Senator v. Governor?
Does it matter where the experience comes from if you're running for President? Since 1968 (Nixon's election), four of the last six elected presidents have been governors first. I guess it makes some sense to elect someone with executive experience, but what about Kerry's point (Thursday night) that the President also needs to know how Congress works (and most governors don't)?

I'm trying really hard not to be depressed about the November election already, but it's damn difficult to get enthused about any of the Democrats. Maybe if they could merge into one candidate? Shrub isn't going to have to fight any one of them very hard, honestly. And too many of us (me included) don't give enough of a damn, while some of us (me included) aren't able to clearly articulate what we want from government, and others (not me) spend a lot of time studying candidates and rallying voters, but to what effect?
- posted by Chris @ 9:12 AM

 
Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies
So Dick Cheney invites his buddy, Tony Scalia, on a hunting trip, and thinks his socializing with the Supreme Court justice has no bearing on his case to be heard this spring by the Supreme Court.

And then there's this: "The White House has argued the courts and Congress have no business making inquiries, even limited ones, into the decision-making power of federal agencies and offices. Cheney has said executive power needs to be increased in such confidentiality cases."

So basically, it looks like Cheney is saying "I'll do whatever the hell I want with my powers as vice president, and I'll lean on whomever I have to, to make questions go away."

Nice. Makes you want to send him a dictionary with the word "integrity" highlighted, doesn't it?
- posted by Chris @ 9:59 AM

 
Not my moral authority
I confess: I can't stand to watch Pres Shrub speak. He mugs for the camera, and his speechwriters craft the syllables to best obscure his speaking inadequacies (not a crime, just hard to watch when you know it's happening).

So he talked about the sanctity of marriage? A president is not a pope, an archbishop, an elder, rabbi or imam. Sanctity is not a word that I want to have an elected official force down my ears. Let's talk about the legal and political consequences of widening the definition of marriage in the political sphere. Let's leave "sanctity" where it belongs: in the private religious practices of individuals and churches.

And professional athletes should be better role models? So should Presidents. So should Attorneys General. And Members of Congress. And each and every damn one of us, damnit.

And where is all the money going to come from to fund Shrub's proposals? He keeps giving us money back with those tax cuts (thanks for the extra $6 per month, Shrub). Let's be responsible citizens here: if we want government to take care of us (our kids, our elderly, our Enrons), it costs money. If you want the benefits, pay your taxes and stop bitching. And EVERYBODY pays. Even Dick Cheney's Halliburton friends with tax shelters.

State of the Union? Sanctimonious head of state, sycophantic audience in the chamber, disorganization in the opposition, and apathy in the masses who watched the WB instead.
- posted by Chris @ 8:41 AM

 
Wimps and Barbarians?
Terrence O. Moore wrote this with good intentions, I'm sure. But he misses one really important point about the goals of feminism. Women don't want to be treated as the weaker, lesser half of the species, and using language about girls that denigrates a boy only reinforces a species-destructive dynamic ...

We need to raise boys to be personally responsible, conscientiously courteous, morally aware, honest with themselves and others, and interested in long-term results instead of short-term gratification. We also need to raise girls this way, and it's work to find the language and the tools to do it right ... we can't resort to easy ways, which often include making one group a target of the other.

The flip side of having a polarized "wimps vs barbarians" experience of boys is having the "bitch vs. whore" experience of girls.

Let's work on avoiding both, please!
- posted by Chris @ 9:09 AM

 
How do we handle the flood?
Lt Smash discusses the US/Mexico border in this post ... supporting a guest worker program that would be handled by employment offices in Mexico.

It sounds reasonable. We are a country built by immigrants (for better or worse), and our current policies just aren't handling the flood of people crossing our borders illegally.

I have to say, though, that there has to be some action taken by source countries, too. They have to be willing to find and provide the resources necessary for their citizens to be happy and productive in their own countries whenever possible. America has abundant natural resources, yes, but the people who came here succeeded because they were willing to work at it. Other countries with resources can do the same.

This being a blog, not a term paper, I'm not going to have all the stats, suggestions and such that need to be considered. I know that simple solutions are rarely easy to accomplish. I just think we have to spend more time trying.
- posted by Chris @ 11:07 AM