To be honest, I'm not very impressed with any of the candidates I've seen for the Senate. I feel the Senate is a weighty, important position that's supposed to rise above (most of) the politics and find the right path. What I saw from the candidates was either carefully modulated political messages (from Portman and Fisher) or extreme, not very helpful positions designed to overhaul the American way of life overnight (La Botz and Deaton).
It seemed almost impossible for a candidate to address current issues in a way that was effective and practical--and by practical, I mean something we could implement in a matter of weeks. While I believe both Deaton and La Botz make very good points on fundamental flaws with our system, the changes they want to implement would require changing the public's way of thinking 180 degrees. That won't happen in time to solve the urgent problems in our nation. Neither the "main stream" nor the "independent" party candidates give me the feeling they'd be a constructive force in Washington, and that makes me sad.
But I still have a vote to cast. I might not use it. But, if I HAD to vote...
It wouldn't be for Portman. Portman has a long history of service to Ohio and the nation, and no one can say he hasn't done it with honor. But anyone who did that much work for and supported the Bush Administration that much does not share my beliefs, and would not represent me. This is held up by the statements on his campaign website...point after point, I found myself disagreeing almost 100% with his positions. We're ideological opposites on every issues I find important.
It wouldn't be for Deaton. I do agree with most of his "Stick to the Constitution" vision for the government, as impractical as I think it is in the short term. However, he has a very conservative view on social issues that I find completely out of line with my own. I don't see him representing me on civil rights at all, for instance.
It wouldn't be for La Botz. His liberal view on civil rights and other social issues is in line with my own. However, I have the same problem with his vision for the government as I do with Deaton's: it is too far removed from our current way of life, and would face too much opposition by the public, to do us any good now.
I'd vote for Fisher. Again, this is only if I had to use the vote. Fisher's record as the Attorney General, in the State Legislature, and as Lieutenant Governor shows to me he's at least consistent with my values and my views. I'm not convinced he's able to be part of the solution in the partisan, strangled knot of Capitol Hill, but I can at least feel he'd represent me.
Showing posts with label US Senate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US Senate. Show all posts
Tuesday
Sunday
US Senate Race: Lee Fisher
Lee Fisher is the sitting Lieutenant Governor of Ohio, who is leaving that post to try and fill Voinovich's seat.
Fisher was raised in Cleveland, earned his Bachelors degree from Oberlin College, and both a law and Master's degree from Case Western. He's a Democrat, married, and has two children. He currently lives in Shaker Heights. In addition to serving as the Lieut. Governor for the past 4 years, Fisher has been a State Representative (1980-1982), a State Senator (1983-1991), and Attorney General (1991-1995).
A large part of the Fisher campaign is about creating jobs. He has laid out a plan that involves several tax incentives, redirecting stimulus money, and creating a large small business loan pool. He also discusses keeping Americans in their homes, working at keeping jobs in America, and eliminating Wall Street's ability to screw up the economy by rewarding bad practices and relying on bailouts.
You can get a full list of Fisher's positions on various issues here. Fisher brings up his work as the Ohio Attorney General in protecting children and law abiding citizens, emphasizes the importance of education through proper and effective funding, cites his work on the Third Frontier Commission about creating green jobs, supporting LGBT rights (including the right to marry), and several others.
Fisher has a robust list of endorsements, including the Mayors of Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland, Planned Parenthood, Human Rights Campaign, and the Ohio AFL-CIO.
Fisher was raised in Cleveland, earned his Bachelors degree from Oberlin College, and both a law and Master's degree from Case Western. He's a Democrat, married, and has two children. He currently lives in Shaker Heights. In addition to serving as the Lieut. Governor for the past 4 years, Fisher has been a State Representative (1980-1982), a State Senator (1983-1991), and Attorney General (1991-1995).
A large part of the Fisher campaign is about creating jobs. He has laid out a plan that involves several tax incentives, redirecting stimulus money, and creating a large small business loan pool. He also discusses keeping Americans in their homes, working at keeping jobs in America, and eliminating Wall Street's ability to screw up the economy by rewarding bad practices and relying on bailouts.
You can get a full list of Fisher's positions on various issues here. Fisher brings up his work as the Ohio Attorney General in protecting children and law abiding citizens, emphasizes the importance of education through proper and effective funding, cites his work on the Third Frontier Commission about creating green jobs, supporting LGBT rights (including the right to marry), and several others.
Fisher has a robust list of endorsements, including the Mayors of Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland, Planned Parenthood, Human Rights Campaign, and the Ohio AFL-CIO.
