I can't begin to tell you how heartsick, frustrated and downright pissed I am over the wussy behavior of the Democratic Party. I switched parties to show the Republicans how pissed off I was that they screwed the country for 8 years. So what do I do now, switch back? As least with the Repubs I expected to get screwed...What in the world possessed me to think the dems were any better? I can't believe I fell for it. I knew they were all a bunch of republicrats...the only difference between them was the name.

But somehow I let myself believe...I let myself believe that everything I used to think about the Democrats was not true. Senator Obama made me believe it. He made me believe that given a chance, the Democrats would do the right thing...Well, now they have the chance, and what are they doing? Cowering like a bunch of children in a thunderstorm, that's what! If they can't do the right thing NOW, when will they?

They have a golden opportunity RIGHT NOW. They can stuff the Republican agenda where the sun don't shine if they want to. What the %^$#%^**&^%$#@ are they waiting for?

They can give all Americans health care if they want to. I can't think of one single thing that is more important than that. Yet they are, instead, kowtowing to the pharma/medical/insurance lobbyists, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if affordable health care for all dies yet again.

They can reform the financial institutions and get regulations in place that will keep us from ever having to experience the near fatal collapse of the financial system we just went through, if they wanted to. But instead, more quickly that I EVER would have imagined, things are returning to to "normal," like nothing ever happened. The big boys are back to their old tricks, mortgage companies are telling people who are supposed to be benefiting from the new programs to pound sand, and all the Goldman Sachs alumni are preparing to laugh their way to the bank once again.

They could quickly dispense of "don't ask, don't tell" if they wanted to, but hell, why not lose another couple of hundred great folks who are continuing to get bounced out of the military first...what's the rush? 

I just don't get it...if the Democrats weren't going to do anything with the power they have, why did they want it so bad? What the hell was the point of electing President Obama if we were just going to continue to live in the world the Republicans built for us?

I know, Rome wasn't built in a day...but come on! Surely we should be seeing SOME momentum building by now. Surely our representatives shouldn't be attempting to lower our expectations already.

I KNOW we can take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity, but we can't do it without our Senators and Representatives...Why are they shaking in their boots and hiding under the tables? Why aren't they getting out there and MAKING what we voted for happen? And why do WE have to MAKE them do the right thing?

I am a scrapbooker (aka the family historian.)  I try to keep track as best I can of the "Days Of Our Lives"...little things that would be lost to us if someone didn't write them down. I keep a list of the cute words the babies use (like "nee nee" for going to sleep) and family stories that might be lost, like "The Legend of the Lace" the story of how the lace from my wedding dress ended up in my daughter's wedding bouquet and the bridesmaid's bouquet's of her sister and sister-in-law.

Another thing I track is "Random Things." Each year on our birthdays we update our list of random things we love at (fill in the age) - one thing for each year - adding another thing for the current year, and making changes as needed to reflect our current loves. So in other words, at the age of 57, I list 57 things and several have changed from last year. My daughter will be 33 this year, so her list will have 33 things.

Well, today is my birthday, now that it is just the stroke of midnight, and so my list gets updated and added to. I'd like to share it with you...

There is no particular order (after all, it's called "random") so not in order in terms of  amount of loveness...just what pops into our heads.

Praising God, be it going to church or listening to Christian music ~ being with my family ~ my shows (Brothers and Sisters, Cold Case, Gray's Anatomy, Medium, Law and Order - all of them - Criminal Minds, House, Without a Trace, Army Wives, 24, The Closer, Damages, Burn Notice, Private Practice ) ~ my husband's kisses ~ my TPM family and "saving the world" through blogging ~ scrapbooking ~ country decorating (especially with chickens!) ~ my morning coffee ~ being friends with my kids ~ my grandchildren, and everything about them! ~ snuggling ~ gardening ~ ice water ~ pumpkin pecan cheesecake ~ being tan ~ being a Gaga ~ the internet ~ wildlife (as in animals!) ~ my iphone  (can't believe they aren't standard issue when we are born!) ~ nachos ~ my ratty red flannel nightgown on a cold night ~ toe rings ~ country Christmas ornaments ~ red shoes ~ litttle glass hearts ~ sleeping under a quilt in a cold room ~ going to Maui ~ Sudoku puzzles ~ flowers ~ picture frames ~ chick flicks ~ reading - (fave authors - Ridley Pearson, Greg Iles, John Sanford, John Grishom, Nora Roberts, Iris Johansen, Johnathon Kellerman) ~ kayaking ~ Beth Moore Bible studies ~ textures (chunky tiles, fabric, plants) ~ exploring the road less traveled ~ pedicures ~ moss (one of my stranger loves!) ~ memories of my favorite dog ~ losing weight (not the act of, but being thinner) ~ Longi's Belgian Endive Salad ~ Trader Joe's ~ pareos ~ being barefoot ~ monograms ~ cooking, cooking gadgets, dishes and silverware ~ avocado eggrolls ~ the UK ~ pistachios ~ plantation shutters ~ snorkeling ~ my backyard with all it's flowers, birds and decorations ~ Maui Blanc wine ~ my DVR (how does anyone live without one?) ~ staying up until the wee hours, then sleeping late ~ feeling useful and valued ~ being alive and healthy!

