Two quotes from Winston Churchill:

“The best argument against democracy is 5 minutes with the average voter.”

“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for the other ones.”

Both were quoted on a recent episode of West Wing on reruns in the morning, that often distract me from going on my walk before the day heats up because I find them wonderful to watch.

Another snippet which amused me, although not a commentary on the dysfunction of our system … the fictional President Bartlett argues with CJ, his press secretary that he is not happy about a scheduled meeting with a cow (a ceremonial thing to honor some agricultural agenda) and she says, “It’s a photo op, not a sit down.” Dialogue like that is what keeps me alive.

On the current political scene, the Congressional hearing into the practices of Goldman Sachs is too dismaying. The CEO, Lloyd Blankfein, acknowledges no responsibility to inform the GS clients that they are betting against the success of the product they are about to buy. Ed says the senator interrogating was asking the wrong question, so I said, what would be the right question? He said the senator should have focused on this issue: Although it is acceptable business practice to be on both sides of an issue, in other words okay to profit from a failed product, it is NOT acceptable to deliberately create a product designed to fail so that they could then short it and make money. (Blankfein made $90 million last year.)

So the new finance regulation bill coming out of Congress has to be stronger. And I wouldn’t at all be upset if people like Blankfein got jail time. But Ed said he did nothing “illegal”, or anyway it can’t be proved.

Local Persiflage:

The paper’s restaurant hype page today heralded a new drink at a downtown Fort Myers restaurant, guaranteed to appeal to sissy drinkers and the sugar dependent: A martini made with Absolut Vanilla vodka and Godiva black and white chocolate liqueur in a chocolate swirled glass. Might I gently suggest that this is not a martini but I might willingly order it for dessert? And my suggestion for what to call it would be a Dirty Shirley Temple.

Another new martini is called the Bubblicious (oh, yech) and is made with Three Olives Bubbles vodka (this is a product!!??) to which is added cranberry juice and 7Up. They totally lost me with the 7Up.

I can see you all now salivating to get to SW Florida. Suffer, you deprived souls.

xx, Teal