The most casual of readers of this blog know that I lean left of left. And the events of this past week has demonstrated that John McCain and Sarah Palin should just go away. When McCain suspended his campaign, some equated the move to a sports team calling a time out. Now it is clear that the McCain campaign should throw in the towel.
For a man to spew out the accusations that Obama does things for political gain borders on ludicrous considering McCain's actions throughout this campaign. First, they bring up the race issue in a not so subtle way and when Obama calls attention to it, they have the audacity to say he is playing the race card. They talk about Obama lack of experience and then pull from the tundra Sarah Palin, who by any measure is as politically naïve as one can get. They mock the community service of a young man out of college and in the next breath talk about country. One can assume by their statements that they feel a country shouldn't have its citizens pay their fair share of taxes. They talk about tax breaks as if the country has a surplus. They pretend John McCain can fix the economy when he doesn't even comprehend the complexities of what is happening.
But all this pales in comparison to the selection of Sarah Palin. It is a sad day when spin masters can take a naïve young politician and parade her as a maverick reformer. To attempt to change or modify her positions is to insult the electorate. It is not without good reason that they held this woman from the press. She sounds like a high school freshman trying to answer a teacher's question without reading the text.
One hears in her response a total lack of depth on any subject related to high office. She can talk about good and evil, but even then she gets confused and begins to sound like a broken record. If only the world and the issues facing this nation were so simplistic. This business of Alaska being closed to Russia is just plain asinine. Now she is touting as foreign expertise the fact that Alaska borders Canada.
Yes, it is time for the McCain campaign to throw in the towel. Perhaps, this long campaign cycle is what this country needed. The long and arduous road to the election brings out the best and worst of a candidate. It is clear that John McCain is a desperate man who feels he is entitled to ascend to the high office. He brings nothing to this debate save his tired ideas about victory and what is right. His moral compass is spinning madly as he realized that time and events have left him in a position of just being out of the picture. As for his running mate, she sounds like a little girl out of her element. Perhaps she should spend more time at home. It would seem her family needs her and she is not ready to be a heart beat from the presidency.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Dejavu All Over Again
Our great leader, “W” once mangled the saying, “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” Does this financial bailout have some scary and previously enacted provisions, like ultimate unquestionable authority bestowed upon the executive branch of government? What in the actions of this administration would warrant giving them authority to do anything but to go to the bathroom? I once thought that this president should be tried for both malfeasance and misfeasance, but now I think his mental state should be reviewed.
This country is faced with bankruptcy. This come after a string of disastrous undertakings: Iraq, Enron and the Wall Street Meltdown. And these are only the most notable. There has been nothing less than a disaster perpetrated either intentionally or incompetently by a bunch of disreputable dullards and corrupt politicians of the rankest order. A serious review of every major office in this administration should be conducted. I would wager a guess that each and every one of these supposed conservatives have been engaged in a whole scale ripping off of this country. It is unbelievable that these incompetents would have the gall to even ask for any authority to do anything.
Was this crisis spontaneous? I can't see how a trillion dollar disaster could happen over the night? And if Mr. Paulson is such a competent person how come he didn't see it coming? In a metaphor, it must have been quite an avalanche of mounting scams? So, let's dispense with competent assertion about this guy. He was asleep at the switch. Seems to be a pattern with Bushies.
Also, what is this reluctance to curtail the salaries of the thieves responsible for this mess? Is this but another “Haliburtonesque” attempt to siphon capital out of the hands of Americans? Also, why isn't there a provision to go after these Wall Street moguls who knowingly or, worse unknowingly, presided over a colossal failure of institutions with the money invested by citizens? It seems to me that Don Henley had it right, “A man with a briefcase can steal more money than a man with a gun.” I don't know what you call it but when someone walks away from his tenure with a total capital accumulation in excess of hundreds of millions of dollars while his company is bankrupt, his investors penniless, and his employees without a dime, this is a crime of the first order.
These flimflam operators need to be arrested, tired and fined for there egregious acts. Then and only then, can we talk about a bail out. God, the fox has been guarding the hen house for eight years now. It is the time to get the fox out. Impeachment hearings should be started immediately. If it stops this government and this administration in its track, it can only curtail this outrageous incompetency and corruption.
This country is faced with bankruptcy. This come after a string of disastrous undertakings: Iraq, Enron and the Wall Street Meltdown. And these are only the most notable. There has been nothing less than a disaster perpetrated either intentionally or incompetently by a bunch of disreputable dullards and corrupt politicians of the rankest order. A serious review of every major office in this administration should be conducted. I would wager a guess that each and every one of these supposed conservatives have been engaged in a whole scale ripping off of this country. It is unbelievable that these incompetents would have the gall to even ask for any authority to do anything.
