Welcome to WeeklyWilson.com, where author/film critic Connie (Corcoran) Wilson avoids totally losing her marbles in semi-retirement by writing about film (see the Chicago Film Festival reviews and SXSW), politics and books----her own books and those of other people. You'll also find her diverging frequently to share humorous (or not-so-humorous) anecdotes and concerns. Try it! You'll like it!

Month: January 2012

Update on the Status of 40 Foreign Nationals Detained in Egypt

Sam LaHood and recent bride, Katie.

From “The Daily Beast.” Sam LaHood, son of Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and his wife are among those foreign nationals being refused permission to leave the country as of January 31, 2012.

2. Egypt Refuses to Release Americans
Egypt’s justice minister on Tuesday returned a letter to a U.S. ambassador asking Egypt to end a travel ban on Americans who are being investigated for illegally funding pro-democracy groups in the country. The minister said publicly that the letter should have been sent to the investigating justice, and that only those affected by the ban were entitled to make such a request. Egypt’s Parliament speaker, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, said the letter was “interference by the American embassy.” Several Americans were banned from leaving Egypt after their nongovernmental organizations were raided by the Egyptian military and are currently taking refuge at the U.S. embassy in Cairo.

Ten Questions for Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner

The following ten questions were asked of Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner on Fahreed Zakaria’s CNN television show “GPS” —Global Public Square—on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, in Davos, Switzerland at the World Economic Forum.

 

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

Q1:  What is the United States economy going to grow at this year?

A1:  “There are no oracles in economics and it’s still a pretty uncertain world, but I think the conventional view of the US now is that we’re growing between 2 and 3%, and I think that’s a realistic outcome for the U.S. economy, as long as we see a little more progress in Europe, and as long as we don’t see a lot of risk come up from Iran and the oil front.”

Q2: That scenario of 2 to 3% growth seems a little different from what Ben Bernanke thinks growth is going to look like. If you read the statement Ben Bernanke put out — to put out a statement almost guaranteeing that rates are going to remain where they are until almost the end of 2014 suggests that they don’t see any growth, any robust growth, for a long time. Are they wrong at the Fed?

A2: ” I’m not a forecaster, so my views aren’t worth much, but I think if you look at both the Feds forecast and  the consensus of private forecasters in the business economy among economists, if you look in that cluster, it’s still pretty dependent on how the world unfolds. Again, I think it’s worth recognizing that we still face tremendous challenges in the country. We’re still repairing the damage left by a devastating financial crisis.  Unemployment is still very high. Housing is still very, very weak, construction is still very weak. People still have too much debt. We’re bringing that down. That’s still gonna’ take a while to repair. That still has had a great impact on the fortunes of ordinary Americans.”

Q3:  There is  a very well-established narrative now among the business community in the United States that there would be a much more robust recovery, the U.S. economy would be recovering faster,  if there were greater certainty, if people were willing to invest and the reason they are not is that there is sort of a tsunami of regulations, uncertainty about the tax policies, uncertainty about the deficit and above all that the economy is being thrown this huge array of legislation,  that this is what is holding the economy is back.

A3:  “I don’t think there is much basis for that line of thought. It’s true that we are putting in place tough new guidelines in the financial sector, we are trying to change the way the health care system works, and we are trying to change the ways Americans use energy and those are necessary, desirable, and very important for the long-term recovery of the United States. But I think if you look at the evidence about how the economy is doing and about how the business economy is doing, in particular, the reality does not justify that sense, so just look at the things you can use to measure basic health, business health. Profitability across the American economy is very, very high—higher than the pre-crisis peak—if you look at investment as a measure of confidence…private investment in equipment and software…it has grown more than 30% since the trough in the first part of 2009. That puts it up 22%. There is broad-based investment in energy, in agriculture, in manufacturing. Not just high tech manufacturing, but in heavy manufacturing. I was at a Seaman’s plant, a new plant, in North Carolina this week, which is building Seaman gas turbines and generators for export, and they’re doing that because they see in the basic fundamentals of the productivity of the United States, even with all our challenges, this pretty compelling competitive advantage relative to where else they are produced. So, I think if you look at the basic health of the American business sector it’s much stronger than anyone would have thought at the peak of our crisis, and stronger than many of us hoped.”

