What are the priorities of the political leaders? Damn if I know. The latest bitching in the MSM pseudo-news is something about Senator Reid being a racist. Well this was what the GOP leadership is whining about anyway: Steele said “”All I know is that if (Senate Republican leader) Mitch McConnell had said those very words, that this chairman and this president would be calling for his head, and they would be labeling every Republican in the country as a racist for saying exactly what this chairman has just said.”
The pot calling the kettle black (or is that racist?) Political correctness is bullshit.
I remember the good old days in college when the emphasis was on gender neutral language. I always had difficulty when writing about manhole covers: in reality they’re not gender specific. When I used the term “homo-sapiens access portal” it was confusing to my audience because it was difficult to determine if I was writing about science-fiction, anthropology, biology, astrophysics or mechanical engineering. Somehow “he and or she hole cover” didn’t quite get it either. Now my audience would think I was talking about an “abstinence only” sex education initiative. Meanwhile, the whole time I am troubling about the correct language to use in my essay about public utilities in the 20th century, I was in the process of alienating an entire generation of public utilities workers who had no idea what the fuss was about in the first place. I digress.
Since my wife just lost her job on Friday and our medical coverage along with it (no COBRA when a company goes bankrupt), this makes two of us unemployed now. Between the two of us we have 12 years of college education but regrettably there’s no illustrious MBA to pimp ourselves with. I lost my job right after the 2008 elections. My unemployment is running thin. If it wasn’t for the fact that our house is paid for we’d be out on the streets pretty soon.
Meanwhile there’s this crap flying around in Washington that seems to be about anything and everything except what real citizens in the country need. Oh excuse me was that the “change we can believe in?” Give me a break – a mandate to buy health insurance? These assholes won’t be finished until they bleed every single person dry. I guess that the constitution is still in shredder because these clowns are still doing whatever they please.
Can I just say that I am a little put off by all of this? Thanks.
Vitu, I saw Liz Cheney on one of the talking heads shows this morning and she was wheezing away on the non-issue of Reids’ comments. Al Hunt had an interesting response: “Did Reid just ask what many people were thinking: namely, does skin tone and diction make a difference in whether a black candidate will be successful or not?” Then Robert Reich added, in defense of Reid: “Just talking about race doesn’t make a person a racist.” It was clear Cheney was trying to come just millimeters short of saying Reid is a racist (and of course, Beck has already called Obama one). This business of the Repubs trying to paint Dems as the racist party is laughable. And–as you said–a total distraction from what’s really going on in the country.
I do feel for you and your wife. This unemployment that we’re experiencing now feels unlike anything in recent memory. I know so many people with terrific skills and impressive educational backgrounds who are in dire straits. If there isn’t some way to address this in the very near future, I’m afraid we’re going to end up with a seriously alienated intelligentsia. My hope, though, is that whatever anger all of us have is channelled toward to people who got us into this mess, not the ones who are working (with very limited success, I admit) to get us out. As j’avaz mentioned, my understanding of health care reform is that couples where both parties are unemployed would get a total subsidy of their premiums. This seems like a desirable thing to me.
I hope things turn around for you soon. We’re all just one buy-out, one illness or injury away from being where you are now. Scary stuff.
Thanks
I believe health care reform will help people who are unable to afford insurance by providing assistance to purchase insurance.
People below the poverty line would be fully funded, if I understand the legislation that we’ve seen so far.
As for Steele’s comments –
The Democrats and President have been fairly silent on the racist comments spewed by Limbaugh, Beck, etc.
I’m very sorry about your predicament, but wouldn’t you rather have health insurance than not?
There are guidelines in the bills based on incomes as to the amount of assistance that will be provided to help people buy insurance.