Spare the Rod

I've never hit a child. Well, when I was a kid, I hit other kids, but that doesn't count - I wasn't trying to discipline them, I was just trying to show how angry I was when words fell short. Using violence as a form of discipline is silly. However, using apathy is just as silly.
With as many peace signs couched within my closet, on patches, shirts, pins, even underwear, I must say, it appears that yet again, words are falling short. It's time to step up, stop spoiling with apathetic nonchalantness and get in there - to set 'em straight, and to raise...a country.
Compared to other countries in this world, we are in fact still children. And christ, do we act like it too. In case you missed it due to your own soap operas, or really, anything else news worthy, government has once again shown us how exceedingly difficult it is for them to act like adults.
The story: Congress is due back in session on Wednesday September 7th. A Republican Presidential Debate is scheduled for that evening. Obama needs to make his highly anticipated address to Congress regarding the economy and plans for growth. He wanted to do it on the 7th. Boehner said "No." And no, I'm not paraphrasing, he just literally wrote back, "No." He then asked if the President could reconsider for the following evening.
And mind you, all of this is going public, each response and counter-offer, like some high school banter over saved seats and flirt fests. If only it were that trivial. These are our FUCKING REPRESENTATIVES!!! They hold in their power all of our futures, the lives of our kids, our friends, and family. For fucks sake!
In the end, Obama agreed to give his speech on the 8th but not until considerable damage had been done.
This has never happened before! Historians note that in effect, the president asking to speak before Congress is mostly a formality and to anyone's knowledge, has NEVER been refused. It is customarily handled by the respective offices, until now, without issue.
Now, those respective offices continue to comment and banter as to whose fault it was - who didn't check up with who - who failed to appreciate the necessity of the others event - who this, who that - blah blah blah blah blahdy blahdy blah!
As I read through various articles, I felt as though I had been asked to read through badly written teenage screenplays.
As citizens hoped that a recess back to their homes would knock some sense into Congress - well, bummer - not so.
Clearly we're in for more of the same - and with issues on the table such as oh, the economy, a juvenile tangent is the last thing we need.
And yet, there is no change on the horizon. Would different faces equal different fates, or would they just echo the ideological verbage of a broken two-faced system?
You tell me.
Is it not time to step up and bring the bitching some action? Take this conversation out of our heads and into fruition? It is clear that our "oh just ignore them" policy is not working.
They are spoiled on their own gluttonous indifference to serious issues - waving the American flag as if they had the slightest fucking clue what it stands for - not the corporate cash in your wallet buddy!
Spare the work, spoil the foreman - if we don't act up, they don't act on our behalf. Pretty simple.
Eric Hoffer wrote in his book, The True Believer, that men of words are not men of action. And that men of action fail to see the sense in men of words - hence why revolutions and coups are often so disorganized and violent.
I'd really love to prove him wrong.

Couldn't we get some educated men of action out there? That's what I'm working towards-that's what we should all be working towards: Think. React. Do Something.

Not Alice's Tea Party

I've been trying to wrap my head around the Tea Party for quite some time. As I said, I used to be a member until I found out that they had taken a bus to loony-ville and weren't coming back any time soon. The idea for the basis of this movement seemed good: concerned citizens pissed off about the fact that their government was spending money they didn't have on issues their constituents didn't profit from, monetarily or otherwise. That sounds like a good start to me.

There can be books written on the derailment of this good idea but I'm not gonna be the author. I just want to point out some things that alarm and concern me.
The movement is not fully coherent, there is not one leader, there are small groups of people that run their own versions across the country. They do not have a clear cut goal, unless you consider their blatant hatred for anything not outlined in the constitution a goal. Their ideology is based on right wing extremism, with a popular shirt sold at rallies stating: "Proud Right-Wing Extremist." They seem to have no ability to see or care about an opposing viewpoint. It's the good old fashioned, "You're either with us or against us" motif.

Now, I have a fear of any extremist, whether it be religious or secular. The reason being is that, like I said above, they offer no place for opposition, for questions to be raised. How do you know God exists? He just does Timmy, get your ass to church. Same thinking here. What's wrong with this country? It's a corrupt socialist money sucking liberal hot bed! Where's your proof? Shut up, I have a gun!

I wish that last bit were just a joking exaggeration. At a recent Tea Party rally, Richard Behney, a Republican Senate candidate, told Tea Party supporters his plan if the 2010 elections didn't swing in his favor: “I’m cleaning my guns and getting ready for the big show. And I’m serious about that, and I bet you are, too.”
On ResistNet.com, a Tea Party supporting blog, "fellow patriots" are encouraged to "grab their guns." Just one day after Stack crashed a plane into an Austin IRS office, Minnesota governor, Tim Pawlenty, told a group of Tea Partiers to take a page from Tiger Woods’s wife's book and “take a 9-iron and smash the window out of big government in this country." Tea Party hero and Minnesota congresswoman, said she wanted “people in Minnesota armed and dangerous." In Texas, the Tea Party gubenatorial sweetheart, reminded folks at a rally that “the tree of freedom is occasionally watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots.”

