Yes, I'm back. And blogging once again. Sorry for the long absence... I get lazy sometimes, I admit it. If anyone is out there reading this, leave a comment now and then -- if I know you're out there, I'll be more inspired to write!I am not an Oprah watcher, although I have nothing against her -- she's done some good things with her fame, so good on her. This clip from her show came to my attention recently, and I wanted to share it.It's about the 'tent cities' spr... Read Full Story
Sorry I haven't posted in a while -- I've been mesmerized by the Obama phenomenon, waiting and watching, holding my breath -- like a huge number of Americans, I think.I've been thoroughly unimpressed by some of Obama's cabinet picks, but enthusiastic about most of his initial actions in office. I love it that he made dramatic moves right away on Guantanamo, government transparency, shutting down the lobbyist revolving door syndrome, re-elevating the role of science, etc. etc.I... Read Full Story
This whole bailout mess is getting to look more and more like a Faustian bargain. Our legislators are willing to take what some say already actually totals over $2 trillion (that's right, with a 'T') dollars from us, the taxpayers, and hand it over to the bums on Wall Street without nary a string attached, but when it comes to saving middle-class workers, they just say, "fuggetaboutit!"Instead, Senators, mostly of the Republican stripe, are demanding concessions from uni... Read Full Story
I wanted to share this really great article I found on Alternet. Although it's written about relating to your right-wing relatives around the holidays, I found it just a really good reminder of what we progressives are all about, and in that way, very inspiring and re-energizing... Worried About Thanksgiving Fights with Right-Wing Family Members? By Sara Robinson, Blog for Our FutureHow to counter 10 of the most common myths conservatives believe about progressives. Read more Love p... Read Full Story
I gotta say, I'm very disappointed so far by Obama's transition team. "Change"? What change?It's nothing but the same old crowd -- this team for "change."Take Hillary Clinton, for example. It seems pretty obvious he wants to tap her for Secretary of State. But this is a perplexing choice for many reasons. Naturally, you wouldn't want her in charge of health care, because the bad taste from her first attempts at that -- way back in '92 as the first lady ... Read Full Story
I got a letter from the president -- you know, still-president George W. The letter thanked me for my "kind words." Didn't know what the heck he was talking about, of course. I figured it must've been some auto-response to some letter that got sent via some email thingy I signed. But it was snail-mailed to me. And it was in a big 9x11 envelope, with cardboard inside, and had an embossed presidential seal on it and everything! I figured it must be important.So, it went on to ... Read Full Story
Hey, Obama is half white. We call him black, but the fact is, he's just as white as he is black, genetically speaking. Which is perfect.Some people think Abraham Lincoln had some African blood in him. Whether or not he did, two skinny tall guys from Illinois, both lawyers and state legislators, both coming from humble beginnings, went on to reach the presidency of the United States of America. The first one freed the black slaves, the second became the first black president.Though he is h... Read Full Story
Sure, you're tired of hearing it, but until we get up near the percentile of eligible people voting that other democracies have, we need to keep prodding each other. Please vote, no matter how much you think it won't matter. Because it does matter.And after election day, let's put the pressure on our government to finally do all the things it's been neglecting: health care for all, rebuilding our infrastructure, alternative energy, etc., and last but NOT least: REFORMING THE E... Read Full Story
All this talk of Barack Obama wanting to "redistribute the wealth" is hilarious. That's what taxes do -- redistribute the wealth -- always have. The question is, do we redistribute it to the poor and middle class, or to the rich? Teddy Roosevelt, John McCain's hero, instituted the progressive income tax, where the rich pay a higher percentage than the poor. It only makes sense -- our culture and society created the infrastructure for some people to make it rich, and they sho... Read Full Story
