Spinoza's Disciple

Republicans: The Party of "No F*cking Way!"...

2010-04-14T07:28:00.001-05:00

The Republicans are nothing, if not consistent.

It appears that the Republicans are going to persist in opposing anything Democrats propose, as evidenced by their opposition to financial reform.

Politically, this is "smart"; Americans, traumatized by the change associated with job losses, want to minimize any other change that would shake their worlds. Republicans are tapping into this.

But the status quo WILL lead to change...negative change for most Americans that want education opportunities, don't want their pension funds to vanish on Wall Street, and do want health care when they need it.

The Republicans are placing party over country....they are, in fact, traitors.

Please imagine the reaction of Republicans if Democrats had threatened to filibuster Bush's initiatives. Accusations of treason would have flowed freely.

The Republicans are hypocrites....and as the Party of Fear, are playing to a receptive audience.

Obama: Ruthless Pragmatist

2010-03-31T07:45:00.000-05:00

You want health care reform? Dust off that Heritage Foundation study from the early 1990s, because that market-based approach is politically feasible.

You want education reform? Your state better have a coherent education policy and the support of the majority of the teachers' unions....or you aren't getting a dime of money from the "Race to the Top" initiative.

You want to lessen dependence on foreign oil, but also address environmental concerns? Nuclear power and off-shore drilling are the most practical, immediate steps to take.

What were some of my fellow so-called "Lefties" thinking, that Barack Obama would be elected president, we'd all sit around the campfire, sipping our venti vanilla non-fat lattes, building wind-turbines for the neighborhood before we march down to the National Health Service office for our free checkup, singing "kumbaya? Or in Joe Biden's case, "kumba-fuckin'-ya"?

President Obama is a pragmatist. He represents me, a social liberal/fiscal conservative, as well as my gun-totting, conservative, "the-rapture-is-my-retirement-plan" neighbor. There is no way both sides can be happy with any policy produced by the federal government.

Churchill once said that democracy is the worst form of government....except for all the other ones that have been tried.

Obama is bringing the change he promised...but he's doing it in a democracy, which is messy, and loud, and inefficient...never mind that our 3 branches system is designed to impede change.

Looking around the political landscape, I sometimes feel that Obama is the only adult in a room full of children.

In such a situation, there is only 1 option: Ruthless pragmatism.

Idealistic, Young Liberal President Achieves Major Legislative Reform Initiative

2010-03-22T21:16:00.000-05:00

Who would have thought it could happen?

Notwithstanding passage of the reconcilliation bill in the Senate, President Obama and Congressional Democrats have actually achieved wide-ranging, market-based health care reform.

This is an historic achievement, on par with Social Security and Medicare.

President Obama promised Change...and he delivered. He had to bet the farm to do it...but he chanced it, and he won.

President Obama also woke up; he realized before it was too late that a passionate, clear message, delivered at the right time, could win the day.

Republicans also bet the farm...and lost. The Republican strategy for November, 2010, was predicated upon the hypothesis that Democrats would crash their party on the rocks of health care....again. All they had to do was delay, lie....and delay a little more, and America would see how useless the Democrats are. It didn't matter that the Senate Bill was a close copy of the 1993 Republican Health Care Reform alternative to the Clinton Plan....party trumped country for the Republicans in 1993, and party trumps country for the Republicans today.

Health Care Reform becomes Law tomorrow...and for that, we can thank the Democrats.

The Tea Party: Corporate Carpetbaggers

2010-02-16T19:35:00.005-06:00

Don't get taken in by "The Tea Party".

Building on the failure of President Obama to use the White House "bully pulpit" to outline a clear and concise message regarding government regulation of the financial and health care sectors of the economy, corporate opportunists posing as populists filled that message void.

Dick Armey, former Texas congressman, is the lead culprit, though certainly not alone. His "FreedomWorks" organization can deny "astro-turfing" the Tea Party movement all it wants...but its fingerprints are everywhere.

Tea Partiers will argue that they are fighting "big government" and socialism...and defending capitalism and democracy.

The problem is, aside from "No" to Obama and "No" to Health Care Reform (which would benefit more "Red" than "Blue" states...and takes most of its points from the 1993 Republican health care reform bill, including individual mandates)...the Tea Partiers have no ideas. The status quo would be the result.