Was this crisis spontaneous? I can't see how a trillion dollar disaster could happen over the night? And if Mr. Paulson is such a competent person how come he didn't see it coming? In a metaphor, it must have been quite an avalanche of mounting scams? So, let's dispense with competent assertion about this guy. He was asleep at the switch. Seems to be a pattern with Bushies.
Also, what is this reluctance to curtail the salaries of the thieves responsible for this mess? Is this but another “Haliburtonesque” attempt to siphon capital out of the hands of Americans? Also, why isn't there a provision to go after these Wall Street moguls who knowingly or, worse unknowingly, presided over a colossal failure of institutions with the money invested by citizens? It seems to me that Don Henley had it right, “A man with a briefcase can steal more money than a man with a gun.” I don't know what you call it but when someone walks away from his tenure with a total capital accumulation in excess of hundreds of millions of dollars while his company is bankrupt, his investors penniless, and his employees without a dime, this is a crime of the first order.
These flimflam operators need to be arrested, tired and fined for there egregious acts. Then and only then, can we talk about a bail out. God, the fox has been guarding the hen house for eight years now. It is the time to get the fox out. Impeachment hearings should be started immediately. If it stops this government and this administration in its track, it can only curtail this outrageous incompetency and corruption.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
McCain and the Savings and Loan Failure
Bob Dylan once sang you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing. Honest Abe once observed you can fool all of the people some of the time, some of the people all the time, but not all of the people all of the time. One just has to laugh at John McCain's pronouncements about the greed on Wall Street and the need for reform. Now, while anyone can utter anything about what they will do in the future, there is no getting around what they have done.
How soon we forget. There was a major financial collapse in the Savings and Loan in the early 1990. One of the five senators cited for personal involvement in the collapse was none other than the “reformer and maverick” John McCain. A citation is in order:
McCain and Keating had become personal friends following their initial contacts in 1981,[10] and McCain was the closest socially to Keating of the five senators.[21] Like DeConcini, McCain considered Keating a constituent as he lived in Arizona.[18] Between 1982 and 1987, McCain had received $112,000 in political contributions from Keating and his associates.[22] In addition, McCain's wife Cindy McCain and her father Jim Hensley had invested $359,100 in a Keating shopping center in April 1986, a year before McCain met with the regulators. McCain, his family, and their baby-sitter had made nine trips at Keating's expense, sometimes aboard Keating's jet. Three of the trips were made during vacations to Keating's opulent Bahamas retreat at Cat Cay. McCain did not pay Keating (in the amount of $13,433) for some of the trips until years after they were taken, when he learned that Keating was in trouble over Lincoln. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keating_Five
Yes, one can misrepresent what one will do, but what one did is a matter of record. Forget Palin in this matter. She has little experience and little knowledge of the world outside of her home state. McCain's claim of being a reformer borders on fraudulent at the least it is misleading. He is knee deep in the politics of the right. In a world of limited resources one needs to argue where one's loyalty lies. The fact is, and here's another cliché or truism, birds of a feather flock together.
In a time when a rational honest discussion of the issues is needed to make an informed decision, all we get from McCain is rhetoric that is outright misleading. Let's face it McCain's misrepresentations border on the ludicrous. His choice of Palin was engineered by neocons who haven't yet depleted the treasury. There is this misplaced belief in eminent domain. That somehow one is deserving of the presidency because of some history of service. This is bunk. And just the fact that McCain and Keating were buddies should disqualify him from a position of trust. It is not to discredit his claim as a reformer.
The world is not safer because of the misadventure in Iraq, the economy is no better because of deregulation, the food is not cleaner because of right wing food and drug administration, and the disaster response was no sharper because the president, this time, was on watch. McCain, if he is anything, is a product of a twisted belief in less government. Yes, in an ideal world and if people were pure, less government would be the order. But our problems are big, the issues complex. Misrepresentations and outright lies are what got us in the pickle we find ourselves. Pronouncements of indignation when the proverbial crap hits the fan are laugable.
It is ironic that John McCain constantly uses the refrain, “My Friends.” Is he talking to Mr. Keating or the hundred of thousands of small folk who were ripped off in the Savings and Loan Debacle that he had his big paws in engineering?