It's funny how much this list has changed over the years...

(Side story - when we held our daughter's memorial service we read her most recent list...it was a wonderful look into the real her, one few people knew...)

So how about it? Share the real you? No self-editing, no "what will people think? - ing."  Just share your random loves at ?

 

We've had lots of discussion lately about health care, which has set my mind to wandering and wondering. As long as we're advocating for health care as a basic human right, shouldn't we be talking about our responsibilities to the system, and defining "rights" as they apply to those depending on the system?

Although health care is not specifically addressed in our founding documents, there are those who think a case can be made that it is. Still others think it is only for those who can afford it.

It seems clear that we here at TPM have elevated health care from a "wouldn't it be nice?" (WIBN) to a "right."  So for the sake of this discussion, let's assume we do have that right.

Additionally, although not a "right" per se, we have food stamps available for those unable to provide food for their families, and many areas offer food banks to further help those in need. (I'll tie this in down the road a piece.)

Now let's throw responsibility into the mix (and this is where the discussion gets a little dicey.)

We've set up the idea that all people have a right to healthcare. That means we will all be paying for everyone else's health care. So what does that include, and where do personal responibilities come in? Or do they?

I think we can all agree that emergency medical care fits in...injuries sustained in automobile accidents, accidents around the home and community etc.  But does it include injuries sustained as a result of participating in "extreme sports?"  Do we now get to pay for all the care involved when you have turned yourself into a quadraplegic? Would people participating in things like this be required to carry insurance policies to cover injuries inherent in these types of activities? Why? Or why not?

I think we can all agree that maternity needs would be covered, but does that mean that everyone can pop out as many kids as they want, and we all have to pay for it? Why? Or why not? And if not, how, in a free society can you stop the unfettered reproduction?

And what about smoking? Would people be required to stop smoking? If not, should the general population be required to pay for health care involved in smoking-related diseases, when CLEARLY this is optional behavior? Why? Or why not?

And what about obesity related diseases? Once our health care is the responsibilty of us all, do we have a social responsibility to maintain a healthy weight? Can we continue to eat and maintain a sedentary lifestyle while others are forced to bear the financial responsibility for our behaviors?

Here's where the food stamps and food banks come in...

If we as a society are going to take responsibility for feeding those who cannot afford to feed themselves, do we not have an obligation to feed them responsibly?  Should we be allowing food stamps to be used for buying Cheetos and Oreos and Coke? A friend recently posed the question "How come so many poor people are fat?" Well, I can tell you why. They are malnourished. It's not necessarily that they are eating too much (although that is true in some cases.) They have been forced to live off the dollar menu at fast food restaurants because it is cheaper than buying real food. Or they eat crap food because it provides comfort or they never learned how to eat a healthy balance diet.

What if when you signed up for food stamps, you had to take a few hour course in nutrition? Or how about if instead of getting dollar amounts of food stamps, someone, somewhere figured out how much food it took to sustain a family of (?) and you got certificates for so many bags of frozen vegetables and so many packages of (hold my nose and say it) meat and so many pounds of fresh fruit...no more government subsidies of twinkies (I mean, are twinkies a "right" or a WIBN?)

What if we started donating healthy food to food banks instead of crap food? I almost passed out when I saw a grossly overweight woman walking out of a food bank (to which I was delivering a bunch of cases of canned foods like soup and vegetables and bags of roasted almonds) with 3 huge bags of Oreos and a bunch of crap snack foods. Empty calories are not a good idea...they may keep people alive, but surely they deserve better than that!