That's fine with Corporate America...the status quo has resulted in huge profits for Wall Street, at the expense of Main Street. Corporate America LOVES the status quo...and is willing to use the confusion from complex health care and financial sector reform legislation to create the fear and anger that can override a more rational response.

What the Tea Partiers forget is Wall Street reports to its stockholders, not to this country's citizens. Obama is trying to use government, which is controlled by "The People," to protect this country from Corporations...which just see people as another means of production...or exploitation.

Clear and concise messages win converts. Obama blew it with Health Care Reform...and the simple "No" of the Tea Party is the result.

The Tea Party "No" is "Yes" to Corportate America....and "No" to Our Democracy.

Today's word is...Mamaloshen

2010-02-14T14:40:00.001-06:00

Mamaloshen is a Yiddish word (literally, "Mother Tongue") that describes the understanding that comes when one's common sense derives as much from the "soul" as the mind.

This is a beautiful word...one that I learned today in reading Norman Lear's blog post at the "On Faith" series for The Washington Post.

For an atheist like myself, I do not find the use of the word "soul" untoward. Agreeing as I do with Dennett's consciousness thesis in his "multiple drafts model," "soul" to me is who a person is; I am the serial narrative that is myself.

Returning to mamaloshen, then, one can see the meaning it conveys to a secularist: understanding that jives with both logic, and experience.

Extrapolating further, we can conclude that it is in everyone's best interest that all our fellow beings have as rich a life experience as possible. Opening experience means opening understanding.

Those who are closed to others...that turn away...that return a smile with a frown or an extended hand with a fist...those people have closed their minds. It is in our interest, and theirs, to help open their lives...to experience and understanding.

Best Part About The SuperBowl? The Ads!

2010-02-07T10:16:00.001-06:00

Especially the Banned Ones!

Enjoy.

(Elder care, dogs, work, guitar study, blogging...something has to give...and it's blogging. When the world gets less crazy, I'll blog some more.)

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words...

2010-02-06T22:25:00.000-06:00

Mad about Politicians? Wait Until Our Creditors Grab Your Attention...

2010-02-06T14:20:00.007-06:00

The so-called "Tea-Party" movement has been very good at expressing anger at politicians in Washington, primarily President Obama and Congressional Democrats, for what they (erroneously) see as big government expansion and intrusions into private life.

This anger has been understandable...President Obama did not provide clear, concise messages regarding Health Care Reform....and large, complex governmental efforts are difficult to explain.

I ask, why can't Obama be a little more "expressive," like Joe Biden? I say this because Mr. Biden, in a recent interview with E.J. Dionne, laid bare WHY he supported the so-called Stimulus Package....or the "Porkulus Package" by those too myopic to appreciate its goals:

"I want to tell you something, because if we cede the ground to those who suggest that -- I don't mean foreigners, I mean domestic critics -- that somehow, we are destined to fulfill [historian Paul] Kennedy's prophecy that we are going to be a great nation that has failed because we lost control of our economy and overextended, then we might as well throw it in now, for God's sake. I mean it's

ridiculous

Give me a break. So many people have bet on our demise that it absolutely drives me crazy. . . . There's sort of an attitude that is both politically directed by our Republican friends but also believed by a fair number of people that we just can't make this transition in the 21st century.

We will continue to be the most significant and dominant influence in the world as long as our economy is strong, growing and responsive to 21st-century needs. And they relate to education, they relate to energy, and they relate to health care."

As Dionne notes, "For Republicans, American power is rooted largely in military might and showing a tough and resolute face to the world. They would rely on tax cuts as the one and only spur to economic growth.

Obama, Biden and the Democrats, on the other hand, believe that American power depends ultimately on the American economy, and that government has an essential role to play in fostering the next generation of growth."

Obama simply needs to be a LOT more expressive about his plans...clear, concise plans.

China, India and the EU are doing EXACTLY this...right now. Investments in infrastructure, education, health care...because they realize the stakes. Build a fruitful framework within which a market economy can function, and it will function. Government lays the framework, and capitalism can get to work getting people to work.

However, the Tea-Baggers are carpet-bagging for the corporations...and don't even know it. They would change NOTHING....and in the end, nothing is what we will get.

Mad about politicians? Fine. But wait until our creditors grab your attention. Cutting taxes leads to deficits...and to finance those deficits, our creditors will demand higher interest rates. Pay a little now, or pay a LOT later.