How soon we forget. There was a major financial collapse in the Savings and Loan in the early 1990. One of the five senators cited for personal involvement in the collapse was none other than the “reformer and maverick” John McCain. A citation is in order:
McCain and Keating had become personal friends following their initial contacts in 1981,[10] and McCain was the closest socially to Keating of the five senators.[21] Like DeConcini, McCain considered Keating a constituent as he lived in Arizona.[18] Between 1982 and 1987, McCain had received $112,000 in political contributions from Keating and his associates.[22] In addition, McCain's wife Cindy McCain and her father Jim Hensley had invested $359,100 in a Keating shopping center in April 1986, a year before McCain met with the regulators. McCain, his family, and their baby-sitter had made nine trips at Keating's expense, sometimes aboard Keating's jet. Three of the trips were made during vacations to Keating's opulent Bahamas retreat at Cat Cay. McCain did not pay Keating (in the amount of $13,433) for some of the trips until years after they were taken, when he learned that Keating was in trouble over Lincoln. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keating_Five
Yes, one can misrepresent what one will do, but what one did is a matter of record. Forget Palin in this matter. She has little experience and little knowledge of the world outside of her home state. McCain's claim of being a reformer borders on fraudulent at the least it is misleading. He is knee deep in the politics of the right. In a world of limited resources one needs to argue where one's loyalty lies. The fact is, and here's another cliché or truism, birds of a feather flock together.
In a time when a rational honest discussion of the issues is needed to make an informed decision, all we get from McCain is rhetoric that is outright misleading. Let's face it McCain's misrepresentations border on the ludicrous. His choice of Palin was engineered by neocons who haven't yet depleted the treasury. There is this misplaced belief in eminent domain. That somehow one is deserving of the presidency because of some history of service. This is bunk. And just the fact that McCain and Keating were buddies should disqualify him from a position of trust. It is not to discredit his claim as a reformer.
The world is not safer because of the misadventure in Iraq, the economy is no better because of deregulation, the food is not cleaner because of right wing food and drug administration, and the disaster response was no sharper because the president, this time, was on watch. McCain, if he is anything, is a product of a twisted belief in less government. Yes, in an ideal world and if people were pure, less government would be the order. But our problems are big, the issues complex. Misrepresentations and outright lies are what got us in the pickle we find ourselves. Pronouncements of indignation when the proverbial crap hits the fan are laugable.
It is ironic that John McCain constantly uses the refrain, “My Friends.” Is he talking to Mr. Keating or the hundred of thousands of small folk who were ripped off in the Savings and Loan Debacle that he had his big paws in engineering?
Sunday, September 14, 2008
A Nation Divided
America is in decline. We are broaching upon the eventual demise of a once great idea. I would say country but America hasn't existed as a country for a while now. We are indeed a conglomerate of red and blue states. Our identity as a nation has been fractured beyond repair. How else can we be witness to a sitting president with 80% or so disapproval rating, yet a growing sense that the electorate is enamored by the entry of a naive, tough talking, small minded devious politician who cites slogans for policy statements?
A single look at an electoral map of these United States will reveal entrenched leanings that defy any attempt at unity. We are awash in a country of extremes. I lean toward the left and must admit that I have little tolerance for anyone who would impose their moral and religious beliefs upon me. Yet, all I heard at the Republican convention and the Palin rallies is the chant “USA” “USA.” And behind that chant is the belief that all of the actions of the past eight years are what this country is all about.
And as we grow close to election day, it would appear Americans are buying into the McCain and Palin ticket. Palin is the embodiment of the Ronald Reagan myth. She might well be channeling him. Reagan stands as an icon in American History to many people who never look critically at the past. Yet if we examine his record and the man, we see little but the facade of an independent, wild west kind of leader. It was as if he rode off the silver screen and into the hearts of the people. Palin storms out of Alaska with a whole new history contrived by spin masters designed to shape her as an independent reformer. She has the depth of a pit bull with lipstick, a phrase they coined for her persona. And the people take it in. It is no wonder she is fodder for pop magazine. Heck Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears are always plastered on the cover of the mass media.
Where does this leave us? Red Americans like to bad mouth intellectuals. They like to denigrate highly educated folks. Remember George W. was a “C” student. One wonders how he managed that average. McCain talks with pride at being at the bottom of his class. Palin likes to talk up the value of her small town mentality. George W's administration will go down in history as the most corrupt, most incompetent administration in this nation's history. Yet more awaits. It is not enough to be glib. That didn't save anyone who died in New Orleans. It is not enough to be tough. The lives of young soldiers are much too sacred to sacrifice. It isn't enough to lie to get the job. Because in the end, all the bluster and lies serve only to install but another bumbler who thinks that a Christian God is on his side. I had often thought that a common man would be the best president. But the job is much too complex and the world is a stew of dangerous complexities. It is interesting that the red Americans have long for the iconic Ronald Reagan to reappear on the scene. And give the Republicans operators credit for they found a young brazen shallow woman who speaks with the ease that only confidence in one's own ignorance can provide.