So what do you think, people? What are our rights and responsibilities? Or should this all be unconditional, allowing any and all of us to abuse the golden goose until we've killed her?  

Being a Christian around here can, at times, be a pretty humbling experience. For the most part I feel like most of you regulars accept me as being a little different than the majority of Christians you know.  I have good relationships with many here who are atheists or agnostics. Religion (or lack thereof) doesn't get in the way of our friendship or political discussions. I appreciate very much those who have taken the time to get to know me, and who accept me for the flawed, but "anxious to learn and improve" person that I am.

I'm not terribly preachy, never in anyone's face about their lack of belief, and have been known to make an off-color joke now and then. When I hear the words, "If only more Christians were like you..." I feel like I'm living a life that Christ would approve of. He doesn't expect me to be perfect. He certainly doesn't want me to feel like I am better than anyone else.  And He absolutely doesn't want me to claim to be a follower of His, then turn around and live a greedy, self-centered, hypocritical life that would make anyone think, "Jeez, if that's what Christians are like, forget it."

There are others who suspend any attempt to be "politically correct" and are either outright hostile towards Christians, or are extremely condescending/rude. I find it interesting coming from people who are supposed to be more tolerant than the "righties" they detest. Rarely is this behavior directed at me, personally, but it does happen from time to time. Mostly I don't take it personally. Every once in awhile I get my feelings hurt, but, that's my problem...thickens the skin a little...builds character. Anyway, my point is, hypocrisy abounds on both parts of the equation. I often wonder as I'm evaluating myself, and my thoughts and behavior, do those who lump all Christians together ever think about what THEY are doing and saying? Are they aware that by shoving us all together into the same box, they are engaging in discriminatory behavior?

Not all Christians are the same. There was some discussion here recently (my apologies to whoever's post it was...I didn't bookmark it and can't find it) about  liberal Christians. I think many didn't even think there WAS such a thing. The Christian movement has been hijacked by the vocal right-wing extremists to the point that when you say "Christian" many, if not most, think of Hannity and Rush and Sarah and their ilk, and don't even realize that they are only part of the story.

Whose fault is that? I would say it was the fault of liberal Christians. We have not stood up and demanded to be counted. We have not stood up and said "Enough already!" We have allowed our religion to be co-opted by the fringe. We have not held our religious "leader's" feet to the fire by DEMANDING that they practice the teachings of Jesus. We have stood by pretty much silently, thus giving tacit approval to their misrepresenting the truth  lying, their hypocrisy in attempting to block universal health care while claiming to be their brother's keepers, their rabid insistence that abortion is murder, yet apparently having no problem with those who murder abortion providers or bomb their facilities, or condone torture or kill thousands of innocents, in addition to our own children, in a war that we did not HAVE to wage...

When did the Ten Commandments become the Ten Suggestions, or worse yet, multiple choice...pick which ones you want to follow?

In a recent comment I said that if I were searching for a religion to follow now, I don't know that Christianity would get a second look from me. The face of Christianity today is one of hate. Of dishonesty. Of greed. Of hypocrisy. Of exclusion. This is NOT the religion that I signed onto. I despise that we have let this happen.

As far as I'm concerned, you know a Christian by his/her actions.

But, there is a divide in the Christian Church concerning the matter of being saved. Some say once saved, always saved, others say you can lose your salvation by the way you live your life. We are never going to know for sure until we meet our maker face to face.

Perhaps those who believe once saved, always saved, think that just because they have asked Jesus into their hearts, they can now do whatever they want...they have their ticket to Heaven, so whatever they do now, they are covered.

But I contend that you can, indeed, lose your salvation through your actions, and these right-wing whackos that go around spreading lies, tearing people down, murdering abortion providers, denying people the most basic of human rights (i.e. health care) and generally behave in a manner that I am SURE makes our Lord cringe had better start doing some serious soul searching. And if they are smart, they'll err in favor of believing they CAN lose their salvation, because it may help them to think twice before acting the way they act. We are told by our Lord that we are to do NOTHING that will cause another to stumble in their faith. If we, as a group, behave in ways that bring disdain on our Lord, are we not causing them to stumble? Do we not have an OBLIGATION to behave in a way that brings glory, not ridicule to our Lord?

