Michael Moore onstage in Madison: America is NOT broke! (Video)

If you’re feeling down and out about the state of the economy; union-busting amateur governors like Scott Walker; and uninformed talking heads spouting off about cutting “those entitlements,” watch the video of Michael Moore’s rallying speech to the protesters at the Wisconsin capitol in Madison on March 5.

The air seeps out of the Obama balloon

Mort Zuckerman’s piece titled The Incredible Deflation of Barack Obama in the US News and World Report summarizes the word from the media one year after its idol became president of the United States.

Uh, Mort, some of us avoided being swept up in the drunken euphoria rampant in the 2008 Democratic primary and general election and instead endured the contempt shown those who opted for sobriety. Now we can only shake our heads at the sad spectacle you portray:

The air is seeping out of the Obama balloon. He has fallen to below 50 percent in the poll approval ratings, a decline punctuated by his party's shocking loss in the Massachusetts special election.

Why?

Barack Obama was undoubtedly sincere in what he promised, even if his promises were within the normal range of political exaggeration. The first trouble is that his gift for inspiration aroused expectations, stoked to unprecedented heights by his own staff, that he would solve the climate crisis on Monday, the jobs crisis on Tuesday, the financial crisis on Wednesday, the education crisis on Thursday, Afghanistan on Friday, Iraq on Saturday, and rest on Sunday. His oratorical skills were highlighted by the contrast with President Bush, who mangled words so much that his incoherence became, as Tina Brown wrote, "a metaphor for incompetence." Expectations were spurred, too, by Obama's recognition that Americans yearned for a new kind of politics, a rejection, as he put it, of "politics as usual."

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Wal-Mart Death Prompts an Amateur's Recommendation for Solving the Financial Crisis

Family members and I were grateful this Thanksgiving for the good food produced by a seamless team effort and the opportunity to spend a pleasant relaxing day together.

Today on Black Friday we’ve got sunshine and cloudless blue skies in the Twin Cities with an expected high of 40. Nevertheless, I’ve had no inclination to join the throngs at the nearby Mall of America or step out at the local Wal-Mart where I run the risk of being trampled to death by frenzied shoppers.

The NY Times reports:

“A Wal-Mart employee in suburban New York died after being trampled by a crush of shoppers who tore down the front doors and thronged into the store early Friday morning, turning the annual rite of post-Thanksgiving bargain hunting into a frenzy.”

It’s come to this: on Thanksgiving Day we Americans give thanks for our many blessings and early the next morning we go on a rampage for more material goods. God help anyone who stands in our way.

Amidst the continuous societal upheaval caused by the global financial crisis, I’ve thought more than once that an economic system driven primarily by consumer spending is insane to begin with. And surely I’m not the only one who shudders while listening to national leaders present remedies for our ailing economy meant to encourage consumers to buy more stuff whether we need it or not and in many cases, to resume living way beyond our means.

Don’t get me wrong. Like most Americans, my family members and I are feeling the effects of a worsening recession - as are many of our friends; we’re all hurting this time around. I’ve personally revamped my own budget, and there aren’t many more places where I can cut expenses.

Still, I’m hoping that as we work through this global crisis, we’ll somehow restructure the economy in a way that preserves safety nets for the have nots, promotes charitable giving by the haves, and encourages for the common good the radical notion of frugality over spending by all parties.

In the process we’ll hopefully remember that time spent with loved ones during the holiday season is a far greater gift than anything we can purchase at mega stores like Wal-Mart. And we don't have to risk our lives.