Well…don’t know where to start this morning but I know I have to deal with Chuck Krauthhammer and Darrell Issa…and the crazy assertions they make in the papers this morning…first, let’s start with Chuck…the headline of his article was ‘Obama’s secret plan: governing by regulation”…and he goes on to assert that since Obama can’t get bills with what he wants passed through congress, he is going to use the regulatory apparatus of the government to bypass congress and enact all kinds of scary things…his prime example being the new Medicare regulation that will pay for end of life counseling that the repbs labeled “death panels” last summer and was left out of the bill because of those scare tactics pushed by the rabid right wingers. Where have you been for the last 30 years Chuck? This type of thing has been done ever since these regulatory organizations were first enacted by legislation….so now, you don’t want Obama to keep the government functioning just because you don’t like it…elections have consequences, Chuck…look what your boys did with financial regulation in the 8 years of ole GW. At least Obama is doing something for the middle class, not just the rich that your party bows to every day.
Then, you have Darrell Issa saying that his primary focus as the chair of the congressional oversight committee is going to be investigate Obama and his administration and to blanket them with subpoenas until they can’t do anything except answer them…since he calls them the most corrupt government in American history. Oh, really Darrell? Didn’t see them authorizing torture, or letting the oil industry write our energy policy, or providing sweetheart no-bid contracts to all of Cheney’s cronies, or removing enough financial regulation that allowed the banks to almost steal the whole country. What about the people of this country Darrell? When are you going to focus on jobs? When are you going to focus on healing the divide that splits us? Oh, I get it, never…just another political hack that chooses to put party before country….again, and, again, and again….geez…
Well…I was all geared up for a really boring day yesterday but then the Lions won and K called for a short SF so it turned out okay. Yep, I couldn’t believe it either…4 wins in a row to end the year…maybe we’ll have a season that we make the playoffs this fall…see, the Lion’s disease is in full swing with me….oh, well….other than that, the Wings lost with some really sloppy play but there is still more than half of the season left for them to get better…should this have gone in sports? Felt like I’d been drinking all day when I got up this morning and I can’t figure it out….just had a couple with K and then not any more here so I should feel better…is it age again? Hope not, but I am sore all over again…maybe a bug? Going to keep using that excuse as long as I can continue to delude myself….after all, deluding myself is pretty easy….not much to do today….the normal morning routine with the cats added but that is about it…may be going to a movie later in the week with K….would love to have some theater popcorn just soaked in butter….so much butter it’s coming out your pores the following couple of days….and mountain dew….should have some topics for later…only have one question for our new governor…where are the jobs? You’ve been in office for two days….yeah, that’s a joke…more later…
Well…this idea came from an an article I read by Nicholas Kristof that was in the NY Times this morning…he was commenting on the new book “The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger” by a couple of British authors who have taken on the topic of inequality and how it relates to both the psychic and physical costs to a society. You guys know that this has been one of the threads that have run through my posts here, and what I saw as an existential danger has now been quantified by these two authors down to the physical ailments that come from an unequal society. I know, it sounds like kind of a stretch to make these connections, but these are not fly by night authors…they are well respected in their field and present mountains of data to support their hypothesis.
That said…I have many times railed here about the growing inequality in our society but it was more out of my sense of fairness; that there is something wrong when only the top 1% of our society is doing well and the rest of us scrape and gouge to keep our heads above water. Now, with this new book, we can see that there are real costs to this inequality…not just that people are beaten down emotionally, but physically as well; and this continued grabbing of the entire pie by the rich hurts everyone and can kill our great society if it continues. The next step should be how to address it…and I will admit I don’t have the answers but the old saying “from those to whom much is given, much is expected” or something like that is a good start.
Well…feel kind of crappy today but it was the last night of cocktails so tomorrow should be better….didn’t do much except football yesterday and the winter classic which Pittsburgh lost…that made me happy. But, the whole day was wipeout for the big ten and I kind of expected it so I wasn’t surprised. Gonna keep this one short for now….have to start taking car of the kitties this morning and I’m going to piggyback that with going out to get the paper….it looks really cold outside and it snowed last night…I kind of envy T being in the nice, warm, Bahamas…
Okay…I’m back for a minute…did get to T’s and all three cats came out to see me which is quite unusual…and I do feel a little better after two cups of coffee, but still not great…not a lot to do today..no SF since K is in Chicago but, and I hate to admit this, I am looking forward to watching the Lions play today…see…I told you earlier that they were sucking me back in again….to have them have a chance to win after the last few years is just a weird feeling…oh, there is a Wings game later, too and I may go out to watch part of it…I do have another topic that I want to share today…part of one of my continuing threads..but, I’m not going to telegraph it…so come on back later….
Well…starting with the Wings losing in Ot last night…and the routs of Michigan and State, it was a bad couple of days for Michigan sports….I guess the Big Ten isn’t as good as it looked during the regular season…but we might get one good thing out of it…that Rich Rod will probably be gone from Michigan and we can start over again…after all, he’s had three years to put together some kind of a defense and just hasn’t done it….I can say I won’t miss him…..
