What is being termed a “historic debt ceiling compromise deal,” complete with backslapping and self-congratulations at the highest levels, is being considered by the Senate and the House rank-and-file. And consider they will. With many provisions going against the principles of both the TEA Party contingent and the far-leftist Progressive faction, there is a lot to consider. Significantly, lost in this “grand compromise” are these facts: a) Almost all of the spending cuts trumpeted as victory for the TEA Party Movement come after the 2012 General Election and with the election of a new Congress, b) The agreement does not eliminate deficit spending, rather, it simply lowers the amount of deficit spending, and c) Because the agreement doesn’t reach the $4 trillion mark mandated by the ratings agencies there is still a chance for our nations credit rating to be downgraded.  

There is a direct correlation between America's downward spiral and the nation's departure from adherence to the U.S. Constitution. During the first hundred years, America experienced growth and prosperity never before imagined by people who never knew what freedom was. It was a rough and tumble century; not everyone prospered. Many people were victimized by profit-hungry capitalists. The answer to this inequity, according to some of the 19th century philosophers, was government management of the affairs of people and their business activities. Proponents of these ideas claimed the name "Progressives."

“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” -- Thomas Jefferson 

My father was a certified public accountant, as is my older brother. I not only lacked any arithmetical skills, I spent much of my early years ignoring the ups and downs of the economy, thinking that these matters were beyond my comprehension. What I failed to understand was that the economy was as much a creature of meddling politicians as economic theories.

I was born in the midst of the Great Depression and have now lived long enough to be caught in a new one. I know that economists and others say we are in a Recession, but it feels like a Depression to me and to the millions of other Americans who are out of work and being laid off weekly. It feels like one to those who suffered foreclosure on their homes. It feels like one every time we go to the supermarket and gasp in disbelief at the cost of groceries.

Events are moving fast toward the artificial deadline of August 2^nd. President Obama has apparently given up on getting a tax hike, and thus balance, as he has called it. In his Friday morning (July 29^th) announcement, he urged folks to keep the pressure on with phone calls and tweets. Speaker of the House John Boehner has revised his plan that failed to garner enough votes on Thursday night to include once again a balanced budget amendment. And Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid is reportedly planning to finally introduce Democrat-backed legislation sometime soon. 

The general performance of the media during the debt ceiling debate has been atrocious. The currency of journalists consists of words, and by completely debasing that currency, they are undermining their profession. They are also making it that much more difficult for the public to understand the choices and the consequences they are facing.

Over the past few weeks, we have learned that a Congressman’s narcissistic sexual complex may actually have been one of the New Yorker’s finest attributes. You most likely still remember former Congressman Anthony Weiner, (D-NY) reluctantly admitting to emailing sexually suggestive photos of himself to various women and eventually being forced to resign as a consequence of that activity. During the Mainstream media’s ensuing feeding frenzy, ignited by Weiner’s embarrassing outing, a few responsible reporters undertook a closer, much more serious investigation, not only investigating Weiner, but also looking into the people involved in his life. Increasingly, their investigation began focusing on Weiner’s wife, a devout Muslim named Huma Abedin. Abedin is the daughter of devout Muslim parents and has, at least, one devout Muslim brother. Since her birth in or about 1977, Abedin and members of her family have resided in the United States, Saudi Arabia, and other countries located in the Middle East and Europe.

Harlingen, Texas, July 28, 2011:  While our Washington politicians prance
proudly around, bluster and blow hot air, the entire country suffers the
consequences of their narrow-minded ineptness. A president totally lost in a
maze of possible political fallout and a Congress where both sides the isle
seek their own advantage have managed to turn the entire nation into a   
fiscal and mental basket case.

There are few locales in the country that have endured greater hardship than
the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.  While most of the Lone Star State has
weathered the storm of recession and economic malaise quite well, the far
tip of this huge state still feels the sting of a failed stimulus package,
limited economic growth, job stagnation and due to its unflagging loyalty to
the Democrat Party in a Republican dominated state.little help from Austin
and the state legislature.