A real conversation

In-coming Governor Rick Scott (Florida) recently said he wants those collecting unemployment for more than 12 weeks to do community service and to have proof they're looking for a job. That's a great sound bite and God knows we live in the world of sound bites! Heaven forbid we take the time to look any deeper. OK Heaven, forbid away, but here I go ... deeper.

Consider the single parent that was making, say, $70K a year before losing that job 6 months ago. Let's also say this single parent has 3 (2, if you prefer) children still young enough to need child care. At $70K a year, this parent had no problem paying the child care bill along with all the other stuff that needs to be paid in a month. Now that the parent is unemployed, paying for childcare is out of the question! Not only is it no longer affordable, but in this electronic age, most days it's no longer necessary.

In comes Rick Scott's "new rules": now this parent has to do community service and that means paying for childcare again. Just how is said parent suppose to come up with the money? Not to mention the next issue of community service hours taking away from job-search hours. (Is the community service idea starting to sound a little less "right on!!!" ??) And if the parent is out doing community service, how is the parent suppose to prove that he/she is looking for employment?

That's just "five minutes worth of thought" into the sound bite. What may sound like a great idea on the surface (long live our great American sound bite) is usually like the onion just waiting for more layers to be peeled away. Whether I voted for Rick Scott or not is irrelevant; he is our new Governor and I want him to be successful. This is not a good start, though. He's off the campaign trail and into the Governor's mansion (well ... in a couple of days) so he needs to ix-nay the sound bites and start thinking a little deeper. Let's have some real conversation about ideas. (And I haven't even talked about WHAT community service would be performed... would we end up putting even MORE people out of jobs?)

I'm just sayin'......

The Senator and Mr. Miller

Joe Miller, the Tea Party Republican candidate in the Alaska senate race, has just filed an appeal to the Supreme Court in his continuing challenge of the election results. The esteemed Mr. Miller has every right to do so, but in my humble opinion Mr. Miller shows blatant disregard for the plurality of voters of Alaska by continuing this fight. Ms. Murkowski (Mr. Miller's esteemed Republican opponent) lost the primary, yes, but continued on as a write-in candidate. Surprise, surprise! She got more votes than the other two candidates!

Mr. Miller is not questioning the number of votes cast for Ms. Murkowski, nor is he questioning the intent of the voter. Instead, Mr. Miller is attempting to win this Senate seat by questioning how the state counted the votes for Ms. Murkowski. Seriously, Joe? If a voter wrote "Murkowsky" instead of "Murkowski", you want the vote thrown out. Is the voter's intent not clear enough for you??? The voters clearly voted for her. Take your loss and try again next time. What does this fight do for anyone besides cost money and show that you're a really sore loser! I live in Florida - ask me about voter intent! I mean ... really, dude!

Mr. Miller disrespects his party and his would-be constituents by showing us that he's willing to do anything to win this seat even if it means disenfranchising the voters of his great state. It is but one sign of what has gone wrong with this, The Great Experiment: if you don't get your way you'll whine and sue and hold your breath until you do (except for Ms. Angle, of Nevada, who believes we should take up arms if we don't get our way!!) Bow out, Mr. Miller. It's way too late to do so gracefully, but bow out anyway and give the voters of Alaska the Senator of their choosing. I'm just sayin'.....

Who's patting down Mr. Limbaugh?

I've not been watching too much politics for the last few days. It's very frustrating when I do watch, though. The latest buzz on the right is about the pat-downs at the airport. You'd think every person was having nude body cavity searches right there in front of God and everybody. But no - it's about 2% of flyers being patted down. And I'm thinking the TSA folks aren't all that happy about having to fondle people, either. I mean - there are people in this world to whom "hygiene" is a foreign language! Pity the TSA person that's patting down the traveler that hasn't washed body nor clothes for the last two weeks! Yuck!

