A Few Thoughts on the Republican CNN/Tea Party Debate

Okay, so I tuned into the debate a little late, closer to the half-time mark than the start; but here are my thoughts on a few topics that were discussed as well as the performance of the candidates.

Overall: I liked the format and the way Wolf Blitzer conducted the debate, himself, and the way he represented CNN. I liked answers by the candidates to the questions posed to them. I thought for the most part they kept it civil and didn’t sling any real mud at each other. They stayed focused on the issues, and almost uniformly presented a theme of personal freedom and responsibility; and a pro-growth economic theme that focused on the ability of the American people and not the government.

Thoughts on Hewlett-Packard

Last week Hewlett-Packard ‘HPQ’ stunned everyone with its announcement that it looking at a major re-organization. What really surprised me was Hewlett-Packard’s indication that it did not believe the personal computer industry didn’t have a bright future. After getting past the initial shock of the announcement, I began think about HP’s personal computer business.

I own a HP personal computer. It is currently out of service, but I used it for years. It was a great machine, and HP’s online support is among the best. However

Straw Poll Results from Iowa

The Iowa Straw Poll was held Saturday in Ames, Iowa with Michelle Bachmann coming in 1st, with Ron Paul in a close second, and Tim Pawlenty in a distant third. While the major media is most assuredly going to have a field day in talking up the results, I would not read too much into the results for several reasons.

What the Current Debt Ceiling Debate Is Telling Us!

I am a firm believer that there is a message in most things, it is just a matter of being willing to see it. The world has entered an era where debt levels, at every level of economic activity, have taken on a new focus and level of importance. Everyone, everywhere is now concerned about debt. The financial crisis of 2008 has resulted in a world wide de-leveraging process.

This has been a long time coming as politicians at every level have attempted to bribe voters into believing that they could have their cake and still be able to eat it. This has been by spending far more than they receive in tax revenue. World wide politicians have been on a dangerous fiscal bender by ignoring the 1st Rule of Economic which is that there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Where is the “Beef?” I Mean Where is the News?

As the week winds down, and I look back at the events of the week; the negotiations over the U.S. Debt Ceiling dominated the news. However in looking at the press stories concerning the negotiations, for the most part they seem about as informative as talking to my dog.

The vast majority of the stories I have reviewed are more focused on the petty aspects of the discussions and the ridiculous comments being made by Harry Reid. This is one of the most important issues of the year, and probably the next several years. These negotiations and their results have the ability to impact all of our lives for next several years, and there is almost no coverage of the real positions being taken by either side.

This is where I have a massive problem with the major media outlets. They have an inherent tendency to focus on sound bites and the quick and easy aspects of a story.