 

Q 4: While business productivity is up, manufacturing is up, unemployment still remains a huge challenge. Many businesses have become more productive because they’ve taken costs out of the system, they’ve managed things better. How do you get the American job machine going again?


A4:  “The biggest drive of how fast the unemployment rate comes down is how fast we grow. And the biggest determiner of how fast we’re going to grow now is really going to depend on these two fundamental factors. One is what’s going to happen in the world, meaning in Europe and in the Gulf because of oil and, frankly, just to be direct about it, if the Republicans in Congress decide they want to legislate things that are good for growth in the short term. So what we think the right economic growth for the country is is to legislate a set of investment incentives that encourage things that are going to be good for long-term growth: rebuilding America’s infrastructure, education, more spending on innovation, basic science, better skills for Americans, tied to long-term fiscal reforms that restore sustainability. If we were able to legislate for those things in the short term that would make a big difference for confidence, that would make a difference for this rate of growth of the American economy in the short run. But, to be realistic, it’s going to take a long time still for us to repair the damage, particularly on unemployment, that caused the crisis. But the private sector has created 3.2 million (new) jobs and job growth has resumed. That’s actually pretty strong recovery in the job sector compared to the last 2 recoveries; it’s pretty strong, given the aftershocks of the crisis. We all want it to be stronger, though.”

Q5:  Most people who look at the American tax code, which is, with regulation, 10,000 pages long, one of the most complicated in the world, believe that the key to reforming the tax code is broaden the base, eliminate the deductions and loopholes, lower the rates. Isn’t the president’s proposal in the State of the Union message taking us in exactly the opposite direction?

A5:  “Not at all. The president’s proposals, which are focused on a set of investment favorable reforms in the investment sector, focusing on manufacturing and investment, and on a modest but necessary increase in the effective tax rate paid by the richest Americans, those 2 things I think are going to come, realistically, in the context of broad reform. What we’re going to try to do is to lay the foundation for tax reform, we can produce a more simple system (lower rates, broader base, more simple, less distortions….

(Fahreed, interrupting, “Why not just propose tax reform?”)

 

A6:  “Because we have to start with principles for a framework and we have to be specific about those things which should dominate the debate. Again, I wish it were different for us, but the basic crude fiscal realities of the United States now, (and we have to recognize that we have to govern within those limits), means that when we do tax reform, we’re going to have to be helping contribute to deficit reduction. We don’t have the ability to offer the American people or the American business people a net tax cut. That is beyond the capacity of anybody realistic about our constraints, but again, just to put it in perspective, our fiscal problems are daunting for us, in the long run, but they are much more manageable problems than faced by almost any economy around the world. And it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that, given the high level of unemployment, given the very bad outcome for median income in the United States over the last 30 years, 20 years, 10 years, given the just appallingly high rates of poverty in the United States, given the competitive challenges we face that are going to require pretty significant investments in infrastructure, and in education, you have to take a much broader approach and we’re not going to solve our problems in this country by thinking they are about how we restore fiscal sustainability. That’s part of it, but it’s not the dominant challenge we face as a country.”

Q7:  Does that suggest that austerity is not a path to growth?

A7:  “I think the debate over austerity is mostly exaggerated. The people who talk about economic problems as being things you can fix by austerity get the main things wrong. It’s true, however, that in most of Europe, there are going to be significant budget reductions. They will not work if there is not a stronger commitment standing behind the European endeavor and, you’re right, the country will face the fact that austerity will feed the decline.”

Q8;  Did you talk about the US/China trade in a way that you think will see results?

