and they say the economy is booming....

I actually live for Friday nights at 11 p.m., when Real Time with Bill Maher airs on HBO. Sometimes he has wonderful guests with a vast knowledge of the political scene and then sometimes he has a battling Republican, who spouts the Bushisms of the past too many years. This past Friday he had John Fund, Wall Street Journal reporter as one of his guests. What a dickhead!!! When the argument arose about the poor getting poorer -he chimed in with something along the line of "the economy is better than EVER!!" To say the audience was pissed was an understatement. He followed that assertion by "UNEMPLOYMENT IS BELOW 4% - A RECORD!" EXCUSE ME!!!!! That 4% only reflects those claiming unemloyment - the Republicans always seem to forget those who long ago were dropped off the unemployment rolls - their claims used up - and some are now homeless! This is one argument that NEVER gets clarified. How can the economy be so great at this moment - when gas is well over $3 a gallon, and those earning minimum wage can no longer afford to GET TO WORK!! Is it a prerequisite to be a moron in order to be a politician - guess so! And should I mention HEALTH CARE???

Michael Moore (Fahrenheit 9/11) has a new film debuting at the Cannes Film Festival called "Sicko!" He had heard that the detainees were receiving excellent and major tecnological medical treatment at Gitmo - so he got several first responders from NYC (9/11 event) and sailed to Gitmo - begging for medical treatment equal to that given the foreign detainees - and was refused. He then sailed to Havanna, Cuba and all those on board were given excellent treatment with positive results - treatment and tests which were unaffordable here in the US. You see, Cuba has socialized medicine, as does France and many other countries - AND IT IS A WORKABLE SCENARIO. But the Bush administration fails to feel for the ailing citizens of this country - forbidding people to obtain cheaper medicines across our borders and setting up a Medicare plan - doomed to fail.

President Jimmy Carter labeled this administration as "the worst in history" yesterday, now the bushies are vilifying Carter because of the unprecedented statement. GO JIMMY!!

I guess my soapbox isn't big enough for all the things I have to say (especially when I am furious!) So I will sign off now.

Two weeks from today I will have a drink in my hand and be ready to sail to the Caribbean - one week is NOT long enough for me!

Take care all and TTFN.

**The son flew home Tuesday night from Briggs, England and may be leaving tomorrow for - who knows where?!?!