Friday
US Senate Race: Daniel La Botz
Apologies on the late post...I had all the research done, but somehow forgot to tie it all into a post before hitting the sack last night. -.-
***
Dan La Botz was born in Chicago and grew up south of San Diego along the border with Mexico. He's lived in Ohio for the last twenty years, earning his Masters and PhD in American History from the University of Cincinnati. He's taught at Miami University and the University of Cincinnati. La Botz is married and has three children, and continues to be active in causes that benefit African Americans and Latino immgriants. You can see more of his biography on his website.
La Botz is running as the Socialist candidate, which I realize is a dirty word in American discourse. However, I'd encourage you to read what the party is all about, instead of swallowing propaganda from the 1920's blindly.
The issues La Botz is running on all sum up into a lot of change. His take is the pure capitalist system we have now does more damage than it's worth, and needs to be changed. Between re-imagining the economy (including labor unions, which according to La Botz need to be strengthened but changed to meet current realities) and readdressing civil rights La Botz hopes to encourage a more equal society. He has some solid ideas, such as local and state governments investing heavily in "green" infrastructure. And there are others that seem more problematic, such as enforcing a 32 hour work week at 40 hour wages in order to end unemployment.
Read the webpages, watch the videos, go to the polls informed.
***
Dan La Botz was born in Chicago and grew up south of San Diego along the border with Mexico. He's lived in Ohio for the last twenty years, earning his Masters and PhD in American History from the University of Cincinnati. He's taught at Miami University and the University of Cincinnati. La Botz is married and has three children, and continues to be active in causes that benefit African Americans and Latino immgriants. You can see more of his biography on his website.
La Botz is running as the Socialist candidate, which I realize is a dirty word in American discourse. However, I'd encourage you to read what the party is all about, instead of swallowing propaganda from the 1920's blindly.
The issues La Botz is running on all sum up into a lot of change. His take is the pure capitalist system we have now does more damage than it's worth, and needs to be changed. Between re-imagining the economy (including labor unions, which according to La Botz need to be strengthened but changed to meet current realities) and readdressing civil rights La Botz hopes to encourage a more equal society. He has some solid ideas, such as local and state governments investing heavily in "green" infrastructure. And there are others that seem more problematic, such as enforcing a 32 hour work week at 40 hour wages in order to end unemployment.
Read the webpages, watch the videos, go to the polls informed.
Tuesday
US Senate Race: Eric Deaton
Eric Deaton is one of the four candidates standing for the US Senate seat being vacated by the retiring George Voinovich. He's running as a member of the Constitution Party, whose seven principles state a belief in strict interpretation of the Constitution and a minimum of government involvement in the lives of citizens.
Deaton was born just across the border in Richmond, Indiana, and was raised in Lewisburg, OH. He attended the Montgomery County JVS (now known as Miami Vally CTC) and was inducted into that school's hall of fame in 2001. Moving on to attend the University of Dayton, Deaton graduated in 1990 with a Bachelors of Science in Electronic Engineering. He has worked for General Electric ever since.
Running for the Senate primarily to help oppose the two party system, Deaton believes the government has gotten too involved in the lives of citizens and as a result the country is suffering. Rather than coming up with a handful of soundbytes to describe his positions, Deaton has written a series of position papers on topics of importance, including
Deaton was born just across the border in Richmond, Indiana, and was raised in Lewisburg, OH. He attended the Montgomery County JVS (now known as Miami Vally CTC) and was inducted into that school's hall of fame in 2001. Moving on to attend the University of Dayton, Deaton graduated in 1990 with a Bachelors of Science in Electronic Engineering. He has worked for General Electric ever since.
Running for the Senate primarily to help oppose the two party system, Deaton believes the government has gotten too involved in the lives of citizens and as a result the country is suffering. Rather than coming up with a handful of soundbytes to describe his positions, Deaton has written a series of position papers on topics of importance, including
- Balanced budgets (Sometimes the budget should be balanced, sometimes it's a surplus, sometimes it's a deficit, but the massive debt we've acquired is ridiculous)
- The Fair Tax (There should be a far more robust sales tax to replace income tax, is the short version)
- Affirmative Action (The time for this policy is long passed)
- Government-Run Healthcare (Healthcare is and should remain a private sector operation)
There are a lot more on the site, and they're worth a look.
Interestingly, Deaton was also one of two candidates to answer Project VoteSmart's Political Courage Test. You can find his results here.