You can get rid of politicians...but our creditors are in Europe and Asia. And they will laugh all the way the bank.

Do Ask, Please Tell...

2010-02-02T18:05:00.002-06:00

Today, Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his boss, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, called for the end of the U.S. Military's anti-homosexual discrimination policy, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

"No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens," said Admiral Mullen, adding that it was his personal belief that "allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do."

While the decision awaits a policy review, there are several hopeful signs that this will, in fact, come to be.

First, as the above-linked article indicates, a majority of Americans support openly gay service. Second, a Zogby International poll of Iraqi and Afghani theatre veterans found that three-quarters were comfortable around gay service members. Third, informal polls of NATO allies with openly gay service members show no impact on military performance.

Finally, as an act of Congress is needed to rescind this discrimination, some on the "Right" may find it ironic that Senator-elect Scott Brown of Massachusetts, a moderate Republican whose election they trumpeted as part of their celebration of politics over policy, is likely to support the repeal. I see no irony. The Republican Party was born as the party of freedom. Republicans would be well served if they returned their focus to human rights and dignity and individual freedom, and turned away from mere political advantage. Honor would return to the Republican Party.

Of course, Senator John McCain opposes such a repeal, and John Boehner, House Minority Leader, openly asks if now is the right time to bring up such a divisive issue in times of war.

Did Lincoln not free the slaves during the Civil War, raising it from a States' Rights struggle to a struggle for human dignity?

Does it make sense to discharge soldiers fluent in Arabic, Farsi and Pashto, because they are gay?

Do human rights pause for human conflicts, or do our struggles for freedom come with an asterik?

If John Boehner Sees His Shadow...

2010-02-02T07:22:00.001-06:00

...are we in for a long, cold Winter?

We've been down this road before...tax cuts lead to prosperity, deficits are reflective of "Big Government," Obama is a socialist. It's just not true (see previous post below).

Repeating the same thing, over and over and over again, and expecting a different result (it will work THIS time...) is one definition of insanity.

Let's try something DIFFERENT. Let's give cost controls, expanded coverage, and higher taxes for higher incomes a chance...for a change.

Happy GroundHogs' Day!

(P.S. If you've ever seen John Boehner's skin color, you'll realize that he rarely sees a shadow...perhaps there IS hope!)

Budget Facts - With Visuals

2010-02-01T21:27:00.001-06:00

A picture is worth a thousand words, right?

Lots of stupid things are being said about President Obama's new 2011 Budget...he's exasperating the deficit, his budget reflects out-of-control government spending, ya-de-ya-de-ya.

So let's cue the visual aids, shall we? Click on each graphic to go to the source materal at www.cpbb.org.

If you feel like reading, then enjoy a ready-made solution:

So...WHY aren't the Democrats passing the Senate Bill in the House?

It's the fiscally responsible thing to do.

It's the wise political move (Best Defense=Strong Offense)

It's good for the country...

Enough said?

The Democrats Have Accomplished Quite a Bit...Will They PLEASE Tell Someone?

2010-01-31T20:55:00.012-06:00

The political wisdom is that the Democrats are "do-nothings", which is why the voters are disallusioned, which is why Scott Brown won in Massachusetts, which is why the'll lose their majorities, which is why Obama will fail, which is why blah-blah-blah...

Well. We do know that Scott Brown ran a brilliant campaign, and now the Republicans can claim to be a "big tent" party with a Pro-Choice, Pro-Gay Marriage senator, one who can help them win in races across this nation and restore Republican dominance...

...but "do-nothing" Democrats? I beg to differ. The evidence is quite clear; the Democrats did quite a bit, passing a whole slew of different laws:

