Let's Get One Thing Clear

The continuing battle over the Federak budget is enough to confuse anybody. It doesn't help that all the partisan rhetoric that's being vented it's hard to keep things straight. That pressure from GOP Congressmen led to the increase in the payroll tax which will fall most heavily on wroking people. The GOP pretend to be against tax increasses but in fact they only object when taxes are aimed at the rich. The GOP have no problems with tax increases on ordinary people. Their strident "anti tax" rhetoric merely covers their real agenda.

Repubs Against Democracy

Among the issues that President Obama addressed in the State of the Union last night was long waiting lines to vote. The problem is that Repub politicians at the State level have been busy making it hard for people to vote. They target minorities, the elderly, and young people but in general the more people exercise their right to vote the worse the repubs do. While names and labels can be misleading in politics we have come to be presented with a clear choice. The Democratic Party, which however inoconsistenltly favors democracy versus a "republic" of property owners. Which one will we choose?

The Downton Downer

I don't understand the popularity of "Downton Abbey." The show is not only a soap opera but a very boring one as well. Just look at how recently it has become a collection of soapy plot devices. Bates is convicted for a crime he did not commit. Edith gets jilted at the altar. Even Sybil's death was handled in a way that seems to suggest that the creators of this show have run out of ideas.

I suspect the reason why many Americans watch dippy British shows like "Downton" is because they still have some kind of inferiority complex. It's like these people still assume that anything British must be superior or something. I don't happen to agree.

Ding Dong Etc.

It turns out that Fox tv has fired Sarah Palin. Even they got tired of her nonsense. Palin's political star only lasted four years. Some people think Palin still has a political career, maybe even a shot at the Presidency in 2016, but it's hard to see how. Palin has pissed off most of the GOP establishment as well as most right-wing opinion makers. Now she doesn't even have a forum on Fox. Never fear, Fox news has a conisderable number of opinion makers waiting in the wings.

Up The Wrong Tree Again

The conflict in Northern Mali rages on. Islamist extremists linked to Al Qaeda have taken over the north of the country and threaten to take over the rest. This would turn Mali into a new terrorist hot spot. This only occurred because of the collapse in Libya last year, which provided an opportunity for Al Qaeda to expand. This should be the last we shoulc hear of any good coming out of the "Arab spring." From now on it can only get worse.

Shut the $#* Up Already!

The newest stupidity from the Neo-Conservatives, the same people who brought us the disaster in Iraq and all it's consequences, including the economic mess we're in. It's funny how the Neo-cons for all their intellectual pretensions,never seem to get the point. Their recent campaign against the nomination of ex-Senator Chuck Hagel is a case in point. The Neo-Cons accuse Hagel of being an "Anti-Semite" because he had made statements supposedly "insensitive" toward Israel. Yeah right.

On the one hand, this just might be partisan spite, like the shooting down of Susan Rice. On the other, the Neo-Cons can't let go of their obsession with Iran. If they can't push the Obama administration into a war with Iran, they can create a climate in which the next Repub president can find an excuse to go with Iran. Attacking Iran, will do nothing to stabilize the Middle East. It will only make matters worse, bogging us down in another quagmire. Neo-cons are a good example of idiots who have convinced themselves of their cleverness.

On and On It Goes

The recent kerfuffle over the "fiscal cliff" was avoided but not solved. Too odd things have happened. The Congress forgot to include aid for victims of Hurricane Sandy. Which caused Repub pols like Chris Christie and Peter King to lash out at their own party. Like most Repubs Christie and King are against government spending when it's being spent "other people." Now another battle is brewing over the Federal Spending Limit.

The news out of Washington is starting to soulnd like that boring and pretentious show "Downton Abbey." The difference of course is that you can't tune out the follies in Washington.