How do you spell relief? This way: It’s J-e-s-s-e V-e-n-t-u-a-’-s p-o-l-i-t-c-a-l c-a-r-e-e-r n-e-v-e-r w-e-n-t a-n-y f-u-r-t-h-e-r. Here’s why: Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura has pledged he will move to Mexico after a St. Paul judge threw out his lawsuit against the TSA. The Daily News reports Ventura’s suit alleged “that airport scans and pat-downs amounted...

Violet’s dad has passed away. This means Charlie’s mother is, I believe, the only parent still living. According to family he was often asked to quote his epic line “Violet you’re turning violet Violet” and did so with great pleasure. Of course the sad thing is that he had decades of service in the entertainment industry but is only remembered for this. However if we can all take...

In answer to several emails today about my doing less posting. I’m in the middle of a 9 month national tour that entails me driving all over the country. Most of the time I can get online a few times during the day and can post regularly. On Sept 23 my laptop was damaged so I bought a new one at Best Buy on the road. On Oct 12 someone broke into my car in Hamden, CT while I was having dinner with my 90...

This is a reworking of an earlier post but I thought it would be fun weekend conversation. Often when we get a debate between the big government/small government positions I see someone who supports the big government side come up with “well you oppose big government so you must refuse taking benefit X”. I must confess that I’ve never seen the logic to that position. I’m a relative moderate,...

UPDATE: I have just finished watching the CBS 60 Minutes special on Operation Proper Exit. If you have watched it, thank you. If you haven’t, please watch it when you can (I will try to have a video in the next update) It will change your outlook on these brave young men — these Wounded Warriors — who have given it their all; on war; perhaps on what life is all about … (Have a handkerchief...

Did Congress waste its time and ours in affirming “In God We Trust”? Here’s a roundup on the topic.

To many TMV contributors who do Guest Voices: due to travel and my laptop being fixed most of the contributions set to go on TMV will go on later today at the end of the day or tomorrow. We regret the delay.

For several years now, Greece has been presenting on a global stage, a never-ending “Waiting For Godot” comic-tragedy in which there is constant worldwide audience participation despite a complete lack of plot, or any ideas on how to end this story. A Greek default on its international debts may not bring down the global financial system, but it regularly paralyzes governments, bondholders, and stock markets...

Republican Presidential Candidate Herman Cain is currently fighting off three questionable claims of sexual harassment that allegedly occurred between 10 and 20 years ago. Two of the claims were reported as settled quietly and one was never disclosed until recently and after most applicable time limits on filing lawsuits have run out. From the viewpoint of this writer (TMV’s alleged misogynist as some past...

WASHINGTON – There’s nothing like the smell of popcorn in the morning. Somebody served it for breakfast, because the blame game in which Herman Cain is now engaged is screen-worthy. Republicans better start waking up to what Cain’s arrogance is costing them, though as someone who thinks both political parties deserve to be voted out, I’m enjoying this scene immensely. Conservative blogger...

While the national debate on taxes is currently dominated by the latest help-the-rich flat tax concoctions, the 5 percent surtax proposal on millionaire and billionaire incomes has faded into the background. This is very sad because this simple, easy to understand, highly popular approach toward meeting budgetary necessities is probably the most sensible thing to come out of Washington in years — maybe decades....

WASHINGTON – The above graphic is compliments of Virginia Republicans, though it really could have come from any Tea Party office today. As bad as the Democrats are, and oh are they bad, at least they don’t send out emails like the one above. When you look at the anti-democratic actions of Ohio’s Gov. John Kasich, or Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin, not to mention the war on women being waged...

Megan McArdle reports on the Greek crisis and the likelihood that there will be real trouble much more quickly than many expect. If EU economic policy were a soap opera–and apparently, it is–Greece would be the sultry, irresponsible beauty in a tumultuous love-hate relationship with rigid, authoritarian Germany. Obviously after years of tumultuous breakups and teary reunions, this is the season...

BENEDICT ARNOLD WOULD APPLAUD TODAY’S REPUBLICANS As loaded as the word traitor and all that it connotes is, I can now say without qualification but with considerable sadness that the never ending Republican obstructionism in Congress has reached traitorous levels. Recall that it was a healthy (pardon the term) majority of congressional Republicans who reached across the aisle in August to join Democrats...

I don’t think anyone would describe Pulitzer Prize Winner for Commentary Kathleen Parker as a Liberal. A member of the Washington Post Writers Group, she describes herself politically as “slightly to the right of center.” Sharon Grisby, deputy editorial page editor, The Dallas Morning News, has described her writing and her journalistic talents as follows: In a media genre that’s all too...

Due to a technical error, book review notes of Don Lemon’s book “Transparent” were on TMV. They have been removed. The actual review will appear in the next few days. We regret the error.

Banks are backing off new fees on debit card use, but retaining many other fees that today are one of their main sources of income. Airlines are making billions a year in fees for things that used to be — and still ought to be — part of their regular service. Fees have become so outrageous at some airlines that a carrier that doesn’t charge some of them promotes this fact prominently in its ads. Imagine....

WASHINGTON – They say timing is everything and I certainly hope so, as my e-book comes out next week, the same time this TIME article hits newsstands, though it’s already online. Hillary has earned the attention, which is why I wrote my book. This woman, this dynamo, this fighting female made history and her story matters to American politics, but now even the world. “We came. We saw. He died.”...

Surely there must be a cartoon in the world somewhere showing Assange going through Herman Cain and Obama’s last 25 years of history, and letting the cat(s) out of the bags. Right now Politico gets the ‘Cat Out of the Bag award’ re Herman Cain’s ‘silent settlement’ to make sexual harrassment charges ‘go away’ it seems. What does Politico win? I think a trophy...

Former Godfather’s Pizza CEO and White House aspirant Herman Cain has not been giving a consistent response on his sexual harrassment allegations. In fact, it seems to be a constantly changing timeline. Look at THIS. What does this mean? It means any editors worth their journalistic salt will keep looking into this story because correctly or not the response of Cain and his campaign team are giving out...

A few, a very few, of the Wall Street hustlers who made fortunes in various market misdeeds are now coming to the bar of justice. Will they get the punishments they deserve? Or will some of them—as this poem suggests—end up turning their “tribulations” into another hustle? A Reformed Financial Felon’s Confessional For many long years I lived in a prison, A prison of vulgar materialism, Acquiring...

You know the campaign has begun in earnest when you start seeing musical parodies about the candidates. Here’s one starting to gain popularity on You Tube: Rick Perry supposedly singing “It Sucks to Be You” — clearly produced by a non-fan:

Accountants working for companies provide a valuable service. They compile numbers about various aspects of a company’s operations that management can use as guides to improve performance. But there are caveats. If the counting doesn’t include all important factors, if it seems to emphasis one factor above another in an incorrect way, or if management uncritically uses numbers that accountants provide...

Rick McKee, The Augusta Chronicle This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

Today marks the 125th ‘birthday’ of the Statue of Liberty. For all our disagreements and debates here on TMV I think we can all agree liberty and freedom is worth celebrating. Here is an amazing video (it is 10 min long) of the finale of the 1986 celebrations. Hopefully we can keep the political debates in other threads and use this one to celebrate our common love of freedom and each other.