A8:  “We’ll have to see. We measure people by their actions. China does provide a unique problem. They are still overwhelmingly dominated by the state and they still keep their exchange rate below fundamental and have for some time. Although China is, in many ways, is beginning to have a manufacturing presence that is major, they are supporting that presence in ways that are very damaging, not just to the economic factor,  to the trade but to the political support around the world in order to support a more fair system around the world. I do think that China believes that it’s in its interests to try to make this broader system work. Of course it depends a lot on its access to our market and to other markets around the world and we hope that these markets are enough of an incentive to them to make more progress in these reforms.”

Q9:  You announced recently that you would be leaving at the end of Obama’s first term. Was that your idea or his?

A9:  “An excellent way to pose that question. Generally, anybody who takes these jobs serves at the discretion of the president. And at a time when we face so many challenges, so much pressure, and you have these things, you have to do them. And when he asked me to stay, when I thought it was the right time to leave, I agreed I would stay, and I agreed I would stay until the balance of his term, and he accepted that aspiration of mine.  And that’s where it’s gonna’ come out, I think.”

Q10:  What are you going to do next?

A10:  “That feels like a long way away. Again, we’re in Europe and I know the eyes are all on Europe, but here living with terribly challenging and hugely consequential economic choices, we have a lot of unfinished business, even on the financial reform side and a lot of foundation laying on the things that are good for growth and investment in the United States, not just for the long-term fiscal economy, so I feel like we have a long year of hard work. It’s a political moment in the United States and people are skeptical if we can do anything but our judgment is that we still have a chance in some of these areas to make some progress, and I’m going to focus on that as long as I can.”

 

Sam LaHood, Son of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Detained in Egypt

Sam LaHood and new bride Katie.

Current Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood’s, youngest son, Sam, is among 10 American and European citizens denied permission to leave Egypt.  I was instantly taken back to the day when Sam, our next-door neighbor (then aged about five), wandered down our court one day, while the family down the street was at the cemetery burying a family member. When the family returned and entered their unlocked house, they found little “Sammy,” who had climbed up on the counter-top to help himself to a snack. “Sammy” was a darling little guy and has grown into a handsome young man who was married to new wife Katie on September 5, 2011, in Bermuda.

Transportation Secretary LaHood told the (Moline, IL) Dispatch (Jan. 27, 2012, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services) that his son’s detention is “absolutely an escalation. It’s de facto detention.” Last month, Egyptian officials raided Sam LaHood’s Cairo offices where he was director of the Washington-based International Republican Institute’s Egyptian program.  This week, Egyptian newspapers announced that as many as forty foreigners were to appear in court next month on charges of “illicit foreign funding.”  The move detaining so many foreign nationals is viewed as a crackdown on foreign pro-democracy groups by the generals in power.

 When the LaHood family lived near us in East Moline, Illinois, Sam’s father, Ray LaHood, was director of the Rock Island County Youth Service Bureau and served for three years as chief planner at the Bi-State Metropolitan Planning Commission, (now called the Bi-State Regional Commission.) The elder LaHood, a Republican, also worked for former U.S. Representatives Tom Railsback and Bob Michel before serving in the House for 14 years from Peoria. LaHood has announced plans to retire at the end of Obama’s first term.

Ray LaHood’s oldest son, Darin, was  appointed to the Illinois State Senate on February 27, 2010, and took office on March 1, 2010, the day after incumbent Dale Risinger retired from representing the seven-county thirty-seventh legislative district in Illinois.

Emerald Bay, Mazatlan, Mexico: January 11, 2012

Sunset, Mazatlan, Emerald Bay.

We’ve been here now since Saturday, and I have learned that it is not a good idea to mix wine, Bloody Marys, octopus, squid, pina coladas and Mexican coffee, which is set on fire tableside and contains tequila, in the same day. I learned this the hard way. (And I don’t even LIKE octopus!)

