They aren’t really things, just ideas. And they cost nothing. Perhaps that’s what they are worth. Anyway, here goes:

1. It was interesting to listen to international reaction to the election of Barack Obama. One thing of note was hearing South African cleric Desmond Tutu’s statement that he thought it was a good idea for Obama to apologize to the international community for the Iraq war.

I can’t quite get that one to make sense. I believe the war has been tragic, but for Obama to come in now and apologize would be, uh, well…puzzling.

Who in the international community would you direct that apology to? In what forum?

2. The Republican Party wasted no time forming a circular firing squad after the recent Presidential election. And the one big beef that seemed to be front and center? The McCain side savaging Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Hey guys….you picked her.

3. The news that GM, Ford and Chrysler are going to the government with hat in hand just frosts me.

Yes, in case you haven’t heard- and I’m delusional enough to assume that my readers look to jeffspad to get all the latest news- the big American automakers are now looking for big bailout money.

Excuse me, but why should we bail out GM for making crappy cars for a generation? Their poor quality was exceeded only by their incompetent management.

Now we are told that the sheer size of their labor force merits a big rescue plan. I guess the lesson inherent in this is that big and stupid gets rewarded.

Even with massive infusions of money, absent a strategy to make their company viable in the world market, what good does it do to help these guys? They have had plenty of opportunities to improve their business approach, and their track record is dismal.

Before we write these guys a blank check, consider this axiom: “you can’t fix stupid.”

4. Tonight I heard that Russia is apparently going to try to start a hockey league to compete with the NHL.

I have two pieces of advice for them:

Bring plenty of cash and buy more vowels.

5. Last but not least- It is impossible to lick your elbow. You will thank me when that one pops up in your next Trivial Pursuit competition.