But my rant today is about Rush. Yea, Limbaugh. He blames Mr. Obama, of course (since the TSA folks are government workers). You'd think Rush actually had to fly commercial and is personally inconvenienced. The real issue for him is, of course, that he has yet another opportunity to bash our government for the sake of ratings. I really really intensely dislike Mr. Limbaugh - to the point of not being able to tolerate his voice for more than 5 minutes at a stretch anymore - but I will ALWAYS defend his right to say whatever he wants. HOWEVER ... even though he considers himself an entertainer first (thus meaning that we should put ZERO credence in what he has to say since he'll say anything for ratings), he should have enough respect for our country (AND our system of government) to accept that fact that words have consequences.

While Rush may know that he's simply spouting drivel to drive up his advertising revenues and line his pockets with even MORE money (what's he going to buy with all that money anyway??), he should also know that his words encourage the lunatic fringe. Just as the anti-abortion protesters say they don't advocate violence as they spout their inflammatory words yet cheer when another doctor providing abortion services is murdered by one of their ilk, Rush really should step up to the plate and quit trying to enrage the lunatic fringe for the purposes of feathering his nest. After all - don't you think Rush would be the first person to scream outrage if one of our planes was blown up because the TSA didn't do enough checking??? So Rush ... chill, dude. You've got lots of followers who believe every word you say. Try to do some good in the world. I'm just sayin'......

Sharks being jumped

Have the Republicans already blown their political capital? In the world that is current-day politics, where no one respects any one else, or even the office of anyone else, I think it's still bad form to disrespect the office of the President. When he invites you to dinner, you show up and the hell with your schedule. The Republicans blew off the White House: how can we expect to see any "working together" if this is how the new Congress starts (before it even starts!!)? But wait ... it gets worse.

Yesterday the House failed to extend unemployment benefits to millions of our fellow citizens because the Republicans wanted to actually pay for it. Hey - that's fine with me! I think fiscal responsibility is a terrific idea! I'm willing to see cuts made to pay for extending benefits. But I want some consistency. The Republicans are NOT willing to pay for extending the Bush-era tax cuts yet "demand" that they be extended for all income brackets. OK dudes and dudettes - how are we going to pay for that? Could that deafening sound that I don't hear be the silence emanating from the right side of the aisle? Two bad moves in as many days just might have cost the Republicans all the good will they had the day after the mid-terms.

I'm just sayin' .......

The Trouble with Joe

Yea, yea. We’re all about sick to death of hearing about Joe “you lie” Wilson’s outburst during the President’s speech to the joint session of Congress the other night. Humor me, though. I have a different viewpoint on this.

I have no problem with Joe Wilson disagreeing with our President (whether you like him or hate, him he is OUR President, just as George W. Bush was OUR President): our Founders wisely set up a system of government that allowed for healthy debate and disagreement. What I have a problem with is Congressman Wilson’s lack of leadership. Yep, leadership.

Help me here. As far as I know, we still have a representative democracy – I don’t think that’s changed during my many years on this earth. And as far as I know, that still means we the people elect other people to represent us the people in Washington. We elect 100 Senators, 435 Representatives, and one President. (We don’t really elect the Veep; that choice was left to the candidtate). So…in Congress, we have 535 people to do the business for ALLLLLLLLL of us other folks here in our great country. Well I don’t know about you, but (a) I expect every one of these elected people to do the job we’re paying them to do, and (b) by golly I expect them to LEAD.

Now…. Leaders are, by default, role models. And therein lies the problem with Joe. What is he teaching the young ones? That it’s perfectly OK to disrespect the President in front of a nationwide television audience, that’s what. And what is he teaching the rest of the world? That we don’t give a rat’s ass about any sense of decency toward the leaders of this country, that’s what. So I ask you…can this be good? Of course not.

Let’s agree that two wrongs don’t make a right (so we can eliminate the “well so-and-so did such-and-such” argument) and agree that both sides of this mess we call a governing body have done their fair share of being complete jerks. I want to put that behind us and ask our elected leaders to do some leading.

