Why is it that our political leaders put their collective feet in their mouths every other week? For instance, the recent uproar over the comments over Rep. Akin’s comments on the definition of what is rape has everyone outraged. When he said that there is such a thing like “legitimate rape” was not only shocking but it shows that we’ve got whack jobs running for political office on an agenda that is set to send us all of us back sixty years or more if they win.
Now I may be a moderate Democrat (slightly left of center) and being a moderate is a dirty word in politics these days, but with no one in the political center to keep the balance, we will always get people like this Todd Akin character who are so far out of the mainstream it’s ridiculous.
I’ve already said that when it comes to women’s health matters, the federal government needs to stay out of it at all costs. What goes on between a woman and her doctor has to stay between them and leave the government out of it. This is a double standard. The folks on the political right want to lessen the role of the federal government and get them out of our lives, but they want to make sure that abortions are outlawed so that women won’t have any choice regarding their bodies.
Now I’m all for people taking a stance on what you believe whether it’s your stance on abortion, gay marriage, and what we should do with immigration; but we can’t sit by and let a few extremists on either side of the political sphere to dictate what everyone has to go by. I say this: leave the issue of gay marriage to the states and let them decide what’s best on that (personally, I support everyone having equal opportunity for happiness) but the federal government has to deal with immigration. I already said that women’s health is off limits as it’s men are always dictating policy.
Unfortunately, with the threat of the right growing by the day, I fear we’re about to go backwards when it comes to rights in this country. These voter ID laws have become a problem for a problem that doesn’t exist. Now voters in many states have to scramble just to get an ID so they can cast a vote in November. Here in Mississippi, I did vote against the measure that would make people in this state provide some form of ID at the polls (personally, I didn’t care at the time as I have a state-issued ID with an expiration date) but the measure was approved and now waiting for the go-ahead from the Justice Department. My concern for the country is that this is going to disenfranchise millions of voters (mostly poor, minorities and those who don’t live near a DMV). The right has decided to run on a platform of propping up the rich and cutting everything else and taken the stance of win at any cost even if it means cutting people from the voting process.
I know that some will not agree with some of the positions I’ve taken in this blog. That’s your right to do so and no one will mess with it. I say take the time to think about what’s going on in the country right now. We have a problem with violence in many different cities, our education system sucks something awful and our infrastructure is falling apart faster that we can patch it up. Unfortunately, our politicians aren’t capable of dealing with the country’s problems as they constantly argue about matters that only benefit the political party and not the country. It’s time to send a message that we will not stand by and let a few deranged people in power send this country sixty years in the wrong direction. It’s time to send anyone in Washington, D.C. who’s been there for too long (8 years in the House and 12 years in the Senate in my opinion) need to take their useless tails home and let them feel what it’s like to be unemployed. This country is in a bad spot and right now, and we’re heading in the wrong direction – backwards.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Today’s Culture of Violence
I guess you can say that today’s culture had changed so much that the upcoming generation has become a generation of violence.
There’s nothing but reckless abandon regarding human life in the last few years. The recent set of massacres has reignited a debate on the issues of gun control. My question is a rather simple one: how many more lives have to be lost before Congress grows a set of balls and deal with the issue of guns in our society without fear of alienating the NRA (National Rifle Association). Those monkeys need to understand that we aren’t messing with the second amendment but at the same time we can’t let certain types of guns and ammunition get into civilian hands.
Hearing a guy take an assault rifle into a bar in Alabama and killing seventeen people is one thing but hearing what went down in Aurora, Colorado at the premiere of the new Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises” sickened me. It’s the second rampage of its kind in about a week’s time and something has to be done.
On the home front, all of us needs to take responsibility for what today’s children are exposed to these days. We’ve become so desensitized to violence and sex that it’s second nature to let our kids see material that our generation wouldn’t have dared to lay our eyes on growing up; or rather, out parents wouldn’t let us see and rightly so. Children are seeing that the only way to deal with problems that may arise is through violence first and that’s not right.
We live in a world today that’s filled with more violence than I can ever remember. The one thing I don’t like about it is that people tend to meet violence with more violence. Now more than ever we need to support one another and do whatever it takes to get these hellish weapons off the streets for good. As I said earlier in this post: how many more lives have to be lost before someone somewhere, in the local, state or federal level, gets the guts to tackle the issue with guns in our world. I understand the need to protect ourselves but too many times this year we all had to hear about or see through the news how innocent people have been killed by someone who acts in a violent matter first before thinking things out.
There’s nothing but reckless abandon regarding human life in the last few years. The recent set of massacres has reignited a debate on the issues of gun control. My question is a rather simple one: how many more lives have to be lost before Congress grows a set of balls and deal with the issue of guns in our society without fear of alienating the NRA (National Rifle Association). Those monkeys need to understand that we aren’t messing with the second amendment but at the same time we can’t let certain types of guns and ammunition get into civilian hands.
Hearing a guy take an assault rifle into a bar in Alabama and killing seventeen people is one thing but hearing what went down in Aurora, Colorado at the premiere of the new Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises” sickened me. It’s the second rampage of its kind in about a week’s time and something has to be done.
On the home front, all of us needs to take responsibility for what today’s children are exposed to these days. We’ve become so desensitized to violence and sex that it’s second nature to let our kids see material that our generation wouldn’t have dared to lay our eyes on growing up; or rather, out parents wouldn’t let us see and rightly so. Children are seeing that the only way to deal with problems that may arise is through violence first and that’s not right.
