Old but not stupid

Saw another headline today about the Medicaire drug plan confusing seniors. Now, I grant you that it's confusing, and it's probably a sucker's bet all the way around, but I am so tired of hearing that "old = stupid". Most old people got that way by NOT being stupid! It's the butterfly ballot all over again-- a legitimately confusing ballot, that probably would have gotten me too, but by the time the media got through with the story, every citizen of Palm Beach was so senile they could hardly find their way to the polls in the first place! Drives me crazy!

Tolerance vs. Conformity

The inherent difference between the two parties is that the conservatives embrace conformity while the liberals embrace tolerance. This is the root cause of their two different approaches to the political realm.

While the conservatives might have many (as you* said, "messy") points of view, they are trained to conform, or appear to conform, and as Craig234 [another letter-writer on Salon.com*] wrote, attach to brand loyalty. They also connect one brand-loyalty (for example, their church affiliation) with another (their party). ("I'm a good Baptist so I must be a good Republican.") If they disagree, they are discouraged from showing it, and if they must show it, they must still hate Dems and vote Republican.

The liberals, on the other hand, embrace tolerance for many points of view. They not only freely disagree with each other while appreciating the other's point of view, but they even embrace the right's right to their point of view. While Craig234 suggests that they should "have as their 'unity' message that they are the party which broadly repesents the most Americans' interests" (which is true, they do and they should), by virtue of saying "We support you and your right to your opinion," the message is already split.

The right are a lot like a trail of ants, all marching along in a line (some wandering off occasionally, but for the most part, all going the same way). Corralling the left is more like herding cats. I don't know if there is an answer to the "unified message problem" when its roots are so deeply ingrained into who we are as people.

(*originally published by me as a letter on Salon.com-- chosen as an Editor's Choice!)

American Values

I got really disgusted in the last presidential election over this issue of "values voting". Here's what I wanted the Democrats to say:

Whatever happened to "American Values"? Honesty, integrity, nonconformity, tolerance, freedom, etc., etc. Whatever happened to "I cannot tell a lie" and "The buck stops here"? Whatever happened to transparency, dissent, debate, and keeping your religious ideas to yourself, respecting that others have different ideas? Whatever happened to the lessons of Vietnam, the Powell Doctrine, and the USA being the good guys? When did the freedom of speech mean that if you say something against the administration you'd have your life torn apart?

I feel like the answer to "our values" is "Our Values"-- American Values. The lessons that we learned when we studied George Washington and Patrick Henry. The values of honesty and standing up for human decency and what is right. The values of hard work, sacrifice, and taking care of our fellow man so that we all live better.

Speaking of which, why can't the conservative corporate world realize that if they support public transportation, their employees can get to work on time? (Here in Austin the conservatives tried to kill light rail, saying that the rich would pay with their taxes but only the poor would use the system.) That if there is a good public school system, they will have educated people to hire? That if the health care system is repaired, their employees won't be out sick all the time? That if they pay a decent wage, people can afford to buy their crap?

There is an answer to the values issue. Hit them with the idea of American Values. I may not be fleshing the idea out enough here, but in essence, I believe that AV would appeal to more voters. The social conservatives might or might not get on board, but it would give them an alternative, we might get some of them. And it would attract the rest of us who don't share their views but also don't want to be labelled as amoral or lacking any kind of value system. We have a value system-- and it includes everyone. It includes the "values voters" because it provides for them to have their own beliefs, while not excluding those who have different ones.

Furthermore, when measured against these American Values, this administration falls on its face. I don't need to delineate all their horrible mistakes, you can read CNN for that. But just taking "I cannot tell a lie" from the first George W.-- Washington-- and there is every reason in the world to fire them. The secrecy, lies, and spin-- combined with the incompetence-- is un-American. Let's hang them with that. Not that they aren't patriotic, I'm sure they love America as much as anyone else, but like a bad boyfriend, they love us and fail us at the same time. We are all human and none of us can perfectly live up to an ideal, but it's still worth having an ideal. Let's measure them against our American Heroes of yore. Let's hold them to a standard-- not the standard of evangelical Christians or fundamentalists of any religion, but to the standard of American values and tradition.

Introduction

I'm a news junkie, a moderately raging liberal, an art whore, and a stay-at-home single mom. I don't leave the house much. If you want to read about exciting days and nights in Prague, find another blog. (I recommend http://www.marcram.com/, a friend from college to whom I haven't spoken in years but whose life I admittedly envy.) But I find that I get these ideas, these strange eggs I lay that often hatch into full-grown Theories, and yet I have no room to house them. So, I have no recourse but to kennel them here and hope they inspire others to do something with them. Fly, thoughts, and be free.

As I said, I don't leave the house much. But I can't say I regret that. My Joy and Love of My Life is here, a beautiful and charming young man of 14-and-a-half months who answers to Jackson, Jackson Bill, Monkey Pants, Love Bug, Sweet Pea, and Naughty Scamp. He has this smirky little grin that just melts me, even though it usually means he's gotten into something he shouldn't.

But even though my day-to-day is full of Mommy Trivia-- diaper rash, number and duration of naps, new teeth, and an ongoing battle against ear wax (of which Jax has an impressively prodigious output)-- which only entertains me and Granny, I promise not to bore any readers I might have with such. Or at least, not too often. Rather I hope this blog will give me an outlet for Adult Conversation, and some use of my brain not involved with my spawn.

All right, I'm going to break that rule right from the outset. My Precious needs a nap. Either that or we are at risk that I will stab his hand with a pen because he won't stop banging on the keyboard. Kidding. Maybe.

Until next time,
SOI