McConnell

Mitch McConnell, speaking before a select group of billionaires, promised that if the Republicans gain control of the Senate in the November election that he, as would be Senate majority leader, would promise three things.

First, the Senate would do nothing to help the American people with jobs, healthcare, unemployment insurance, worker rights and safety, food assistance programs, and so on down the list of necessary functions of government for the people.

Second, he would do everything to stop President Obama from doing anything, like confirming nominations, assisting in world affairs, and so on down the list of necessary work of the President.

And third, he would do everything to help billionaires with taxes, regulations, oversight, and so on down the list of their wish list.

Yeah, it's in the audio recording of the speech he made to them. That's the Republican agenda, profit from and for billionaires and ignore the American people.

So that's your choice in Kentucky, vote for more of the same obstructionism from the Republicans and worse if the gain control of the Senate, or vote for change, push the Democrats to do what they haven't done so far because of Republican obstructionism.

You can vote to continue a do nothing Congress or vote for a do something Congress.

ISIS

If all the analysts, pundits, politicians, etal. who extort for political advantage the fear of ISIS coming to the US to conduct terrorist attacks think we should do something, are they willing to commit to fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq? Are they ready and willing to back the President and ask Congress to authorize military operations against ISIS wherever they are in the Middle East?

Or are they just more of the same chickenhawks who just talk but don't have the backbone to back it up and commit to a fight? Are they just the same as they were to rail against the President for whatever political advantage they think it has and ISIS is just another issue to them?

Because if they want to fight terrorists then they have to stand up and support a President who is willing to do the job, and would they then decide to back the President, or just find something he does wrong about that too? Is their talk about the real issue or just talk? 

iTunes 11.3.1

All I can say about iTunes 11.3.1 is that it doesn't like Apple iPad Air tablets. I've had more problems with connections, charging and syncing than any previous version of iTunes. And I've had problems in the middle of syncing when it will lose the app sync and I have to try to fix removed or added apps. And when it does sync, it always seemingly take forever to determine which apps I have on the iPad Air.

You would think Apple would stop relying on users to test their software to find problems or bugs. But then I used to think better of Apple before they developed Lion and now Mavericks with their move to less user control and more of pseudo-Microsoft's "Trust us" approach to operating systems.

Sorry Apple, you haven't earned that trust anymore.

China

Why do I get the impression the recent and on-going enforcement of China's antitrust laws against European, Japanese and American automakers and parts manufacturers is a government form of blackmail?

They offered incentives for these companies to establish business in China, let them operate for years without oversight, and then suddenly enforce antitrust laws with fines, while small, are significant because while the money will go to the government, it's not intended for the government but Chinese-owned businesses.

We should remember China's goal here isn't for foreign companies to establish businesses in China in cooperation with mandated partnership with Chinese companies, their goal is the eventual ownership of those companies along with the technology of the products and the manufacturing plants.

China's goal is to have all their products sold in China to be produced by Chinese companies for the profit of government-owned companies whether owned directly or through proxies, often high-ranking government leaders. 

We shouldn't forget one day China will be exporting American cars to the US as they now export American company parts and products. Their goal is to establish a network of auto dealerships selling their cars, all designed and built with US automaker technology.

Will you buy a Chinese car? You buy their auto parts, why not the whole car?

Iraq

Apparently the Republicans don't understand what the President is doing in Iraq now, but it's really very simple. It's for the humanitarian support of the Kurdish and Yazidi people and the protection of the Americans in Erbil.

We're not there to fight ISIS or to do what the Iraqi military and air force is supposed to be doing, fighting ISIS to drive them out of Iraq for the people of Iraq. We're not there to prop up the corrupt and failed Iraqi government and the inept Iraqi military.

We've already failed at both of those things to remind us we can't do what they won't do for themselves. It's not rocket science, it's common sense, something the Republicans always seem to lack, even when it comes to politics.