I do NOT want Senators and Representatives that play to their base. They should be smart enough to know that the base will not get them re-elected, and the base will not leave for the other party, either. I want Senators and Representatives that want to do what is best for ALL the people of this great country. So here’s what I want ALL of us to say to our elected officials:

You are NEVER going to make everyone happy, so quit playing to the lowest of the low. Yea, I may not get everything I want in health care reform, but shouldn’t there at least be SOME reform? Everything the Dems do can’t be right/wrong, everything the Reps do also can’t be right/wrong. So how come all you “guys” up there on The Hill have to vote along party lines all the time? Why is it so cool to side only with your party and treat anyone stepping outside the box as an outcast? What the hell kind of leadership is this? And why the hell aren’t you speaking out against the left- and right-wing nutjobs out there? Why aren’t you demanding that people within x-distance of the President do NOT carry weapons? Why aren’t you insisting to the birthers that the President is indeed a native-born citizen? Lead, damn it! Barney Frank seems to be the only one amongst you with gonads! Talk back to the morons and work to LIFT the level of intelligent debate, not toss it down to it’s lowest level. For when you allow the nutjobs to run the place, you end up making ALL of us have egg on our face when the world sees Joe Wilson disrespect our elected President.

And THAT, my friends, is the trouble with Joe.

Ramblings from a little left of center

Weird thoughts go through my mind when I’m doing work that doesn’t require brain cells. Here are some of today’s thoughts.

When any guest on any of the political shows says “let me finish”, I hear “waa waa waa”.

I would listen to Bill O’Reilly except that he seems to have a profound aversion to facts. Even when they’re pointed out to him. Especially then, actually.

Anyone that proudly calls themselves a “Dittohead” needs to maybe practice thinking on their own again. I don’t “ditto” the thoughts of ANYONE! Hell, I don’t even agree with myself sometimes!

Is there any excuse for Glenn Beck? He’s such a waste of good oxygen!

When I hear people say “I want us to get back to what our forefathers wanted” I wonder what they mean? Can you be more specific? Oh….by the way … if you’re a woman or a black person or don’t own property, don’t bother telling me what you mean because you didn’t count back then. (soooo…. Are you SURE that’s what you want?)

George W. Bush (43) loved to talk about his dislike of activist judges. Just exactly how does he think he got into the White House?

How come anyone still listens to anything Sarah Palin says? She was elected and quit…what kind of character is that?

Does anyone really believe that one party loves America any more (or less) than the other party?

Why is it so hard to accept a change in government? Hell, we all get another chance to overthrow the government every 4 years! Some people are just sore losers.

Why is the right suddenly aware of fiscal responsibility? Did you think these wars were free? Or the tax cuts? How’s that trickle-down economics working for you so far?

Why don’t we prosecute those that break the law? Oh…they’re Presidents and Vice Presidents….I guess they’re above the law.

Give me a reasoned argument instead of whiney bullshit and I’ll listen to you. This immediately discounts Hannity, Limbaugh, Beck and O’Reilly.

Rachel Maddow is a reasonable human being! I highly recommend her show.

I wonder if Mary Matalin & James Carville have civil discussions at home? I bet they’re fascinating! I think it’s sooo interesting to talk (not rant) with someone that has differing views! It’s the only way to broaden your mind.

I love “the media”. I don’t want a world without them. I DO wish, though, that the honchos in the news business were still good gatekeepers instead of the money-seeking executives they’ve become. News is NOT entertainment.

When you watch the political shows of your choice, please remember that you’re listening to people in search of ratings. You need to ask yourself if even the host really believes what s/he is saying.

What makes Sean Hannity a great American? And why does he think every caller to his show is a great American …. Until they disagree with him? Then he gets mad, whines, and hangs up on them. Sheesh what a grouch.

