Monday, November 21, 2011

I Got Better...

Only his brother calls him Rebecca.
Newt Gingrich is now the favorite in the Republican primary. Desperation, thy name is Newt. I'm just not sure that anyone in the Republican Party (including its constituents) is really thinking straight. They actually want to put a guy with both adultery and questionable ties to major organizations (including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) against one of the most charismatic Presidents in recent memory.  Jeez...I even think Mitt Romney is a better idea.

Look...there's no denying that Newt is probably the sharpest tool in the Republican shed. He always has been. But he's got some crawling skeletons in his closet, and the Republicans are nuts if they think that President Obama's team won't open those doors during the general election.  

Of course, for that matter, Mitt has his own skeletons, though they mostly surround his predisposition for trying to always choose the winning side of the issue.


Wednesday, November 9, 2011

No Debate Recap This Time

I'm done with the debate recaps.

Seriously, what more is there to be said?  I understand that Rick Perry threw up on himself again.  Whatever.  I don't care.  Enough is enough.

Look...after, what, ten debates or something (and we're not even to election year yet), what more do we need to know?  I mean...yes, I'd like an informed opinion about who I'm not voting for this year, but I don't have to have a deep personal relationship with any candidate.  I know some of these guys better than I know some of my own friends.

Anyway...I've had it.  No more debate recaps.  To do so would be enabling to them.  Maybe if nobody pays attention, they'll call off the rest.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Remember, Remember



Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot.
I know of no Reason the Gunpowder Treason
Should Ever Be Forgot.
 - traditional English poem

Roundup of Occupy Protests

The last week has seen the Occupy protests becoming less and less civilized.  Arrests in several places, blockades of shipping ports and other disruptive activities have generated much media attention, if not actual change. The protesters continue, as did the Tea Party, to lack a fully-coherent belief set, but are more than compensating with sheer tenacity.  But...given the general unrest and the fact that today is Guy Fawkes Day, commemorating the man who tried to blow up Parliament and has been immortalized in the masks worn by many protesters (yes, I know about V for Vendetta), it is important to realize what is and is not effective for change in this country.

I am a libertarian, and many believe that as such, I am an anarchist.  Not remotely.  I absolutely believe in government.  I even support government oversight.  I simply don't believe that the humans in government will behave more nobly than others, and that yielding to them unrestrained power will necessarily lead to corruption, waste and misery.  Despite maintaining solid purity of principle, I cannot say with 100% truthfulness that I would do any better.

I believe similar situations exist on Wall Street. I don't believe that the "1%" is evil in the slightest...just human. Humans are selfish and self-interested, and generally speaking, do not act altruistically.  Given this assertion, is it so surprising that presented with gobs of largely other peoples' money, the bankers acted irresponsibly?

The solution is not to blow up Parliament, nor is it to link arms, get arrested and swallow tear gas.  We must simply realize that people, absent of supervision, are going to act like people...no matter what their title is.  Many say that libertarianism requires undue trust in others.  Well, I say that libertarians want a system that expects people to act like people.  Does massive government intervention aid people in their quest to be themselves, or hinder them?  I leave it to you to decide.  But leave the mask at home...because pushing the reset button ends the conversation.