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Politics, the Modern Version

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As an Independent who skews Liberal, the opportunity to see Conservative values and policies is often an enlightening and rewarding experience.

I’ve worded that sentence in a precise, particular way, to highlight the dumb-ass nature of current American Politics. Talk to any Conservative who will admit to any Liberal Policy being worth a crap? And vice versa? No. If you’re a modern Republican Conservative, anyone who doesn’t think like you is an idiot. Oddly, if you are a Modern Liberal, anyone who doesn’t think like you is an idiot. When did all this happen?

The Traditional Values the Right likes to claim as their own, are Values shared by every Lefty Liberal I know. And how many Liberals want to take guns away from citizens? A better question is to ask how many Liberals actually own guns. A lot.

Let’s look at it this example: Today, a Conservative offers a 10 point plan for governance. A free thinking Liberal will probably admit (NOT out loud) he supports five of the points. In The Old Days of Political Action that was called a “Starting Point”. These days its is called…I don’t know what but since the ideas are “Labeled” as Con or Lib, zealous supporters of both fire up the insult engine and the discussion is over, except for the bleacher activity where each tries to pull the other’s pants down.

This crazy stuff started before Trump, but he gets props for understanding how to capitalize on an electorate of–suddenly–idiots. Since the 80’s there have been many strident, bombastic, conservative voices who made a great living telling the usually apprehensive Conservative population anything NOT Conservative was worthless. Gingrich, Limbaugh (Yes, the one Trump gave the American Medal of Honor to), Beck, and then O’reilly, and Hannity, all painted non-conservatives as Non-Americans. I never heard the same from any loud, famous, and ultimately wealthy voices on the Left, but maybe there was, most certainly in response, at some point.

Then Grover Nordquist, the famous anti-taxer, began his campaign of making Conservatives sign a Pledge (google the Taxpayer Protection Pledge) to Lower or even end, taxes. If a Conservative didn’t sign the pledge, the non-signer was voted out of office in the next primary season. Sound familiar? Right now, in this past primary year, Republicans urged all voters to ONLY vote for Trump-loving candidates.

So. Did the Liberal side sit on their asses? No. Now, any non-Liberal thought is a threat to Democracy, with the capital D, And “both-sideism” has become part of the modern political lexicon.

So here’s what is lost: a good, conservative idea during a Liberal Administration, and a good Liberal idea during a Conservative Administration. Neither will ever be considered. How about a thoughtful, intelligent, Conservative politician running for office in a Liberal Gerrymandered area? Or–again–vice versa?

I may have an idea how this crap started, but I’ve no idea how to end this. Anyone else?

All I can say for sure is America is NOT the land of responsible adults, anymore, and I suspect we all need to look in a mirror of our own, not our news silos.

As a humorous aside, Trump is not even a Conservative. Ask Grover.

Caveat: because of space, everything is over-simplified. Do your own research, especially into the Contract with America, 1994.

Another Old Age Benefit: Jackson Browne

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Here is a great benefit–and even a reason–for getting older: art.

Specifically, music. At a young age, I was exposed (in a good way) to Jackson Browne’s (JB) “Saturate Before Using” album. (Side bar to readers: you can substitute any artist or singer who entered your life at the years between 13 and 25.)

The music became the soundtrack of a youth well-meant, but misspent. There were young people this age who knew exactly what they wanted to be when they left this age, and they became lawyers, doctors, politicians, and other educated professional. But most of us were dreamers, malcontents, hopers, losers, and rebels. (Not without “cause”, since there were lots of those in the 60s and 70s.)

“Saturate Before Using” and all the following albums from this magnificent songwriter (again: substitute your own) were works seemingly tracking my life. Titles tell it better: “Waiting For Everyman”, “Rock Me On The Water”, “These Days”, “After the Deluge”, “Late For The Sky”, and those were just the 70’s. In later decades: “I’m Alive”, “Sleep’s Dark and Silent Gate”, and “The Pretender”.

Through the years his songs have been on vinyl LP albums with full liner notes and photos as well as 8-track, cassette, CD, MP3 and now digital mediums making his music available everywhere, anytime. You don’t need your room and a record player, anymore. The progress of the music delivery, alone, is cause to celebrate being old enough to enjoy. And don’t get me started on ear buds delivering a wall of perfect sound far out performing even the biggest speakers we packed in our small apartments. Downside, I don’t irritate the neighbors, now. Boston’s 1976 hit “More Than A Feeling” was much more than a feeling to people accidentally listening within the 1 mile radius of our stereo. Hey, they got the music for free, why did they complain?

