Trump, the birther debate and other newsworthy events

OK, so I know this is a little late on some of these topics, but it's not every day the U.S. kills the world's No. 1 terrorist, and so I'm a little late in clearing my plate on these topics. Here we go.
Donald Trump is a joke. There, I've said it. The fact that he's flirting with a run for the White House in 2012 and is being taken seriously by those pundits supposedly in the know only highlights the dearth of serious candidates at this point on either side and shows how little real news there is to talk about.
Trump's flirtation with a presidential run reminds me of another billionaire outsider who thought he could be president: Ross Perot. Both have nationwide name recognition -- always a good start to a presidential run. Both are independently wealthy and are self-made men. If they wanted, they could finance an entire campaign without taking a lick of public financing. Neither has ever held elected office before. They are truly political outsiders and something novel, something new. But that's where the similarities end.
The difference between Perot and Trump is that Perot had been nibbling around the edge of politics for years before he decided to run in 1992. In his home state of Texas, he was called on by the governor at the time, Bill Clemens, to come up with a plan to fix the state's ailing education system. And he did. Many of his ideas are still being used today.
Perot also took advantage of the nation's ailing economy in 1992. He came out with serious ideas for fixing the economy, and when he spoke, his plain-spoken, straightforward manner appealed to a lot of people who were tired of the political double talk and aching for something different. In 1992, he garnered 19 percent of the vote -- best ever for an independent candidate. And he took that momentum and founded the Reform Party, which played a role in the next election in 1996.
Was Perot a little bit of a clown? Yes. His "my way or the highway" approach to politics would have gone over like a lead balloon in Washington. He was used to being in charge and having people ask "how high?" when he said jump. It wouldn't have worked in Washington.
Now compare Perot to Trump. There simply is no comparison. Trump is a self-absorbed, arrogant clown of the first order. He has no issues to hang his hat on except the thoroughly discredited "birther" debate. He's got no real ideas or vision for the future of our country. He's a self-centered little boy starving for the nation's attention. He's not worth it.
As for the "birther" debate, I was glad to see President Barack Obama finally take control of the debate recently and release his "long-form" birth certificate. The whole idea that we would have wasted more than two years debating whether the president was even a citizen is just ridiculous. It smacks of desperation by a party that has let itself be hijacked by its fringe elements and religious extremists. It only highlights the fact that the Republican Party that Ronald Reagan led 30 years ago is dead. Today's GOP is devoid of real leadership and has abandoned the ideas that made it great -- that of smaller government, lower taxes and fiscal responsibility. That's a real shame. Somewhere, "the Gipper" must be spinning in his grave.