Sunday
US Senate Race: Rob Portman
Rob Portman is a Cincinnati native running for the US Senate on the GOP ticket. Portman is a veteran of the Federal government having served as Representative for the 2nd Congressional District from 1993-2005. He then spent a year as Trade Representative for the Bush Administration, and another year as the Administration's Director of the Office of Budget and Management.
Growing up, Portman's father started Portman Equipment as a small forklift dealer, and grew it to considerable size. Portman worked for the company, and later represented them as part of his law practice. You can read more about the life and times of Rob Portman on his website.
As for issues he's campaigning on, Portman has them broken down into 13 points.
Growing up, Portman's father started Portman Equipment as a small forklift dealer, and grew it to considerable size. Portman worked for the company, and later represented them as part of his law practice. You can read more about the life and times of Rob Portman on his website.
As for issues he's campaigning on, Portman has them broken down into 13 points.
- Jobs for Ohio: Portman has laid out a plan based on six key elements to improve the recovery of the Ohio economy. This stretches from increasing Federal aid for job programs to helping provide a more hospitable environment for small businessness. I didn't see anything new and exciting, just a repeat of what everyone is saying about the Ohio job market.
- Energy: The energy plan laid out is almost standard Republican boiler plate: "Cap and trade will destroy the economy," "We need to expand on petroleum and natural gas in Ohio," "Nuclear power is clean energy." His stance is to not increase regulation to choke fossil fuel power, but to use it in the short term while developing alternatives.
- Budget: There's a statement about the importance of a balanced Federal budget to improve the nation's long term fiscal health.
- Taxes: This page reads a list of achievements on the issue of tax reform. As you would expect from a Republican candidate, the goal is lower taxes, simpler tax code, and fiscal responsibility.
- Healthcare: I find two points on this page: Portman believes health care is broken and needs to be fixed (just like all of us), and he feels the worst thing we could have done about it was pass the recent reform bill.
- Defense: Three main points: Protecting the benefits for those who serve our country, maintaining a strong defense program, and keeping Wright Patterson Airforce Base near Dayton, OH functional.
- Veterans: This page reads a list of accomplishments in support of veterans, from votes in Congress to budget decisions with the OMB.
- Pro-Life Record: Portman lists his Right to Life score cards, 100% from 1997-2005.
- 2nd Ammendment Rights: The NRA approves of Portman, who has voted against gun regulation regularly.
- Community: A list of efforts to improve community life by eliminating the effects of illegal drugs. Bills included at the Drug Demand Reduction Act, the Second Chance Act, the Drug Free Workplace Act, and several others. He also founded the Coalition for a Drug Free Greater Cincinnati.
- A Strong and Independent Israel: That says it all. Portman also lists his legislative record in regards to Israel, and touches on his dedication to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
- Immigration: Portman appears to be a strong enforcement advocate. He mentions in some depth how he'd like to see the rules tightened and enforced, from the border to the hiring line. He also states his support of legal immigration.
- Agriculture: A declaration of support for American farmers, including a list of farm-friendly bills he's voted for. He's in favor of less regulation, more protection for farmers and their markets.
I encourage you to check out his voting record from Congress. That's all I have for now (I think that's more than enough, don't you?). Tune in next time for another candidate for the junior Senate seat in Ohio!
Saturday
A Happy Round of Holidays, Whatever Your Flavor
So the Senate finally passes it's health care bill...tho one could argue that might not have been the best outcome after certain Senators decided to gut and mangle it. Is the passing of this bill a Christmas miracle, or a Christmas nightmare?
Only time will tell. Right now, we get to see what happens when the House and Senate sit down to reconcile their two versions...versions that are about as different as they could get.
As for me, I apologize for the unannounced break...but posting will resume on schedule, Tuesday and Thursday, starting next week. Where we'll see what we can do about getting up to speed on this mess that healthcare reform has become.
A happy Boxing Day to all of you!
Thursday
Financial Regulation Reform
So now that the health care situation is more or less under control (?) legislators are looking to the financial industry. They're looking to put tighter controls on banks and other institutions that like to do crazy risky stuff and bring down the markets or abuse customers in a way that puts and keeps a helluva lot of us in debt.
This is complicated, because there's an awful lot of money tied up in convincing legislators they don't really want to do that. The banks and brokers and investment firms are spending millions upon millions of dollars on lobbyists and the like to keep the government from making any changes.
The House committee dealing with all this already passed a bill, and now the entire assembly must debate and vote on it, possibly by the end of this week. In response, Senator Dodd is deciding to push ahead with the Senate's version, so the momentum doesn't get lost...but in doing so is sacrificing bi-partisan support. Meh.