A single look at an electoral map of these United States will reveal entrenched leanings that defy any attempt at unity. We are awash in a country of extremes. I lean toward the left and must admit that I have little tolerance for anyone who would impose their moral and religious beliefs upon me. Yet, all I heard at the Republican convention and the Palin rallies is the chant “USA” “USA.” And behind that chant is the belief that all of the actions of the past eight years are what this country is all about.
And as we grow close to election day, it would appear Americans are buying into the McCain and Palin ticket. Palin is the embodiment of the Ronald Reagan myth. She might well be channeling him. Reagan stands as an icon in American History to many people who never look critically at the past. Yet if we examine his record and the man, we see little but the facade of an independent, wild west kind of leader. It was as if he rode off the silver screen and into the hearts of the people. Palin storms out of Alaska with a whole new history contrived by spin masters designed to shape her as an independent reformer. She has the depth of a pit bull with lipstick, a phrase they coined for her persona. And the people take it in. It is no wonder she is fodder for pop magazine. Heck Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears are always plastered on the cover of the mass media.
Where does this leave us? Red Americans like to bad mouth intellectuals. They like to denigrate highly educated folks. Remember George W. was a “C” student. One wonders how he managed that average. McCain talks with pride at being at the bottom of his class. Palin likes to talk up the value of her small town mentality. George W's administration will go down in history as the most corrupt, most incompetent administration in this nation's history. Yet more awaits. It is not enough to be glib. That didn't save anyone who died in New Orleans. It is not enough to be tough. The lives of young soldiers are much too sacred to sacrifice. It isn't enough to lie to get the job. Because in the end, all the bluster and lies serve only to install but another bumbler who thinks that a Christian God is on his side. I had often thought that a common man would be the best president. But the job is much too complex and the world is a stew of dangerous complexities. It is interesting that the red Americans have long for the iconic Ronald Reagan to reappear on the scene. And give the Republicans operators credit for they found a young brazen shallow woman who speaks with the ease that only confidence in one's own ignorance can provide.
Friday, September 12, 2008
On Hubris and Humility
Hubris and humility, which would you prefer in a leader? It is clear hubris is a character flaw so deeply ingrained into the psyche of an individual as to bring its subject to the brink of a grand disaster. When it is time for reason and judgment to prevail, hubris is that which sends its victim over the top an into the pit of failure. The Greeks who knew human nature saw the dark and disturbing aspect of this disease of the ego. While not a psychologist or a psychiatrist for that matter, I would think overconfidence plays an important role in the development of this character trait. Humility, on the other hand, is a characteristic that curtails the over development of an ego. The person with this personality trait often recognizes the trust people place in them. They assume their role with a sense of obligation to those who bestow that trust. Lincoln in his many words often understood the responsibility that comes along with trust.
Last night we got a glimpse of Ms. (oh, I guess she prefers Mrs.) Palin. When asked about her being called upon to serve as Vice Presidential candidate she responded without a bit of humility, she plunged right into saying she was ready. Mr. Gibson was struck with the response. Now, I am not sure she wouldn't be able to do the job. Let's face it as along as McCain is vertical no problem. She can get her passport and see the world, provided, of course, she brings the spin masters around with her. Heck it's better than joining the Navy especially with the old warrior waiting to deploy the forces in any theater he may believe to be a real or imagined threat.
Heck, coming from Alaska and shooting moose and gutting them, makes one cocky. Heck standing there with an assault rifle gives one confidence beyond common sense. But high office demands a different skill set. Humility allows a person to learn and grow and understand. Hubris, on the other hand, drives a person to a place beyond redemption or success. It is a flaw so ingrained in human nature that not many survive its devastating consequences. Its root cause I suspect comes from overconfidence and lack of understanding of the complex nature of many aspects of life. For the average person, the consequences are bankruptcy, firings, or failed relationships. For leaders, their personal fortunes fail but also those who blindly follow them.
Both McCain and Palin have demonstrated evidence of budding hubris: McCain with his incessant call for victory in a land we have no right to be in, and Palin with her smug acerbic tongue who equates seeing Russia from the remote corners of Alaska with expertise in foreign affairs. These are the times that should cause every person to look closely at two who are diving head first down the perilous rabbit hole of self indulgence and entitlement.
Last night we got a glimpse of Ms. (oh, I guess she prefers Mrs.) Palin. When asked about her being called upon to serve as Vice Presidential candidate she responded without a bit of humility, she plunged right into saying she was ready. Mr. Gibson was struck with the response. Now, I am not sure she wouldn't be able to do the job. Let's face it as along as McCain is vertical no problem. She can get her passport and see the world, provided, of course, she brings the spin masters around with her. Heck it's better than joining the Navy especially with the old warrior waiting to deploy the forces in any theater he may believe to be a real or imagined threat.
