Don't worry, you can trust me. I'm not like the others.

Banned In China

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Social Security or How the Democrats Will Screw Us Again

Once again, almost like clockwork, the Democrats have managed to drag defeat from the jaws of victory.
Obama says that he needs a bi-partisan study group to "fix" social security. It does not need to be fixed, but those inside the beltway seem to think it does. Why do you suppose that is and why do you suppose that the "leaders" (scare quotes) of the Democratic party buy into that idea?
Glad you asked. Damned if I can completely figure it out. Well I do have an answer, but I really don't like it. It is that our rulers (note no ironic quotes) are in the same mental place as the patricians in the ancient Roman Republic at the end of that republic were.
They are on the whole not too bright, not too creative and in love with their own privileges. Their government is a combination of a plutocracy and a kelptacracy with a fair amount of incompetence thrown in. So in the end they will continue to steal from the poor. But what is more important to our country they will steal from the middle class and make them either poor or make them into people who are reasonably paranoid about losing what they have. Turning them (us?) into 21st century fascists. Kicking those who are worse off than we are to try to keep what little we have left after the super wealthy take theirs. Of course, the final result for the patricians was some pretty nasty personal endings once the various Caesars took power. In the end, for those folks the Caesars didn't even come from their own class.
I don't quite understand it, but I can see it. Why can't they?

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Global Warming or Climate Change Attitudes if you will

I've been thinking about the arguments about climate change and whether or not human beings are responsible.
Here is my take on the whole thing:
Assume that those who believe that we are responsible for global warming are completely wrong and we are not responsible, but we do what they suggest anyway. What is the end result?
The air is cleaner, people with allergies and asthma and such are not as sickened by the pollution, we cut back on our use of non-renewable natural resources like gas and oil, we create hundreds of thousands of new jobs to produce non-polluting fuels. The air is cleaner, the water is cleaner, and the earth is just a more pleasant place to live.
Now assume that those who believe that we are not responsible for global warming are completely wrong and we are responsible, but we do what they suggest anyway. What is the end result in this case?
The air remains as dirty and polluted as it is now and perhaps becomes worse. People with allergies and asthma and such simply continue to get sick from the polluted air. We continue to to extract non-renewable resources until they are all gone. There are no new jobs in new industries because there are nearly no new industries to supply renewable energy. The air is not cleaner, the water is not cleaner and the world is not a more pleasant place to live. In short we poison ourselves, and maybe destroy humanity and most of the rest of the world.

Friday, November 9, 2007

Just too frustrated

Just too frustrated to post. An attorney general who doesn't know if water boarding is or is not torture. He's voted in by all the Republicans and a not insignificant number of Democrats. None of the senators who are running for president can take the time from their busy schedules to come to the Senate to vote against him (even though they all spoke out against him).
I feel like I am shouting into a very loud wind. What I can see so clearly from my little town in Southeastern Ohio, those incredibly wealthy senators seem to have no clue about. What I am trying to say is that the Democratic congress seems to have lower poll numbers then the President. Still they will not take a stand and try to fight it out. Why in god's name is that?
I would think that they would at least want to follow the votes to more power. They don't even seem to want to do that. Let alone fight for what might be right.
If this is indeed the second time it certainly doesn't seem like a farce.