These are just a few examples. Now, this scares the shit out of me already. But just wait, the plot thickens.
“I voted twice and I failed political science twice,” said Darin Stevens, leader of the Spokane 9/12 Project, Glenn Beck's pet project closely tied to the Tea Party.
Another Tea Partier, Leah Southwell’s admits that “I knew zero about the Constitution," having until recently been a top Mary Kay sales rep.

Ok, so here's how I'm reading this. Let me know if you think I'm off: Tea Partiers are turning to increasingly more violent rhetoric with increasingly less knowledge of their country or its past and what brought it to its current state of affairs that they are so ready to overthrow. Hmmmmm...They don't even seem to realize that one of their champions (Palin) used to be the running mate of a man they think is way too liberal (McCain)!

If you check out a previous post of mine, it shows a link to a video of a man interviewing some of Palin's supporters outside of a book signing. They know DICK about ANYTHING. It is absolutely amazing that they stand outside waiting to meet someone they know nothing about yet blindly support.

We are royally fucked (even more so than now) if the Tea Party movement ever reaches a place where it is legitimately considered a viable political party and not a cult.
Do we have no answer to this? Do we have no response to the "Proud Right-Wing Extremists?"

The Death of Conservatism

I just finished reading a great book that I'd like to recommend to all of you. It's a short, stirring read by Sam Tanenhaus called "The Death of Conservatism."
I'm sure there's no question as to why this caught my attention, but what I read has educated me much on the past 50 years of conservative politics in this country.

As a moderate, unwilling to cling to any one side, I have to admit that I used to be a die hard liberal. At times, I still find myself whispering sweet anti-conservative nothings under my breath as I watch footage of Palin, Bush, Romney, Cheney or any other one of those fantastic examples of political smarts and integrity. I have to admit, however, that I was not that educated on my opponent. I knew basics and broad facts on issues and standpoints but I never really dug deeper to see the roots of this movement. I didn't understand the basis to which these neo-conservatives clung to, the past that brought them to the conservative politicians of today.

I obviously can't go through the entire book but I would like to share some quotes and pieces that I found very interesting. It may come as no surprise that history does indeed repeat itself and that this death of conservatism came from the birth after a liberal death. This liberal decline occurred in the mid to late 60s as the Democrats had and had enjoyed a long stint controlling Washington. The Democrats were becoming cocky in their comfortable position at the top and made many mistakes that the people found unforgivable and unacceptable, including Vietnam and race relations (or lack thereof). What I found interesting is that the conservatives, in order to combat the waning Democrats, felt it would be most beneficial to guide the Right further towards the Center...
In the closing pages of his book, Tanenhaus gives some friendly advice to the now waning Conservative constituents, the same pitfalls that got the liberals booted out of office 30 years ago: "...listening more closely to the arguments being put forth by the other side." Again, this doesn't mean acquiescing to all conservative or liberal demands, it means working together - holy shit, what a concept! And I'm not talking about lobbyists and deep pocketed politicians in Washington, I mean us.

He says in a closing remark: "Most of us are liberal and conservative: we cling to the past in some ways, push forward into the future in others, and seek to reconcile our most cherished notions and beliefs with the demands of unanticipated events."

Is this not true? Do we not all have two sides? That's not to say that I'm pro and anti abortion, it just means that I, for example, believe that illegal immigrants do not deserve to use of a system they do not put into. That is a classically conservative standpoint. I also believe that government needs to govern and can not do so by slashing its own ability through privatizing essential government functions. That is classically liberal.

I'm not the only one who sees the world with both eyes, am I?

Really? A trap?

Did you hear? Apparently there's an evil plot afoot to give Republicans exactly what they asked for...shhhh, don't tell anyone!
That's right. Republicans have been bitching and moaning now since Obama released news of the Health Care summit, where he intends to invite members of both parties to an open dialogue on the controversial issue. Not only that, but it will be televised. Here's the catch. It's exactly what Republicans asked for.
Now I know that Democrats are awfully sneaky, what with their bipartisan talk, their endless wishy-washiness on key issues and juvenile need to impress and please the right. But here they are (or at least he is) taking a stand while simultaneously acquiescing to Republicans requests on Health Care. Holy shit!