I think the lefties don’t get mad often enough. Except for Keith Olbermann. He rocks. He’s like Max from “Network” – mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore. “Good night and good luck” back at ya, O-mann!

If we don’t require everyone to have health insurance, can hospitals refuse to treat the uninsured? If yes, then I’m OK with not having insurance. If no, then what’s the justification for letting health insurance be a choice? (In other words, who’s going to pay for the uninsured people?)

I hate the idea of government regulation just as much as the next person, but do you really think big corporations will be ethical without the Mommy & Daddy hovering? They certainly don’t have a very good track record so far, do they? Sometimes we have to hold our nose when we take some of the actions we take.

So….now that we’ve shipped all the manufacturing to other countries, and shipped all the servicing/help desk jobs to other countries….. just exactly how do we expect to employ people? What if the unemployed worked at the hotels in Las Vegas and picked the produce we grow instead of leaving these jobs to illegals? What would the unemployment rate be THEN? But …. I guess these government-program hating folks would rather collect an unemployment check.

If you really believe we live in a free market economy, you need to check your facts. We subsidize an awful lot of stuff, and guarantee the price of a lot of other stuff. Doesn’t sound much like “free market” to me!

Do you think we should have let the banks and the car companies fail? What do you suppose the unemployment numbers would be then?

Seems to me that the Democrats always have to raise the taxes because the Republicans always cut them so low the government can’t run. It’s a mad game, I’m telling you!

We sure could solve a lot of problems if every one of us spoke up every time we encountered cheating, injustice and unfairness instead of just closing our door because it didn’t affect us.

Obama is an illegal alien? Please!!!!!!!! These "birthers" are assholes; there's no other word for them. Oh and by the way, Kanye West is also an asshole.

Dickie and Rushbo are just giant whining babies

So I said to myself ….. just when is it that we DO prosecute?

Cheney is shooting his mouth off again about how the Obama administration isn’t capable of handling national security. Well you didn’t do such a swell job yourself, did you Dickie-boy? We got hit on whose watch, exactly? Not to mention got ourselves into a war based on a pack of lies that you and your cronies concocted, we lost respect around the globe, lost a tremendous amount of personal privacy, and we decided that the Geneva convention agreements were better used in the outhouse rather than be followed. Talk about talking your ball and going home!

I just want to know when we’re going to prosecute people that break the law. And don’t give me this “following orders” crap. We didn’t accept that excuse in WWII did we, now? Where do we draw the line? Killing people? Putting them in camps? Taking away all their belongings? Can somebody please define the line that separates “following orders” from “what in Sam’s hell made you think this was OK”?

Even comedian Rush Limbaugh was getting in his jabs today. Rush determines “the line” by asking something like “if it is your child that’s kidnapped, just how far would you want the interrogators to go?” Well Rushie, that’s just about as logical as men making decisions about pregnancy. If it was my kid, I’d want the interrogator to string the jerk up by his balls and torture him till he died. What other answer did you expect? Any parent worthy of the title is going to want to torture anyone that hurt their child. So your question is ridiculous. The question we should be asking is “Is it OK to do this to our uniformed men and women?” (How many times do you need to be reminded that we prosecuted people for waterboarding?)

As for the law, just as it is not OK for a parent to go out and shoot the person that raped and killed their child – because it is illegal – it is the same amount of NOT OK to torture. Because it is illegal. If you don’t like the law, change it, but none of us get away with just blatantly breaking it. Unless of course you’re Dick Nixon … pardoned for Watergate, Ronald Reagan……not prosecuted for the Iran-Contra mess …. And so on. Maybe if we’d have prosecuted Nixon and Reagan, we wouldn’t have Presidents and their compadres that keep breaking the law.

So button it, Dickie and Rushbo. You had your eight years and a damn fine mess you left us to clean up! Quit whining like a bunch of big babies who lost the game and let the current administration do their job. If they fail, we’ll boot their asses out, too.