Waking up in the middle of the night, I felt a wave of ideas for another blog on politics-- when I was not intending to write another for awhile. I had felt I'd done enough political writing, and I know a lot of people prefer not reading more. In writing about controversial subjects, someone is always going to be offended and who likes doing that?Watching Bill Maher Friday night, Garry Shandling was discussing how he didn't want to even think about politics anymore as he was so confused. He had gone from following it all to not wanting to see any of it. One might ask what he was doing on a political talk humor program; but if he's confused, maybe that accounts for it. Still he was expressing what a lot of us feel-- including me. We are sick of it and yet...
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
These famous words by Robert Frost say it all. We're not done. We are just begun if we want our country turned back to the right path. It will not be easy to change direction, to get enough people to pay attention when people are so easily distracted by something new and sometimes unbelievably shallow.
My thoughts in the night were about John McCain and his recent suggestion (which evidently Hillary said she'd go along with) that the federal gas tax be suspended for the summer; so Americans can vacation without that tax on top of their fuel costs.
McCain blamed Obama for being an elitist when he disagreed with the idea. Paraphrased, he said Obama just doesn't understand ordinary people and the poor like he does. Oh yes, McCain knows so much about being poor. Do people think about whether that is true or do they only hear the latest 30-second, sound-bite?
In a practical sense, how much help would it be to lift the federal gasoline tax of 18.4 cents a gallon? How long would the help last even if it seemed good for a week? The oil companies sometimes jack fuel prices up that much overnight. One article says gasoline might eventually go to $10 a gallon [in the NY Sun]. We just think we have seen the limits if where it might end. The oil corporations will charge what they can; and if the gas tax is removed, there is just that much more for them.
Once again, we have Obama being the daddy (which isn't all that popular), as he gets practical and says we need decisions that really help. Will a temporary gas tax removal actually do anything to help with grocery bills and trucking costs? If it's oriented purely to summer, it must be intended to encourage vacation trips. How many poor can afford such trips? Then there is facing the piper when the summer is over. Once again McCain offers placebos and not solutions.
Consider this, before you go Count me in! I want those taxes lifted, for what do federal gasoline taxes pay? They build interstate freeways and fix their worn road surfaces. They plan overpasses and enlarge existing roads. Recently in Oregon, they have been retrofitting a lot of bridges to hopefully withstand the earthquake that is overdue.
Is it McCain's plan (assuming anything he suggests lately is a plan) that this summer all that work will be temporarily suspended (a season in many states when most freeway work is done because of weather)? Or is he talking about taking the money for that planning and work from some other tax pot, possibly borrowing it? You know the answer. Hillary at least has a plan for replacing it-- windfall profits on oil companies. Uh who exactly do you think will eventually pay that?
From what he has been saying since he got the nomination, it's obvious McCain has no money sense, and it's logical he wouldn't. Four years ago the Republicans put down John Kerry as being a kept man. If he was, isn't McCain more so. McCain divorced a disabled wife in order to marry a beautiful, wealthy, younger woman. If Kerry was disgusting to people, should not McCain be more so? Everybody says what a man of character he is. Where are they getting this information?
Putting aside the moral aspect of his marital decisions (because nobody knows he really divorced one wife just because she wasn't perfect anymore nor that he married another because she was rich and gorgeous), doesn't it relate to his policy positions? Being married to an heiress, a woman who supplies all their living costs (as he donates anything he earns), a woman who can give him a private plane to use anytime he needs it, buys his homes, does McCain have any concept of what money even is? He has never needed to know for his own life. He was born into a family of admirals and a well-to-do mother; and other than his time as a POW, he has been privileged his whole life from what I can tell.
So given that, we are supposed to trust this man for the next four years to run the country's economic policy? You might take that risk if you hadn't had eight years of complete economic irresponsibility. Does McCain even understand cause and effect? Never mind. We know the answer to that. The only effect he appears to understand relates to getting the vote however it takes to do it.
Really, no more political posts for awhile (I hope). I have other things I wanted to write about. The coves along the coast and shearing our sheep, aging, but a dream is a dream. Can't deny them or if I did, wouldn't I lose them as the gift that they are? And the next one might actually be a fun dream. :)
The photo at the top is a teaser for the shearing blog to eventually come, but it is also apropos. Christ talked of humans being like sheep. Unlike these sheep, in a pen waiting to be shorn, we have the option of changing our situation-- for now! With the threat to the public educational system, to the media, to our rights as citizens, that window may not stay open forever. This is no time to sleep.