I love my Lord with all my heart, and the poor behavior of my fellow Christians is NEVER going to change that. But those of us who believe that the vocal minority of whacko Christians are ruining Christianity, have an obligation to change what is happening. So "WAKE UP LIBERAL CHRISTIANS!" To do any less is to agree with what they are doing. And then we have to be willing to accept responsibility for what they have done.
 

My mother always used to say I burned the candle at both ends. I have been that way for as long I can remember, and I'm pretty sure it won't change for as long as there is breath in my body. I seem to have an inescapable need to cram enough into one lifetime for three (maybe five) people. And now that I'm pushing 60 pretty hard, I'm noticing an increased sense of urgency.

I want to experience as much of what life has to offer as is possible. Right now I want to spend 10 hours a day (okay, maybe 12) blogging here on TPM...arguing, cajoling, supporting, defending, explaining, questioning, and plain old visiting. I want to have enough time to read every blog, every link, every comment, with plenty of time to write lengthy responses to many of them, and still have time left over to banter and get silly. I want to take the time to study and really understand the subject matter, and form an educated viewpoint. Then I want enough time to write my elected officials and give 'em hell or tell them (infrequently) what a good job I think they are doing.

Additionally, I want to spend 10 hours a day watching my grandchildren so that their mothers can work, yet feel confident that their children will be safe, loved,  and well cared for. I want enough time to make each of the three of them feel important, and that I love each of them as if there is only one of them. I want to teach them their ABCs and 123s, and how to paint and make bugs out of play dough. I want to take them for walks and have time to stop and crawl around on the ground following roly poly bugs, or tracing the ant's tiny steps back to their anthill, and checking the low branches of trees for bird's nests (we actually found one yesterday, with a mama dove sitting on her eggs! What an exciting moment that was!) I want to read to them and teach them to read, and sing and dance, and make musical instruments out of mommy's pots and pans. I want to help them imagine they are fairies and teach them to search for buried treasure, and swing to high enough that they think they'll actually touch the clouds with the tips of their toes. I want to lay with them in the grass and find dragons and ducks hiding in the clouds.

I want to have enough time to keep my house clean (not the kind of clean that keeps the health department away, but the kind where no matter you look there are no dust bunnies scurrying around, no spiders weaving their webs in the untouched corners of the ceiling, no crumbs from last night's dinner waiting to be devoured by a baby who has just discovered that those delights can be found if you keep your eyes open as you crawl around.) I want to put a gourmet meal on the table at least 5 nights a week, not only for my husband, but for my kids, too, so that they have more time to spend with their babies when they get home from a hard day's work instead of spending another hour in the kitchen.

I want time to work in my garden, keep up on my scrapbooks, search out new recipes, have a luxurious hour long cup of coffee in the morning. I want to sit on my patio and listen to the birds chirp and watch them eat the seeds I leave out for them, and splash in their bird baths. I want to take walks in the neighborhood. I want to watch the sun set.

I want time to pray, then time to actually listen for the answers. I want to sort through 25 years worth of photos and momentos and get them into albums before I die, so my kids will have a record of their lives to look back on. I want to volunteer at a food bank and a homeless shelter and the hospital. I want to write a book about my crazy life.

I want to travel...one more trip to the UK, one to Alaska, one to Australia. I want to take a trip on a Russian ice breaker to Antartica to see the penguins while they still have ice to live on. I want to go around the country to meet you guys...

I want to finish the quilt I started two years ago, and paint the dresser for the guest bedroom that has been in the garage taunting me for over a year. I want to decorate for the seasons, indoors and out. I want to go to the gym. I want to lose the weight I've been pissy about for 20 years, and practice yoga, and read the 30 books that laugh at me from the bookcase (and the one a friend wrote that I got 10 chapters into and haven't been able to get back to, even though it's killing me to know what comes next!)

I want to learn how to do Irish dancing, and finish my geneology and once and for all get my scrapbook room looking like the ones in the magazines. I want to make up with my sister, and learn how to forgive my father for what he was unable to be for me. I want to make my husband so happy that he'll never even WANT to leave, let alone do it.

I want to learn how to speak Spanish, explore the Constitution, and write an article so moving that it will have conservatives asking what they can do to help the liberals move their agenda forward. And every once in awhile I'd like to take a nap...just a short one. And that's just off the top of my head...there's much , much more I want to do. You know, world peace, the end of hunger, health care for everyone...

