wonder who will ultimately be blamed for this debt ceiling game that is being played out right now in Washington?
I wonder why there is so much support among conservative Republicans for government research and treatment programs for cancer, but not much support for government efforts to fight obesity? Just wondering.
I wonder, now that the federal government has decided to 1. drastically scale back the space exploration program, 2. park the space shuttle; and 3. make no significant commitment of additional resources to a manned flight to Mars or anywhere else, if the "free market" is going to step in to that arena, fully, to develop those scientific areas of inquiry? I wonder if the Russians will put the first person on Mars?
If the federal government doesn't "produce anything" as some conservative pundits contend; then, I wonder what the free market will produce in the realm of space exploration? And, yes, I understand that there are already significant expenditures and activities in space from the private market (satellites, proposed tourist flights into orbit, etc.). But, if government doesn't explore the next frontier, I wonder who will?
I wonder how big the margin of victory will be for Obama's reelection in 2012? And, I wonder how many seats the Republicans will lose in the House and in the Senate in 2012? I wonder who will ultimately be blamed for this debt ceiling game that is being played out right now in Washington?
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