In the Stimulus Act alone

$288 billion in tax cuts in the Stimulus Act, one of the largest in history, including credits for energy conservation, renewable energy production, home and auto purchases ("Cash for Clunkers") and college tuition
Aid to the poor & unemployed - $43 billion for unemployment, $20 billion for food stamps, $4 billion for Supplement Security income, $2.5 billion for welfare, $1 billion home heating subsidies, $1 billion community action agencies
Health care - $40 billion for COBRA, $87 billion for State Medicaid aid; $20 billion for health IT systems; $4 billion for preventative care; $1.5 billion for community health centers, $420 million for avian flu; $335 million for AIDS/STDs
Infrastructure - $43 billion for transportation, including $30 billion for highways/bridges, $6 billion for transit equipment, $31 billion for infrastructure repair, $19 billion in water projects, $10 billion in rail/mass transit, including High Speed Rail
Education - $41 billion in grants to local school districts, $79 billion in state fiscal relief, $21 billion in school modernization, $16 billion for Pell Grants, $2 billion for Head Start
Energy - $32 billion for smart electric grids, $20 billion for renewable energy tax cuts and R&D, $6 billion for home weatherization
Science & technology - $10 billion for science facilities, $6 billin for high-speed Internet, $1 billion for the U.S. Census
Housing - $13 billion for energy-efficient public housing projects
Environment - $3 billion for SuperFund sites, $400 million for habitat restoration, $850 million for forest fire prevention
Law enforcement - $4 billion in state and local grants

Expanded children's health insurance (SCHIP)
Expanded oversight of the previous Administration's TARP funds
Tobacco regulation through the FDA
Largest land conservation law in 20 years
Credit card holders' bill of rights
Defense procurement reform

Bills that were passed in one of both chambers, but not passed into law (yet) include

Cap and trade climate bill (House)
Sweeping financial regulatory reform (House)
Health Care Reform Bills (House & Senate)
Jobs creation package (House)

The aforementioned financial reform IS working its way through the Senate, and the jobs package is most likely to see passage as well; Cap-and Trade is probably, unfortunately, DOA.

So, WHY the current state of Democratic bed-wetting? Discourse, of course. The Democrats allowed for public viewing of the sausage-making that is legislative work without a clear message.

This same lack of a clear message is also why Obama's poll numbers are down.

With no clear message, and with politics abhorring a vacuum, the Republicans have filled the public square with false memes.

The Democrats can recover, of course....but courage in the face of adversity is needed. A clear message is possible, and a little chutzpah couldn't hurt. What would happen if the House passed the Senate HCR Bill now? Republican outrage, of course...but outrage borne of powerlessness, and the election is 9 months away.

As one can see, the Democrats have a long list of accomplishments for this legislative session. Indeed, this is one of the most productive legislative sessions in 4 decades.

A clear Democratic message could sway voters.

Do the Democrats have the courage to last 9 months?

Decent Economic News in 4th Qtr 2009

2010-01-31T08:38:00.000-06:00

Obviously, the 5.7% growth rate in U.S. GDP in the 4th Qtr 2009 is not sustainable, but it is decent news.

fivethirtyeight.com has its usual rigorous analysis:

Consumers, Exports and Inventories (re-stocking) led the way...and if business owners feel re-stocking is justified, that bodes well leading into 2010.

Maybe my neighbor will finally find a new job this year...

Presidential Play-by-Play

2010-01-31T08:20:00.001-06:00

It's Sunday...let's relax...and enjoy some lighter Obama moments!

Obama Goes Elephant Hunting...

2010-01-29T23:21:00.006-06:00

Did anyone else see Obama do a British-style Q&A with the Republican House Caucus?

It was must-see television...and you'll never, EVER see it again.

Why? Because when they debated face-to-face, Obama made simple sense...and the Republicans were, well, humiliated.

In case you missed it, here's the video, or you can read the transcript.

Who thought, in our lifetime, we'd see actual political discourse?

Now, of course, it's time for the President to shake some Liberals up as well...

Madison-Milwaukee High Speed Rail by 2013!

2010-01-29T22:03:00.010-06:00

Here are more details from the White House on HSR...specifically the Madison-Milwaukee corridor to by built by 2013. All I can say is...YAAAAYYYYYY!

Summary

Milwaukee-Madison: Implementation of a new serice by upgrading infrastructure along 80 miles of track connecting Wisconsin's two largest cities. This project also includes new and refurbished stations, as ell as positive train control. Approximately 76 percent of Wisconsin's total population lives within 30 miles of the rail stations on this corridor.

The corridor stretching from the Twin Cities to Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago is an essential segment of the Midwest rail system. However, there is currently no passenger rail service between Milwaukee and Madison, the two largest metropolitan areas in Wisconsin.

Using grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), intercity passenger rail service will be established between Milwaukee and Madison with stops in Brookfield, Oconomowoc, and Watertown at speeds of up to 110 mph. Service is expected by 2013.

