Another difference between Democrats and Republicans
There has been a great “compare and contrast Democrats and Republicans” list out there for quite a while, and trust me it is great. But recently, something struck me as the biggest difference of them all. Let me tell you about it. And yes, it may sound hokey, but there is definitely a lesson to be learned here.
I worked in an office that was 90% Republican, 10% Democrat. We had a little kitchen that wasn’t very well kept up, but we managed. Towards the end of my assignment in that office, there was behavior that just struck me as odd. Here’s what it boiled down to: When a Republican was in the kitchen and in need of a paper towel to clean things up, they walked about 10 feet away to the bathroom, got a few paper towels, and cleaned up their mess. Once clean, they went about their day. When a Democrat was in the kitchen and in need of a paper towel to clean things up, again they walked to the bathroom. However, every single time, the Democrat brought back enough paper towels for multiple jobs, not just for what they needed to clean up. Republicans and Democrats would both use these reserve paper towels to clean up the mess, until such time as they were gone. Then the whole cycle would start over again.
So what does a lesson in paper towel usage between Democrats and Republicans teach us? That Republicans do what they need to for the short term, whereas Democrats do the same job, but at the same time, plan for the future.
So there may be a good “compare and contrast democrats and republicans” list out there already. But all you really need to know comes from a little office kitchen, and how Republicans don’t plan for the future, while their Democratic brethren most certainly do.
No footnotes, no asterisks
You know, when you read the Declaration of Independence put forth by the Founding Fathers, you have to notice one fact. There are no footnotes or asterisks that direct the reader to some subsection saying that “well, we didn’t mean it applies to this group or that”. The most famous line is, of course, this:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Yes boys and girls, that is exactly how it’s written. It’s not:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal (see note 1), that they are endowed by their Creator (see note 2) with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Note 1: This may not apply to those Catholics; we just don’t get their religion. Oh, and not the homos. No offense, but ewww… And not those Italians that come over here. You know, looking all swarthy and all. And don’t get us started on those crazy Indians! We’ve got some smallpox blankets to take care of them!
Note 2: When we say “Creator”, we mean the good, PROTESTANT God. We don’t mean a Catholic God, or some heathen race God like Ganesha or Mohammed or Zeus or Odin. Nope, the only Creator we mean is our good, Protestant God.
So what does this mean? It means that A) we are ALL meant to be able to pursue Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness and B) every person has the right to their own beliefs about their Creator. It means that black people have the right to marry white people. It means that people should be allowed to be hermits in a cave, or be the life of a party in downtown Manhattan. It means that people are allowed to pursue Mormonism. It means that people are allowed to howl at the moon, if that is their want for worship. And it means that men should have the right to marry other men, and women should have the right to marry other women. You see, it all comes down to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. I have been with my partner for over seventeen years. But someone took away our rights of the pursuit of Happiness in a popularity contest back in 2004.
We should be granting rights, not taking them away. Because honestly, no one person is better than another. No one person’s rights should be granted when another person’s rights are taken away. We are all equal. We should all BE equal. That is the way that our Founding Fathers wanted.
Straight boys looking at naked ladies makes them GAY?!?!?!
Okay, who came up with this? Oh yeah, some yabbo – Senator Tom Coburn’s Chief of Staff at the Value Voters summit – declared that. Okay, who believes these wackos?
But just in case, maybe I should send Hugh Jackman a case of Playboy magazines….and my address. 
Things I’ve heard on the passing of Senator Kennedy
You want to see the real difference between a Democrat and a Republican? I know this comes from my observations, but having watched the same thing on right-wing television this morning, I know others have experienced it.
Democrats, upon hearing Senator Kennedy has died: He was the lion of the Senate. He was the reason so much historic legislation happened. He was bipartisan, and worked with everyone in the Senate. He leaves a great legacy, and will be missed.
Republicans, upon hearing Senatory Kennedy has died: CHAPPAQUIDIK? (OK, I can’t spell it either)
NOM brings me back to 1967
Okay, so I wasn’t born until late 1967, and I don’t remember this myself. But the feelings are the same. Watch NOM’s latest commercial (you can find it here) talking about “activist judges” and “forcing gay marriage on Iowa”. Then take a step back and think about 1967 and interracial marriage.
You know, back in the 1960s, not every state allowed interracial marriage. That’s why the case of Loving v. Virginia is so important. The Supreme Court ruled that the ban was Unconstitutional. And no, it wasn’t a popular subject; if you were to “put it to a vote”, it probably would not have passed.
Just because a popular vote comes from the people does NOT mean that it is fair or just. But NOM doesn’t understand that. They only understand uglyness, ignorance, and intolerance.
Read some of the arguments against interracial marriage. Replace the race words with gay or lesbian. They hold the same meaning; using religion to create intolerance, hate, and to oppress a minority.
Why I Want To Run the White House Healthcare Planning and Debate
Okay, I have to admit that at times, I can be a control freak. But it is only because when I see something is misguided and not firing on all cylinders, I want to make it right for all those concerned. It’s this reason that I want to go to the White House and be put in charge of our healthcare planning. Here is what I would do:
First thing that happens is to empower every single person that is visible, and even those that aren’t considered in visible positions, to go out and make a push for healthcare. I don’t care if you run the White House briefing room, or if you are a staff person. You should push for healthcare.