But the real benefit of getting old is…drum roll…the music and musicians get older, too! I ponder how much better I am at my advanced age, but it’s positively amazing the how much better old music and old performers are*. If they’re still alive. Better, yet, you can see it and hear it. A favorite song written by JB, “These Days”, can now, not only be heard in its original 1960’s form, but the many ways JB has performed it over the last 60 years! I’ve spent an hour listening to decades of one song. And each time my ear buds hear something different, and evoke a certain time in my life. An added bonus: as with most songwriters, (again, sub in your favorite) other performers made their versions. (Eg,: “My Opening Farewell”, from the early seventies JB, remixed and posted on you tube by Bonnie Raitt in 2008.) Listen and you’ll feel lucky to be old and alive. (Important note: most of the music is on youtube. For free.)

If you do take the time to track your favorite artist, keep some tissues handy. And don’t fret about how much your favorite no longer looks like how you remember them. Jackson kind of looks like me, now.

Enjoy the life you lived, the life your favorite artist lived, and then relive it all again. What a world.

Hm. How do movie actors feel when THEY get old and can watch themselves as young performers? Imagine seeing yourself at 19, 29, 39, 49, and later…got to stop…

*Not a preposition, in this case, Strunk and White aficionados. Also, I don’t care if it is.

Contentment…again…

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There was a debate this past week. A big, momentous, ballyhooed debate.

“Balleyooed”. Say it three times really fast and it will make as much sense as both candidates did in the debate. There is probably a drinking game where you take a shot after every “talking point” (TP) a candidate uses. Their faces scrunch up in reply to questions, searching for an opening for the TP(Toilet Paper?).

Question from moderator: “Is the sky blue?”

First Candidate: “It will be in my administration, as we ban all dark clouds due to our climate and environmental initiatives, including banning all methane activity and inventing cars that run on rhetoric.”

Second candidate: “Never again should this administration be allowed to leave our borders open, and put the lives of innocent dogs and cats at risk.”

There is a good chance someone reading this might think those were actual answers. They are not. But our political system (here he goes, again) is not built to get the best possible candidate. Stupid people from one party make sure their stupidest candidate is selected. Then the other party outdoes them with a stupider candidate. Then the nation votes. After that, excellent, un-selected candidates from both parties work tirelessly in the Senate and House to clean up the mess. Actually, it never gets cleaned up, just swept under the rug of the future. (Research Immigration, a subject never fully addressed since our founding.)

The cynic in me has to admit the candidates might not be stupid. They simply understand the game: get people to vote for me. It doesn’t take a genius to see the winner of a popularity contest (Prom King or Queen?) is not going to solve the world’s problems. But just once it would be nice to hear a candidate say: “I don’t know, but we’ll work on it”, which is really what they mean with every answer.

Over the years I’ve beaten this subject to death but the statement needs repeating: it is the VOTER’S fault. We need to DEMAND better so we can’t complain too much when the crown is placed on the other parties candidate

Does it really need to be said?

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The LR (locker Room) boys were at it again, this past week. (Side note: if anybody reading this is from one of the two locker rooms I frequent, think before you get upset.) The arguments for and against whatever was being discussed (and the offered solutions) all percolated around a central theme: NIMBY, with a touch of GMGA.

NIMBY is “Not In My Back Yard”, and from past essays, GMGA is “Got Mine Go Away”, the process where once someone escapes poverty, or homelessness, or drug addiction, or has an abortion, the same person does little to help anyone else do the same, and even (See: Mark Robinson, 2024 candidate for NC Governor and Justice Thomas) wants to prevent anyone in the same position from getting the same help. Also known as “Ladder Pullers.

Every solution by our group was centered on removing the topical issue from our neighbor hoods, or from our minds. For example, homeless were collected and “removed” to some other locale. Criminals were put in jail for long stretches of time, assuming the time was long enough to rehabilitate them. There was another more vigilantistic (sic) solution, but it was offered more with frustration than actual intent.

