The “Everglades” has a nice sound to it.  Unfortunately, the ‘Glades’ no longer exist.  You know that once you make a mistake and it becomes clear to everyone that that mistake is going to affect a great many nice people, it behooves you to try to clean up the mess you made.  Here in Florida, the State seems ready with money to begin to address the problem of a lake with no water in it but the U.S. Government (probably with the excuse that less government is good government) has not lived up to its promise to give the half of the money already agreed to – but, sadly, not the enabling legislation to send it to the Corps of Engineers which made the mistakes in the first place. There are too many people relying on a badly planned draining of that lake for badly needed water.  And, the people keep pouring in while the water keeps draining away leaving a dry bottom that is cracked and foul.

Once there were independent nations going their own way and doing what they did despite the disapproval of their neighbors and the powerful nations who faced each other off to claim the leadership in politics, economics and just simply – Might Makes Right.  Now there are no nations such as Iraq and Afghanistan any more.  I think there were promises that once weapons of mass destruction were found and destroyed and democracy endowed on these dictatorships (or should we say stews of tribal ambitions trying to put together coalitions that would endure for a year or more) that we would leave and there would be a sanitized version of the United States left behind because we clean up other people’s messes as well as our own.  Those nations no longer exist nor does a coherent policy backed by a united government of differing parties and whole cadres of politicians who are vying for the opportunity to be elected as head of the government that will replace what Bush and his cohorts have left behind.  What is ahead will be interesting but the resolution of the national status of Iraq and Afghanistan has yet to be established.

Once there was a Middle Class.  That ‘class’ worked hard, paid the bills and provided an educated base for the needs of a government of 50 States and the arena where every two years and four years debating goes on to determine which “party” will represent not only that Middle Class but the tiny ‘Uber’ Class of the ultra rich and the huge lower classes of workers, immigrants and the hopeless poor.  There is a rat hole down which the wealth of the Middle Class and that of the lower classes is being drained.  And, yet, the call is for more and more money to pay for war and the mistakes of our leaders. And, of course, the rich must have their entitlements.

Once there were doctors who made house calls.