So if you have feelings on the subject, now is the time to let your representatives in the House and Senate know!
Tuesday
Senate Votes for Cloture on Health Care
On Saturday night, the US Senate voted on cloture for their version of the healthcare bill, allowing it to move onto a real debate without fear of filibuster.
The concern on a controversial bill like this is once it hits the Senate floor for debate, a Senator opposing the bill filibuster it. This would prevent the bill from even being debated, never mind voted on. All the opposing Senator has to do is speak on and on about whatever occurred to the Senator (once, a Senator filibustered by reading a phone book). No one wanted to bring it to the floor until they had achieved cloture, a procedure where 3/5 of the Senators had voted in the bill should be debated without being filibustered.
They pulled it off though, those crafty Democrats. 60-39. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats voted for cloture after threatening not to. Bernard Sanders of Vermont also sided with the Democrats.
Now onto Step 2: Debating, amending, and passing the bill. This is where you come in!
Write, call, or e-mail your Senators. In Ohio:
George Voinovich, Republican
Washington, DC Office 524 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 | |||||
| (202) 224-3353 Central OH 37 West Broad Street Room 310 Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 469-6697 Fax: (614) 469-7733 Southeast OH 78 West Washington Street P.O. Box 57 Nelsonville, OH 45764 Phone: (740) 441-6410 Fax: (740) 753-3551 Southwest & Dayton Area 36 East 7th Street Room 2615 Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: (513) 684-3265 Northwest OH 420 Madison Avenue Room 1210 Toledo, OH 43604 Phone: (419) 259-3895 Fax: (419) 259-3899 Northeast OH 1240 East 9th Street Room 3061 Cleveland, OH 44199 Phone: (216) 522-7095 Fax: (216) 522-709 Fax: (513) 684-3269 Sherrod Brown, Democrat Web Contact Form Washington, DC Office 713 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC
|
Thursday
United States Senate Race 2010
So Senator George Voinovich is retiring at the end of his current term, after two terms serving in the Senate. While I haven't always agreed with how he's represented my state, one cannot argue the Senator has dedicated his life to working for the people of Ohio with integrity...something of a rarity in today's day and age, or even any age.
Rest assured, I'll be watching for developments and doing some looking around!
That said, now we need to pick a new United States Senator from Ohio to join Sherrod Brown. Neither party has a clear candidate yet...and I haven't heard about any third party candidates throwing their hats in the ring yet. Here's what we have on the platter so far.
Democrats:
Lee Fisher, currently the Lieutenant Governor.
Jennifer Brunner, currently the Secretary of State.
Republicans:
Rob Portman, not currently holding a government position but well experienced at the federal level
Tom Ganley, President and CEO of the Ganley Automotive Group and has never held public office.
I'm not personally seeing any clear leaders...Rob Portman has more experience, but it was all with the Bush Adminstration...and that may very well hurt him if the party is trying to distance itself from those philosophies. Brunner has a higher profile than Fisher, but I'm not sure if that's a help or a hindrance just yet. The primary races should be quite interesting :-)
Rest assured, I'll be watching for developments and doing some looking around!
Loyal Opposition
Did you know the House of Representatives managed to pass a bi-partisan healtcare bill? No, serious! They did. They had members of both parties vote in favor of it, and managed to pass the damn thing!
Well, they had one Republican lawmaker vote in favor, and passed it by two votes.
If that's not seat-of-your-pants governance, I'm not sure what is. And it sure as hell isn't bi-partisan.
I'm not 100% sure who's fault it is this bill isn't more of a consensus. It's easy to blame one side (the Democrats are railroaded the minority party) or the other (the GOP is refusing to play ball on principle). Really, it doesn't matter who's fault it is. 'cause
The big contentious deal with this bill (as I saw it...correct me if you see it differently, please) was the public option. I understand that. I respect that.
It's totally legitimate for conservative lawmakers from both parties to say, "Nuh uh, no way. That's totally unacceptable for a whole bunch of reasons, and if you have it in the bill I'm not voting."
The next logical step is the introduction of a bill or two that are viable alternatives. And sorry: "viable alternative" doesn't mean "ideologically opposite" which is how it's been taken to mean in the last ten years or so. If you make your answering bill too far away from the original, negotiation is pointless...and I believe the GOP lawmakers know this when they introduce bills. The idea of loyal opposition is just lost on lawmakers these days.