We finally got on a bus and took it to the OLD Pueblo Bonito location in the town. Where we are, the grounds are beautiful and there are at least 4 places one can dine, so going in to town doesn’t seem essential. Add to that the reports from the locals, who say the cruise ships no longer stop in the port and the Gold Zone, as it is known is “dead.” We were told that on Friday it might have more life, as there might be musicians, so we will go into the marketplace tomorrow, but tonight we will stay here and enjoy Italian night at the restaurant that is the fanciest one.

Of course, Kelly’s Bar is quite interesting, with all of its mounted heads on the wall and its feeling of Early Hemingway.

Sunset in Mazatlan.

There are quite a few ex-government employees here and quite a few retired college professors and quite a few retirees, in general. Yesterday, we met a gentleman (last name: Wee) who taught music at St. Olaf College, but was here with his family to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. He said he was 74. There is also a woman named Mary who taught at Auburn and also a young couple, who left on Wednesday.

We’re watching the New Hampshire primary fall-out on CNN and Fox here and I, in particular, am watching the South Carolina primary with interest.

Mazatlan, Mexico: January 10, 2012

Emerald Bay, Mazatlan, Mexico. January 10, 2012.

We’ve been here since January 7th, after a 12-hour flight that saw us turning in at 7:30 p.m.

Not doing much, other than reading Stephen King’s new book (and wondering if he ever read mine that dealt with time travel, “Out of Time.”)

 

I’ve taken a few pictures of the grounds. There are many more to come. It’s chilly, by my standards, but not THAT chilly when it’s only 45 degrees in Chicago.

 

Hope all is well at home.

New Review of “The Color of Evil” on WordAlert

By Boyu Huang, of “WordAlert” blog (http://wordalert1.blogspot.com/2012/01/color-of-evil.html)

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Horror

Title: “The Color of Evil”

Author:  Connie (Corcoran) Wilson

     Not everyone wants to be a hero.  But not everyone gets a choice.

     Tad McGreevy had known he was different ever since he was small.  He could see colored auras around people, indicating their true nature.  But it wasn’t until third gtrade that he realized just how dangerous his power could be.  Third grade was when the killer was on the loose.  Third grade was when Tad almost lost himself to his power.  From then on, he decided he would never tell anyone about what he could see ever again.

     Eight years later, Tad has developed into a normal healthy teenager.  His main focus now is to protect those he loves.  But the horror isn’t over, and the evil hasn’t stopped.  When the ones he cares about get involvd what can he do but dive into the colors of evil once again?

     How much do the people around you really hide?  The Color of Evil opens the doors wide to this question and shows you just how many dark secrets a small town can hold.

    This book is both exciting and compelling, filled with young romance and riveting danger.  Some graphic scenes keep this book suitable for those above thirteen only, but add to the sense of foreboding and horror…

    This book is intense with a capital “I”; the first of a trilogy, I sincerely hope it sets an example for the two other books to come.  The Color of Evil is highly recommended by Boyu Huang. (Allbooks Review)

“The Color of Evil,” 1st Novel in a Trilogy, Is Ready to Launch

The Color of Evil, the first novel in a trilogy that focuses on young Tad McGreevy, a boy with paranormal abilities, is ready to launch on Amazon and Barnes & Noble very shortly. A review of it has already appeared here: 

http://wordalert1.blogspot.com/2012/01/color-of-evil.html

"The Color of Evil," first in a trilogy about a young boy with paranormal abilities, will soon be available as an E-book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Iowa Caucuses in Des Moines, January 3, 2012: A First-Hand Report

January 04, 2012

What the Candidates Spent Per Vote

Derek Thompson of BuzzFeed broke down the data on political spending in Iowa to determine how much each candidate and their supporters paid per vote in the Iowa caucuses.

The breakdown: Rick Perry spent far more than any other candidate with $478.40 per vote, followed by Mitt Romney at $154.90, Ron Paul at $103.30, Newt Gingrich at $89.84, Rick Santorum at just $20.50, and Michele Bachmann at $3.95.

