As I read about Rep Paul Ryan's proposal for a reformed budget, if you can call it that, and saw how the press and Democrats were responding, I felt that anyone could see through this, it's so blatant. Why would anyone in their right mind suggest the US go down that path, considering the terrible mess we're dealing with after the financial meltdown of 2008.

The reason the deficit is so high is that we've been trying to get the economy going again and because we had to write some large checks for wars and bailouts of various industries we couldn't imagine living without. It's not in any way a question of political philosophy. It has absolutely nothing to do with unions. The way to avoid more deficits is to make sure that bankers and defense industries can't loot the economy. Yet of course that's what you're seeing, very clearly, in what Ryan is proposing and in the acquiescence of the press and Democrats. They all want this. Plainly.

The last resort now is to try to connect up with the only people Rep Ryan actually reports to, the people of the 1st Congressional District in Wisconsin. I don't want any particular outcome, no recall or I don't care how you vote next year but -- I want to understand why you chose this man, with these ideas, to represent you? Are there any people over the age of 30 living in the 1st District? Anyone retired now? Planning on retiring in the next 20 years? Have a parent or grandparent who depends on health care to be alive?

Death panels? We're not talking about a handful of people -- we're talking about a generation or two -- of Americans. People from Kenosha and Janesville, and north of Chicago and south of Milwaukee. I went to school with Wisconsin people, I'm sure some of them were Republicans, but they're all fairly nice people. Do you really want to take the chance of spending your last years in poverty? Feeling bad, even though there are medications that could help you feel better and maybe live longer. Treatments that would ease the pain of growing old?

I'm right on the line Ryan talks about, I'm turning 56 in less than a month. I've worked hard to prepare for my future. It doesn't feel very safe with people like Ryan around and with power.

So to the people of the 1st District of Wisconsin -- what exactly were you thinking when you elected him?

 4/6/2011; 10:36:34 AM.   .

If I were Jack Dorsey, taking a fresh look at Twitter, from the point of view of Twitter Corp, here's what I'd look at.

Suppose I want to get caught up on something, local or global.

What's going on in high school basketball in Berkeley, or how's the recovery effort with the nuclear power plants going. That's not something Twitter really is set up for. It's good for what's happening right now this second. If Elizabeth Taylor dies, signing on to Twitter will get me that information for at least a few hours after the event. But not if David Broder dies, for example (sadly, they both died recently).

News is and always has been what Twitter is about. There are other tools that are better for conversation and networking. The 140-character limit, imho, makes it useless for both. What it is good for is news.

Something happened. Click for more. Repeat.

That's the pattern.

Twitter is a new channel for sensational journalism. Maybe that's all they want to be, if so, nothing to do, mission accomplished. However if it is to become the news system of the future, as I've said it could -- many times -- then a bunch of corner-turns will be necessary. This is the first one. Giving it a memory beyond the last few minutes.

 4/6/2011; 9:59:29 AM.   .