THE SILLY SEASON

Well, the world moves on, as population hits 7 billion. I’m glad I won’t be around in 2050 or so when it hits 20 billion! Sales of deodorant should hit new highs…

In the mean time, in our current world, we keep seeing the human comedy (or tragedy, depending on your viewpoint) whirling on like the merry-go-round life is. And the horses asses of the world continue as models of consistency.

I see that paragon of goodness and world benefactor, Kim Kardashian, is divorcing her husband, the N.B.A. Nets Kris Humphries after 72 days of marriage. Why was this not hard to predict? After the lavish and hyperbolic wedding, reality sets in. I hate to see marriage treated like a commodity on the market, bought and sold as the spirit moves you.

Congratulations to Michelle Bachman for her latest gem: that she doesn’t really care about the kids of emigrants being citizens. This woman invented foot-in-mouth disease. Ed Rollins, her former campaign manager, says she is “out of money and ideas”. Even the Tea Party don’t want her.

Congress and the Presidential candidates continue to put the emphasis on all the wrong concepts. Quit debating the health plan, emigration and tax formulae---just debate how to get jobs going and nudge the economy upward and onward. For once, put the good of the people ahead of partisan politics.

And the Super-Committee, charged with coming up with a fiscal plan to balance the budget ultimately, seems to be bogged down in partisan intransigence. Isn’t the idea of a bipartisan committee that both sides give a little? What am I missing?

And I note our dear friends, those pillars of American enterprise, the big banks, like Morgan Chase and B of A, are doing their usual p.r. miracles by charging fees for using debit cards---and then backpedaling furiously when the people---shock of shocks---revolt! Paul Volcker, the former fed Chairman and august pundit of matters economic, says the size of these banks need to be reduced and strict regulations applied. This man was one of your advisers, Mr. President, are you listening?

9-9-9 or solid 20. Come on, guys, get serious and really study improvements to the tax code. Cute gimmicky numbers aren’t the answer. Parry is spending too much time extricating his foot from his mouth and now Herman Cain has to tap dance around these recent sexual allegations.

Ah yes, the silly season is in full swing.

One wonderful note: Mona Simpson’e eulogy for her brother, Steve Jobs, and quoting his last words: Oh, wow,” repeated three times. Do you think he saw what we hope we’ll see? That warms an old man’s heart. And that’s a good note to go out on.