Heck, coming from Alaska and shooting moose and gutting them, makes one cocky. Heck standing there with an assault rifle gives one confidence beyond common sense. But high office demands a different skill set. Humility allows a person to learn and grow and understand. Hubris, on the other hand, drives a person to a place beyond redemption or success. It is a flaw so ingrained in human nature that not many survive its devastating consequences. Its root cause I suspect comes from overconfidence and lack of understanding of the complex nature of many aspects of life. For the average person, the consequences are bankruptcy, firings, or failed relationships. For leaders, their personal fortunes fail but also those who blindly follow them.
Both McCain and Palin have demonstrated evidence of budding hubris: McCain with his incessant call for victory in a land we have no right to be in, and Palin with her smug acerbic tongue who equates seeing Russia from the remote corners of Alaska with expertise in foreign affairs. These are the times that should cause every person to look closely at two who are diving head first down the perilous rabbit hole of self indulgence and entitlement.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Palin and the Kool Aid
Just what this country needs a pit bull along side a senile president. Sort of like having a dim-witted president with a dark devious one at his side. One can imagine the scenarios that will evolve out this current “miracle match.”
The thing that bugs me the most with a smug politician is the arrogance of their questionable beliefs. It is most interesting that Cindy McCain thinks that creationism should be taught along with evolution. Obviously a Palin tenet. Curious, isn't it? I wonder if she believes medical schools should teach voodoo along with medicine? And how about the arcane American principle, the separation of church and state?
And Sarah, the hockey mom with engaging rhetoric and a acerbic tongue, rises in the polls because Americans are indeed enamored by celebrity. They also want change. You can't sell these Republicans short. They steal a good thing when they see it.
I really don't give a hoot if she is from a small town. I couldn't care less if she has no experience. The thing that troubles me about this person is that she is a product of the people who gave us this current mess. The inability to examine one's belief in the face of conflicting ones is problematic. Standing up for one's conviction is one thing, doing so in the face of evidence to the contrary is a serious problem. It is not so much that certain fundamentalists (all of them regardless of creed) persist in their beliefs but that they denigrate even destroy those who hold different ones. Pluralism is essential for a free society. People who believe that their practices give them a direct link to a power greater than the world is a group that will destroy whatever is in its path including the world itself.
So, this is what bugs me about this woman. The people she followed can take us into a reckless and ill advised act like the Iraq Adventure and then she sees a connection between it and her Christian beliefs. Is this any different than the residents of Jones Town drinking down the Kool-Aid?
The thing that bugs me the most with a smug politician is the arrogance of their questionable beliefs. It is most interesting that Cindy McCain thinks that creationism should be taught along with evolution. Obviously a Palin tenet. Curious, isn't it? I wonder if she believes medical schools should teach voodoo along with medicine? And how about the arcane American principle, the separation of church and state?
And Sarah, the hockey mom with engaging rhetoric and a acerbic tongue, rises in the polls because Americans are indeed enamored by celebrity. They also want change. You can't sell these Republicans short. They steal a good thing when they see it.
I really don't give a hoot if she is from a small town. I couldn't care less if she has no experience. The thing that troubles me about this person is that she is a product of the people who gave us this current mess. The inability to examine one's belief in the face of conflicting ones is problematic. Standing up for one's conviction is one thing, doing so in the face of evidence to the contrary is a serious problem. It is not so much that certain fundamentalists (all of them regardless of creed) persist in their beliefs but that they denigrate even destroy those who hold different ones. Pluralism is essential for a free society. People who believe that their practices give them a direct link to a power greater than the world is a group that will destroy whatever is in its path including the world itself.
So, this is what bugs me about this woman. The people she followed can take us into a reckless and ill advised act like the Iraq Adventure and then she sees a connection between it and her Christian beliefs. Is this any different than the residents of Jones Town drinking down the Kool-Aid?
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Rx Disaster
I guess it is a sign of the time that folks can't really afford to go to the doctors. It must be the case because the drug companies are by passing the normal channels in their efforts to push their drugs. That must be the reason why that there are so many commercials on television diagnosing our ills and the pills to remedy the situation.
From weak bones, to big prostrates, to bronchial issues, to anxiety, to depression, and of course, the limp penis. We are obviously not going to the doctors with our symptoms. Otherwise our family practitioner would know when our mister happy wasn't responding. She would know that we have difficulty breathing. But when 42.6 million ( http://www.govspot.com/know/insurance.htm) of us are without coverage, the drug companies have taken upon themselves to promote the public good with helpful diagnosis of conditions and the cure for them. You see the drug companies are really public servants and not really capitalists who gouge individuals while promoting their less than effective and sometimes dangerous products. Yeah right.