President Obama Announces High Speed Rail Awards

2010-01-29T14:53:00.002-06:00

I couldn't be happier about this long-term infrastructure investment.

The information regarding this is available at http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/.

Cable News, Technology, The SOTU...and Collapse of Dialogue

2010-01-29T13:56:00.007-06:00

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart continues to be this country's best news and news commentary source:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Speech Therapy - Post-Racial

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

I love Jon's points: Hate the speech? Watch Fox. Love the speech? Watch MSNBC. Want it made more complicated and over-analyzed than necessary? Watch CNN.

What I get from this clip is that you can choose your viewpoint, based on your viewpoint. I myself commit this sin...I cannot watch Fox "News" without feeling insulted, nor can I even type it without placing it within quotes.

When I was born there were 3 networks, and families sat around and watched TV together. Before that, families listened to radio. Before THAT, the newspaper was read. Within the confines of those previous technologies, print, radio and TV, there was still some semblance of community as we watched and listened or read together.

Not anymore; the explosion of choice among television channels means that we can tune out opposing viewpoints. I have serious concerns regarding the net positive benefits of so many choices. Research has shown that when people have more choices, they consume more, be it products or food. That's one of the reasons I like shopping at Wal-Mart...it makes me feel so thin (Question: Do Costco shoppers weigh less than Wal-Mart shoppers? Costco offers an array of products, but only 5-7 kinds of toothpaste whereas Wal-Mart offers many more varieties. My guess would be "Yes".).

We are over-utilizing our choice of political venues, and cutting off dialogue with each other.

Better yet, with the hyperbolic advances in computer technology, we don't even have to watch TV together; we can watch our favorite programs on our laptops, or handheld devices like the iPod, iPhone...and now the iPad.

Human beings are social animals, and we key off of signs we send one another, typically facial expressions and changes in vocal tones. In this way we learn to talk to one another. However, we are retarding that ability to communicate, or stymieing it from the beginning by giving our children handheld devices with which to "communicate".

We hamper our ability for discourse, and listen to people that believe the same things we do. Congress isn't gridlocked in a vacuum...we are gridlocking ourselves.

Memory and Rationality - Implications for Obama?

2010-01-28T19:48:00.005-06:00

This past Tuesday morning, I was listening to NPR's "Morning Edition" show during their "RadioLab" segment; the topic was "Willpower and the "Slacker" Brain".

Test subjects were given either a 2-digit or 7-digit number, and told to go down the hall to another room. On the way, the subjects were interrupted and offered food: fruit or cake. Subjects with 2-digit numbers almost always chose fruit, and those with 7-digit numbers almost always chose cake.

To summarize, human brains have a rational, deliberative system and an emotional, unconscious system, which can be and are in conflict. When short-term memory is not taxed, rational decisions are more probable (fruit is healthier than cake...I'll eat fruit). Of course, the inverse is true...when short-term memory IS taxed, an emotional response is more likely (cake sure is tasty...).

It is, therefore, VERY easy to have emotion win out over reason; simply offer sufficient complexity, and a human will respond emotionally; it just takes 5 more numbers. Witness our evolutionary legacy in action.

We now leave the realm of neuroscience and enter the world of politics...

I have been very critical of President Obama over the past year, online with bloggers at other sites, and in person with friends and co-workers. My complaints are two-fold: President Obama is insufficiently Machievellian, and his message is too complex.

After watching the State of the Union last night, I've decided that Machievelli is simply NOT in the President's portfolio of personality traits. The President is not only a Constitutional scholar and former legislator...but an almost supernaturally cool/nice guy, who seems to really believe in the non-overlapping magisteria of the 3 branches of government.

HOWEVER...as President, he IS responsible for propogating his message. Health Care Reform is rewarding, honorable...and complex and confusing. The onus is on the President to convey to a busy, concerned and preoccupied public the long-term benefits, both to the public and our fiscal health.

A great person once said, "Simplicity is the Essense of Beauty and Elegance." In all things, as well as in politics, nothing could be truer.

A new day, a new blog.

2010-01-28T16:07:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my new blog, Spinoza's Disciple. If you wonder who Spinoza was, read the right side column. People continue to be inspired by Spinoza...like me.

I hope to have intelligent discourse on this site, between liberals and conservatives, people of faith and the faithless...and to see if we can all have fun along the way as well.