I'd better get busy, I don't have a minute to waste.

 

 
 

You may have seen the post yesterday entitled "Rebranding Fox "News" Network - Responding To Propoganda, by Synchronicity. In it she began a campaign to educate people about Fox "News" and is asking for our help. She asked me to do a follow-up post to give additional people the opportunity to see what is going on and get in on the effort.

By way of background, There are many areas of the country where Fox News is the only "cable" news channel available.  And in many more, CNN and MSNBC are are available, but cost extra.

Miguelito (Piggy) let us know in his comments that Rupert Murdoch (owner of Fox News) also owns Direct T.V. one of the two satellite companies (he purchased it in 2003.) This is an alartming situation, in that many people across the country are getting a very slanted view of events in the country and the world, with little opportunity to hear an opposing view. Worse yet, many of those people  do not realize that Fox "News" is really entertainment, not "news."

Let's start a 'rebranding Fox News' effort as a sort of truth in advertising movement.

T-Shirts & Bumper Stickers, etc. with slogans pointing out to the public that they are being used. 

We have some brilliant minds here on TPM.  I think we could actually come up with a slogan or two that could actually be useful to support the general public that does not understand that Fox News is not a 'real' or 'fair and balanced' news channel but is instead a propaganda channel creating stories and suggesting how people should see and think about them, manipulating them.  

I would like to come up with a slogan that might make someone think, create some question or doubt in their mind... just create the possibility of a little opening in there that maybe, just maybe they are giving too much power to FNN.  My thinking is that while we could express our outrage and disgust via a slogan (go ahead and vent if you like), a more useful slogan would be simple (like 'Yes We Can') and thought provoking.  While I am not suggesting that we could sway all FNN viewers, I am thinking that there is a target audience of people who just don't realize that what they are hearing is very tainted...

I ask that you contribute both your ideas and your feedback on others ideas.  I also ask that you suggest, list, recommend all of the places and ways that this could be disseminated i.e. t-shirts, bumper stickers etc. (would you wear a shirt or have your dog wear one with your slogan on it or put it on your website,etc.?)  How could we spread the movement so that other groups picked it up?

If you are interested in helping, please contact Synchronicity at:  synchronicity@yeswecan.com  

We've been debating in great detail what is and isn't torture, did we torture, who authorized it, how harmful is it, etc., etc.

Well, come to find out all the torture did not occur on foreign soil. Those of us who stay away from Faux News were not subjected to it, but a large portion of the country was...

This video is hard to watch, but if you love your country, you owe it to yourself to see what is being done to your fellow countrymen (and women.)

There was some discussion on another thread yesterday about how in some areas of the country the only cable news available on basic cable is Faux. That would certainly explain why their ratings are so much higher than those of MSNBC. But I digress. The point is, this is what your fellow citizens are being subjected to. When you write your elected officials regarding torture, you may want to mention this, as well. If this is not considered torture, it should be. If I had to listen to this crap day after day after day, I would confess to anything to make it stop.

For those of you who have been keeping up on the situation with dickday's computer, he finally called just a few minutes ago.

He will accept the computer with more gratitude than he is able to express. As it stands right now, it looks like the computer that Face was offering in his initial post (THANK YOU for getting the ball rolling, Face!) will not work, but Seashell has one that will and she has been rehabbing it today. She will ship it to him. "Thepeoplechoose" has a 19" monitor that will be shipped, as well.

Old Grouch will be going to help him set it up if he needs help. He already has broadband, so it sounds like purchasing that for him will not be necessary.

I don't know how much the shipping will run, but Barefooted will be handling the money end of things and will do a post if we need to take up a collection for that...If, for some reason, the used computer falls through, we will be asking for donations to come up with another one, but at least he has accepted the offer to get him up and running and we'll work out any details as it is necessary.

That is my best info at the moment...if anything I wrote is incorrect, please let me know.

Bottom line, DD should be back to us soon! He can hardly wait, and I know we can't either!!!

Thanks to all of you who contributed time, energy, ideas, and made offers to help financially or just gave moral support. We done good, guys! I'm proud of us all...

PLEASE REC SO EVERYONE CAN SEE WHERE WE STAND ON THIS!