The irony of this country is that its health system is based on enriching stock holders and the corporate elite. The sheer volume of paperwork required to administer this monstrosity is beyond reason. The outrageous salaries of drug company executives and the insurance moguls defy common sense. The entire system is laden down with complicated procedures designed to restrict the delivery of health care.
The question that baffles me is, Why do some people profit off of health care? Yes, I can see doctors and others getting a just reward for their labor. But please do we really need some sleazy company in Hartford to issue the check? Why?
Let's get to an economic issue. One of the biggest expense employers face is the provision of medical care. The fact that this issue is uppermost in the minds of any employer indicates that something is awry. Now let us say we had a single pool of money. All employers would contribute and then take away the private insurance plans, wouldn't that eliminate costs. Wouldn't that system allow a company not to worry about this particular aspect of hiring? Wouldn't that make the company more competitive?
I realize this is a simplistic look at a very big national issue. But can't Ockham's razor apply in this matter? Why not make the health care deliver system simple? Make it possible for every one to have a doctor who knows them and can prescribe medication. It would be a lot better than someone scratching their crotch and wondering if a dose of Viagra is the cure he needs?
From weak bones, to big prostrates, to bronchial issues, to anxiety, to depression, and of course, the limp penis. We are obviously not going to the doctors with our symptoms. Otherwise our family practitioner would know when our mister happy wasn't responding. She would know that we have difficulty breathing. But when 42.6 million ( http://www.govspot.com/know/insurance.htm) of us are without coverage, the drug companies have taken upon themselves to promote the public good with helpful diagnosis of conditions and the cure for them. You see the drug companies are really public servants and not really capitalists who gouge individuals while promoting their less than effective and sometimes dangerous products. Yeah right.
The irony of this country is that its health system is based on enriching stock holders and the corporate elite. The sheer volume of paperwork required to administer this monstrosity is beyond reason. The outrageous salaries of drug company executives and the insurance moguls defy common sense. The entire system is laden down with complicated procedures designed to restrict the delivery of health care.
The question that baffles me is, Why do some people profit off of health care? Yes, I can see doctors and others getting a just reward for their labor. But please do we really need some sleazy company in Hartford to issue the check? Why?
Let's get to an economic issue. One of the biggest expense employers face is the provision of medical care. The fact that this issue is uppermost in the minds of any employer indicates that something is awry. Now let us say we had a single pool of money. All employers would contribute and then take away the private insurance plans, wouldn't that eliminate costs. Wouldn't that system allow a company not to worry about this particular aspect of hiring? Wouldn't that make the company more competitive?
I realize this is a simplistic look at a very big national issue. But can't Ockham's razor apply in this matter? Why not make the health care deliver system simple? Make it possible for every one to have a doctor who knows them and can prescribe medication. It would be a lot better than someone scratching their crotch and wondering if a dose of Viagra is the cure he needs?
Saturday, September 6, 2008
No Mas for the Operatives
Well, there I was trying to get some information on a Saturday morning. I subscribe to XM and tuned to “potus” dial 130. Usually, there is some discussion of politics which is an area that interest me. Who is on the air? None other than Karl Rove. Of all the people given air time he is the last to offer anything objective. On another station, I caught the ending of a discussion with Marvin Kalb. His point was the media and the politicians and their minions are too close, and it is not serving the First Amendment.
These two incidents caused me to think. Has any operative or candidate ever said anything off message? The handlers have mastered the art of the interview. How many times have you heard a question posed to one of these politicians and the answer has nothing to do with the question? Many times a compliant interviewer will move on. Even if pushed the candidate or operative will go on and on till they win the tete a tete. Enough already.
Let us separate the press from the politician. It is not getting at the truth if all we are going to get is the same old baloney. I know that the press will have to work harder, but heck isn't there an inherent responsibility to get at truth.
Getting back to Rove and his ilk, they continue to propagandize at every opportunity. Their insights are designed for a specific purpose and that is to promote their agenda. Their blatant attempts at manipulating public opinion defy description. The sad thing is to see the media kowtow to their pronouncements as if they were actually insights or legitimate observations. How many times at both conventions was blather presented as insight?
The darker more nefarious and certainly troublesome phenomenon is the movement of press folks from the dark corner of governments to the studios. There are any number of current personalities who owe their start to politicians. The press folks for politicians are not objective observers. Their job is to manipulate and manage news. One wonders about the ease of the flow from one role to the other. The late Tony Snow moved from the rankest of conservative bastions to the press room of the White House. I recall the talking heads all commenting this would be a boost for the presidency. Curious, that the other poor fellow Scott McClennan was lambasted by those who graduated from propagandists to political commentators. The lesson is simple. Outsiders need not breach the current movement between the so called legitimate press and the offices of public affairs.
