On Politics

Politically I have been following many things. Oh the cheer that went up when Scott Brown was elected. Although I think there are so many dangers out on the table, I’m willing to settle for stalemates and government inaction if it prevents the introduction of the numerous disasters under consideration. There is much to unravel in the issues of Health Care, the environment, the economy, and foreign affairs. It is also clear why I am disgusted with government. I believe in the Constitution and the original intent of the form of government it intended to create. It is sad to see the US abandon those principles for those of Europe. To lose our ambition, our freedom, our faith in God, our self-reliance and personal responsibility. America is making the government their god and they want this god to provide them blessings and benefits by selflessly sacrificing the money of other people. We have invented a lot of new things we “deserve” or that we have a “right” to. Somehow wealthy people have an “obligation” to provide a lot of the cash for this and I don’t believe the obligations being discussed are derived from Christian love in appreciation and gratitude for the grace afforded us by Christ’s forgiveness of our sins.

I definitely have refined my positions a lot lately. I am definitely conservative. Until Republicans will stand up and repudiate their past deviations from what it means to be conservative I will have a hard time identifying with them. Certainly there are some good conservative ones out there. Perhaps I will change my mind when the republicans stand up confess their sins of spinelessness, spending almost as much as their progressive cousins across the aisle, and will have the guts to unwaveringly promote a true constitutional and conservative agenda.

Having said all that regarding the wonderland of idealism, when it gets to matters of practical politics I have been examining Paul Ryan’s Roadmap for America. I hope he can bring that plan up over and over again. The fact that there are so many Republican and Democrat professional politicians that don’t like it means it must be a great start. I think I can see why. There are enough privatizations and market based solutions in there to drive progressives nutty. Yet it still considers and acknowledges that the progressive items that have been introduced in the last 97 years are here to stay so we will need to make them work. That is probably what angers some conservatives. I urge you to read it even if you’re a stinkin’ progressive. You may be surprised at how far this plan reaches across political boundaries.

http://www.roadmap.republicans.budget.house.gov/plan/

However we don’t have time for idealism. We need to do something because we are going broke. You can be idealistic as you want but if we can’t afford it we can’t afford it and you had better bring your plan for actually paying for it and it had better work because there is no more room for failure. That plan can’t actually be mythological as almost all “payment plans” touted out there have been. I mean idealistically I think it would be cool if in addition to healthcare we had pet healthcare provided by the government because it was a tragedy that I had to pay $1300 for my cat’s operation last fall. No family should have to be hurt financially because their cute fuzzy little kitty needed emergency medical care. (queue the “Awwwww’s) We should do this for the kitty’s…and the babies, and old people I mean c’mon don’t you have a heart? What do you mean there is no money for Pet healthcare? But he is so cute and carries beanie babies in his mouth like a mother cat and likes to sit on my head, and how can you resist when he rolls over so you can pet his belly? There is no money for this? You heartless bastards. Just print more money and tax rich people. (for ichabodians…this was sarcasm….yeah I didn’t think you’d get it)

I am in a project at the moment where my deliverables account for $1,000,000 of budget. Clients always want to add things in that will increase cost. I have to go to them and say two things. Either give me more money or tell me what else we can cut out to fit this in (Any good software person will know that testing is the first to go ;-) ) So show me the politicians that will actually do this. Show me the ones who will say in hard times, “Screw the 1,000,000 let’s take that back to 600,000 and suck it up.” I’m willing to take the pain. Are you? I’m pretty sure they could trim a good 750,000 union jobs from the government and operate at the same level just by the remaining 1.2 million workers working to the same capacity that normal people have to work at in their private sector jobs. I apologize to my union worker and my union/government worker readers but as a life member Teamster (yes I throw up a little in my mouth every time I say that) and former teacher and municipal worker, It is hard to see anything different.

There might be a little firestorm this year particularly as middle class America prepares their taxes. My list of people with tax surprises this year is growing. People who have never paid in or some that have never had to fork over quite so much. Funny how none of us make over $250K either. I fear that may not be enough. I think a good ol’ crisis like a default on our debt or a lowering of the US credit rating will do the trick though for the wake-up call this country needs. Not sure if I should actually hope for that though.