I am writing from Michelle Bachmann's "Real America," and if this is "REAL America" count me out!

Normally I live in suberbia, but we have a 2nd home in the mountains, and that is where I am at the moment. We spent 25 years living here and raising our family.

I have no cable (because we turn it off unless we are going to be here for quite awhile,) and no internet access unless I drive around what there is of downtown and find a few-and-far-between hot spot, which I finally found. Even having found one, this area is set up for analog, not high-speed, and it is taking me forever to even change a page. I hit load, then I can go to the bathroom, do my business, pluck my eyebrows and by the time I get pack the page is loaded. I can see why people give up and quit trying.

I can't believe I used to live like this. If I am unable to check my e-mail or log onto TPM, I might as well dispense with my coffee, in which case I will have a terrible headache and be a very grouchy girl. I am like a smoker trying to give up the habit,  in search of that butt on the side of the road that was burned down to the nubbins, but may one or two hits left in it.

Yesterday I trekked down the road about 1/2 a mile from my house, trying to find a break in the ridgeline to get just enough of a signal to get into my iphone and check my e-mail. It was frustrating, but I was able to do it, and got just enough of a fix to regain my sanity for a bit. My daughter drove by and I got busted! She whipped out the camera and took a picture of me standing on the corner in my pajamas, 38 degrees outside, iphone in hand! We'll be laughing about that for years!

Anyway, now I have come to the conclusion that this is all a right wing plot to keep a large portion of America ignorant. If there is no access to the outside world, they can keep us stupid. We don't know what they are up to, they can run amuck with no one to keep an eye on them. I firmly believe that this is how they got me to stay a Republican for so long.

When President Obama says he wants to make it so that broadband is available to EVERYONE, I can see why the right is panicking. How will they keep us in line if we know what they are up to?

So, the bottom line is, there are good people in rural America. When rural America is gone, we will have lost something special. But this is NOT (all caps, extra large font) the only place where REAL Americans live. Real Americans are those people who care enough about their country to keep informed about what its leaders are doing, and unfortunately, as it stands now, it takes extra effort to do that if you live in a small, rural town.

My hat is off to all of you who endure the slow connection speeds to  keep up on world events.

P.S. Dick Update: I finally heard from him! His computer crashed and he just discovered he can get an hour of free internet access at his local library once a day. He is going to try and post today!!! Yay!

I suppose I'm not the only one to notice that DD (or Arthur, as I lovingly refer to him) hasn't been here for a couple of days...

Would it be inappropriate to say that a day without dick is like a day without sunshine?

Over in ProfB's post a day or so ago, a discussion was started about the merits/problems with labels such as conservative, progressive, etc. and the two party system.

The discussion got me to thinking about how we got to where we are today. Since I remember little about my classes on American history as it relates to the Constitution, I Googled "Constitution Two Party System" and treated myself to an afternoon history lesson courtesy of wikipedia.

I have to tell you, it was a fascinating read and I found it much more interesting today than I did back in the day!

For those who, like me, need a little refresher course, I'll paraphrase very simply, what I read.

The Constitution does not mandate, nor even address the two party system. At first there were no parties, although "factions" began to develop. George Washington was re-elected without opposition in 1792. Shortly thereafter, Alexander Hamilton, who like Washington, promoted a strong central government, formed a network of supporters called the Federalists. In response, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, who feared a strong central government, formed the Democratic-Republican Party.

Hamilton and Washington felt that opposition parties would weaken the government. Jefferson and Madison felt that the Federalists represented aristocratic forces hostile to the true will of the people. In a letter to Henry Lee in 1824, Jefferson explained:

"Men by their constitutions are naturally divided into two parties: 1. Those who fear and distrust the people, and wish to draw all powers from them into the hands of the higher classes. 2. Those who identify themselves with the people, have confidence in them, cherish and consider them as the most honest and safe, although not the most wise depositary of the public interests. In every country these two parties exist, and in every one where they are free to think, speak, and write, they will declare themselves. Call them, therefore, liberals and serviles, Jacobins and Ultras, whigs and tories, republicans and federalists, aristocrats and democrats, or by whatever name you please, they are the same parties still and pursue the same object. The last appellation of aristocrats and democrats is the true one expressing the essence of all."

