Here’s an article from a British website:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6995921.ece
A quotation from the article:
Mr. Brown said voters were fed up. “The main thing they want is good government back and to be part of the process,” he said. “I think they sent a very, very powerful message that business as usual is not going to be the way we do it.”
We’ve all heard a lot of analysis, with much emphasis on left vs. right and Republican vs. Democrat. Scott has been out talking with people, and the message he brings back carries a lot of credibility. Obama promised no more business as usual, and the perception, despite all his initiatives, is that the way we do business didn’t change at all.
Obama can’t change things by himself, but he and the people around him have clearly underestimated the anger and anxiety voters feel.
What counts as good government?
· Honest
· Open
· Responsive to citizens’ needs
· Effective leadership
· Competent
One looks at the process of health care reform, and the government does not meet one of these standards. The same goes for financial reform and stewardship of the economy.
It started when the Democrats arrogantly told the Republicans in Congress last spring, “You don’t want to play ball with us? Good. Then fuck off.” Republicans bear some of the blame for that, but with a little more patience the Democrats could have found some Republican legislators who were willing to talk.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Foxy | The New Republic
I wasn’t going to send this one, as I know the topic can be upsetting! Michelle Cottle addresses the burning question in our family: Is Sarah Palin as dumb as she sounds? I think Cottle’s on to something.
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Friday, January 01, 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
They were wrong about Medicare, too | Cynthia Tucker
They were wrong about Medicare, too | Cynthia Tucker: "They were wrong about Medicare, too
12:15 pm November 19, 2009, by ctucker
Nicholas Kristof has a great column today on the critics of health care reform and how their criticisms about the dire consequences — socialism! government takeover! — are wrong. How does he know? It’s all been said before. Read his column or just go straight to an audio tape of Ronald Reagan blasting the proposed Medicare plan in 1961.
Reagan was wrong, too.
If you don’t (oppose it), this program I promise you, will pass just as surely as the sun will come up tomorrow and behind it will come other federal programs that will invade every area of freedom as we have known it in this country until one day as Normal Thomas said we will wake to find that we have socialism, and if you don’t do this and I don’t do this, one of these days we are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children, what it once was like in America when men were free.
Medicare is now so popular that no politician dares talk about trying to change it. That included Reagan, who, when he ran for president, wanted voters to forget his earlier opposition to Medicare."
12:15 pm November 19, 2009, by ctucker
Nicholas Kristof has a great column today on the critics of health care reform and how their criticisms about the dire consequences — socialism! government takeover! — are wrong. How does he know? It’s all been said before. Read his column or just go straight to an audio tape of Ronald Reagan blasting the proposed Medicare plan in 1961.
Reagan was wrong, too.
If you don’t (oppose it), this program I promise you, will pass just as surely as the sun will come up tomorrow and behind it will come other federal programs that will invade every area of freedom as we have known it in this country until one day as Normal Thomas said we will wake to find that we have socialism, and if you don’t do this and I don’t do this, one of these days we are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children, what it once was like in America when men were free.
Medicare is now so popular that no politician dares talk about trying to change it. That included Reagan, who, when he ran for president, wanted voters to forget his earlier opposition to Medicare."
