Cranky Greg's View

FRESNO: Not for the Faint of Heart

Here are two interesting stories about the economic crisis and Cranky Greg's adopted hometown - Fresno, California.

The first story deals with the Central Valley's declining dairy industry.  Take a drive up and down Highway 99 from Stockton to Bakersfield and you will see and smell dairies all up and down the state.  It now costs dairy farmers more money to produce milk than they can sell it for.  But notice the government's impact on all of this - the government has been buying excess milk, which is exactly the wrong thing to do.  The agricultural industries should be operated under the free market system.  Government interference exacerbates the problems.  When the government buys excess products, it is nothing more than a payoff to a large political constituency.  Thanks to these political payoffs, you have to pay more for dairy products, and you might even find a shortage in the future.

The second story is about Fresno's housing meltdown, which is the subject of a new documentary, Fresno.  It may not sound exciting, but CG is thinking about attending the premier of the film.  For those of you who don't know Fresno, it's largely an agricultural town with low incomes compared to the rest of the State.  Nevertheless, the housing market in the Fresno area was going nuts until about 2007, with people buying houses way above what their incomes could really support.  Now the house of cards is starting to fall, and it's going to get much worse in Fresno before it gets any better.

More Palin Fallout

Peggy Noonan provides readers with a fairly thorough analysis of Sarah Palin - the most interesting of which is that Palin is a creation of the Republican elites and is actually bad for the GOP despite the fact that many party regulars see Palin as a fresh face.

Cranky Greg agrees with Noonan.  Pres. George W Bush was also a Republican elite creation - a disaster of monstrous proportions.  (The GOP party establishment is a corrupt embarrassment and has been for over 10 years.)

The other main point that Cranky Greg thinks is important is Palin's lack of curiosity about issues.  She was a parochial politician who really had no idea what was going on in the Lower 48 or the rest of the world, and didn't seem to be curious enough to read about things or even ask questions.

The Republican Party is a mess.  The sooner it forgets Palin and moves on the better it will be.  Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any future leaders in the GOP.  There probably is a true leader lurking in there somewhere, but we probably just don't know his or her name yet.

And we can all blame the Republicans for this Obama Cult of Personality.  Had the Republicans governed as they promised, Obama would be an obscure state senator.  So forget the GOP bullshit seeping out from Washington which is poluting our political discourse.  They can blame Obama al they want - but they are the ones who handed this mess to Obama on a silver platter.

Family Vacation Notes

Cranky Greg and family are on vacation Last night was spent with all four members snoring and coughing and hacking Cranky Greg has learned that guys can pack in about 10 minutes while it takes women some 2+ hours of thought in addition to about 106 minutes of actual packing time, and then forgetting stuff. He has also learned that women with straight hair buy curlers and burners and stuff to make curly hair while women with curley hair buy these long clamp things that are HOTTER than HELL to straighten their hair. oh brother

What's Wrong with Sarah Palin?

Sarah Palin quit today, whining her way out of office.  She's either going to make a misguided run for president, or there's some shit that's about to hit the fan.

Coincidentally, this morning Cranky Greg read Vanity Fair's hit piece on Palin, which was really nothing new, and a rather pointless article devoid of substance and facts.

Unfortunately, Palin doesn't really seem to get it.  Cranky Greg thinks she's much smarter than portrayed, but one wouldn't know it looking at her today.  Why would anyone vote for a quitter?  She played herself right into Vanity Fair's hit piece.

In her self-serving whine-atribe today, she spoke of the great things her administration did for Alaska.  Well then, why stop now?  When our country is facing a multitude of crises that are more serious and dangerous than most elected officials will admit?  Isn't now the time for leaders to emerge?

Palin didn't learn from Ross Perot, that big-eared nut from Texas who had a lead and then quit and then jumped back in and then looked dumber than he'd ever looked before.

No one will take Palin seriously now.  At least she didn't say, "You won't have Palin to kick around anymore."

The Black Swan is Here

Mr. Ed