In 1800, the Federalists were swept out of power by the Democratic-Republicans when Thomas Jefferson was elected President. The Federalists fell apart and the Democratic-Republicans remained in power until they split into the Democrats (led by Andrew Jackson) and the Whigs (led by Henry Clay)  in 1824-1828. The Republican Party evolved from the Whigs.

So now fast forward to today. The country is split nearly down the middle. We have an incredibly popular President with a mandate for change, and an opposition party of obstructionists so pissed over losing that it is dangerously close to calling for an armed uprising. No one seems to be able to come up with a working definition that everyone accepts for the labels we use to identify people's agendas.

Ran across an article in Rollingstone that gives an interesting perspective on AIGs role in this mess. It is a little lengthy, but funny and disturbing and should be a "must read" for all taxpayers.

I apologize in advance for the empty blockquote boxes...can't figure out how to make them go away!

 

It's over -- we're officially, royally fucked. no empire can survive being rendered a permanent laughingstock, which is what happened as of a few weeks ago, when the buffoons who have been running things in this country finally went one step too far. It happened when Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was forced to admit that he was once again going to have to stuff billions of taxpayer dollars into a dying insurance giant called AIG, itself a profound symbol of our national decline -- a corporation that got rich insuring the concrete and steel of American industry in the country's heyday, only to destroy itself chasing phantom fortunes at the Wall Street card tables, like a dissolute nobleman gambling away the family estate in the waning days of the British Empire.

The latest bailout came as AIG admitted to having just posted the largest quarterly loss in American corporate history -- some $61.7 billion. In the final three months of last year, the company lost more than $27 million every hour. That's $465,000 a minute, a yearly income for a median American household every six seconds, roughly $7,750 a second. And all this happened at the end of eight straight years that America devoted to frantically chasing the shadow of a terrorist threat to no avail, eight years spent stopping every citizen at every airport to search every purse, bag, crotch and briefcase for juice boxes and explosive tubes of toothpaste. Yet in the end, our government had no mechanism for searching the balance sheets of companies that held life-or-death power over our society and was unable to spot holes in the national economy the size of Libya (whose entire GDP last year was smaller than AIG's 2008 losses).

So it's time to admit it: We're fools, protagonists in a kind of gruesome comedy about the marriage of greed and stupidity. And the worst part about it is that we're still in denial -- we still think this is some kind of unfortunate accident, not something that was created by the group of psychopaths on Wall Street whom we allowed to gang-rape the American Dream. When Geithner announced the new $30 billion bailout, the party line was that poor AIG was just a victim of a lot of shitty luck -- bad year for business, you know, what with the financial crisis and all. Edward Liddy, the company's CEO, actually compared it to catching a cold: "The marketplace is a pretty crummy place to be right now," he said. "When the world catches pneumonia, we get it too." In a pathetic attempt at name-dropping, he even whined that AIG was being "consumed by the same issues that are driving house prices down and 401K statements down and Warren Buffet's investment portfolio down."

 

 

 

 

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Let's face it...this country is in a mess. No, not "a" mess, a bunch of messes. In fact, it IS a mess. There are so many things that are screwed up it would keep you up at night every night if you allowed yourself to think about it too much.

There are the obvious problems with the economy and the unstable financial institutions. It is so bad that even the best and brightest economists in the world can't agree on how to get us out of it. There is the mother of all insurance companies that sold insurance policies without having the financial means of paying off on even a small fraction of them. And now they are using OUR money to pay "retention bonuses" to keep the very people that created the nightmare. We are at risk of losing our entire auto industry, along with millions of jobs and pensions. Our states are at risk of going bankrupt.

We are reeling from the effects of a decades old ponzi scheme that has left many financially ruined. House prices are continuing to decline. The number of people losing their jobs continues to grow at a frightening pace. There are more and more empty storefronts even in places that are holding up fairly well during the housing crash. Affordable health care is unavailable for many.

We are still embroiled in two wars that we aren't sure how to end without turning the Middle East on its head.

Peak Oil, which should be one of the most important issues of the day is so far down on the list of on-going crisis, you rarely hear about it anymore. Our memories are so flippin' short that the energy-efficient cars you had to stand in line for a few months ago are piling up at the dealerships because gas prices have returned to a reasonable level, even though most people agree they will skyrocket once demand picks up again.

