George Rebane

– Countywide election of BoS and Planning Commission
– Sestak imbroglio
– Markey on NPR blames Bush for Oil Spill
– US Money Supply, Constitution and the Dollar

This morning’s emails contained a heads-up that the blinding light of morality and justice has again been shined on my bald noggin – well actually on Jo Ann, but then we fly in pretty tight formation.  My wife is the contributor of record of $300 to John Spencer’s supervisorial re-election campaign as documented on the front page of today’s Union, in a local progressive blog, and, perhaps, other places.  To the progressives this is not a right and proper expression of free speech.  Why? Because the Rebanes are known conservatives who live outside Mr Spencer’s district, and such contributions serve to politicize a non-partisan office.  Cease and desist!

That such opposition is imbecilic needs no more ink to confirm.  Hell, we’ve even sent money across the country to candidates like Alan Keyes, Ron Paul, and others whom we could not vote for, but whose ideology in office we believe would make for a better country.  It is simply our and everyone’s right of free political speech.  Nevertheless, this little Nevada County dust devil does call for a little comment.

I believe that the members of the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission should be countywide offices.  We’re a small and cohesive county of 100,000 people with three small municipalities that have their own elected councils and planning commissions.  We are not so parochial as to seek geographically partisan representation over our small patch of mountains and valleys.  The offices are few and the best talent to fill them should come from any and all parts of the county.

Barry to Rahm to Bill to Joe.  Yesterday’s latest load from the White House has us believing that a globally prominent, two-term former US President was chosen as the errand boy to carry the lamest (so far) message of the century to a US congressman getting ready to unseat a nationally-known political turncoat now promising to vote reliably within his newly minted ideology.  Sestak was offered an unpaid job on some presidential panel or other??!!  Give me a break.  That is one of the most demeaning assessments Obama has made of his own constituents.  He knows no Republican will believe that bullcrap.  So that leaves his own Democrat voters judged to be gullible enough to lap it all up.  Then again, maybe he’s right.

Having clarified that, I don’t think that such offers should be against the law (18 USC par 600) as long as they are made a matter of publicized and accessible public record.  These kinds of political pro quids have been made by everyone since the Republic was founded, and should be criminalized only to the extent that they are denied the timely light of day.

Congressman Markey (of the House cap n’ tax Waxman-Markey bill now superseded by the Senate’s Kerry-Lieberman bill) told everyone on NPR this morning that the Gulf oil spill is the fault of Bush’s Mineral Management Service dating back to 2007.  Meanwhile Obama is telling the country that the ‘buck (finally) stops here’ – I guess as long as BP is able to come up with the buck.  Some say that the Gulf spill will be to Obama what Katrina was to Bush.  I don’t agree.   Our chief community organizer will coat himself with a layer of leaked oil, and then looking pitiful and overwhelmed, will agree with Markey’s clever analysis – it really was W’s fault.  The same ones who believe the Sestak story are more than ready to believe this version of what caused the blowout.  All is well at 1600 Pennsylvania.

It turns out that the Constitution does allow the states to COIN their own gold and silver money (Art 1, Sec 10) as legal tender.  Subsequent Supreme Court cases have birthed fiat paper money as legal tender and the Federal Reserve into existence, and the debasement of the dollar which has now collapsed to about 1,200th of an ounce of gold.  With an estimated $3 TRILLION of unfunded pension obligations, the states – and their counties, and cities – are in no position to coin anything except slogans justifying future federal bailouts.  (Public service unions, call your lawyers.)

And you, clever that you are, will ask what the feds will use for those bailouts while China is selling Treasuries.  Don’t ask but do take a look at any municipal bonds you may still have left in your portfolio.  In the meanwhile, my suggestion for the best new reality quiz show in the fall line-up will be ‘You Bet Your Butt’ co-hosted by the dynamic duo of Bernanke and Geithner; it will simply be riveting.  Exit question – after the dollar tanks, what will the world use as its reserve currency to settle inter-nation accounts and keep all that international trade going?  Bonus question – what’s another word for chaos?