We live in a world today that’s filled with more violence than I can ever remember. The one thing I don’t like about it is that people tend to meet violence with more violence. Now more than ever we need to support one another and do whatever it takes to get these hellish weapons off the streets for good. As I said earlier in this post: how many more lives have to be lost before someone somewhere, in the local, state or federal level, gets the guts to tackle the issue with guns in our world. I understand the need to protect ourselves but too many times this year we all had to hear about or see through the news how innocent people have been killed by someone who acts in a violent matter first before thinking things out.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
My Views on Politics Today
I really would've thought that this year was to be the year of civility in Congress after the events of Tuscon, AZ back in January. Instead we've gotten nothing the entire year but constant bickering and an extreme right-wing agenda based on a few people that are there. No wonder Congress has a 14% approval rating. No one is willing to work together long enough to solve the problems of our country without trading twice as many insults. Now I may be a Democrat at heart, I am not happy with either party for what's gone down this year.
This is on both parties and it's not a good thing either. When the Democrats were in control of both chambers of Congress, they didn't include the other side in any of their affairs as they rammed through the healthcare legislation without any input from the Republicans. They lost the House of Representatives over it and most of them were kicked out. Not to mention this out of control spending that still grips Washington today.
As for the Republicans, they are just as much to blame as the Democrats when it comes to the culture of politics. Since the beginning of the year, they have done very little to ease the concern of Americans regarding the job front and spent most of the summer with the debt ceiling debate which got us nowhere. All that came out of it was a defiant Tea Party (I'll get to them in a few moments) a piece of crap deal that resulted in S&P, one of the three major rating agencies, downgrading our credit rating. They have shown a constant unwillingness to work with the President on anything of substance.
Now for the President. President Obama has done the best he could when it comes to the economy but unfortunately it hasn't been good enough. Unemployment's still over 9% and the housing and job markets are still a wreck. We do know that on Sept. 8, he will speak before a joint session of Congress with a detailed jobs initative. This better be worth it as that's the day the NFL season gets started. He needs to show that there's a clear path to creating jobs and restarting this stagnant economy. This may be his last chance to convince the people that he does have a plan otherwise he will be out next November.
Finally I'll get to the Tea Party. For those who don't know, the Tea Party is a movement led by the far right-wing fiscal conservatives. Now some of their beliefs I do agree with such as low taxes and cutting back spending. My problem comes from their unwillingness to compromise with their own party or anyone else when it comes to fiscal issues like the debt debate we had over the last three months. They didn't believe in raising any kind of revenues for any reason. Yes Washington does have a spending problem but with the way the economy is right now, we need to increase revenue to offset the cuts but I'll get into that in my final thoughts.
In closing, I'd say that Congress needs to be overhauled in more ways that I can count. With no one willing to compromise on anything and a President who's not showing true leadership, it may be time for another change. Most of those in Congress have been there far too long and need to go and these extreme take or leave it positions both sides are taking needs to stop. The American people are tired of the speeches, the bickering and the overall nature of this do-nothing Congress. They need to remember that they work for us and not just for the money or the lobbyists. Stop protecting the well off and do something for those who are trying to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. That's the thing that both sides have forgotten and it's a sad thing.
This is on both parties and it's not a good thing either. When the Democrats were in control of both chambers of Congress, they didn't include the other side in any of their affairs as they rammed through the healthcare legislation without any input from the Republicans. They lost the House of Representatives over it and most of them were kicked out. Not to mention this out of control spending that still grips Washington today.
As for the Republicans, they are just as much to blame as the Democrats when it comes to the culture of politics. Since the beginning of the year, they have done very little to ease the concern of Americans regarding the job front and spent most of the summer with the debt ceiling debate which got us nowhere. All that came out of it was a defiant Tea Party (I'll get to them in a few moments) a piece of crap deal that resulted in S&P, one of the three major rating agencies, downgrading our credit rating. They have shown a constant unwillingness to work with the President on anything of substance.
Now for the President. President Obama has done the best he could when it comes to the economy but unfortunately it hasn't been good enough. Unemployment's still over 9% and the housing and job markets are still a wreck. We do know that on Sept. 8, he will speak before a joint session of Congress with a detailed jobs initative. This better be worth it as that's the day the NFL season gets started. He needs to show that there's a clear path to creating jobs and restarting this stagnant economy. This may be his last chance to convince the people that he does have a plan otherwise he will be out next November.
Finally I'll get to the Tea Party. For those who don't know, the Tea Party is a movement led by the far right-wing fiscal conservatives. Now some of their beliefs I do agree with such as low taxes and cutting back spending. My problem comes from their unwillingness to compromise with their own party or anyone else when it comes to fiscal issues like the debt debate we had over the last three months. They didn't believe in raising any kind of revenues for any reason. Yes Washington does have a spending problem but with the way the economy is right now, we need to increase revenue to offset the cuts but I'll get into that in my final thoughts.
In closing, I'd say that Congress needs to be overhauled in more ways that I can count. With no one willing to compromise on anything and a President who's not showing true leadership, it may be time for another change. Most of those in Congress have been there far too long and need to go and these extreme take or leave it positions both sides are taking needs to stop. The American people are tired of the speeches, the bickering and the overall nature of this do-nothing Congress. They need to remember that they work for us and not just for the money or the lobbyists. Stop protecting the well off and do something for those who are trying to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. That's the thing that both sides have forgotten and it's a sad thing.
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