How did we get in this Mess?

How did we get to a place where Congress has ground to a halt, even with a majority presence? Time Magazine online had an interesting article about it. It traces the problem to the polarization of the parties:

In the 1960s and '70s, as liberal Northern Democrats rallied behind civil rights, abortion rights, environmentalism and a more dovish foreign policy, conservative Southern Democrats began drifting into the GOP. And as the Republican Party shifted rightward, its Northern liberals became Democrats. Whereas many members of Congress had once been cross-pressured — forced to balance the demands of a more liberal party and a more conservative region, or vice versa — now party, region and ideology were increasingly aligned. Washington politics became less a game of Rubik's Cube and more a game of shirts vs. skins.

The first shirts-and-skins President was Ronald Reagan, the first truly conservative Republican elected in 50 years. But it was only after Reagan and his GOP successor, George H.W. Bush, left office that congressional Republicans realized they could use political polarization to stymie government — and use government failure to win elections. And with that realization, vicious-circle politics started to become an art form. (full article is available here.)

In the Clinton era and now in the Obama era, the Republicans learned that they can hold power even as a minority by disrupting forward progress and then pointing their fingers at the lack of accomplishment and calling it a Democratic failure. Amazingly, voters buy this twisted logic, which further fuels the vicious circle.

It's up to us to stop the effectiveness of this game. We can put an end to it with our votes. Vote against the party that keeps us in the quagmire - whether it is Republican OR Democrat. Slap their hands and they'll stop playing the game, and hopefully get back to business. Or reward them, and we can watch this ineffective cycle continue as our country becomes weaker and weaker. It really is up to us.

Health Care Reform - Never?

I finally had to cancel my health insurance policy - it was just too expensive for a self-employed person during these recessionary times.

We all know how expensive disease treatment can be. So I will not go in for annual exams or any other preventative screening anymore, because if I were found to have a condition, I would not have adequate resources to seek treatment anyway.

Besides, I would then have a pre-existing condition that would preclude me from ever qualifying for health care. It's quite a predicament for a fifty-plus year old woman to be in.

Luckily, I am the model of health, without any conditions & with perfect 'stats'. But I am as susceptible to getting hit by a truck as the next person.

I am not alone. I number in the tens of millions in this country - people who do not have access to affordable health care.

The United States is the ONLY first world country that does not guarantee health care for their citizens. And the Republicans & Democrats dither about in Congress, caring more for hurting one another than for helping the people they were elected to serve. Shame on them all.

Health Care Reform - FINALLY

We are on the verge of health care reform. The plan just passed by the Senate will extend coverage to millions; it will reduce monthly costs to almost all, especially those who need it the most; it cuts the pork from the current Medicare program while expanding health-promoting benefits; and it will cut the federal deficit by 132 billion over the next decade.

Of course, it will need to be merged with the current House plan, but most are optimistic that this will occur with relative ease. We will likely lose the public option in favor of government oversight of non-profit options run by insurance companies (which raises my eyebrows) but at least it's a start.

Now the recovery can begin in earnest, because the American public will have a future we can all believe in. That's not objective fact (yet), but it is the song in this moderate's heart. And the mournful melody created by the squandering of public trust in years past may finally begin to fade...

I ran across a website called Subversify Magazine. I get the feeling it's a liberal blog, but what caught my attention was a blog post called Conversations with Conservatives. The author did a poll of conservatives, and published his findings. The poll included only 7 people who were willing to respond, so it isn't exactly a representative sampling. Here is the link to the article.

Why am I talking about this blog? I think it's because his observations about the far right largely match my own experiences. I would be interested to hear what other moderates think. Did he capture the essence of the far right in his limited sampling, or have you had experiences that would contradict his generalizations? What do those who identify themselves as members of the conservative right think - did he accurately portray your sentiments? Inquiring minds, you know...

Reach for the World that Ought to Be

Adhering to the law of love has always been the core struggle of human nature. We are fallible. We make mistakes, and fall victim to the temptations of pride, and power, and sometimes evil. Even those of us with the best intentions will at times fail to right the wrongs before us.

But we do not have to think that human nature is perfect for us to still believe that the human condition can be perfected. We do not have to live in an idealized world to still reach for those ideals that will make it a better place. The nonviolence practiced by men like Gandhi and King may not have been practical or possible in every circumstance, but the love that they preached — their faith in human progress — must always be the North Star that guides us on our journey.

For if we lose that faith — if we dismiss it as silly or naive, if we divorce it from the decisions that we make on issues of war and peace — then we lose what is best about humanity. We lose our sense of possibility. We lose our moral compass.

Like generations have before us, we must reject that future. As Dr. King said at this occasion so many years ago:

"I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the 'isness' of mans present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal 'oughtness' that forever confronts him."

So let us reach for the world that ought to be — that spark of the divine that still stirs within each of our souls. Somewhere today, in the here and now, a soldier sees he's outgunned but stands firm to keep the peace. Somewhere today, in this world, a young protestor awaits the brutality of her government, but has the courage to march on. Somewhere today, a mother facing punishing poverty still takes the time to teach her child, who believes that a cruel world still has a place for his dreams.

Let us live by their example. We can acknowledge that oppression will always be with us, and still strive for justice. We can admit the intractability of deprivation, and still strive for dignity. We can understand that there will be war, and still strive for peace. We can do that — for that is the story of human progress; that is the hope of all the world; and at this moment of challenge, that must be our work here on Earth.

---President Barack Obama, in his Nobel award speech, 12/10/09

read the full text of his speech here
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Engagement vs. Indignation

"Let me also say this: The promotion of human rights cannot be about exhortation alone. At times, it must be coupled with painstaking diplomacy. I know that engagement with repressive regimes lacks the satisfying purity of indignation. But I also know that sanctions without outreach — and condemnation without discussion — can carry forward a crippling status quo. No repressive regime can move down a new path unless it has the choice of an open door." Barack Obama, President, in his Nobel award speech of 12/10/09. Read full text here.

This is the moderate path between idealism and pragmatism. Yes, it is right to stand firmly against the violation of human rights, dignity, and hope. But we must always give the violators the choice of a better way. As our president notes, indignation is deeply satisfying, but it does not extend grace to our friends nor to our enemies. It does not change behavior. It does not change the world. Let us always seek to be world changers.

Beautifully Stated

New York senator Diane Savino spoke eloquently on the Marriage Equality Bill before the New York senate. She expresses the feelings of many moderates - click here to view the YouTube video.