What does that mean? There is no room for anyone who tells the truth about an administration who were all about managing the news to act on their devious, if not criminal, plans? Loyalty is one thing; exposing lies and their damn lairs is an act that should be lauded. More ludicrous is to allow propaganda to be aired as if it is information.
These two incidents caused me to think. Has any operative or candidate ever said anything off message? The handlers have mastered the art of the interview. How many times have you heard a question posed to one of these politicians and the answer has nothing to do with the question? Many times a compliant interviewer will move on. Even if pushed the candidate or operative will go on and on till they win the tete a tete. Enough already.
Let us separate the press from the politician. It is not getting at the truth if all we are going to get is the same old baloney. I know that the press will have to work harder, but heck isn't there an inherent responsibility to get at truth.
Getting back to Rove and his ilk, they continue to propagandize at every opportunity. Their insights are designed for a specific purpose and that is to promote their agenda. Their blatant attempts at manipulating public opinion defy description. The sad thing is to see the media kowtow to their pronouncements as if they were actually insights or legitimate observations. How many times at both conventions was blather presented as insight?
The darker more nefarious and certainly troublesome phenomenon is the movement of press folks from the dark corner of governments to the studios. There are any number of current personalities who owe their start to politicians. The press folks for politicians are not objective observers. Their job is to manipulate and manage news. One wonders about the ease of the flow from one role to the other. The late Tony Snow moved from the rankest of conservative bastions to the press room of the White House. I recall the talking heads all commenting this would be a boost for the presidency. Curious, that the other poor fellow Scott McClennan was lambasted by those who graduated from propagandists to political commentators. The lesson is simple. Outsiders need not breach the current movement between the so called legitimate press and the offices of public affairs.
What does that mean? There is no room for anyone who tells the truth about an administration who were all about managing the news to act on their devious, if not criminal, plans? Loyalty is one thing; exposing lies and their damn lairs is an act that should be lauded. More ludicrous is to allow propaganda to be aired as if it is information.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Stop Election BS
Well, the conventions are over. Now the serious bs begins. Jackson Browne observed in one of his songs that we elect our president like we buy our soap. I think, however, the soap manufacturers might be subject to truth in advertising while the political operatives conjure up tv and radio spots based on the latest polling data. Truth has nothing to do with the crafting of the message. Falsehood seems to be standard.
What is most disturbing about this American election is that we are asked if we want to contribute to this travesty of democracy on out tax forms. John McCain is getting 84 million in public funding. Obama declined figuring he could get more through contributions. And now the game gets serious. And tv and radio and print salesmen can't help but salivate at the prospects. Overseeing this circus of circumvention is a host of regulatory bodies.
Let's stop for a moment and ask some simple questions. Who grants licensing to tv and radio stations? Aren't stations ask to demonstrate and provide time for the public good? Public service announcement and the like are required. How come stations can make millions and millions of dollars and yet the most important and certainly central event in a democracy is the elections is not considered in this category.
I offer a simple solution. First, no political advertising. Is this a curtailment of the First Amendment? Well, I remember that argument that the First Amendment gives no one the right to shout out “fire” in a theater. Certainly, the bs that parades as information can be questioned. But how about if we skirt this touchy issue.
Let's give all candidates a set amount of time. I don't care what it is. It certainly can be substantial, say fifty hours a piece. Also, let's use one of the public, non-partisan watch dog group to review the candidates' message. Any statement that fails a veracity test will be so noted. Now I would prefer a simple “BS” in red flashed across the screen anytime an outright fabrication is utter by a candidate. There could be various other warnings, like “fudging the statistics.” What I am suggesting is that outright deceptive statements need to be called for what they are. Isn't it more important we protect our freedom by exposing any all bs from the information receive upon which we vote for a candidate than to allow some group or candidate to lie.
I find it interesting that the press for the most part talks of the aura of a candidate statements. “Oh she was striking in her presentation.” The time for serious politics is at hand. We can't rely on the media for they are engaged in deceptive dance with the politicians. They talk to each other so much that they start to believe the bs of each other and further promote their own welfare.
The public needs to be saved from this display of political bs. We need to have intelligent presentations of issues not sixty seconds of bs designed to dupe us into believing what we are inclined to believe.
And oh by the way. Let's get the media out of the debates. Pontificating personalities have no place in our public debate. If the media had pursued a course of the public good, perhaps. But each and every news outlet promotes itself. My recommendation is to have a reputable college polemics department hold the debate and make sure the participants stick to the format. No more one liners that stay on message.
We need a serious election based on issues and positions.
