Up, Down and Around Our Town

There is no wonder why so many folks just adore October. Our four weeks of color change have just about been perfect, with sunshine and warm temperatures abound. Most likely, this will come to an end soon, but what a glorious month of simply enjoying the best in what Mother Nature can throw our way. And, if my calendar is correct, we'll throw the clocks back an hour, I believe, in a week. But, that remains to be seen.

The seemingly endless Presidential campaign is just about to end. Mind you, we haven't had an election that was actually decided on Election Day since 1996, so stay tuned. Both candidates are pumping as much revenue into the advertising coffers as possible and at this point, it appears that the Obama campaign is surging to the finish line. Were it only that easy to predict.

The McCain-Palin ticket is simply running out of both time and gas. When the history books are written, they will point to the association with the sitting administration that may very well have been too much of a hurdle to overcome. Plus, the VP candidate, while charming, smart and tremendously attractive, is more and more looking like simply a robot sent out to attack the other side, with little substance below the surface. Likewise, the equally as untested Obama ticket is continuing to hammer on the one area that cannot be denied - our economic woes continue and don't look like they are going to change a great deal under either administration.

As we have said before, the era of Reaganomics is truly over. The combination of trickle-down economics and tax breaks for the corporate culture has turned into a henhouse that has now been guarded by the foxes for way too long. Like it or not, we will be looking at an era of regulation. Probably too little and probably too late, but the time to reign in some of the greed of corporate America is upon us.

And then there is Wall Street. Another roller coaster ride last week and the undeniable fact that the gains of the last 10 years have essentially been lost. The bigger picture is the tremendous loss of real jobs. The credit crunch has sent the automobile industry into a tailspin with way too much inventory and far too little credit for even the most motivated buyer. The latest shoe to drop is the pending sale of Chrysler to General Motors. Should the latter join the likes of Merrill-Lynch, we will look to 2008 with great disdain, and it looks like it will happen. The shake-up is coming hard.

The real prospect of a truly lean Christmas season will impact us all. But, the real culprit is the existance now of a global economy. Corporate America has taken advantage of the ability for others to produce at a lesser price and has enjoyed the benefits. Now the global economy is reacting just as ours is. Perhaps there will be some reshaping of the manufacturing positions that have been outsourced and as part of the recovery, our government will look to encourage domestic production as opposed to foreign. Free Trade is hardly free today.

If the bubble known as Major League Baseball starts to burst, they can only blame themselves. Starting the World Series at 10 at night and wondering why no one watches is a shame. The dance with the devil that MLB has committed to with the networks is depriving an entire generation or two of even watching the games. Late October - At Night? Baseball is meant to be played in the daylight at least.

We're locally celebrating the opening of Sam;s Club and the onset of the post season football enjoyment. The former is a sign of the times; the latter is just good entertainment.

And finally, my hero is heading back for more surgery. That will distract me greatly for a couple of days as I will miss that electric smile that has become commonplace. Someday she will have stories to tell and I can't wait to be the recipient.

Enjoy the time left in the campaign. Make sure you vote (even early), but get your thoughts down on a ballot. Don't forget the ghosts and goblins that are heading our way Friday night and make sure that all are safe. Till next week, and as always, I remain....