We can argue about whether the President knows what he's doing or not. Whether he has accomplished enough in his first 60 days. Complain about rookie mistakes. We can make a big fuss about whether it is smart for him to go on Leno or not, and fret about an inadvertant slight he made. Maybe it is healthy somehow to focus on the small stuff, since the big stuff could easily make us all suicidal. 

But seriously, doesn't it just scare the livin' crap out of you to think about how close we came to having McCain/Palin at the helm through this?

Seriously. 

 

At risk of being a "too frequent" poster, ran across this and couldn't help but bring it to your attention, just in case you've missed it.

Apparently there is some question about whether or not Rick Santelli's rant was as random as it seemed, or rather the carefully planned trigger for the "anti-Obama" campaign.

According to Playboy Magazine  (now don't have a heart attack! I ran across it through another channel and went back to the original source rather than send you on a circuitous route to get to it! - I can hear it now...What is Stilli doing reading Playboy???)  the website that  launched the "Chicago Tea Party" revolt (www.ChicagoTeaParty.com) within hours of the rant, got it's domain name back in August of last year, and has been associated with some interesting characters in the Republican Party.

What we discovered is that Santelli's "rant" was not at all spontaneous as his alleged fans claim, but rather it was a carefully-planned trigger for the anti-Obama campaign. In PR terms, his February 19th call for a "Chicago Tea Party" was the launch event of a carefully organized and sophisticated PR campaign, one in which Santelli served as a frontman, using the CNBC airwaves for publicity, for the some of the craziest and sleaziest rightwing oligarch clans this country has ever produced. Namely, the Koch family, the multibilllionaire owners of the largest private corporation in America, and funders of scores of rightwing thinktanks and advocacy groups, from the Cato Institute and Reason Magazine to FreedomWorks. The scion of the Koch family, Fred Koch, was a co-founder of the notorious extremist-rightwing John Birch Society."

The article that sent me to this link has some other links you may find interesting.

Hmmmmm...it's just a lttle smelly.

There have been a few posts lately about the potential for some some huge changes in our country with the election of President Obama and the horrific downturn in the economy. Most people are scared, and I think there is much to be scared of. No one wants to contemplate what 10%, 20% unemployment is going to look like. A lot of people go to bed every night wondering if they will be included in the next round of lay-offs. Many people are beginning to wonder what a post-consumer driven economy is going to look like.

But, I'm wondering if, just possibly, that this downturn, this wake-up call, might just be a good thing, albeit a heavily disguised one at the moment.

I know that the poor and the lower middle class are going to feel the pain disproportionately during the process, and that thought deeply saddens me. But I'm beginning to think that in the long run, it may turn out to be a good thing.

What if we are able to come out the other side with some better values as a country? Like a greater respect for those who don't have a lot of money.  Like a realization that "stuff" doesn't bring happiness. Like doing the "right" thing is far better than doing the convenient thing.

What if housing prices go down enough, and everyone has health insurance, so that only one person in the family needs to work, and now one parent can stay home and raise the kids? Not only would kids be raised by people who love them instead of strangers, BUT, the need for so many jobs would go away.

What if families started living in these big ol' houses together...Mom, Dad, the kids, AND Grandma/Grandpa, instead of one family in a house they can barely afford and the other several states away?

What if we decided that one television per household was enough, that we don't need a land line and cells phones, that everyone in the family doesn't need their own computer, that we don't need to "own" every DVD or CD ever produced?  What if we went back to giving ourselves pedicures, mowing our own lawns, cooking our own dinners, cleaning our own houses? What if we lightened our loads a bit so that all our "extra" stuff didn't need to go into "storage" and we actually had enough room in the garage to park our cars? And that we could reduce our insurance premiums because we didn't have so much to insure? What if we started wearing our clothes until they wore out, instead of until the "fashion police" told us we were behind the times? Would life really suck that bad?

What if kids started playing outside again, reading books instead of playing meaningless and violent video games?  What if mom (or dad) taught them their ABCs and 123s and they started school in kindergarten instead of spending four years in preschool? What if libraries and city parks once again became places of wonder?

What if the reduced stress in our lives made it so we could better manage our marriages and divorce was the exception rather than the rule? What if we hiked and rode our bicycles instead of going to the gym? What if going out to dinner and movie was a real "treat" again?

Would the "less,"  the "lower" standard of living we are all so afraid of, be such a bad thing? I'm just wondering...