LEAVE IT TO PEEVER

 

New YearÕs Revolutions

 

— Bumper sticker of the week: How many more before this war ends?

— Quotes of the week: ÒThere are two types of people in this world, good and bad. The good sleep better, but the bad seem to enjoy the waking hours much more.Ó Woody Allen

ÒOn the whole, human beings want to be good, but not too good, and not quite all the time.Ó George Orwell

— New YearÕs Revolutions:

¥ I resolve to stay on the city council and county board until I see some results. I could be in it for the long haul.

¥ Someone needs to do something about the utility companies. It might as well be us.

¥ IÕm hoping to get my second book started this new year, but I canÕt get the first sentence. If I could get the first sentence, I could figure out what the book would be about. IÕm leaning towards, The Bible, by Rev. Peever. Surely that copyright has run out.

¥ IÕd give up something, but IÕve gone that route before. It usually doesnÕt work. This year I may take something.

¥ I resolve to quit being so cynical. No, that wonÕt work either.

¥ I would like to meet Castro before he moves on. He is one of the last great revolutionaries of our time. He kicked the rich out of Cuba. Most of them are still crying down in Miami. IÕd like to ask him how he did it.

¥ Although not much of a revolutionary idea, IÕm thinking of opening a soup kitchen. A lot of people are hungry, and not just for words.

¥ 2007 would be a good time for a new yearÕs revolution, although it seems to have started in 2006. Right-wing Republicanism took one for the team. New Year Revolutions is a time for change, when the old way of doing business is rejected, and a new path, endorsed by the people, is chosen. I got a good feeling about 2007. You talk about a revolution.

— Speaking of poverty: So letÕs figure, the big boys donÕt know how the poverty rate can be going up, and unemployment down. First of all, the idea that the unemployment rate is going down in Knox County is basically an illusion. Maybe an outright lie. We got a good 20% unemployment rate going on here. But letÕs, for arguments sake, say it is going down. People who were making $17 per hour are taking jobs for $6 per hour. And presto, there you have it. The working poor. I should get a government job.

— The cost of war: The U.S. government claims 19% of the budget goes toward military spending. The Center for Defense Information puts that figure at 51%. The Friends Committee on National Legislation says itÕs at 42%, and the War Resisters League claims 49%. Each group uses a slightly different method in calculating the actual percentage. So if we average all four, the cost of waging war comes in at 40%. ThatÕs 40 cents on every dollar. I, for one, donÕt think itÕs worth that.

— Retirement: IÕm getting used to retirement. I donÕt miss the hassle, the paperwork, the pressure of seeing 8 clients in 8 hours. But I do miss being around people, although IÕm getting over it.

— Happy New YearÕs. Remember, if you drink, donÕt talk.