When the Party of Crazy Gets a Seat at the Table..

The flat-earth people have gotten a chair at the table and are now part of the discussion on the nature of our planet—and this is an assumption of mine, because I’m not sure they even believe the earth is a planet. I hear voices that say  there should be a compromise, and why can’t  our leaders come to a solution…

Sure, let’s all agree that the earth is ..square—which is the compromised position between those who say it’s flat and those who say it’s round! Plus, from now on, we have to set policies based on this concept of reality (or delusion).

Since WW 1, Congress has routinely increased the debt ceiling over 70 times! For the last 10 years, all of those Republicans who now care about the deficit have voted for the increase every year! This is a manufactured crisis and a waste of time and money.  The GOP’s best hopes for defeating Obama (especially given the declared presidential candidates) is to make sure the economy is as bad as they can make it. In addition, the party of crazy (Tea Party) has undue influence on the Congressional Republicans.

Even The Wall Street Journal and many other conservatives have been urging the GOP to drop this stance and promptly vote to maintain the US’s financial responsibility. This is not the same as maintaining huge deficits. In good times, there should be surpluses (like during Bill Clinton’s second term), but when there’s a true need, we must spend. This whole capitalist economy (and most of us individuals) use credit when we need it. When sick, you buy the medicine needed for recovery.

Isn’t time we started calling a spade a spade? It’s a disservice by the media to frame this issue in general terms of “conflict politics,” gridlock, need to compromise, etc.

Soon we have to have a serious discussion about national priorities, funding for the programs we need, and how to pay for them. John Stuart Mill noted that the worth of the state in the long run is the worth of the individuals composing it.

Yes, our system (the greatest ever devised by man) is complicated and gridlocked, but as long as there is a critical mass of political “floaters” (low information voters who frequently move from side to side) and others distracted by ..shiny objects (words & symbols), then change will be very slow and costly.

Why We Shouldn't Care About the "Others".... Unless We Believe that Morality is How We Treat Others!

I have good health insurance, I'm not gay, I have a decent job, I'm making enough to live a good life,  I have good connections, and great circle family & friends. All those I care about, are here already (or had come in the distant past), so I want enforcement-only immigration policies.

So, screw it, I don't care about others. Being self-serving, greedy, and I believe God has a plan for everyone. Some people are stupid, and lazy, and not as worthy of society's help. Freedom means the absence of a nanny state, and, of course, a strong social safety net. Just mentioning the word "social" invokes ..socialism--which is clearly undesirable since it takes away our freedoms!

I make my own bargains with God, who tells me that "free will" includes people's ability to sin, have homosexual (or unnatural) sex, and choose to be sick and poor. America, I believe, is the land of opportunity where anyone who works hard enough can realize the American dream. 

Taxing is the forceful stealing of a person's property. Some of them are necessary to provide for a proper defense, even though we can save money and have more freedom by privatizing the police and most of our military. I believe that the marketplace has an ingenious mechanism of self-adjustment, and this system creates most of the wealth for the benefit of...


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Except, that I actually believe that morality is how we treat others, and that a commonwealth is a society that's set up for the benefit of all, not the elite.

Video: Keith Olberman's criticism of President Obama's negotiating with the Republicans on the role of government.
 

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