Vague Wisdom

I'm watching MSNBC (which I'm probably doing too much) and on several occasions hosts or guests of a show will say something like, "Romney needs to show people that he isn't just supportive of the rich. Not that there's anything wrong with being rich." You know what? I think there is something wrong with being rich. There is something wrong with a country that feels they need to be so very careful about offending the rich that they constantly say, "Not that there's anything wrong with being rich." You have a smaller and smaller proportion of the population in control of more and more of the power (money).

Somehow we can tolerate homelessness, people going hungry, people dying from lack of adequate medical treatment etc. etc. Yet there are clearly people who want to defend a person or corporations "right" to have so much money that they can not only afford one home but can easily own several homes. They can have lots of cars or boats or motorcycles or whatever. I don't begrudge people being comfortable, in fact I want everyone to be comfortable. I want everyone to be in a position that they don't have to worry about whether or not they will eat regularly or live in a home that is comfortable and adequate for them. I want people to get as much education as they want without accumulating so much debt that they wonder if they'll ever be able to pay it back.

I also don't think that to suggest rich people should pay more taxes is "class warfare". We are already engaged in class warfare and it isn't the poor or middle-class that have been on the attack.

Hello,

I just thought I'd drop a note and let everyone know I'm still alive. I have been particularly depressed the last few weeks. I'm coping and what energy I do have has been going into fighting California Gov. Schwarzenegger's proposed ( budget cuts )

I have to say that for the first time in a very long time, I'm pretty proud of my country. I have felt alienated from my government the last eight years. It felt like a drunk uncle took over the wheel of our national car. Last night however, I feel like the country came to its senses. Which is not to say I wasn't disappointed in a few races, but I can't stop smiling about the fact that a black man with a "strange vaguely Muslim sounding" name actually won the presidency of this United States. I never in my lifetime thought it would happen. We done good people!

As I read through my friends list this morning, I see some pretty common sentiments. Happiness at Mr. Barack Obama becoming president and some devastating disappointment in the various gay-rights propositions around the country. Here in California it was Prop. 8. People are understandably very discouraged. It's hard to see how we have progressed in our views of race, but still seem mired in homophobia. I see many people throwing up their arms in disgust and defeat. I am very disappointed myself.

What I need to remember is that the struggle for civil rights has never been a direct one. We take a few steps forward and then get pushed back a couple. We struggled forward again and keep pushing until we get equality. It's a long process but history has shown me in my lifetime that change happens eventually. We made a step forward in electing Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States of America. We've been knocked down for a while by the results of Prop 8 and its ilk. But we are a stubborn people. I admire that in my fellow civil rights advocates. We are down now, but we will pick ourselves up again and work for what is right. I have no doubt that eventually we will succeed. This is a setback and it hurts, but we will do what we always do. Get back up and start working again.

A friend of mine conceived and produced this video (with some camera help from loracs) after hearing Karl Rove claim that Senator McCain couldn't use a computer because of injuries he received as a POW. I'm a star!

Thank you loracs for the link [Edit: loracs tells me she got the link from kightp]:

Who'd a thunk it a conservative for Obama!

I suspect these will be a bit rambling and not very well organized, but I am trying to put more writing out there. So here goes:

Being on occasion a community organizer, I'm a little boggled that somehow it could be suggested that being one is somehow a bad thing. (I know that was Palin's speech. I told you this was not going to be well organized). I think taking responsibility for improving people's lives for little or no money or benefits is certainly more altruistic than simply holding office.

I'm not sure I can express this but I was really bothered by McCain's use of his experiences in Hanoi Hilton. Let me state this clearly, I personally think McCain was a hero in that circumstance. I have no illusions that in his situation I would've headed for the exit as soon as it was offered. The fact that he stayed is another example of how truly selfless people can be. As I'm sure many of you know I am one of those bleeding heart liberals. I never would have voted for McCain, but I always had a certain amount of respect for how McCain navigated his way through national politics. I didn't agree with him but it was clear to me that he really was doing what he thought was best. I always thought it was very classy that he never (at least in my memory) used his experience as a POW as blatantly, as self-serving as he did in that speech.

It is clear to me now that he has lost all perspective. He has caved in to the pressure from social conservatives to change his position on choice. I really do feel that I am on the other side of the looking glass. 26 year veteran in Congress is billing himself as an agent for change? A man who is getting all kinds of accolades for being his own man. Not caving in to partisan politics. Has changed many of his long-standing positions *exactly* for partisan reasons. A man who has condemned his opponent time and time again for his inexperience and yet chooses a running mate who didn't complete a full term as governor of Alaska. A woman whose only other executive experience is as mayor of a town with less than 9000 people in it. I job she apparently couldn't do on her own because she was pressured to hire someone to help her. I think his boasting about his military experience is an act of desperation. At least I hope people will see it that way. Yes I know I'm preaching to the converted, but I had to blather a little.

95% Mike Gravel
92% Dennis Kucinich
85% John Edwards
81% Barack Obama
80% Joe Biden
78% Chris Dodd
77% Hillary Clinton
70% Bill Richardson
37% Rudy Giuliani
26% Ron Paul
26% John McCain
21% Mitt Romney
20% Mike Huckabee
17% Tom Tancredo
9% Fred Thompson
















2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

I don't know who Mike Gravel is. Given recent resignations, I should relook at some candidates