I attended the caucuses in Des Moines as an observer at Precinct #4 in Clive. The building housed a management investment firm, DeWray Capital Management, at 1301 University. When we arrived at my friend’s original polling place, we learned that it was a very small precinct, but Rick Santorum was expected, in person, in Clive, so it was to Clive that we went next.

Rick Santorum asking Clive Precinct #4 voters for their vote on caucus night. He came within 8 vote of winning.

We could barely get inside the door to hear the pitches for each of the candidates. I actually ended up handing my Nikon D90 to a man who was at least 6’ 7”, and asking him to see if he could get a picture of Santorum, whom we could hear, but not see. Santorum was making a pitch for 2-parent families and talking about how people need to work and get married. He said, “You can’t mention or promote the word.  We need someone who is going to draw a strong contrast (to the incumbent).” Rick Santorum said he stood for limited government, lower taxes and less government and added, “I’ve put forth a balanced budget. I would balance the budget in 5 years. I also have the experience. He claimed to be the major author of 2 pieces of legislation on Syrian and Iran.  He ended by saying, “You need a leader who will make sure that tour enemies will fear us and our allies will trust us.” Santorum did not make mention of his remark (on “Meet the Press”) that he would bomb Iran if they crossed his “line in the sand.” Santorum said that those who participated in the Iowa caucuses would be better leaders because they came to Iowa.  “If it were not for the caucuses, it would just be media buys and TV ads.  If we’re fortunate, Iowa will be one of the battlegrounds.  People like me criss-crossed this state.  Come 2012 we’re gonna’ put it back in the Bush column.  Whatever differences there may be, they pale into insignificance (with the incumbent.) Santorum cited the federal take-over of the auto industry, never once mentioning that, without such intervention, there would now BE no auto industry in the U.S. He also talked about the financial bail-out of Wall Street and Health Care, saying it represented 1/7 of our GDP. He claimed that the failed stimulus plan cost 4 million jobs and said, “Iran is on the verge of nuclear weapons.  This is the record of this administration.” (*Actually, much of it is the legacy of the failed administration of George W. Bush.) He cited the Hyde Amendment of late 70s and said, “We must pray like it all depends on God and work like it all depends on us, because it does.” At no time did Santorum make mention of Obama’s successes such as taking out Osama bin Laden, getting any health care help out to the masses at all, or bringing home the troops from Iraq.

Ron Paul's After-Party sported a dog named Reeses wearing Ron Paul for President buttons,

At this point, “defeat Obama” clipboards were handed out and comments were made about what a powerful Republican voting block “Clive 4”is. (“We need your help.”)

After Santorum finished, representatives for the other candidates spoke on their candidates’ behalf.

Michele Bachman

Christina Messinia, speaking for Michele Bachman.

First up was a young woman in a black top and tight red pants with gold sparkly flats. She was dressed inappropriately for such an elite group. She did not speak well and looked as though she were no more than 21 years old. Her name was Christina Messinia and she espoused Christian values and the values of Ronald Reagan, calling Bachman “an inspiration” and “fearless.” Her pitch was weak.

Ron Paul

Ron Paul’s grandson, 13-year-old Robert “Robb” Paul came to the microphone next, accompanied by his mother Kelly, wife of Rand Paul.  She mentioned her 21 years of marriage and ‘cousins by the dozens” and then let young Robb deliver a message about his grandfather, the 74-year-old Ron Paul.  Kelly cited the fact that only 4 U.S. Congressmen stood up for Ronald Reagan when he wished to run for President, and one of them was Ron Paul. Kelly mentioned that Ron Paul had predicted the economic

Robert "Rob" Paul, son of Rand Paul and grandson of Ron Paul, delivers a pitch for his 74-year-old Grandfather in Clive.

collapse and went on to say that he would make $1 trillion in cuts without cutting Social Security or the national defense budget.  She also said, “He (Paul) believes that war is not something we should go into without a Congressional declaration of war.” Kelly said, “National polls show him defeating Barack Obama in a head-to-head combat,” which she quickly changed to “head-to-head match-up.”  Then young Rob had his say and was very cute.

