Brian Gongol Show on WHO Radio - August 1, 2010
A quick list of observations and notes from tonight's show:
Pabst is selling a version of PBR for $44 a bottle in China, proving once again that marketing is capable of achieving consumer programming beyond my comprehension.
The Constitution was written about 70 years before anyone ever rode a bicycle. Consider that next time you wonder whether we're as smart as the Founding Fathers. (We are...and we have a lot of better tools than they ever had.)
The President is taking credit for "creating" thousands of jobs through the bailout of the Detroit automakers and subsequent "investments" in the industry. Sorry, but those jobs weren't "created". They were financed with money we borrowed, and which will be paid back at the expense of future workers.
Chinese credit-ratings agencies are vouching that Chinese government debt is a safer bet than US Treasury notes. True or not, what matters is whether people believe the claim. And if they do, we could be in a lot of trouble.
The problems we're seeing on the state-budget level are early warning indicators for the trouble we're going to face as a country. We can't go on spending thriftlessly forever.
Voters, it turns out, may be quite predictable -- responding mainly to the performance of the party in power on the hot-button issue of the day. That does not bode well for our ability to deal with long-term, serious issues like fixing entitlement spending or getting the budget under control.
North Korea may have aggravated Nature sufficiently to re-awaken a dormant volcano. Lesson: Don't set off underground nuclear weapons tests near magma.
For all the talk of health-care reform in this country, one of the most important steps you can take is also free: Make some friends and spend time with them. It turns out that's as valuable as eating well and getting exercise.