How Green Is The White House?
[ Add A Comment ]Posted on June 6, 2010 by admin in Clean & Green
Sunday, June 6th, 2010The White House and Washington in general are pretty green. It’s just the policies they create that are all black and oily. And you may be surprised to learn that George Bush may have been secretly green in his spare time.
I’m sorry to say that’s classified information. But we do know that solar panels were installed in 2003 under the Bush administration, and the Obama administration is planning upgrades. President Carter is rarely given credit for his inspired attempts at opening America’s eyes to the perilous environmental future that is now the present, but he managed to open a few with this speech in 1977. He also installed solar panels on the White House which were later taken down by Ronald Reagan, in a move that was partly practical (a roof leak was being repaired), and certainly a typically Reaganesque political statement at the same time. And although the Obama administration appears firmly committed to clean & green issues, the presidential limo won’t be a hybrid, for obvious reasons. I have to admit that as I prepared to write what I intended to be a snark on Washington’s limo-driven excess and apalling waste, I was suprised to find that DC is often high up on lists of green cities. I was equally surprised to find that living in New York City is considered by some green thinkers to be a greener lifestyle choice than living in Vermont. And I’m sure that you’ll be as surprised as I was that Bush’s Crawford Ranch was pretty green too. So it seems that all in all, Washington’s pretty green. It’s just the policies created there that cause all the problems. For a lengthy and dry – but informative – history of how US foreign policy was shaped by oil over the last century, see this 1975 government report. And for a refresher on why we invaded Iraq, see this Independent UK piece. And then take a look at this list to figure out who we’ll invade next. My bet’s on Canada.
Poll: Are You A Healthtard Like Me?
[ Add A Comment ]Posted on October 1, 2009 by admin in Politics
Thursday, October 1st, 2009After hours of reading, I still don’t feel like I understand the current health care legislation. How about you?
I must confess that in spite of reviewing the current proposed health care legislation in its original forms, and reading a variety of summaries from both sides of the issue , I am still completely mystified as to what’s being decided. This is one instance in which I’m not going to play armchair quarterback and criticize Barack Obama (whom I once fervently supported) when this legislation ends up failing to serve the best interests of the US citizenry, because what I DO understand is that he is confronting a hopelessly corrupt and greed-driven industry with literally billions of dollars at its disposal, and hundreds of politicians fully in its pocket. I haven’t been fully insured since 1998, mostly because I simply don’t believe in the very foundations of of our health care system, and the way the insurance industry (which is really just an investment gambit) first parasitically attached itself to our right to health and well being, and later helped drive the cost of medical care into an astronomical range that is simply absurd in the context of natural markets and prices, and finally played a central role in the global banking crisis. How can I possibly care about labyrinthine, Rube Goldbergian legislation involving a system I fundamentally don’t support? In spite of these feelings, I remain a little ashamed that I don’t feel better informed. How well do you feel like you understand the legislation? Vote below… Read the rest of this entry »
What Would Jesus Do About Health Care In America?
[ 1 Comment ]Posted on August 16, 2009 by admin in Politics
Sunday, August 16th, 2009And when will the Democratic Party learn that it’s not about principles, it’s about media control?
 See More At Jesus’ General |
The answer to that will probably remain open to speculation. If you don’t believe in Jesus, you’ll probably say “Nothing. He’s dead, if he ever existed“. If you do believe in Jesus though, I’d hazard to guess that you’d agree that he’d say something like “Let’s stop all these wars and heal some sick people with the money we save“, unlike the Christian Right (Why do they call them that anyway? They never are.) which continues to believe in torture and war while attacking the idea of saving lives. On a more personal and practical level though, I’d like to address this Obama fellow, and his handling of the continued irrational ranting of the far right. Hey White House staff! Did you learn NOTHING from the last eight years? Somebody let me at that Napoleonic twit Rahm Emanuel. I’ll kick his midget ass six ways to Sunday and start a new media blitz where the White House DOESN’T moronically defend itself from the psychotic ramblings of a bunch of health and insurance industry funded astroturfers. FRAME THE DEBATE Mr. Obama. Don’t even directly address the idiocy that extreme conservatives and the health/insurance industries spew. Keep talking about change, and MAKE IT HAPPEN. If you keep up the ignorant and ineffective tendency to chomp on every piece of insane spin-bait they throw your way, your agenda remains doomed. Which I wouldn’t mind, except I thought when I voted you guys in that your agenda had something to do with our agenda. I also thought you were smarter than this. Is it too late to take my vote back? Unfortunately, this is not a battle over principles, it’s a battle over the media, and the current administration is losing. Routinely. C’mon you guys, you’re smarter than this. President Obama has more intelligence in his pinky than a county full of red state values voters. Let it show.
At Least He Uses The Appropriate Orifice
[ 2 Comments ]Posted on December 12, 2008 by admin in Comics
Friday, December 12th, 2008
I’m A Recovering Hope Addict
[ Add A Comment ]Posted on December 10, 2008 by admin in Politics
Wednesday, December 10th, 2008Anybody Know Where I Can Score Some Change?
My Obama buzz is wearing off. Even though I was pacing myself, I got just a little too high on the idea of change he promised. So far, I’m feeling a little bit like I voted for a Clinton. As this November 14 CBSNews.com piece points out, 37 of 41 staff or transition team members have close ties to the Clinton administration. You’d expect a certain amount of this — it would only be logical to have some seasoned White House staff on board — but it appears I’m not alone in my concerns. I have to admit I’m not stunned by Obama’s weekly chats either. One would think his team would be more aware that he’s not campaigning any more, and can stop using the more moronic sound bites like “Wall Street vs. Main Street”. On the other hand, I’m excited that he seems genuinely focused on re-building both America’s infrastructure and its image abroad. I’d like to be more upbeat on this topic, but I’m really tired of saying to myself “at least this is better than [insert morally bankrupt politician name]“. He campaigned heavily on the theme of real change, and that’s exactly why I voted for him. Anybody else feeling the jones?