Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Election Season - Is there anybody out there?
Well I suppose it's time I weighed in on election politics. Many of my Facebook friends are all a buzz with their support or lack thereof for the two major candidates.
Now this may not come as a huge surprise to most of you who know me, and it may out and out shock some of you, but I will not be supporting Barack Obama for a second term. Mr. Obama has failed to deliver on some of the most important issues of our day. We are still fighting an endless war in the Middle East. Our President has not only continued the failed policy of the Bush administration of an endless and pointless war against an ideology, but he has escalated the government's efforts to a level so foul that even twenty years ago such thoughts were inconceivable. Tell any 1990's politico that the so called "liberal" president in 2012 would have the power (without any resistance) to order the assassination of American citizens, they'd call you crazy. Absolutely sickening is the overreach of this administration in the name of 'national security'.
Instead of real reform to reel in the excesses of the banking industry that led to the worst economic crisis in American history since the Great Depression, we got a new law that deemed certain banks and corporations as 'too big to fail'. Basically guaranteeing that no matter what these greedy bastards did to our economy we would ensure even at the cost of our own economic future and prosperity that these people would not go under. By the way, the REAL unemployment rate isn't as rosy as the official statistic released by the federal government - look it up.
And can I please take a second to point out to the team politics Democrats that the health care reform we got is a total sham, and you all should be ashamed of yourselves for supporting it. Don't you find it interesting that through the entire two year debate this country had about this farce of a law the insurance companies remained eerily silent? I wonder why? Oh wait, this new federal law, sealed in place by the Supreme Court, just guaranteed them 47 brand new accounts. That's not being socially conscious or responsible, that law is fascism. Really, take a look at Italian fascism under Mussolini. If you really wanted to change the healthcare system in a way that guaranteed everyone could have health insurance that wanted it, you could have supported a single payer option that, while allowing for private insurance companies to continue to operate, would offer options to the 47 million Americans without insurance. Instead we have a law that forces 47 million people to buy something that regardless of our own best interest or desire to do business with these bastards, have to buy insurance now.
Well, it's clear that I will not be supporting Mr. Obama again, lets turn to the other option, oh wait, he's a Republican, aren't they the people that tried everything they could to ruin our economy and country through the first decade of the 21st century? Yeah, those guys that started the damn war, that pulled back reasonable regulations that kept the banks and corporations from ruining the whole economy for the rest of us, that cut education funding in favor of huge subsidies to big oil companies that nearly destroyed the economy and ecosystem of 5 states and Mexico, let alone the Gulf of Mexico. The party that demands whether I'm an atheist, Buddhist, Jew, Muslim or Christian acknowledge that this country is a Christian country (we're not), and think all of our social problems would be solved if we just allowed the schools to lead all the kids in prayer every morning. The party that still wont get over a damn court case that was settled 40 years ago, and the only way to change it would be a constitutional amendment - btw, good fucking luck on that one. The party that believes the best way to address international relations is to either bomb or covertly bomb every population that doesn't agree with you. Yeah, I wont be supporting those guys this year either.
So where do I go? Who does someone like myself vote for this year? Worse yet, am I alone with this? I believe in progressive values, I think it's a crime that anyone in the richest country in the world should be out on the streets, hungry or homeless. It's shameful the amount of money we spend on killing machines instead of implements of bettering humanity and furthering science and prosperity and peace. I will work something out, maybe I'll just vote for and against what proposals I will, and just abstain from the Presidential election this year. Really I guess I'm writing this to ask if anyone else sees what I see? I have a good many liberal and forward thinking friends that I consider to be smart, intellectual, good people, and I'm just astonished that they're supporting Obama in 2012. The only wasted vote is one you can't get behind. Please help me understand if you believe in what you say; why you would support someone who has failed so miserably as the flag bearer of liberalism in the 21st century.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Maybe it's me?
Maybe there's something wrong with me. But everyday, I see the world through the lens that the mainstream media wants us to see, and wonder what in the world is the matter with these people? Just to get an idea of what I'm talking about, let me offer you some perspective.
This week, I have learned about a major airline pilot who started shouting nonsensical things about saying prayers, countries in the Middle East, and after being tackled by passengers, the flight was cut short.
