Politics as football

With football in preseason and the 2010 mid-term elections just around the corner it occured to me that there are some disturbing similarities. Football is a great American pastime and we love to root for the home team. It has become such an important part of our lives that we buy cars in the team colors, arrange our vacations around play-offs and send our kids to the schools of our favorite teams. That's a good thing, right? Well yes, but there is also the aspect of blind allegiance to our team regardless of weather they play well, abuse their players, take drugs, abuse animals or many other unsavory acts that we read about. This is where football and politics collide. Many Americans are rooting for their political team to win without really knowing or maybe even caring how they go about winning. In "political football" it has become "my team, right or wrong" with no consideration for what happens after the game. In sports if the coach video tapes the other team's signals (New England Patriots & Bill Belicheck) no real harm is done except to our sense of fair play, but in the job of governing our country, the results matter. Policy positions have become things candidates say to please the crowds and are easily changed when they don't suit them or are wrapped in the flag as patriotic to convince people that not thinking like they do is somehow un-American. What we truly need in the country is more people rooting for good policy and not just our team. There are many opinions out there but there are also facts, history and examples of good governance and if we care about our children's future and the health and well being of this great country we'll take a good hard look at what the people on our team or theirs are doing with our resources. Next from the Populist Tyrant: Why did we sell arms to Iran and who really benefited?

The Myth of Conservatism part 2

I have always considered myself a conservative. I want to conserve our natural environment for the health and enjoyment of our children. I want to conserve American jobs by not allowing companies to move them to China. I want to conserve our tax dollars by using the purchasing power of "We the People" to get the best deal on things like health care. So why are the "Conservatives" against all of these things? I believe it's because the "Conservative" movement isn't a solution for governing as much as a marketing campaign. The Ads read Family Values, Keep Government out of our lives, Fiscal Responsibility, etc. So why is it that when Republicans are in power they are plagued with scandals of infidelity and corruption. They push through the most intrusive government programs such as The Patriot Act and warrant-less wire tapping and advocate for the government to decide what we do in our bedrooms and generally side with big business against individuals. The fact is that none of these issues ever get solved, abortion is still legal, there is more cursing on TV than ever, the government seems to grow and the budget goes out of control. If conservatives were to actually solve the problems they campaign against they would loose their taking points and need to address some of the more pressing issues. Let's face it, the conservatives or at least those in congress don't govern well. Since Reagan took us down the path of Voodoo economics we have dropped in every measurable way as a super-power. We went from being the largest exporter of finished goods to the biggest importer. We were the biggest creditor and now the biggest borrower, we had strong unions that helped build the middle class now our manufacturing jobs have moved to China. If we are going to continue to be the greatest country on earth we must stop pretending that what's good for the top 1% is good for America and call the conservatives what they are... Snake Oil salesmen.