And what about the push itself? It would have to be a concert of the same message coming out of every single person’s mouth. I want to hear the same thing coming from Obama’s mouth that I hear coming from Sebelius’, Rahm’s, and Clinton’s. A powerful message that says that healthcare is a right, and that the plan that puts people before insurance companies is what is on the table – and it is non-negotiable.
Next, I would develop a set of vocabulary, and I would lead with the all powerful word LIE. I want the word “lie” to be in every single person’s speech at least a dozen times. Like, “You know when the Republicans are trying to scare you, all they are doing is lying. That’s it. All a lie.” That word is POWERFUL. It calls out the bastards for what they’re doing, and it makes the public do the Scooby Do “Rwah?” and pay attention.
How about attacking the right-wing polls and calling them out for what they’re doing? You know like, “When polled, Americans overwhelmingly want a public option. But these politically-slanted polls that trick the public with mis-directing questions and then get picked up by the health insurance companies as “evidence” – that’s a bunch of bullcrap. And they know it.”
Put Obama and other high profile officials at retirement communities. Tell the seniors that we protected them with Medicare back in 1965, and we will continue to protect them and their GOVERNMENT SPONSORED Medicare program now and in the future. Then say, “We give every senior healthcare now. Isn’t it our moral obligation to help your kids and your grandkids, too?”.
Last, I would make a set of phrases and ultimatums. You know, like GWB did. “You’re either with us, or you’re with the profit-driven insurance companies.” That would be a good one to start with. Then I would go after the Republicans saying, “We tried, we compromised, and it did no good. Now you can see for yourself that it’s only the Democratic Party that’s working for your families healthcare.”
If you have to lie to make a point, don’t you know it discredits you?
Apparently not, at least to Republicans. Take a look at this video. The “I’m just a local mom” lady is a Republican plant, who worked on the campaign of the Republican trying to defeat the Democratic Representative in the last election.
Just a mom? No. But maybe a Mother…
New DNC ad. What do you think?
Have you seen the new DNC ad? It explains how the RNC attacks on Obama and healthcare are purely for political reasons, and the public “outrage” at town hall meetings is bought and paid for by the RNC.
Watch it here – and tell us what you think.
Two things I did to help bring Republicans back to reality
I have to admit, it is kindof fun watching the idiot republicans pull themselves away from reality and try and dig into this birther thing. It’s almost as disgusting as watching Representative Virginia Foxx lie on the floor of the House. But I had to do something. I mean these people are so divorced from reality that it’s disgusting.
Then I heard the President use the L word. Lie. And you know what? That started me off.
First, I put together a letter to Representative Foxx and faxxed it to her office. It basically said, “Dear Representative Foxx, You lied. You know you lied. I expect you to do a retraction.” And then I went and Googled an image of Obama’s birth certificate (which you can find here) and faxed it to Representative Gohmert. No letterhead, no coversheet. Just a copy of the birth certificate so he can see it.
I encourage you to do the same. Call these people out! When they lie, tell them that they lie, and that you expect a retraction. And when they go off about Obama’s birth certificate, fax them a copy. Maybe they’ll get the hint.
My thoughts on health care
Had a discussion with a friend on Facebook on healthcare. They were not sure about it, and wanted to know the reasons FOR and why would someone NOT want healthcare. I put together the following, and thought I should share here as well:
The only things I’ve heard are: A) namecalling (SOCIALISM!) B) we’re rushing things and C) it costs too much. One at a time:
A) Namecalling is CHILDISH. Have a cogent argument and stop the namecalling. We already have THREE forms of “socialist” healthcare in the United States and those would be 1) Medicare for the elderly 2) Medicaid for the infirm/disabled 3) the Veterans Administration for our soldiers. Have an elected official try and take away Medicare, Medicaid or the VA and see how fast they are run out of office.
B) President Truman called for national health insurance in 1948, and Democrats have been trying to get it passed ever since. 61 years is NOT rushing things.
C) The Bush tax cuts for the wealthy cost the US $1.3Trillion in funding. The war in Iraq has cost at least $1Trillion and estimates are that it would be $3Trillion by the time all is said and done. Healthcare for all would cost $1Trillion over ten years. Tax cuts for the wealthy but no healthcare?!?!?
And then furthered the conversation, when asked “can you explain to me like I am a five year old”, with:
Okay – problems with Medicare. First off, Bush “stole” surplus from the Medicare funds to use in the general budget. That should be illegal, but it’s not. It put Medicare in a bind. If we used a similar system of funding healthcare for all, we would need to make sure that could not be done.
Currently Medicare taxes come out of your check, but the withdrawals stop at about $102,000. So a person making $30,000/year always pays into Medicare but a person making $500,000/year only pays into Medicare for the first $102,000 they make. Removing that ceiling will save Medicare. And making sure the same ceiling doesn’t exist for healthcare for all will do it.
Healthcare for all would be a boon to the health insurance industry UNLESS there was a public option. Medicare, Medicaid, VA have about a 3% overhead whereas private insurance has 20% to 25% overhead. So, if you own stock in Aetna, Blue Cross, etc, it would truly suck because they would be forced to bring in costs and lower profits.
That’s it. Arguments for healthcare, combating the arguments of those against it, and revealing the true motives of those against it. Questions?
