Obama at Notre Dame -- OMG
13/04/09 15:55
A response to a NY Times article opposing Obama at
Notre Dame. Read
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Ideological Shifts in Budget?
01/03/09 21:03
Read
this: http://www.truthout.org/030109A
"Republicans and Democrats alike say the budget request, which seeks $3.6 trillion for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, marks the biggest ideological shift in Washington since the dawn of the Reagan administration."
The shift refers to no longer spending money to cut taxes for the rich and to make sure that, just like the rest of us, the defense department has to keep to a budget. It is a shift from cut taxes and spend republicans, like Reagan, Bush and Bush jr, to a tax and spend. But maybe that is what we need right now.
What worries me is that Obama needs to make sure that at the end of ten years, the deficit stops growing. We need to be able to keep to a budget as a nation. And I'm all for expanding right now in order to grow jobs, which means growing a tax base. But that h as to work. And I'm very worried about leaving our children and grandchildren with a debt, because we were unwilling to control our appetites.
In the end, then, the ideological shift isn't far enough. Obama differs from the Republicans and the majority of democrats in the priorities he sets, priorities with which I agree to a significant degree. But let's take a serious look at the market and how it works in our world, the way it contorts our ideas and our desires. This must be a fundamental move away from market capitalism as is to a more localized economy which supports the small farmer, the family, the community, the center of a secure society. Ideology must shift farther before we loose to big business and go down with them.
"Republicans and Democrats alike say the budget request, which seeks $3.6 trillion for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, marks the biggest ideological shift in Washington since the dawn of the Reagan administration."
The shift refers to no longer spending money to cut taxes for the rich and to make sure that, just like the rest of us, the defense department has to keep to a budget. It is a shift from cut taxes and spend republicans, like Reagan, Bush and Bush jr, to a tax and spend. But maybe that is what we need right now.
What worries me is that Obama needs to make sure that at the end of ten years, the deficit stops growing. We need to be able to keep to a budget as a nation. And I'm all for expanding right now in order to grow jobs, which means growing a tax base. But that h as to work. And I'm very worried about leaving our children and grandchildren with a debt, because we were unwilling to control our appetites.
In the end, then, the ideological shift isn't far enough. Obama differs from the Republicans and the majority of democrats in the priorities he sets, priorities with which I agree to a significant degree. But let's take a serious look at the market and how it works in our world, the way it contorts our ideas and our desires. This must be a fundamental move away from market capitalism as is to a more localized economy which supports the small farmer, the family, the community, the center of a secure society. Ideology must shift farther before we loose to big business and go down with them.
Rolling back Bush Directive on Abortion -- NOT
28/02/09 00:43
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/27/conscience.rollback/
I read this story with some sort of amusement. There have been laws in place for decades that protect health workers from performing duties that violate their conscience. I couldn’t believe something so fundamental would be left up to the whims of the current president, whoever that might be.
But the headlines, as always, deceive in order to get the reader interested. Why were there no similar headlines when Bush created the rule that Obama is overturning?
The problem here is that, on his last day in office, Bush issued an order that changed some wording on how health care workers are protected from harassment or job loss if they refuse to perform a procedure they disagree with. But there was no need to issue such an edict, since medical professionals have had such protections for decades.
What is more interesting is this: if Bush were so concerned with protecting people in their jobs because of moral objections, then why did he not issue the order when he FIRST took office rather than as he LEFT office? The answer is simple, of course. He intended to trap Obama. Now hear me out. If Bush really cared about these issues, he could have issued the order eight years ago. So we have to ask, why did he wait to do it in his last day of office knowing that Obama would overturn it?
One answer suffices: Bush, playing for his party, established the rule so that Obama would get bad press over the abortion issue. This is simply another trick by the GOP to make Obama lose the next election. It’s rather ingenious. On the other hand, we should recognize the insincerity with which the GOP uses the abortion issue purely to win votes. They don’t really care about the unborn or about protecting people’s privacy. If they did, Bush would have passed the rule early on. Rather, they use these issues to drive a wedge into people to split them over “moral” issues as if the failing economy, the lack of oversight, and the unjust war were not moral issues.
In this time of lent, we should commit ourselves as Christians to look at the whole picture, not to vote with our hearts only, and to consider the ways the major parties try to divide and conquer.
I read this story with some sort of amusement. There have been laws in place for decades that protect health workers from performing duties that violate their conscience. I couldn’t believe something so fundamental would be left up to the whims of the current president, whoever that might be.