Now, as you know, I'm not the Obama poster waving child of hope that believes he can do no wrong. But as of late, I have been a bit impressed with his moves to...shall we say...govern!? The Democrats are notorious for cha-cha-ing around issues, not moving forward unless Republicans say it's ok. However, Republicans are notorious for pushing back. Like some of the southerners I went to school with, or my next door neighbor in good ole North Carolina who claimed American cars had been going down hill ever since n%$#&rs started working on them, Republicans don't want to move into the 21st century. To their credit, they have more than 200 filibusters in three years, they haven't passed or helped pass any major legislation since the Patriot Act that could now potentially jail me for life for writing this post.
They excel at making loads of cash for doing nothing. Washington is stagnant and now some of the rust MIGHT just be coming off the wheels that move this nation forward. Meanwhile the Republicans pull hard on this tug-of-war crying "Trap!" and "Terrorists!"

C'mon. Really?
Put down your bible and your stogie and go do what you were voted to do, get shit done.

1 Minute Mission: Washington's stalemate

Here's the second installment of the one minute mission. Again, posting the youtube link until the video issues here are resolved.

Thanks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N3kjNUdPRU

Pussy footing

So, I'm a very straightforward person. If I have an opinion on something (which I usually do), I will voice it, and I realize that not everyone shares my views. The problem comes when people compromise their views to appease others. It is impossible to make all people happy, and the greatest offender of this is the Democrats.
As I said in my last post, Obama isn't doing enough to combat major issues. He has fallen into the typical Democratic bog of "oh, what do you think?" While this is an important point in politics, it should not be taken to the extreme of not getting anything done because you wish to make sure all are pleased. Take a look at Poland, for example, due to the need that votes must be unanimous, they never got anything done, they never mobilized as a country. Politics is a difficult game of compromise and resolve. You must stand for what is right, but be willing to work with others. It's a tough line to walk.
I'll give the two best examples of those who have walked successfully: Dwight D. Eisenhower and Bill Clinton. Regardless of how you feel about them, the facts are that they got things done. The economy was soaring by the time they left office. With Clinton, unemployment decreased each of the eight years that he was President. What did they do?
Maybe it's what they didn't do. They didn't pussy foot. At the same point, neither one was blindly ideological, stating that their parties interests came above those of the entire country. They walked the line between that, constantly moving, constantly examining the current status quo and changing.
Here is what we currently lack. We don't need or honestly have the time for a president who is dead set on pleasing everyone. We don't have the money or the will power to sit through while Washington argues with itself about what to do about us 'little people.' Now is the time to square off against tough issues, and you can't do that by pussy footing.

The rise of the rest

If you're like me, you'll go out on 4th of July with sparklers, sing a few patriotic songs, eat some bbq and feel proud to be American. Like I tell all my friends overseas, I love my country, just not what it's become.
Looking back on what brought us to today, looking forward to $6 trillion debt over the next ten years, debt is the key word.
Since the 1980s, Americans have spent money that they didn't have, bringing us to the current statistic that the average household now has an astounding 13 credit cards with an average debt of $120,000. Going up the step ladder, we see that politicians urged them to carry out the American dream, as they themselves borrowed using imaginary money gained from future taxes and lottery earnings. At the top, the federal government makes the average shopaholic look like a miser. Considering that today, the National Debt Clock in New York has run out of room, the only thing the feds are doing to combat that is to install an expanded clock, like fixing traffic issues by expanding a highway. Sorry, won't cut it.
Now, here's where the interesting parts come in. Who were we borrowing money from? If we, from top to bottom, left to right were a nation of moochers and debtors, who put up the cash?
Well, here's the title of my post: the rise of the rest.
China currently owns $2 trillion worth of foreign currency reserves, most of it being U.S. dollars. China has an IOU slip from us, holding more than 10% of our outstanding debt. China spends $40 billion a year on sending money abroad. Like a little kid getting allowance, we grab the cash, run outside and spend it on whatever toys we can find first. But we have to grow up. Eight other nations are climbing up the rungs as we sit here, arrogantly clutching the "city upon a hill" ideal while we spend money to support our American dream.
That has to change. Like I press in all my posts, the easiest place to start a chain reaction of change is by doing it yourself. I don't mean to take blame off the state or federal governments, because after all, they owe way more than $120,000. However, they're looking to repay their debt with our money. They're covering their tracks with our footprints and we have to be the ones to stand up and say no.
The world doesn't look at us like the big brother, superpower anymore. We're losing touch with reality and it starts very much with economic faults. Stop spending and make sure Washington does too. Bailouts, wars, frivolous spending has got to stop. It's time to worry about the people, you know, like the constitution says: OF the people, FOR the people and BY the people.