8 comments:
Good post and thoughts -- like the title, too.
I'm one of those people who long ago became tired of listening to the rhetoric of this campaign. There have been some interesting new facts that have become more pronounced about each of the candidates. There has been at least one profound speech that needed saying with racism far from dead in this country.
I just read Octogenarian's post, and frankly I find myself tending to agree (sadly) with him. Doesn't mean I won't keep putting forth lots of energy and effort to support a candidate who promises other than more years of the same as we've been having. I'll certainly be glad to know just who that candidate is going to be.
Sigh. Remember I said I was impressed with the Rev. Wright's speech to the NAACP? Well, he went way too far the past few days and I'm glad that Obama spoke clearly today regarding his minister. I hope this doesn't hurt his campaign too much.
When YOU write about politics, I read it because you do your homework and your conclusions are largely the same as my own. But, politics definitely are not high on my own priority list these days. Now--when the Democratic candidate is finally selected--and I will put my money where my mouth is. McCain is a "nice" man, but I can't bear to have more of the same. Bush's speech this morning about the economy gagged me.
I always applaud you for taking on these issues, rain. You have incredible compassion and stamina. Your thinking is always clear, and you make your points very well. I don't really know how you do it. I think about politics a lot of the time, but I can't bring myself to write about it.
I wish John McCain would receive the same kind of public scrutiny that is often directed at the Democrats. The double standard irks me to know end.
Thank you for doing what you do.
Some years ago, I thought that McCain was a person of principle. He's lost the halo, though. Regardless, I could not vote for him because of the likelihood that our next President will appoint at least one member to the Supreme Court. I, personally, cannot easily tolerate another far right justice and that is what I see coming down the road if McCain is elected.
As to the tax: I don't know what McCain or Clinton is thinking. For the reasons that you list, it makes no sense. However, I have more trust in Clinton's capabilities, over all, than I do in Obama's. Obama could have my vote only to help defeat McCain and that projected appointment to the Supreme Court.
The price of gasoline will likely go much higher than $10/gallon. It is a limited commodity and no one has, so far, treated it as such. We need to learn to live within our energy budget--and--our energy budget should be much lower than we've set for the last few decades. The only reasonable solution that I see is to reduce the need for energy by reducing the world population of humans and their animals. Anything else is stop-gap.
Cop Car
P.S. Yes, we're all getting rather sick of all the politics, I think.
A single basic problem is overpopulation and the politicians make no mention of this pressing issue.
And Mcaine calls Obama "Elitist"...Help Us And Save Us!!!! OY!
I am pretty sick of the whole thing, myself, and I think part of t is that these "news" shows ,ust fill, ALL this time, everfy day---day after day after day....And so we hear 30 secind sound bites that are picked over and disected and God knows what else to the point of DISTRACTION! I am not confused though. Not for one minute. Obama is my candidate, And that is all there is to it....They can call him whatever they want---And They WILL....His truthfullness and honesty shine through. If we want to see a real change in this country...OBAMA IS THE ANSWER!
I also don't feel any confusion. I am strongly supporting Obama and that means financially as well as with words. I believe, of our options, he offers the only real chance for change and despite some people saying one minute they don't like how things are going and the next that we need change, I have no doubt we need it. I don't see Hillary or McCain providing it. They are part of the old system which is why the old system, right and left, is fighting so hard to make sure it's one of them.
What amazes me is people so much disapproving of Bush and what he's done and the next minute answering a poll saying they would favor McCain. Duh!
oh and on Reverend Wright, I think that Obama handled that the only way he could. I can understand why he didn't do it earlier. Having been in a church where the pastor definitely said things I disagreed with and yet I saw him as a good guy and would have hated hurting him, it takes a lot to make someone cut those ties so completely. But they weren't political ties. They were emotional. He cared for the man and probably still does. He didn't ever say he agreed with the political ideas that Wright finally repeated. Wright clearly has a dual personality and I don't mean that in the mental disorder way but he has two sides and he can sound very spiritual but clearly politically sees something quite different. McCain has people from whom he has currently asked for support who are very similar. I wish pastors would stay out of politics!
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