Immigration is a perfect example of small, local conversations lacking the power to reach anything but a small, local solution. In a “Tales of Wells Fargo” western starring Dale Robertson, Wells Fargo Agent, he was dispatched to El Paso, Texas, to investigate gun-running by Mexican Bandits illegally crossing the Texas-Mexican border. Crates supposed to be full of shovels for Mexican farmers were really full of standard issue US Army carbines. That’s a TV show from 1957, dealing with southern border problems in 1870’s. THE 1870’s, capitalized for emphasis.

Crime in NY City? Especially post-Giuliani? Watch the 2002 Oscar Winning Movie, “The Gangs of New York” and wonder how much safer or unsafer (sic) NY City is today, compared to 1860. And in the 1960s when the FBI cracked down on NYC organized Crime families, the families moved upstate where the FBI captured many Family Members running through hay fields in Appalachin, NY.

Homelessness, and the poor, are not new to the American Problem Pile, either. But can you solve a national problem by busing the homeless from one state to another?

Health care. There are people who move from state to state to find affordable, decent health care. As a Financial Planner, I saw several foreign born clients leave America entirely, and move back to their original European countries for the free Long Term Care help, something NOT offered in America’s capitalistic Healthcare system. Boy, wait until the United State’s Long Term Care Crisis hits…

These issues need strong, central, deliberative and fair government to reach comprehensive, effective, and lasting solutions. The problems can only be solved from the top down, with the unicornish (sic) “everyone” participating. Even then…

As recently as 2013, The Gang Of Eight (a bi-partisan group of four Republican and 4 Democrat senators) designed a comprehensive bill to fix immigration. It passed the Senate with vote of 68-32 (54 D’s and 14 Rs voted yes) and was killed in a Republican House Committee, never even coming up for vote. Why?

No current politician, or Political Party, NONE, have the will to solve America’s problems. And if the politicians don’t care, why should we?

And what about world-wide problems like pollution and climate change? Can me and my locker room buddies solve those, too?

Yes, but the first step? STOP being Democrat or Republican. Now.

Democrats and Republicans Unite!

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It’s 7pm, June 13, 2024 and I was tucking myself in for a good nights sleep (until my first urination break) when the news hit my phone. Honestly, it is a beautiful 80 degree, dry, clear night in Upstate New York, one of those magical nights you won’t get in the south, so I really wasn’t going to sleep…just hanging out in my open window and if sleep came…blessed be the Lord. No tucking in, in other words.

That’s why the phone wasn’t off so I heard the news: Elon Musk is paying himself $48 billion dollars for his efforts this year. Hang tight, while I go throw up.

Can he now say he has more money than God? An even sadder part of the story was the reporting that over 340 CEOS paid themselves record wages this, year. RECORD WAGES. THIS YEAR.

If there is anyone reading this who knows where all this CEO pay is coming from, raise your hand. People who make this kind of money (or people who aspire to), will tell you he’s worth it. Musk’s shareholders, for example, APPROVED the pay by vote. Wonder how much of $48 billion goes back to them? Or what would have happened to those who voted against it?

It is the consummate Capitalist F*@&-you, from a part of our society who cares about NO ONE, not a liberal or conservative, Dem or Repub, racist or homophobe or Christian or Atheist, or…correction. Musk cares about us all because we are where the money is coming from. He needs us.

But he needs us a certain way. He needs us to consume and not ask questions, not wonder how much something is really worth. All the Teslas burning and being recalled? They don’t matter much. Might have cost him a few million in compensation, but who cares?

It is important to declare Musk is (probably) not doing anything illegal. Just taking advantage of a system we could all benefit from if we are as greedy, selfish, and egotistical as he is, and as are most billionaires. They see the American Public (and the world) as dollar signs, as sheep to be fleeced.

And we are a very easy population to fleece, as long as we focus on and argue about homosexuality, transgenderism, racism, religions under attack, elections being stolen. Next time you argue with someone who you think is bad for America, be sure to put your hands in your pockets so the CEOS can’t pick your pocket as you make your political points

If someone on the right or the left of the political spectrum wants to lose their mind over a conspiracy, try to figure out why anyone in the world could get away with paying himself $48 billion FOR ONE YEAR and not hear a peep about it.

Again, where, and on who, will a lot of the $48billion be spent. You could buy almost anything.