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Poor old McCain doesn't know how many houses he has (answer: seven). The same question should be put to all British politicians. Include houses overseas. I know several keen supporters of the war in Iraq who have houses in the US but far more enthusiastic pro-Europeans who have a second or third house in France or Italy. Ask me how many I have and I have to say that, being as old as McCain I can't remember. I'll refer you to my wife. The lovely Mrs Rachman.
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This is the land of free enterprise where you'd expect Mad Mervyn's vision of moral hazard to be the absolute rule. The reverse is ture. The big automakers, having just won $25 billion in preferential loans want it doubled to $50 billion. Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae, the mortgage guarantors who Warren Buffet said have no net worth have been promised government funding by Paulson of the treasury. J P Morgan got $29 billion to take over Bear Staines. That's Wall St Sopcialism socialism. Let the big cities go bankrupt. Save those who're vulnerable through their own greed and folly.
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Presidential politics presents we Poms with a difficult choice between people rather than parties. It also brings in all sorts of extraneous stuff, but then I never could see a candidate's views on abortion as more important than their views on policy.
Watching the candidates I like both. I thought McCain was great when talked to him in 2004. He's amiable and a nice bloke. Just hope he can stay awake for the next seventy days and smart enough to stop the drift into becoming George Bush by other means.
Obama is more of an unknown. Looks like the keen young university lecturer adored by the students rather than a President. Brilliant lecturer but I've no idea what his reflex will be on economics, employment, saving the economy. He's not programmed to the people in any way I recognise.
So the answer is to fit them in with the spirit of the times. America needs change because the Bush years have produced a major econmoic and foreign policy mess. Obama will produce change and boost social conscience. McCain promises a better Bush. But the world has had enough of that.
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It's been a quiet week in Cayucos (CA.) where nothing ever happens and it happened again this week. I won't tell you where it is in case you want to come and clutter it up. Better it is. The last beach resort. The twenty fifth highest house prices in the US so no one can afford to stay and the owners who live in Bakersfield or Fresno can't afford to come, leaving the beach houses empty.
Another few businesses closed or moved since we came last year. Two estate agents, one moved to celestial mansions the other to Morro. Nail Beauty closed (no technician) and the three antique malls still offering the same stock, a year older so higher in price.
Kelly's coffee bar still open but no sign of Kelly who's probably locked in the back. Like a Cayucos Mrs Rochester.
The Cayucos senate of old geezers still sits there every morning. No applications (yet) to come back under British rule (gas would be too expensive) but they tease me about MPs' holidays which I tell them are too short to allow full recovery from the strains of the job.
Ah Cayucos. Where all the pensioners are younger than the average, all pensions higher, all skateboards have brakes and the only drugs are on prescription.
Sounds like McCain country to me.
Time now to go. I'll be sorry to leave but it will be good to get back to Grimsby and the real world, so they can ask me, "Where did you get that tan?", and I'll say, "Cleethorpes of course."
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Message for Mayor Boris after the games: lampada tradere nostrum est.
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Newsflash: Linda has already got an email from Joe Biden and with it a short video he's recorded especially for her. I'm jotting all this down for my election campaign in Grimsby. |
