What is wrong with our Government?

10/07/09

Ok. So, we have US Senators committing violations of the Logan Act and we have all sort of senators trying to convert health care reform into a government giveaway to the health insurance industry to the detriment of both our wallets and our health. Now, I do watch Keith Olbermann. Not for the news, but for his commentary. And lately he has been asking, what is going on. He hasn't figured out that the problem is that ALL the senators in questions are members of a religious cult known as the Family. And their actions are totally consistent with historic policy promoted by the Family. And in case you aren't family with The Family, I suggest you read the book. Basically, all the crappy foreign policy debacles the US has been involved in are the Families fault.

Caricatures and Politics

9/18/09

Ok – so charges of racism are flying in the current political debate. Here is why I think this is a non-issue.  First, it isn’t news that there are still some incredibly bigoted people living in America.  Second, caricatures of political officials are normal in politics. Jimmy Carter was portrayed as a stupid southern hick as a way to show how idiotic his policies were.  Reagan was portrayed as an actor/puppet who was only good at delivering someone else’s lines. Clinton was a lying philanderer who couldn’t be trusted.  Bush Jr was a trust fund kid who only got into college as a legacy and not on his own merits.  And now we have Obama who is a black radical socialist who hangs out with terrorists and is most likely Muslim and not even a real American. Ok, so the caricatures of Obama are a bit harsher and more severe then the way we caricatured our other presidents. But still, if McCain had won, he would have been a dottering old fool.  And if Hillary had won we would have been treated to every anti-feminist stereotype imaginable.  My point is that Obama is The President – of course his opposition is trying to portray him as a negative caricature!  

09/11/09

The biggest irony of Joe Wilson's, Rep of South Carolina, outburst during the joint session of congress the other day is that he could have been a bit of a hero to everyone. I am not saying that what he did was okay by any stretch of the imagination. Interrupting the President during a joint session is just plain rude. It's just that he called Obama a liar when Obama was speaking the truth. If, however, he had called Obama a liar when he was telling us that the plan was debt neutral, a claim no one believes, we could all at least have understood his frustration. Instead, he looks like an idiot. All because lying about whether or not someone else is lying is just bad form anyway you look at it.

Bear With Me

9/4/09

This is a bit of a politic round up. Getting time to write when you have been on vacation and then go right into birthday party planning leaves little time for writing. Anyway - Obama is giving a pep talk to students, Cheney is mulling a run for President in 2012 and some idiot bit the finger off their political opponent. So, I felt I needed to weigh in on these things. Just a warning, this round up goes into conspiracy theory territory. First up - the Presidential address to students to start their new year.

The Veil in a Secular Society

9/2/09

The recent Humanist magazine has an essay about the veil controversy in France.  Should Muslim women in France be allowed to wear veils in public places – like schools etc.  Or should they be forced to conform to secular norms.  The essay covers the regular arguments, the veil is a symbol of oppression of women vs it is a symbol of faith and culture and people should be free to express themselves however the want without unnecessary government interference.  The essay writer doesn’t provide a satisfying conclusion because she basically says that even though anti-immigration forces are also anti-veil because of their bigotry shouldn’t mean that Humanists should not also stand up against the veil as a symbol of religious oppression. I don’t agree with her.

Why is it Always Fox

8/14/09

So, during the current health care debate – I was asked why I assumed that people opposed to it because they were afraid it would require euthanasia for the elder got their information from Fox News.  I was told it was insulting to assume that.  And then, of course, I was told by the very people that I suspected got their misinformation from Fox, that they were indeed Fox viewers.  Leaving aside the fact I was right, they did get their mis-information from Fox, I do want to answer the question as to why I suspect people to be Fox viewers whenever I hear a bit of fear mongered nonsense in an otherwise sane political debate.  

Why We Need Health Insurance Reform

8/11/09

I can understand why a lot of people don’t understand how broken our health insurance system is yet.  After all – most old people get their health care through the government – which despite conservatives being sure can’t run anything – has the highest satisfaction rates of any health care provider.  Another large majority get their health insurance through their companies and let’s face it – unless you have to use it because of major injury or catastrophic illness – you have no idea how reliable your insurance is – and you probably haven’t given much thought to what you would do should you loose your job and as a consequence your health insurance. But for me and my family – we know.