Loyal opposition: "applied to the opposition parties in the legislature to indicate that the non-governing parties may oppose the actions of the sitting cabinet ... while maintaining loyalty to the source of the government's power."
While the idea was initially used to allow the minority parties in the British parliament to disagree with the majority party without being accused of treason, it can be applied in a slightly different manner now. While the Republicans cannot currently push their own agenda as effectively as they like (there are penalties for losing elections), they should be staying loyal to the concept of effective governance.
That's what both sides are forgetting about, that they have a job to do. It's all well and good to stand by principles...but we have problems to solve, people, and being pig headed isn't helping anyone.
Tuesday
Bi-Partisan Support?
Not so much. The ginormous stimulous package passed the House...but without a single Republican vote in favor. Not exactly bi-partisan, if you use the standard definition.
The GOP blamed house Democrats for shutting them out of discussions, not being open to debating elements, etc etc. I think there's a lot to that. Pelosi and other Congressional leaders knew they had enough votes to pass the bill. That sort of kills the instinct to negotiate. Whatever efforts the President made to get everyone together, he ran into one of the checks and balances of our government...and this time, not for the best.
The Senate, however, is another story. The Dems can't just ride rough-shod over the GOP. (Although I seriously doubt Harry Reid's ability to ride rough-shod, period...that's neither here nor there.) In the Senate, we're already seeing debate, like the one on school funding as a part of the stimulus.
I'm not worried about bi-partisan support yet, because the House version will not be the final version. Because the Senate will have to debate the issue to get it passed the bill WILL change. Then, Senate leaders will have to sit down with House leaders and hammer out yet another version. That third version will very likely be more acceptable to House Republicans, giving us a bi-partisan bill at last.
If the House Dems decide to stonewall the Senate leaders, THEN I'll be concerned.
The GOP blamed house Democrats for shutting them out of discussions, not being open to debating elements, etc etc. I think there's a lot to that. Pelosi and other Congressional leaders knew they had enough votes to pass the bill. That sort of kills the instinct to negotiate. Whatever efforts the President made to get everyone together, he ran into one of the checks and balances of our government...and this time, not for the best.
The Senate, however, is another story. The Dems can't just ride rough-shod over the GOP. (Although I seriously doubt Harry Reid's ability to ride rough-shod, period...that's neither here nor there.) In the Senate, we're already seeing debate, like the one on school funding as a part of the stimulus.
I'm not worried about bi-partisan support yet, because the House version will not be the final version. Because the Senate will have to debate the issue to get it passed the bill WILL change. Then, Senate leaders will have to sit down with House leaders and hammer out yet another version. That third version will very likely be more acceptable to House Republicans, giving us a bi-partisan bill at last.
If the House Dems decide to stonewall the Senate leaders, THEN I'll be concerned.
Thursday
Senator George Voinovich Set to Retire
The news is about a week and a half old (or maybe older...which shows you how well I'm paying attention) by now, but the senior Senator from Ohio is not seeking reelection in 2010.
Why? Officially because Voinovich doesn't want reelection to distract him from his work in the next two years. And also so he can spend more time with his family. I mean, the guy has spent the last 40-odd years in public service. He's been the Governor, the mayor of Cleveland, and two rounds as a US Senator. You could say that's a good enough to retire on.
Another school of thought is that the political tide is changing, and a man who spent so much of the last 8 years as a firm Bush supporter has quite an uphill struggle. I mean, there's no way in hell I'd put my vote behind Voinovich. And since Ohio actually went blue this past Presidential election, I don't think I'm alone.
Of course, I'm not much more fond of Rob Portman...but that's another discussion for another day.
This is what the Statehouse News Bureau had to say about successors, from the 12th of January...have we heard anything since then?
Why? Officially because Voinovich doesn't want reelection to distract him from his work in the next two years. And also so he can spend more time with his family. I mean, the guy has spent the last 40-odd years in public service. He's been the Governor, the mayor of Cleveland, and two rounds as a US Senator. You could say that's a good enough to retire on.
Another school of thought is that the political tide is changing, and a man who spent so much of the last 8 years as a firm Bush supporter has quite an uphill struggle. I mean, there's no way in hell I'd put my vote behind Voinovich. And since Ohio actually went blue this past Presidential election, I don't think I'm alone.
Of course, I'm not much more fond of Rob Portman...but that's another discussion for another day.
This is what the Statehouse News Bureau had to say about successors, from the 12th of January...have we heard anything since then?
Friday
Voting Strategy This Fall
My voting strategy, without specific endorsements (because A: I haven't researched and B: What's my endorsement matter, anyhew?) boils down to Change.
