Clearing Up Some Things

They should start to call this time of year "silly season" on cable news. With no election on tap, every political issue is over-analyzed to death. And, despite arguably higher interest in political causes and news, there is still a ridiculous misunderstanding of basic civics. As such, as a public service, I'd like to clear up some things:
  • We are not "socialist," nor are we likely to be. We have this thing, see, called the Constitution. This document, which people hold up all the time, might be the least-read document in our country. Or the most misunderstood. See, the Constitution states that we have a republic, including a bicameral legislature, an executive and a judicial branch. We are required, unless, we the people vote to amend the Constitution, required to be a republic. And if we start doing things that aren't in concert with that, the Supreme Court walks in and takes care of that. Further... a socially-supported healthcare system that is passed into law by a democratically-elected legislature, signed into law by the executive and not challenged by the Supreme Court isn't socialism. It is a model of our republican system. The government taking over a car company isn't truly socialist either. If anything, it's saving jobs. A truly socialist auto plan would be to halt imports and then the government takes full control of all car companies, manufactures the cars and distributes a car to every eligible American.
  • More on healthcare - It's not OK to say you're against the government being at all involved in healthcare, you cannot support government taking a stand on abortion. It's not OK for a government to be allowed to intervene in certain medical cases as it will set a much scarier precedent.
  • Lots lately on opinion polls. Aside from the always-present "approval rating," my favorite lately was how Mitt Romney would fare in an election against Barack Obama. The earliest that could happen is three years from now. I'm just going to throw this out there, but I doubt anyone voting in 2012 will vote based on how they felt in 2009. They'll vote on how things are going at that moment in 2012. If you agree with that, you agree that a poll looking at a potential election at this stage means about as much as a prediction of the weather on Nov. 1, 2012.
  • On a lighter note... watching the Yankees the other night, they were making a big deal about how bad the Yanks are against the AL East. Let's note that the Yankees are, as of this writing, in first place. The Yankees have lost all eight games against the Red Sox so far this year. People seem to think that matters. It doesn't. Let's look at this. Take out the eight head-to-head games and the Red Sox are 47-38. The Yanks are 57-29. In the division the Yankees are 18-9 against everyone but the Sox. The Red Sox are 15-11. So, against the Red Sox, maybe the Yankees aren't as strong. Against everyone else in baseball, the Yankees are much better.
Anyhow, thanks for your time. Glad we could clear this up.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tune Day: One or the Other

Image
This is either the best song ever or the worst, and, since the second time I heard it, I've thought the former. I'm guessing you are going to hate it. And then it will be stuck in your head. And then you will adore it. And hate yourself a little for doing so. As such, it might fit the definition of a perfect pop song. Thats Not My Name - The Ting Tings
Read more

Spanish for "The Meadows?"

Have you been to Vegas? You have? Why? Even my best friend, who has spent many a weekend in Vegas, says the whole town is fake. And he's right! I took a walk down the Strip Wednesday afternoon. Here's what I saw: Venetian gondoliers paddling tourists down a fake Venetian canal spanned by fake Rialto Bridge . Guys handing out cards for strippers, wearing shirts that say "Girls in your room in 20 minutes." A lot of overweight people. The Eiffel Tower... well a 5/8 replica of such. It was a spectacle, for sure. Here are the good things I can report on: The mountains, specifically the Spring Mountains and Mt. Charleston . I had an incredible view of this range from my hotel and let's just say I tried to keep my eyes there rather than on the Strip. The Bellagio Fountains . These were actually really cool. Though you have to wonder about any place whose best man-made attraction is basically a grand-scale version of something I once saw in a Cleveland shopping
Read more

Unapologetic rant against Counting Crows

Today, we're starting a new category of posts called "Making My Readers Mad." This is reserved for posts I think will incite the furor of some fraction of the small audience reading this fine blog. I hate Counting Crows. I have never liked Counting Crows. They came to being at a time in my life where if it didn't involve heavy guitars I hated it. Even today, when I love all kinds of rootsy bands - a little bit of just about everything, really - I cannot bear this band. Why? Let's review: They are vastly overrated. In my high school, when they first came out, every kid who loved them was an ass. And they went on and on about how great Counting Crows is. And how I just don't understand. And how the bands I like aren't nearly the musicians that the members of Counting Crows are. And, how that even though I saw Pink Floyd, Beck, an entire flipping Lollapalooza , R.E.M. and many more before graduation, I had not yet seen a "good" concert bec
Read more