Gorilla apologizes to readers for the lengthy delay in resuming his blog. He enjoyed his time Down Under and decided to take another week to readjust to whatever time zone he’s now in.
Here’s a summary of what Gorilla thought about events of the last 3 weeks:
Health Care Reform: A bill passed the House which does very little about health care reform, as Gorilla predicted some time ago. Action is now awaited from the Senate, and it’s still an open question whether any bill will pass at all. Once that’s not accomplished, it’s on to the conference committee, where everyone will declare victory. The basic problems remain: the stupid tie between health care and employment, the lack of efficiency studies of medical treatments, the failure to insure everyone, the continued hostility towards women, and the inability to gore the major oxen of the medical-industrial complex. The easiest solution, single payer via Medicare, was never on the table. Gorilla thinks: “When disfunctionality is disguised as progress, there’s nothing much to look forward to!”
Shooters and Snipers: Fort Hood gets shot up and the Beltway Sniper gets it in the arm. There remains no serious discussion about gun control in the United States so these sorts of incidents, entirely preventable, will continue. The Fort Hood massacre revealed yet again just how much racism and religious hatred lies beneath the surface of the American Way. Gorilla suggests: “It’s a god and guns thing, cling and bring!”
US Economy: Unemployment tops 10%. There’s a huge need for more stimulus and a national jobs program, and absolutely no chance of either. Democrats are likely to pay the price for their timidity in 2010. There’s little evidence that genuine, non-subsidized, non-inventory oriented economic growth will resume anytime soon. It may take a decade to restore the unemployment rate to a merely exasperating level. Once again, there’s no leadership and no appetite for shared sacrifice. Gorilla asks: “Senator, can you spare a yuan?”
Afghanistan: It’s clear the Administration intends to increase troop numbers. There’s still no exit strategy, just a holding action that could last longer than the Korean War. What remains astonishing is the ability of a few thousand fifth-rate terrorists to keep a superpower cowering for years on end. Gorilla concludes: “We bin Laden in the bushes far too long!”
Pakistan/China/Korea/Iraq/Honduras/Russia: Plus ca change, or as Gorilla would have it: “The mem I chose remains the same!”