I'm not happy with anyone in Congress, with a handful of the usual exceptions (Ted Kennedy's kept his eye on the ball, for instance. Russ Feingold. John Conyers. Patrick Leahy.) I'd like to name some Republicans on that parenthetical list, but...I'm having trouble thinking of any. Which is sad, because I know there are some. They just don't get the attention.
I'm truly disgusted with Harry Reid. As the Senate Majority Leader, he's been directly responsible for some of the worst legislative compromises of the 110th Congress. He's allowed the Republican party to make a mockery of the process, to stonewall process...and he's done it without so much as a whimper.
GOP: "We are SOOOO gonna filibuster that bill if you try and vote it."
Reid: "Fine, fine...we'll do it the way you want."
I'm paraphrasing and exaggerating...but not by much, sadly.
The long and short? If there's an encumbant, I'm half-tempted to just vote for the opponent out of principle, regardless of party lines.
...I won't do that, however. There are too many issues I worry about--mostly the creep of conservative Christian values into government--to let some guy in to write laws because "They're New." That's not responsible citizenship.
But...it will factor. I'll be giving the candidates a harder look this year, and not necessarily stopping at party affiliation or a single issue. I want people who will govern in Washington, and keep politics to a minimum.
I'm not happy with anyone in Congress, with a handful of the usual exceptions (Ted Kennedy's kept his eye on the ball, for instance. Russ Feingold. John Conyers. Patrick Leahy.) I'd like to name some Republicans on that parenthetical list, but...I'm having trouble thinking of any. Which is sad, because I know there are some. They just don't get the attention.
I'm truly disgusted with Harry Reid. As the Senate Majority Leader, he's been directly responsible for some of the worst legislative compromises of the 110th Congress. He's allowed the Republican party to make a mockery of the process, to stonewall process...and he's done it without so much as a whimper.
GOP: "We are SOOOO gonna filibuster that bill if you try and vote it."
Reid: "Fine, fine...we'll do it the way you want."
I'm paraphrasing and exaggerating...but not by much, sadly.
The long and short? If there's an encumbant, I'm half-tempted to just vote for the opponent out of principle, regardless of party lines.
...I won't do that, however. There are too many issues I worry about--mostly the creep of conservative Christian values into government--to let some guy in to write laws because "They're New." That's not responsible citizenship.
But...it will factor. I'll be giving the candidates a harder look this year, and not necessarily stopping at party affiliation or a single issue. I want people who will govern in Washington, and keep politics to a minimum.
Wednesday
110th Congress? Useless
I know that's a strong statement. But...it's pretty true. I mean, how many major issues are there facing this country today?
There's an energy crisis. An environmental crisis. We have several major diplomatic crises. Two wars we're losing. A credit crisis. A housing crisis. An economy driving itself off the cliff. And others of greater or lesser stature, such as how college is getting increasingly out of reach for the average American kid.
What has Congress done in the past year? Let us consult Google.
(Several Days Later...)
I've been stuck on this for the past few days because I WANT to dig through the list of bills. But even tho a tiny portion of Congressional bills became useful laws (a large portion were things like renaming post offices) there's still thousands of them.
I don't have that kinda time. I encourage you to peruse...just fifteen minutes spent checking out the written record of what Congress does is very enlightening...but I can't do a comprehensive search.
So here's a list the Washington Post has put together on key votes. It covers the meat and potatoes of what was accomplished, and the added bonus of seeing how various reps and senators voted.
Time to put my perfectionism back in the box for another day...
There's an energy crisis. An environmental crisis. We have several major diplomatic crises. Two wars we're losing. A credit crisis. A housing crisis. An economy driving itself off the cliff. And others of greater or lesser stature, such as how college is getting increasingly out of reach for the average American kid.
What has Congress done in the past year? Let us consult Google.
(Several Days Later...)
I've been stuck on this for the past few days because I WANT to dig through the list of bills. But even tho a tiny portion of Congressional bills became useful laws (a large portion were things like renaming post offices) there's still thousands of them.
I don't have that kinda time. I encourage you to peruse...just fifteen minutes spent checking out the written record of what Congress does is very enlightening...but I can't do a comprehensive search.
So here's a list the Washington Post has put together on key votes. It covers the meat and potatoes of what was accomplished, and the added bonus of seeing how various reps and senators voted.
Time to put my perfectionism back in the box for another day...