I think the Wings have been going quite good lately so I guess I shouldn’t bitch…especially with the four guys that are now out with injuries….and it is cool to see some of the youngsters get a chance to play…I think that Mursak kid is going to be fun to watch…he’s as fast as Helm and I’d like to see the two of them just run away from the defensemen. To still be in first in the West with the bad stretch we’ve had is a good thing..last year, we were in 9th or something at this point in the season so I do feel good about making the playoffs….and everyone will be back for them so I’ll match us up against anyone…starting to get excited already…
Maybe another one later but I don’t think so….have “The Creature From the Black Lagoon” cued up on Netfliux instant and the Rose Bowl going…
Well….just a short one for right now…waiting for the coffee to get done and waiting for Manchester United to get moving…a pretty low key night last night…just hung out here and had a couple of cocktails while watching hockey….didn’t even make it to midnight since I was really bored and wanted to just crash out…did sleep okay but need the coffee for some reason…so, I’m going to go get a cup and read the papers…more later…
Okay…I’m back and quite surprised…I know I read it somewhere that the times and post were going subscription today but no notice on the sites so I am a little happy about that….T is leaving for the Bahamas today and I will miss talking to her daily but this vacation will be great for her…and I get to take care of her house and kitties while she is gone…man, it’s only 9 am and I have everything done…well…didn’t really have anything to do but football today…and it will be kind of a pain because Michigan and State are on at the same time….not going to cook anything special today since I now have to start trying to maintain my weight better…not a resolution because I don’t do those but I have to pay attention…nothing new, really…might make a burger on the grill since I haven’t had my quota of beef…who knows? I’ll be back later…maybe some sports?
Doesn’t it feel like Sunday? Oh, one last thing…it’s 1/1/11….cool…
Well…this might be the last one for the day or it might not be…there were some things I thought of out on the bike but I forgot them already….yep, you heard it right…out on the bike…in shorts…on December 31st..yay! I haven’t felt that good in a while…getting back in the saddle, working the shifters, and throwing the bike around with a huge grin on my face was just right…it was a nice way to put a coda on the end of the year. I can’t believe how fast my lungs have lost their fitness…no problem with the legs but it was hard to breath at times…I know, I’m 57 but that shouldn’t matter…and it doesn’t in my head. I think this is the muddiest I’ve been coming back…I’m going to have to take the bike over the the car wash to get it clean next week since the cold weather is coming back starting tomorrow and I don’t think I’ll get it out again until March or so.
So, I may be coming back later for more…I’ll try not to be maudlin and do the same crap as every commentator…but, you never know, I might….go, have fun, and Happy New Year!
Well..just had this thought come to me while I was reading some of the online papers this morning but I’m not going to finish it now…just a little teaser to get you to come back…yep, not fair I know, but the idea is not fully formed yet. Here’s the question or premise…Doesn’t the right’s and tea party’s new found reverence for an unchanging constitution look like a fundamentalist religion to anyone else?
This one is not forming up as I hoped but I going to take a swing at it anyway…as it is quite well know,n most of the tea partiers; and most of the people that identify themselves as religious conservatives have beliefs that interpret the bible as literally the word of god…with no interpretation necessary or wanted. Things like the age of the earth being being around 6,00 years, that evolution is not possible because it contradicts the story of Adam and Eve…and many other stories are taken as fact by this group. I see the same type of blind faith being constructed in their interpretation of the constitution as being absolute and only taken in the context of the time it was written; not in the context of the present and a guideline for the society..purposely written vaguely to allow for growth. The question I have is “do they like to not have to think?” The true believers think all of the answers are in the bible and they never change or need to change since they are the word of god. No thinking necessary to apply the bible…just do what it says and everything will be okay. Now, the tea partiers are doing the same about the constitution…genuflecting to the document in every action they take with an unhealthy propensity to ignore the nuance of life and the varying interpretations that come with it…and to force their interpretation of in on the rest of us…just like they do about religion. I think this is a troubling development for our society…zealots of any kind lead to repression of those who don’t think like them…geez….
Well..it’s 5:50 and I’m up early again but he sleep was okay so I’ll take it…had a nice day yesterday with lunch with T…lots of good conversation and laughs…made me smile a lot. The rest of the day was kind of a bore but that is the measure of my days lately…it is already 48 degrees but there is a thunderstorm heading straight for west Michigan from the southeast so I may have to wait for the aft to ride my bike…I am determined to get out on it today for one last ride for the year and if I go I’ll be in shorts…need to give the girls at the coffee shop something to talk about next week…I do have things to do today….not much but some things…groceries this morning, then over to G’s to pick up my slow cooker, then over to the west side for supplies….going to open the sunroof if it’s not raining….I may have one of those year-end summary things for later this aft but everyone does that so I may just do the opposite….but what’s the opposite of a summary?…way too much thinking for 6 am …more later…
Oh, I did make it to 60 with this one…yay? One last thing..it’s a sad day for me since it is the last day that I will be able to get the Times and Post without paying an exorbitant fee for the priviledge….I know, as Heinlein used to say “there’s no such thing as a free lunch”……
Well…have been thinking about some things for a while but I don’t think any of them warrant a post of their own…or maybe they do, I don’t know…we’ll see as I go along. One of the things I’ve bitched about over the past few months is that the repubs, with their actions on taxes, financial regulation, and healthcare appear to be putting their own political interests ahead of those of you and me and the rest of the country. I have to admit that I’ve fallen into the same trap talking about the new repub administration here in Michigan…wanting it to fail to highlight the fact that the repubs have no new ideas…that they’ve never seen a tax cut they didn’t like and no matter that almost all economists think that this nonsense has helped put the nation in the financial bind it’s in.
What I am going to do is to wait and give governor Snyder and his team a chance…I don’t care who it is that gets our great state moving again; but it needs to get moving again….there needs to be good jobs for everyone who wants one…there needs to be good roads and great cities where the quality of life increases daily and people can stop worrying….
But, what I will continue to do is point out daily when the scale tips too far toward business and tax cuts at the expense of workers trying to raise families and live a good life….I hope it doesn’t have to happen much…