Newt Gingrich                                      

Newt Gingrich's daughter, Jackie Cushman and son.

Newt Gingrich had sent a married daughter from one of his 3 marriages.  Her name was Jackie Cushman and she brought her 2 children, a boy and a girl, whom, she said, would have to write a paper about the experience of the Iowa caucuses “as a civics lesson,” which caused her daughter to roll her eyes.  Ms. Cushman rambled on about how Newt was the son of a 27-year World War II infantryman who served at Verdun and “A man who would risk his life for his dogs.” She said, “He is a doer not a talker,” although the impression I got of Newt at his rally here in town is that he is more of a talker than a doer.

Rick Perry

Jennifer Hayes, speaking for Rick Perry at the Clive Precinct #4.

Next up was Jennifer Hayes, who said, “I’m not a member of his staff. Just a follower.” She declared that she became a follower when she met Perry at church on Sunday. She cited his track record and “the person that he is.” She said she was “tired of politicians saying one thing and doing another.  As the mother of 3 children, I want my country back.” It was about this point in time that I noticed that the audience did not have one single brown, black or any other ethnic face. It was singularly old and white.

Mitt Romney

Ambassador Mary Kremer spoke on behalf of Mitt Romney, citing her 13 years in the state legislature.  She said, “To whom much is given, much is expected.” Mary said that the 4thprecinct was “a bellwether precinct.” She also said, “It’s not so much who wins,

Ambassador Mary Kremer speaks for Mitt Romney in Clive on caucus night,

it is that everyone can who comes here to show us who they are, what their values are. “ She then touted Romney’s leadership skills and his ability to create a vision of the future and said something about, “The world is a better place if the next century is an American century.” Ms. Kremer added, “It is a very different thing to get something passed than to get something implemented.” She claimed that every leadership opportunity Mitt Romney had encountered had been “a success,” although Wikipedia notes how his Mormon trip to France to try to convert the French to Mormonism did not go so well, at first. Of Obama, Ms. Kremer said, “On his best day he says, it could be worse.  In my view, worse would be having a second term for our current president.” She described Romney as steadfast (despite evidence that he has changed his position(s) many times) and said, “He would never do anything in office that would embarrass the country or you or me.” (*The Ambassador must have a crystal ball to know such things.) She ended her remarks by saying, “Romney is the one candidate they (the Democrats) fear more than any other.”
That last part is probably true, even if the other parts weren’t. The Clive group did go for Romney in polling, although my hometown county (Buchanan) went for Santorum, which is disappointing, and Pocahontas County also seemed smitten with Santorum. What I have read about his taking his dead child home so his other children could play with it and subjecting his unborn child and pregnant wife to possible death, rather than a therapeutic abortion, also did not make sense. Santorum also said, on the most recent “Meet the Press,” that he would bomb Iran.

Newt Gingrich and wife Callista (& family) on caucus night in Des Moines.

After we left Clive, we went to the downtown Marriott, in search of the Ron Paul After-Party. It turned out that we were at the wrong Marriott. The streets of downtown Des Moines were deserted and there were many parking places on the streets. We went inside and ordered one drink and, during that brief period, while we talked to other caucus observers from Wisconsin (one named Moriarty), we learned that we should have gone to the Ankeny Marriott for the Ron Paul After-Party and I was able to get a picture of Newt Gingrich, his wife and entourage.

We drove out to Ankeny to the Marriott and just missed Ron Paul’s remarks to the crowd assembled. I took pictures of a dog named Reeses wearing Ron Paul buttons and we left and went home.

It was a very dull night out. “When did the Republican party become the party of the emotionally unstable?” asked David Letterman on his January 4th program.

When, indeed.

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén