RamblingDyna

After a full day of inaugural celebrations, President Obama didn’t waste time getting down to business. Even during all the partying, he requested a hold on all Guantanamo Bay prison prosecutions. Today he signed the order to close the detention center, shut down CIA overseas military prisons and review war crime trials. As a reflection of his for the people campaign, Obama set the tone with his White Staff yesterday. “The White House is the people’s House”, he said. He laid new ground rules for lobbyists and stricter restrictions such as ban on gifts to administrators. His staff will even sign a contract to abide by these terms. President Obama firmly said that they are to serve people’s interests, “not your own, your business or your connections”. To make government accountable, he said that you have to make it transparent. “Transparency and rule of the law will be the touchstone of my presidency”. President Obama is making his staff and himself accountable as well. “I’m g...

Weary, baggy eyed airport travelers are stranded for the second day in a row as winter storms shut down planes and ice runways. Retailers keep their fingers crossed praying that second black Friday will reap extra change. Gas prices are down by 60% but people are still watching their mileage as with any other expenditures. Families are tightening and streamlining their belts. Xmas wish lists are pared down or done without. In the Xmas 24 hour marathon television favorite, A Xmas Story, the mother of the main character, Ralph, asks him what he wants on his Xmas wish list. Initially, she denies him his Red Ryder BB gun because it's dangerous. In the end, Ralph and his brother get everything they wanted. Even though it's a fictional and all time movie classic favorite, I'm sure financially strapped families now watch these idyllic scenes with a sobering perspective. People are coping and learning, most for the first time, how to really save and buy what's necessary. Can...