Don’t get me started: Brain dead bumpkins

First, a joke.

Corporate Interests, American Labor and Tea Party are sitting at a table when a dozen doughnuts are set before them.

Corporate Interests grabs 11 of the doughnuts, nudges Tea Party and whispers, “Watch out, Labor is stealing your doughnut.”

Barring some last-minute compromise, the federal government is set for a major shutdown tonight. Many—a subset made up of the terminally stupid and hopelessly sociopathic—think this is a fine idea. If you need an explanation about why it’s not a fine idea, then count yourself as some part of that subset; I have nothing to say that you would understand or care about.

In Washington, it’s politics as usual, meaning much too much ado about nothing. You know, it’s not government that’s the problem—it’s the lack of government. We are ruled by politics, not government. They’re not the same thing.

Many years ago, I considered running for public office. One of the more embarrassing moments of my life occurred when my boss, a smart woman I much admired, took it upon herself to introduce me to Colorado’s governor-elect as being intent on Congress. Within a few years, though, I came to realize that successful governing in this country meant being able to compromise—a quality no one has ever accused me of possessing. So I shelved those intentions and decided instead to become a curmudgeon, a role in which I have enjoyed unqualified success.

The problem is, I seem to be among the few who got the memo about that whole compromise and democracy thing. Oh, and by the way, President Obama, compromise isn't the same as giving up, either.

I have never been more disappointed in a politician than I have in Barack Obama. I had finally squelched the last embers of any hope that I might have had in our political system, much to my relief, when Mr. Obama went and rekindled them. And then snuffed them out again, all by himself.

I was looking forward to voting for someone else—anyone else—in the next presidential cycle as retaliation for his chicanery and empty promises. I was confident he would fall in oh-so-sweet and ignominious defeat. But now those block-headed, brain-dead, history-ignorant, bustle-mouthed, brack-fingled, brimbonnet Tea Party freshman in Congress are doing all that they possibly can to see that Mr. Obama is re-elected.

I may have to take the advice of my imaginary (but copyright protected) bumper sticker: DON’T BLAME ME—I DIDN’T VOTE!

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Don't get me started: Lie to me

When we hear lies, like the supposed WMDs in Iraq, which led us into a war of devastating cost both financial and human--when we hear lies out of Washington, or Denver or Phoenix, Albany or Jeff City, Tallahassee or Madison, Columbus or any other state capitol, county seat or city hall, it's not "government" that is lying to us--it's people. People that we elected, and often proudly so, like so many who voted--in two elections--for that good ol' boy liar George W. Bush. Or for that other good ol' boy, Bill Clinton, who found it necessary to lie about the most mundane personal matters, leading the country into a morass that paralyzed our government for years. Or the elected--the elected--politicians who just had to make a big deal out of his ill-advised, but private, sexual dalliance. What exactly was the point of all that? At least the Iraq war is making some rich people richer; uh, too bad about the casualties.

Or like the current crop of havoc-wreaking, so-called "conservative" representatives that we elected to Congress. Conservative my Aunt Polly's prune-bread! Those jokers are as radical a bunch as we've seen since the police riots at the 1968 Democratic convention. They don't care who gets hurt.

Or every pout-throwing, pocket-lining or power-mad governor, county commissioner, state senate president, district attorney or tax assessor that we put in office--that we put in office.

You know what it is that we dislike so much about government? Why it rankles, chafes and ticks us off at every turn? Because it's us. Because we create it, every two, four or six years, we make it, over and over, into a reflection of who we really are.

You want to protest bad government? Then look in the mirror.

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Nuke it!

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The truth shall make you flee

A New York Times article on NJ Gov. Chris Christie caught my attention. It describes his particular campaign style, in the words of a NJ Democratic Assemblyman, as an assault.

If this isn't the truth,

then this is what the

truth ought to be.

I found that interesting because Christie's campaigning had begun to remind me of Fox news, particularly its commentators. They often play fast and loose with the truth and will hurl insults, jibes, censure and detractions at issues and people rather than research and parse the details. It's sort of a John Wayne approach that has as much appeal in real life as it did in the westerns the Duke starred in.

This sort of shoot-first-and-dodge-questions-later campaigning is probably nothing new—nothing ever is—and is likely even more attractive because of it's bold disregard for the niceties. It's a very American attitude, in a tame-the-frontier manifest-destiny sort of way. It says, "If this isn't the truth, then this is what the truth ought to be."

Not very scientific. But what do those fancy-pants eggheads know about common sense, anyway?

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Simple Minded

I believe my problem is the same as just about everyone else’s: I am looking for the simple answers. Answers that could be thrown like a gigantic tarp over a wide range of furious wildfires. Answers that would allow easy categorization, like the assignment of various expenses to budgetary cost accounts. Answers that would make “us” the good guys and “them” the bad guys. Answers as handy as a Swiss Army knife.

Easy answers.

Magical answers.

…?!

Ain’t gonna happen.

Sigh….

Please excuse me while I try to assimilate this. Again.

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