What is most disturbing about this American election is that we are asked if we want to contribute to this travesty of democracy on out tax forms. John McCain is getting 84 million in public funding. Obama declined figuring he could get more through contributions. And now the game gets serious. And tv and radio and print salesmen can't help but salivate at the prospects. Overseeing this circus of circumvention is a host of regulatory bodies.
Let's stop for a moment and ask some simple questions. Who grants licensing to tv and radio stations? Aren't stations ask to demonstrate and provide time for the public good? Public service announcement and the like are required. How come stations can make millions and millions of dollars and yet the most important and certainly central event in a democracy is the elections is not considered in this category.
I offer a simple solution. First, no political advertising. Is this a curtailment of the First Amendment? Well, I remember that argument that the First Amendment gives no one the right to shout out “fire” in a theater. Certainly, the bs that parades as information can be questioned. But how about if we skirt this touchy issue.
Let's give all candidates a set amount of time. I don't care what it is. It certainly can be substantial, say fifty hours a piece. Also, let's use one of the public, non-partisan watch dog group to review the candidates' message. Any statement that fails a veracity test will be so noted. Now I would prefer a simple “BS” in red flashed across the screen anytime an outright fabrication is utter by a candidate. There could be various other warnings, like “fudging the statistics.” What I am suggesting is that outright deceptive statements need to be called for what they are. Isn't it more important we protect our freedom by exposing any all bs from the information receive upon which we vote for a candidate than to allow some group or candidate to lie.
I find it interesting that the press for the most part talks of the aura of a candidate statements. “Oh she was striking in her presentation.” The time for serious politics is at hand. We can't rely on the media for they are engaged in deceptive dance with the politicians. They talk to each other so much that they start to believe the bs of each other and further promote their own welfare.
The public needs to be saved from this display of political bs. We need to have intelligent presentations of issues not sixty seconds of bs designed to dupe us into believing what we are inclined to believe.
And oh by the way. Let's get the media out of the debates. Pontificating personalities have no place in our public debate. If the media had pursued a course of the public good, perhaps. But each and every news outlet promotes itself. My recommendation is to have a reputable college polemics department hold the debate and make sure the participants stick to the format. No more one liners that stay on message.
We need a serious election based on issues and positions.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Sorry State of TV News
So it begins. Another blog. Just what the world needs. Another raving lunatic with ideas on what is right and wrong in this world. I asked myself why would anyone want to join the ranks of the bloviators. Yet with the continuing nonsense that parades itself as news and commentary, one needs to yell, well in this case, write, “I am sick as hell and can't take it anymore.”
Let's just start with the recent hurricane, Gustav. Yeah, yeah, yeah, hurricanes are dangerous weather systems. No doubt. They should be covered but to send so many news people don't there is just about as foolish as national coverage of Brittany Spears. Let the weather channel cover it. Let a meteorologist give a straight forward account, but please get the pretty faces and empty heads off the tube. I know this is harsh, but once I would like to see a gust of wind sweep one of those non reporters into the deep. God standing out there – getting the “shot” is nothing short of drama. I guess that is why they give us drama queens.
There is no more news! We have only personalities who demonstrate their inability to comprehend the situations in which they are thrust. Tragedies are followed like vultures seeking carrion. The media prides itself on its sets. It is interesting that they spend as much time promoting their staff as they do the news. Each of these theatrical readers is attired in fine clothes, their hair immaculate, the smiles fixed as if they had just consumed a vial of some happy drug. And then, and this applies mostly to local broadcasts, commentary that demonstrates no insight whatsoever to history. At best, it is blather. At worst, it is idiotic. At its extreme is simply childish.
Then, we have the experts. The so called authorities who invariably are pushing an agenda. They parade before eyes one as empty as the next. Let us not forget the loudmouths like Chris Matthews who believe their shallow insights are profound so much so that they can interrupt their guests with louder and louder questions of no import and believe they are getting at the hard truth. And why is it these news personalities think it is ok to shift from fictional portrayals of themselves in the movies or television made fiction to actual authorities on the news? Shouldn't there be some commitment to their profession? But that is it in a nutshell. They have no profession. They are, well I would say whores, but that would denigrate a noble profession. They are merely there to self-promote their banal positions. The news departments are awash in corporate suits who simply keep on eye on ratings as opposed to fulfill their role in a democratic society. Freedom of the press is a corner stone of a representative democracy. It seems the network bosses have found the supermarkets tabloids marketing strategies to be the way to garner ratings. After all if they can increase their share, they can charge more. More revenues mean they can hire bigger personalities to blather on about the inconsequential. I find it ironic that many of these contemporary news personalities make comments about earlier icons, like Morrow and Cronkite, Huntley and Brinkley. Unfortunately, they are more akin to Buffalo Bill and Howdy Doody.
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