Thoughts on a Sunday Morning

I wish the MSM and FOX would stop talking about the Bush Tax Cuts!!!  What Congress is talking about is keeping the tax levels at the current rate not cutting them.  If the Democrats manage to pass an extension of the current tax rates minus those making over $250,000 a year it should be called the Obama TAX INCREASE!!

Have been reading the articles about how Obama has lost his communication skills.  I would tend to disagree.  If you read his speeches they are very well written and most of the time his reading of them from his Teleprompter is adequate.  So what is the problem?  He has lost his ability to persuade.  I have always argued that the biggest power a president has his his ability to persuade and when he loses that he is in trouble. Along with the ability to persuade comes the projecting the fear of hurting in Congress.  Obama seems stuck in the days of massive approval ratings and doesn't yet seem to realize that his party and therefore him lost in November.  Obama is unable to persuade the folks.  He also can not "threaten" Congress except to campaign for them!!!  His problem is not that he has been unable to communication his proposals; it is that he has been unable to persuade people to follow his lead.  I think the biggest mistake he made was that people voted for change but change in the culture of Washington not for change in our system of government.  He confused the two and to add to the confused mix he thought his win in 2008 was a mandate.  It was a vote against Republican rule for the most part not a mandate for him and his desire to change the fundamental nature of our country. I hope the Republicans in the House do not fall into that trap.

Speaking of the Republicans, they seem to be getting off to a good start.  A lot of what they are doing is symbolic right now and they need to keep this up.  Boehner giving up the military jet was a great idea.  I still don't understand why anyone but Boehner and perhaps the minority leader needs a car and driver.  The rest of them should cab it or drive themselves or take the metro or have staff drive them.  And they also should go through security at the airport.  In fact I would recommend that all the Congressmen go through security at the airports and while in line talk to the people (without identifying themselves as congressmen) and really listen to the people who make this country work instead of the lobbyists and interest groups. 

I am glad that Thanksgiving is over.  My husband died a few days before Thanksgiving several years ago and as a result the holiday is rather bittersweet for me.  Christmas is a little better.

Am looking forward to going to Israel the first of the year.  It is one of those places I never thought I would get do.  One doesn't necessarily wake up one morning and say let's go.  I will be there during Orthodox Christmas so it should be festive.

Am still getting used to the new Weight Watchers point system.  I intellectually know I have more points and that most fruit and vegetables are zero points but a number of things I have eaten on the last points program now are much higher -- ie Vita top muffins went from 1 to 3 points.  Ugh.  We will see.