The highest court in the land heard arguments on a law that has good intentions, some decent provisions, and one horrible mandate. Meanwhile the top Senator in Washington said that if the law (that he pushed through congress) were struck down as unconstitutional, it was a victory for him. That's like saying when my beloved Lions blow a 10 - nothing lead in the fourth quarter to lose by 20 points in the end, Coach Swartz calls it a victory because they're going to play harder in the next game. Let me tell you something Harry Reid, if the Supreme Court strikes down the individual mandate, it IS a victory for America, but not for you pal. You had a chance to consider a constitutional single payer option that could then be coupled with a sort of mandate, but you turned it down for reasons beyond me. If the bastards on right wing TV and radio are going to call you a socialist, you could at least play along a little - might do good for the country.
Some poor kid in Florida was gunned down by an overzealous asshole who went way too far, and everyone has an opinion. Here's how it is: it was a a tragic ordeal, there's not much in the world worse than when a young person loses their life. Racism is a real thing in our society still, and the only way to fix it is to not overreact (this goes for everyone speaking out on the issue) when something tragic happens. My heart goes out to the people that are directly affected by this loss. I hope that justice is served.
In the mean time, in case you forgot, we are actively engaged in a war in Afghanistan. We are actively bombing Pakistan and Yemen. Israel is threatening to bomb Iran, while they still mistreat and disenfranchise millions of people living in their country. We are still suffering from the worst recession since the Depression era - and no matter what any politician or overpaid economist tries to tell us about our economic recovery, I'll believe it when people actually get to work for decent wages.
Maybe there's something wrong with me, but I don't think that this is normal. I don't think that this should be the status quo for a given week in America. Sadly it is. People all across the country have nervous breakdowns, yet one made it on TV. People all across the country have to deal with real health and health care issues, but it only matters this week because the Supreme Court is talking about it. Poor kids all across the country are killed in cold blood, but only one made it on national television this week. And yes, we are still fighting wars, and involving ourselves in places of the world where we have no business. My hope is that we can take this broken crazy system we've inherited and make substantial changes so that our children do not inherit the same madness that is being left to our generation.
Here's a piece of my part
Where's yours?
This week, I have learned about a major airline pilot who started shouting nonsensical things about saying prayers, countries in the Middle East, and after being tackled by passengers, the flight was cut short.
The highest court in the land heard arguments on a law that has good intentions, some decent provisions, and one horrible mandate. Meanwhile the top Senator in Washington said that if the law (that he pushed through congress) were struck down as unconstitutional, it was a victory for him. That's like saying when my beloved Lions blow a 10 - nothing lead in the fourth quarter to lose by 20 points in the end, Coach Swartz calls it a victory because they're going to play harder in the next game. Let me tell you something Harry Reid, if the Supreme Court strikes down the individual mandate, it IS a victory for America, but not for you pal. You had a chance to consider a constitutional single payer option that could then be coupled with a sort of mandate, but you turned it down for reasons beyond me. If the bastards on right wing TV and radio are going to call you a socialist, you could at least play along a little - might do good for the country.
Some poor kid in Florida was gunned down by an overzealous asshole who went way too far, and everyone has an opinion. Here's how it is: it was a a tragic ordeal, there's not much in the world worse than when a young person loses their life. Racism is a real thing in our society still, and the only way to fix it is to not overreact (this goes for everyone speaking out on the issue) when something tragic happens. My heart goes out to the people that are directly affected by this loss. I hope that justice is served.
In the mean time, in case you forgot, we are actively engaged in a war in Afghanistan. We are actively bombing Pakistan and Yemen. Israel is threatening to bomb Iran, while they still mistreat and disenfranchise millions of people living in their country. We are still suffering from the worst recession since the Depression era - and no matter what any politician or overpaid economist tries to tell us about our economic recovery, I'll believe it when people actually get to work for decent wages.
Maybe there's something wrong with me, but I don't think that this is normal. I don't think that this should be the status quo for a given week in America. Sadly it is. People all across the country have nervous breakdowns, yet one made it on TV. People all across the country have to deal with real health and health care issues, but it only matters this week because the Supreme Court is talking about it. Poor kids all across the country are killed in cold blood, but only one made it on national television this week. And yes, we are still fighting wars, and involving ourselves in places of the world where we have no business. My hope is that we can take this broken crazy system we've inherited and make substantial changes so that our children do not inherit the same madness that is being left to our generation.
Here's a piece of my part
Where's yours?
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