But the headlines, as always, deceive in order to get the reader interested. Why were there no similar headlines when Bush created the rule that Obama is overturning?
The problem here is that, on his last day in office, Bush issued an order that changed some wording on how health care workers are protected from harassment or job loss if they refuse to perform a procedure they disagree with. But there was no need to issue such an edict, since medical professionals have had such protections for decades.
What is more interesting is this: if Bush were so concerned with protecting people in their jobs because of moral objections, then why did he not issue the order when he FIRST took office rather than as he LEFT office? The answer is simple, of course. He intended to trap Obama. Now hear me out. If Bush really cared about these issues, he could have issued the order eight years ago. So we have to ask, why did he wait to do it in his last day of office knowing that Obama would overturn it?
One answer suffices: Bush, playing for his party, established the rule so that Obama would get bad press over the abortion issue. This is simply another trick by the GOP to make Obama lose the next election. It’s rather ingenious. On the other hand, we should recognize the insincerity with which the GOP uses the abortion issue purely to win votes. They don’t really care about the unborn or about protecting people’s privacy. If they did, Bush would have passed the rule early on. Rather, they use these issues to drive a wedge into people to split them over “moral” issues as if the failing economy, the lack of oversight, and the unjust war were not moral issues.
In this time of lent, we should commit ourselves as Christians to look at the whole picture, not to vote with our hearts only, and to consider the ways the major parties try to divide and conquer.
Obama's Address to Congress
25/02/09 20:04
Well, it's interesting that Obama's address was at
the end of Mardi Gras, for what Obama did was call an
end to the party days that this country has been
caught up in. But it's also true that Obama calls us
to spend -- and to spend on things that will make us
better -- education, health care, and energy. So it
was surprising to see how many Republicans remained
seated how many times during the speech.
Just as with any lenten sacrifice, we cannot sacrifice those things necessary for life. Similarly, the government cannot ask the people to sacrifice what will make this nation stronger. Education will make this nation stronger, especially if we meet Obama's goal for college graduates in 2020. We will have a better citizenry and people able to offer more to the world with creativity and knowledge. Of course, big business and big government would oppose this. Education means people won't be as susceptible to the lies of big business and the propaganda that the Republican party has spouted since Reagan about business watching themselves.
Better health care will make us stronger. How can we continue to pour billions into a system that does not work and pretend that it is better than everywhere else. We have the highest infant mortality of anyindustrialized nation. Why aren't the pro-lifers concerned about that?! Doctors are deprived of their autonomy because the insurers determine what treatments are allowed. This can no longer continue. A better health care system means a better America.
Finally, we have the opportunity to become the leaders in alternative renewable energy sources. Why are we so far behind everyone? Because of big oil and big auto. Clean energy is the road to more jobs that cannot be shipped overseas. Clean energy is the means to saving our planet. Nothing else matters if we don't embrace solar cells and wind turbines.
So spend -- but spen wisely, and cut wisely. Obama has a vision, and his big plan is, not only workable, but necessary.
Just as with any lenten sacrifice, we cannot sacrifice those things necessary for life. Similarly, the government cannot ask the people to sacrifice what will make this nation stronger. Education will make this nation stronger, especially if we meet Obama's goal for college graduates in 2020. We will have a better citizenry and people able to offer more to the world with creativity and knowledge. Of course, big business and big government would oppose this. Education means people won't be as susceptible to the lies of big business and the propaganda that the Republican party has spouted since Reagan about business watching themselves.
Better health care will make us stronger. How can we continue to pour billions into a system that does not work and pretend that it is better than everywhere else. We have the highest infant mortality of anyindustrialized nation. Why aren't the pro-lifers concerned about that?! Doctors are deprived of their autonomy because the insurers determine what treatments are allowed. This can no longer continue. A better health care system means a better America.
Finally, we have the opportunity to become the leaders in alternative renewable energy sources. Why are we so far behind everyone? Because of big oil and big auto. Clean energy is the road to more jobs that cannot be shipped overseas. Clean energy is the means to saving our planet. Nothing else matters if we don't embrace solar cells and wind turbines.
So spend -- but spen wisely, and cut wisely. Obama has a vision, and his big plan is, not only workable, but necessary.
Obama's Address on Lincoln
14/02/09 15:11
Discussion of Obama's address on the 200th
anniversary of Lincoln's birth. Read
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