Summer Season

In Merced we are in the throws of Summer.

We are and we should be. Its August 20th and while the students are back to school, it is still summer and it is hot.

The front patio got replanted last weekend. I bought the classic half flats. Two of portulaca, or moss rose, and one each of marigold and sweet asylum. This week despite daily watering, the marigolds are gone as so are the asylum. The portulaca are thriving in the heat.

So we are set for the summer and into the fall.

The sprinklers needed to be readjusted. The standard elberta peach his producing a handful of peaches every other day. Its just right for topping a bowl of cereal but nothing more. Its probably a good thing since my interest in canning is waning.

The San Fransisco Giants are in their natural August swoon. Preseason football which is really riduculus has started again respite rumors to the contrary over constract issues all summer. At least it didn't take a president to jump into the middle of the fray.

The president has his own issues. Leading a country that is pretty polarized cannot be all that fun. Especially without any allowance. I think at this point he will get re elected because the people that would run against him on the Republican side have all signed petitions that they won't raise taxes and that they are by that going after some of the sacred cows of Social Security, Medicare, and the Defense budget. Most people that vote do not want these torqued.

Sadly many people vote with their feelings of security. This is a bad time for that as the stock market as predicted has felt the results of the unemployment/underemployment squeeze. Its hard to vote for a president when you don't have a job.

What will it take? We need some money to build infra structure. We really don't need to infuse our infrastructure money into Afganistan. We as a country need to look at our demographics and see that we have people that can build and consume and perpetuate the American life. It may come from others that we have not even considered now. As a nation we are aging quickly. Japan has just gone through this gap as well as the major countries in Europe.

Working aged people need to work. We need a viable middle class. A strong segment of people that can own their own homes, can buy new vehicles, can save money for their kids to go to college. What income level is that? I am not sure but I suppose that more than 50k per year is needed.

New jobs that make less than that for able forward looking people with education is not going stabilize the economy.

United States will grow. Population cannot shrink. So lets get on with it. Pay a little more in taxes and make us stable.

Pat