I had no intention of embarrassing or insulting anyone, but I wanted to make a point. I asked people who the 15th president was. The few who answered said, “Lincoln.” “No biggie” I replied, “but he was the 16th President. James Buchanan was the 15th.” I asked them about the ramifications of the Dred Scot decision. Only 2 of 5 had…
Author: gary1164
I'm an advertising executive and former actor/producer
Was the church on the corner too far?
Politics are where we can make a difference in our lives; it’s where we effect change to improve our schools, our roads, our safety and our economy. Everyone has a position on taxes, commerce, defense, and on a local level, the school board, zoning ordinances and whether the streetlights are working. We want the potholes to be filled and…
Do You Want to Know a Secret…?
Mitt Romney is in Iowa today stumping for Republican candidate Joni Ernst who is running for Tom Harken’s senate seat. Do you remember Mitt Romney? He’s the white guy who ran for president two years ago and got white guys to vote for him. In fact…no one but white guys voted for him. I want to let…
The Tortoise and the Best Hair
This morning I heard 3 different Republicans say a variation of the same thing: “We will protect your freedoms by reversing the encroachment of growing government.” Great line. This has been the talking point that all Republicans across the country have hammered since Sputnik first circled the Earth. And why not? It resonates and there…
I’m With Stupid
My ex-wife thinks I’m stupid. Okay, that, in and of itself, is not unusual; lots of people think I’m stupid. And when we’re talking about the perceptions of ex-spouses, I’m sure the incidence of perceived stupidity is high, but my problem is that my ex is pretty smart and so when she calls me “stupid”…
The End Of The World As We Know It!
You know those apocalyptic movies where the world is near extinction because we are being overrun by Zombies? They became Zombi-fied from a virus that is circumnavigating the world at an exponential rate. The movie will go back in time, briefly, to show us the unnoticed, seemingly insignificant, event that first sent the virus airborne into a lethal chain reaction. It’s usually something…
Mr. Kroeger Goes To Des Moines
Recently, I joined a group that was invited to the State Capitol to petition legislators during the 85th Iowa General Assembly and I must admit to being a bit awestruck. Even as a salty old wonk that has followed, written and lectured about government and civic duty for decades, I felt like a grade-schooler on a…
“Bring your brooms!”
I saw a commercial for Marty Huggins….I’m sorry! I meant Mark Jacobs, a Republican running for the senate seat about to be vacated by Tom Harken. In it he makes his case by saying that he’s been a businessman who has had to “make payroll” and has “balanced budgets.” That is the criteria that many Americans…
My Confession
I…am…a…hetero…sexual. There! I said it! You can’t imagine the relief. I didn’t choose to be this way, I just AM. Some fateful decision was made before I was born, not by me, but by whatever forces that conspired to create me, to make me straight. And somehow that choice is made for me every day because…
Nut Neutrality
How many of you are aware of an issue that’s been called “Net Neutrality”? If you aren’t already, it will be coming to your town soon—WHOA!- It’s already there! Quickly explained, “neutrality” is what has governed the Internet and that means basically–nothing. Internet content, and accessibility to it, has been on a neutral plane with…