OUT OF THE BOX
News Spotting
by Lois Laine

"To get the full value of joy you must have people to divide it with"--Mark Twain

Election Night Issue: Up Late
Lois is anticipating some late hours tonight, as the election results for Mono County make its way to the Associated Press, West Coast offices. Check back tomorrow, June 4th, for results. Visit www.mammothlakesdaily.com for election coverage.

Two Horse Race
Hillary Clinton appears poised to give her Democratic presidential opponent, Barack Obama, the Main Floor. She won't be as active a candidate by the end of the week, so check back. Clinton hasn't given the media a chance to answer the big question-will she endorse Obama? As for John McCain, he's been the "thought-of" Republican presidential candidate for some time.

Record Discontent: Democrats to play "E" Cards
It looks like the Democrats are going to play their "E"cards--economy, enthusiasm and energy, and probably do quite well against the Republicans. However, it's not a good idea if voters are just thinking about who got them into this shaky economy, and not looking at who can seriously lead us out of the mess. Americans are suffering from economic discontent, at a rate similiar to the late 1970s. Some of us are old enough to remember the "Oil Embargo" days in LA, when we waited in line for gas depending on your license plate number. Odd and even days, we watched the gas gauge so we didn't drive too far. Sounds a lot like me today, keeping to local downtown shopping. Heaven forbid I need to drive to Reno or LA right now. I'd need to hock my youngest son-first. As for energy and enthusiasm, Obama has used his political energy, and relabeled it his own brand called, "Enthusiasm." It's working so far. McCain will need to ramp it up in the future to convince the nation he has the extraordinary drive to shore up the place during this economic cave-in. It all turns around eventually, given time plus an extra shot of luck.

Hummer Update: Now You See Them, Now You Don't
California's governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, isn't the only one possessing a Hummer--and maybe a collector's item soon. GM isn't going to produce as many of the monsters, meaning the once robust market for the all terrain vehicle may have tracked out....I predict there will be a goodly number of large trucks and SUV lines driving off into the Sierra sunset soon. Instead, we'll have people scouting out battery recharging facilities, paying for them like a new wave of parking meters.
Ford truck sales down 24 percent last month!
Hummer sales down 28 percent=GM restructing right now.

Mammoth Lakes--
Syd and Nancee Love it when I start their column with that fancy location lead. Here goes. Syd likes the "Don't be an "Ed"! concept (read "What's Afoot?" further down). Says it's a keeper. Nancee discovered she needs to get her eyes examined--she couldn't see a deer if it hit her broadside. Vanity is dangerous, I tell her, and explain that hitting a deer will set her back at least three to four grand....Not to mention the grief of being labeled a "Bambi Killer." Put your driving glasses on Nancee. There were new emails to share with me from Syd and Nancee's good friend in So Cal- Amy. This gal's footwear is eye-catching, and so is the person attached to the shoes. Nancee is slightly jealous that she can't really present a pair of shoes off, like Amy, and live up in Mammoth long enough to talk about it.