Friday
Batman: The Dark Knight
I realize I'm behind the times here...but I just saw "The Dark Knight" last weekend. Since I work about a week ahead, that means we're looking at a lag time. Apologies if that bends things out of shape for you.
This blog isn't about movies, so I won't bore you with a review. Heath Ledger...it's a shame. One of the best Jokers I've seen. That's all I have to say in reaction to the movie itself, aside from "GO SEE IT" if you haven't.
This one was a little darker, and I think it raised some interesting issues. The way human nature's darkest elements is brought out by the Joker's terrorist actions...seems to be a good metaphor for today's issues.
Terrorists elements we hunt for around the world are the Joker. They have managed to scare the country enough that our better natures have been abandoned in the name of "Staying Safe." We, as a society, have reverted to torture and crime in the name of protection and order.
Batman did that too. He became some just shy of a monster. Batman broke the Mob don's legs by throwing him out a window to get information. He beat the living daylights out of a helpless prisoner. He rigged the city's cell phone system into an incredible spy tool.
And he won in the end, keeping Gotham safe.
And then he blew up the giant spy machine. THAT is the pivitol difference between Batman and the protectors employed by the federal government.
Governments do not destroy their weapons when danger passes, no matter how awful, unethical, immoral, or just plain wrong they are. That's because the danger never passes for the government. A government needs to stay in power, and when they find a tool that helps keep them in power they will make sure they have a reason to use it.
Even if it means manufacturing a new danger. And then another. And another.
Because George W. Bush is not Batman. A very simple, almost too-basic thought. One that the House of Representatives and the Senate should have remembered before passing the new FISA bill, with the abortion of justice "Immunity" clause intact.
You'd like to think those men and women are smart enough to remember that Batman, with all his morals and rules and strength to follow them, is fiction. They may have acknowledged that fact, but they put their hopes on George W. Bush anyway, hoping for some Batman honor from the Administration.
And I hope it will cost them their jobs in another four months. Every last one of them who felt issuing blanket immunity for crimes against civil rights BEFORE the investigation was an acceptable course of action. Because they let the Joker win that time, just like every other time since 9/11.
This blog isn't about movies, so I won't bore you with a review. Heath Ledger...it's a shame. One of the best Jokers I've seen. That's all I have to say in reaction to the movie itself, aside from "GO SEE IT" if you haven't.
This one was a little darker, and I think it raised some interesting issues. The way human nature's darkest elements is brought out by the Joker's terrorist actions...seems to be a good metaphor for today's issues.
Terrorists elements we hunt for around the world are the Joker. They have managed to scare the country enough that our better natures have been abandoned in the name of "Staying Safe." We, as a society, have reverted to torture and crime in the name of protection and order.
Batman did that too. He became some just shy of a monster. Batman broke the Mob don's legs by throwing him out a window to get information. He beat the living daylights out of a helpless prisoner. He rigged the city's cell phone system into an incredible spy tool.
And he won in the end, keeping Gotham safe.
And then he blew up the giant spy machine. THAT is the pivitol difference between Batman and the protectors employed by the federal government.
Governments do not destroy their weapons when danger passes, no matter how awful, unethical, immoral, or just plain wrong they are. That's because the danger never passes for the government. A government needs to stay in power, and when they find a tool that helps keep them in power they will make sure they have a reason to use it.
Even if it means manufacturing a new danger. And then another. And another.
Because George W. Bush is not Batman. A very simple, almost too-basic thought. One that the House of Representatives and the Senate should have remembered before passing the new FISA bill, with the abortion of justice "Immunity" clause intact.
You'd like to think those men and women are smart enough to remember that Batman, with all his morals and rules and strength to follow them, is fiction. They may have acknowledged that fact, but they put their hopes on George W. Bush anyway, hoping for some Batman honor from the Administration.
And I hope it will cost them their jobs in another four months. Every last one of them who felt issuing blanket immunity for crimes against civil rights BEFORE the investigation was an acceptable course of action. Because they let the Joker win that time, just like every other time since 9/11.
Monday
Back in the Saddle Again?
One of the things that annoys me lately, in a totally irrational way, is the way Time magazine is doing Presidential Election coverage.
Picture it: A normal TIME cover. The art. The titles of key articles. All normal, well and good. But then, two of the articles will definitely be a point/counter point written by McCain and Obama.
Part of me goes, "Wonderful. We need to know what they're thinking on issues like the war in Afghanistan."
Another part goes, "Why the hell do they get to babble about this? I read TIME for expert insight."
Yet a third part: "It's just campaign rhetoric in print. They aren't saying anything they'll actually act on. Which means they're wasting paper that could be printing useful insight."
