The very same politicians that have told us repeatedly that Evolution is to be taught in our schools don’t seem to believe that it should apply to anything beyond the limited scope that Darwin applied it to.  Business, according to them, doesn’t evolve.  Shouldn’t evolve.  Why else are we bailing out the failures?  Since when was anything “too big” to fail?  Tell that to my friends the dinosaurs.  Talk about your all time failure.  An entire ecosystem upset.  But, guess what, the world survived.  It adapted and, yes even evolved, to what we see it as now.

Why then aren’t we letting suvival of the fittest work in our markets?  Why do we insist in rescuing these companies who, through poor management, reckless spending and even more reckless lending, caused their own demise?  Why, when these same companies are throwing $400,000 retreats and flying private jets to beg, are we still following through with it all?

It can’t be appeasment.  It can’t be because the people demand it.  We don’t.  I have yet to see a poll done which resulted in a popular demand for this bailout.  So why?

Political Gain.  Self centered rationalizations.

They find themselves between the proverbial rock and a hard spot.  If they don’t do something about the “crisis” and the markets do fail, they all stand a pretty good chance of not only losing their positions next cycle, but also actually having to cut back on spending and that means much less pork-barrelling.  If they do do something about the “crisis” and the markets still fail, the same result is likely.  On the other hand, if they do something about it and the “crisis” resolves itself (like it probably would if left alone) then they can claim all the publicity for it.  They are the heros.  And who doesn’t want to reward a hero with re-election and some leeway for a little extra pork?

I wish there were more people who wanted to hold Washington accountable.  I wish there were more people who saw the market for what it is and would let these companies fail.  I don’t want to pay for their lack of self regulation.  I don’t want to pay for their greed.

Do You?

But somebody needs to draw the line.  The Franken campaign went to court recently demanding that the state turn over the list of abentee voters whose ballots had been rejected so that they could contact them.  Yes.  CONTACT them.  Isn’t our voting system supposed to be anonymous?  Regardless of who you voted for, would you want them or their opponent knowing who you are?  Doesn’t open doors for some really nasty business?

How long will it be before we start hearing stories about the voter who got threatening calls?  And I’m not pointing fingers at Franken or his campaign here.  It’s just as likely to happen no matter who the candidate is.  How I vote is a private matter.  There is no reason for the candidates to have any of that information.  If my ballot is so indecipherable as to make who I voted for unknowable, then I should have been better about making my vote.

So, while Obama and Biden are doing their very best to make it look like it’s an official government entity, it is not.  But it isn’t just a fabrication either.  Technically, if I had a secretary, I could have said secretary answer the phone “Office of Donkephant”.  Much like Obama can have his secretary at his government funded office answer his phone as “Office of the President-Elect”.  He is the President-Elect.  And it is his office.

That aside, I think the way that Obama and Biden are using the name and unofficial seal as well as the website is horribly misleading.  As further evidence of the office not being an official office of the U.S. Governement, the bottom of the website for the “Office of the President-Elect” has the following:

Content copyright © 2008 by Obama-Biden Transition Project, a 501c(4) organization. All rights reserved.

I’m no lawyer, and I would have to be to fully research and understand the law, but I believe if it were an official office of the U.S. Government, it would not have that and would instead say something about it being property of the U.S. Governement.  Or it would have nothing in the footer, much like the whitehouse.gov and the usa.gov sites.

Finally, while it isn’t an official government website, it does appear to have the approval of the government. As far as I can tell, you can’t just go and register a .gov domain like you can a .com or .net.  You’ve got to get approval.  It might be noted that there are those who don’t think this was a legal use of the .gov domain, but I haven’t researched that at all.  Also, there hasn’t been much of anything from the established administration about it.  At least not that I’ve read or heard.

My guess is that the current administration is content to let Obama get away with it.  It creats a distraction.  The longer the buzz last from the election, the longer the people don’t feel the full effects of what is going on around them with the economy, job market, and the world.

The Obama Administration will call on Americans to serve in order to meet the nation’s challenges. President-Elect Obama will expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and will create a new Classroom Corps to help teachers in underserved schools, as well as a new Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, and Veterans Corps. Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by developing a plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year. Obama will encourage retiring Americans to serve by improving programs available for individuals over age 55, while at the same time promoting youth programs such as Youth Build and Head Start.

Let me explain something to you as I understand it. When you require something, it no longer is a volunteer service. Then it exactly the same as the “community service” that many judges will give as a penalty sentence. Don’t be taken in by his use of the term. I’m beginning to think there is a reason he used the term American Serves instead of America Volunteers. Because it’s more like serving a sentence than doing a good service.

Here is one very significant reason that I couldn’t vote for Obama. I believe that people should be left to decide when, where, and how much volunteer and community services that they do. Much like I believe that people should be left to decide how much and to whom they will make their charitable donations. President-Elect Obama believes that the people in charge (Government) know better than you do where your time and money are spent, so they’ll require you to pick from a list of “approved” community services to serve your time at. They’ll also bump your taxes up a bit so that they can make some donations for you through entitlement programs.

I don’t know about you, but I like to make the decisions on what I do and do not do. I like to make the decision on where my money goes. If I want to give my money to the Humane Society rather than some welfare case that doesn’t even try and get a job, that’s my prerogative not the Governments.

The site (cleverly named change.gov) explains it as:

Throughout the Presidential Transition Project, this website will be your source for the latest news, events, and announcements so that you can follow the setting up of the Obama Administration. And just as this historic campaign was, from the beginning, about you — the transition process will offer you opportunities to participate in redefining our government.

Come back often as we define new programs and possibilities to engage and be part of this administration.

Not exactly an explanation of the office itself, but more of the the website.  In all, it seems to be a Office designed to give the President-Elect and Vice President-Elect a public face.  As if they needed one.

I see two things here.  One, it claims to be opening up the process of the transition.  That could be good.  If it’s followed through with.  It may, but I have my reservations.  The other thing I see this office being is a way for Obama to hasten his Presidency.  He can’t legally, of course, but by creating this office, he creates a sort of overlap of the current “lame duck” Presidency with his own “hope” filled presidency.

It also makes me wonder if President Bush is just ready to be done.  Why else would you let the President-Elect overshadow you like that?  Or are his advisors leading him down that path?