Government Shutdown

The government is not going to shutdown.  The end.

Ok I'm kidding, that's not the end.


Seriously it's not shutting down though.  I can pretty much guarantee it.  The stop gap measure that includes defunding Obamacare (because voting on it 40+ times hasn't worked yet in the house so they have to do something different I guess, kudos for at least trying) will be re-written by democrats to take that out and the new measure will pass.  Multiple republicans have agreed to signing a new one, and many people in congress say let's talk about Obamacare later (which possibly could've been the real motive to having defunding Obamacare in there).  Ted Cruz threatened to filibuster the democratic version of the stop gap bill.  That's why people are running with a government shutdown. But he's already backing away from that, I think it's unlikely he will.

It's not going to happen.  Really.  Just like it hasn't happened any other time.  It's a complete bluff designed to do exactly what it's doing, get everyone worked up and pissed off at whichever side (dem or rep) they oppose.  Because that's politics now, one side wins by making the other look as bad as they possibly can instead of winning by simply being good or better than the other side. Le sigh.

The threat of the government actually shutting down is extremely effective in getting people's attention and spinning things to hurt the opposing side.  In actuality it would be extremely effective in getting every congressperson voted out of office.  Politicians are in the business of getting re-elected, they aren't going to jeopardize that. They aren't going to go through with something so big unless there is serious political gain.  There is zero political gain in shutting the government down.

Even if the government did shut down, the outrage would be so severe and so immediate that it would be up and running within a week.  Perhaps that would be better, then the people would realize they have the power and if they are loud enough, DC will make it happen.


Now let's all watch them pretend to be heroes and save the day at the last minute.



Edit: Cruz is indeed speaking in a marathon manner on Obamacare but it's not a filibuster.

Serious About Syria?

Whoa. The world is blowing up about Syria.

My first thought is, are we sure this is a good idea?  My second thought is that this kind of action and the aggressiveness with which the Obama administration is pursuing it seems out of character.  Which alarms me, but I’m not sure if it alarms in that I think it’s a smoke screen (or something similar) or if something is wrong big time. Not to mention John McCain is backing this as well.  I have a feeling something is really wrong.

But before I can go any further or really form an opinion based on the best facts available, I have to address the backlash.

No one ever wants a war or military action, limited or not, least of all the military and their families.  This is indeed a weaker time for our country in many ways.  Can we do this? Is certainly a valid question.  However it should not be the ONLY question we ask ourselves.

Can we do it? And, will it suck to do it?  Are two different questions.  99% of every single reason I see for us to stay out of Syria is a selfish one. We can’t afford it.  Our military is spent.  There’s even an article going around preaching to Americans the cost of limited action to military families.  Because that should be the first consideration when people are dying?  I’m sorry but we signed up for the Army with the intent to do what needs to be done.  Anyone who thinks they deserve a pass from hard times because they’ve already endured doesn’t belong in the military, in my opinion. 

“We aren’t the world’s police” is something I see often.  No we aren’t, but neutrality isn’t always the best course of action either.  I recall America striving to remain neutral because of a depression and the devastating effects that had on the world, especially the Jewish population.  Do we really care that much about being able to buy ipods that we are ok with letting countries kill each other (or rather their own) to stabilize our economy?

When we formed and joined the UN we decided to be the world’s police when it was needed.  It’s a decision I feel was important,  because we are not an island all by ourselves, we are part of a community with everyone on this planet, so we have an investment in all its parts.

To reiterate, I am not in favor of going to Syria yet, however I AM in favor of talking about it.  And I’m appalled that we don’t even want to hear the case, we just want to dismiss it because well, it would be inconvenient to go right now.

Doing the right thing should not depend upon convenience. 

The Flip Flop

I realize it’s been a while since I made my introductory post.  I have been conjuring this post in my head since the NSA/Snowden mess hit the scene.  I sat back and listened to the outrage and the first thought that came to my head was “Did anyone really think the government WASN’T already gaining access to everything we do?”  Honestly to me it doesn’t really feel that intrusive.  At any time a facebook moderator can go view my messages and other content that is not shared with everyone because it’s their site.  Same with Verizon, I mean phone records can be subpoenaed and used to prosecute you, it’s not like there is a lot that we do that is 100% off limits if a situation warrants the knowledge/evidence.

         What dazzled me next was where the outrage was coming from.  Conservatives were upset, talking about civil liberties and freedom, which is a case worth hearing. Then the lefties were defending national security and whatnot.  This is completely opposite of what each was saying back when the patriot act came into play under GW Bush.

         I call that the flip-flop.  It seems to be the only political move any politicians have mastered now.  The move is so very blatant in conjunction with the NSA/Snowden fiasco, but it can be seen in just about every single political issue we face.  And I get why politicians do it, they are trying to get re-elected, they are trying to keep their job…sure that’s only a half ass reason, but it’s still a reason.  Plenty of people do stuff they don’t want to for their job…I’ll write about why serving our government shouldn’t be a lifetime occupation later. ;)

         Sadly though it’s not just politicians doing the flip-flop (I hear that to a 50’s type tune in my head, doooin the FLIP FLOP!), regular everyday citizens who are protecting little more than their reputations are just following along like party puppets.  I can respect just about any line of logical thinking, and I can respect what both sides are saying about this NSA deal.  But I don’t believe many people really feel what they say they do; I honestly think they are just following along like sheep.  Red and blue sheep, who are convinced that their color is superior and neither realizes they’ve been dyed a different color, or that perhaps sheep should be white...

Some interesting articles related to the NSA/Snowden: 

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2013/08/american-surveillance

http://pressthink.org/2013/07/the-snowden-effect-definition-and-examples/

Welcome

The obligatory welcome post.






I like to call America's current view of politics overall the 'partybox' mind set.  The republican vs democrate mindset.  I don't believe in political parties.  As in I think they should be made unconstitutional because I feel that they are that detrimental to our country.  I realize this won't happen any time soon, but it is one of my core beliefs about politics.

I think the average American is neither a republican or a democrate, a liberal or conservative.  I think the average American is a moderate who leans more so one way or the other.  Certainly we have hardcore people on each side, but I do not think they are more common than the moderates.  I don't have data to really support this thought, though eventually I will dig up the data that exists to see if it supports my theory.

When I surf the web and read articles all I see are havens for republican supporters or democrate supporters.  Well I'm here to provide a place for the moderates.  Kinda like the Lorax "I speak for the trees!" as a moderate I hope to speak for the moderates.


George Washington warned us to stay away from political parties, I wish we would have listened.





"I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the State, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally."

George Washington- Farewell Address 1796
Read its entirety here:  http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/washing.asp


I am a left leaning moderate, and I'm sure that will eventually become evident.  But I'm a fan of reason, I do not think liberalism is the answer to all of our woes, nor is conservatism.  I think we need to strike a harmonious balance between them to make real progress.
I also feel I should add that the contents of this blog are solely my own thoughts and opinions unless otherwise attributed.  I represent no official organization in any way.  A moderate party does not exist out there that I am aware of.  If there is I am not a member of it nor a representative.  And with that said...


Welcome to politically balanced.