So while I like to see the candidates' positions getting put out there to a demographic that is at least semi-informed on the topic, I'm worried about their stances being confused with news and informed analysis.
Or am I just feeling ornery?
...And Now for Some News...
No Drugs for Depression
Senate Blocks Energy Bill (The best part? The Dems added the ammendment about off shore drilling that the GOP wanted, and they STILL filibustered)
Picture it: A normal TIME cover. The art. The titles of key articles. All normal, well and good. But then, two of the articles will definitely be a point/counter point written by McCain and Obama.
Part of me goes, "Wonderful. We need to know what they're thinking on issues like the war in Afghanistan."
Another part goes, "Why the hell do they get to babble about this? I read TIME for expert insight."
Yet a third part: "It's just campaign rhetoric in print. They aren't saying anything they'll actually act on. Which means they're wasting paper that could be printing useful insight."
So while I like to see the candidates' positions getting put out there to a demographic that is at least semi-informed on the topic, I'm worried about their stances being confused with news and informed analysis.
Or am I just feeling ornery?
...And Now for Some News...
No Drugs for Depression
Senate Blocks Energy Bill (The best part? The Dems added the ammendment about off shore drilling that the GOP wanted, and they STILL filibustered)
Wednesday
Day Before Thanksgiving
So here's another one...I'm thankful that there's finally some oversight happening in Washington. That's about all that's happening, since the Democratic Party has just as much trouble compromising as the GOP. But still, it's good that people are asking questions again instead of blindly submitting to the White House. I'd much prefer to have nothing happening in Washington than to have everything Bush wants happening. Eventually it'll break and compromise will HAVE to happen.
Now for Some News...
French Railway Sabotaged, Strike Talks Start, from BBC
Putin Calls Opponents "Jackals," from BBC
Bush blocked from Recess Appointments, from NPR
White House to Convene Mideast Talks in Annapolis, from NPR
Free Store Distribution Goes on Amid Power Outage, from WVXU
Metro Wants Fare Increase, from WVXU
Now for Some News...
French Railway Sabotaged, Strike Talks Start, from BBC
Putin Calls Opponents "Jackals," from BBC
Bush blocked from Recess Appointments, from NPR
White House to Convene Mideast Talks in Annapolis, from NPR
Free Store Distribution Goes on Amid Power Outage, from WVXU
Metro Wants Fare Increase, from WVXU
Friday
How to Find Your Senators
I know I mentioned something about reading ballots, but that'd require finding case studies, analysis, etc...and I don't have time for that. I've only got a few minutes this morning, so...here's how to find your United States Senators.
Unlike Congressmen or state legislatures, BOTH Senators from your state are YOUR senators. So when you've got something to say about how the Senate behaves (more on that later), this is how you get in touch and yell at both of them.
First, go to the Senate webpage. There's a lotta cool stuff I plan on posting about on this homepage, but for now just find the "Senators" tab in red at the top of the page. The list is naturally in alphabetical order with all 100 of them, but you can use the drop down menues to filter as you like, by "state" for instance. If I do that and choose "Ohio," I see both of my Senators (Brown and Voinovich) listed, with address, phone numbers, and a link to a webmail submission form.
That's it! It works for any state, obviously, so if you don't happen to live in Ohio...go make the necessary changes in those steps and have fun!
***
Edit: I feel like a bit of a moron...but if you go to the Senate home page, and look at the top right hand corner you'll see a drop down menu that will let you search by state and skip a bunch of what I previously told you to do. Don't say I've never stood corrected!
Unlike Congressmen or state legislatures, BOTH Senators from your state are YOUR senators. So when you've got something to say about how the Senate behaves (more on that later), this is how you get in touch and yell at both of them.
First, go to the Senate webpage. There's a lotta cool stuff I plan on posting about on this homepage, but for now just find the "Senators" tab in red at the top of the page. The list is naturally in alphabetical order with all 100 of them, but you can use the drop down menues to filter as you like, by "state" for instance. If I do that and choose "Ohio," I see both of my Senators (Brown and Voinovich) listed, with address, phone numbers, and a link to a webmail submission form.
That's it! It works for any state, obviously, so if you don't happen to live in Ohio...go make the necessary changes in those steps and have fun!
***
Edit: I feel like a bit of a moron...but if you go to the Senate home page, and look at the top right hand corner you'll see a drop down menu that will let you search by state and skip a bunch of what I previously told you to do. Don't say I've never stood corrected!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
