The never ending menu of topics

"Where to start! It seems like each month there are more troubling topics to comment on..."

A couple of years ago, right after I had published my 100th blog article, one of my daughters said to me, "Well Bird - I bet you are just about done with topics to squawk about." My response was something like, Oh contraire my child. The Bird is just getting revved up. As long as we have this Administration, there will always be something."

The reason I bring this up is this - I now have over 1,300 articles published, and today I could write on six or seven different topics. For example:

• The St. Paul VA exec pleading the 5th
• Xcel Energy wanting yet another whopping large rate hike
• The Social Security "fixes" that the candidates are talking about
• The "cat and mouse" game that the Chinese and American navies are doing in the South China Sea
• Obama threatening to "go rogue" on climate change and immigration
• The latest on the Russian airliner crash over the Sinai

Out of these, I will pick the first one for today. I almost did an article called "Lois Lerner, Deja Vu". When I first heard that this woman who heads up the St. Paul VA was called in front of a Congressional hearing to explain irregularities within her office, it was disturbing. Then when she did not show up, it was even more disturbing. Then when she finally does show up and pleads the 5th, that was the last straw.

Here is a woman, who works for us (the taxpayers), making an annual salary of about $175,000. The first day she did not show up (and with no good excuse on why she did not) in front of Congress, we should have pulled the plug on her. Whomever her boss is, should also be fired for not firing her. Or I guess I could say, welcome to the way your government works. Very little accountability and pretty much a job for life. Poor performance is rewarded by putting you in another job. In the real world that most of us live in, poor performance is rewarded by getting canned.

I read an article just recently that addressed the VA in general. It is still a mess. The wait times are still unacceptably long. We continue to treat our veterans worse that we treat illegal aliens. And who is doing something about this? And I don't mean talking about it, I mean really doing something. Somebody needs to tell me the answer, because I sure the heck do not know.

So life goes continues on. Both on the shores of the Potomac as well as in St. Paul. This overpaid, uncooperative woman will come back to her office, continue to get paid, and life will go on. The Congressional hearings will be classified as just another "witch hunt". The VA will continue to suck, veterans will continue to be denied the care promised by their government, and poor performance in both the federal and state government will continue to rule the day in . Our job as taxpayers and citizens? Just shut up and keep paying for the entropy.

That is enough ranting about this topic. I just might need to do another article later on today concerning the Xcel rate hike. That one is low fruit on the tree, and really needs discussion. So many topics on the menu, so many topics...