Monthly Archives: June 2009

Other People’s Big Government

We humans are a funny lot. Most of us can see the flaws in others and miss our own; “do as I say, not as I do” generally being the rule of the day. For my part, I am publishing this blog to attempt reasonable discussion of political issues in spite of my own tendencies towards well, being unreasonable.

Taxes and “Big Government” are my two favorite examples of what my wife tenderly calls, “what’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is mine”. Everyone, and that means you Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Conservative, wants big ticket programs from your governments, federal, state and local. Everyone, and now I am writing of you Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Liberal, despises the notion of paying ANY tax. And so, one of the fundamental obstacles of our democracy is the endless attempt to win the argument over what we the people buy and who pays for it.

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The Rational Middle: The Performance Enhanced Culture

I love my Dodgers. Vin Scully still calls the games, the uniforms are timeless, the stadium is privately financed (not to mention functional, beautiful, and stocked with great food!), and the team is playing as well as it has in my lifetime.

And Manny Ramirez is coming back….
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Cap and Trade ism

Don’t you love how politicians (Democrat or Republican) are able to create new dirty words out of just about anything! While the environmental left screams about the evils of big business, the right is on a mission to turn “Cap and Trade” into one of Carlin’s “seven words you can’t say on television”. Now that the House has passed a Cap and Trade bill, you can be sure that “socialist, communist, and big government” are soon to follow.

The rational middle says to both sides, “Put down your slogans, step away from the slogans!”

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Foreign Politics?

A quick post today on Iran and North Korea and notions of an “appropriate response”.

The usual lineup of critics on both sides of our artificial political fence have been taking shots at President Obama for his handling of flash points in Iran and North Korea, and to a lesser extent, China. The left wants strong condemnation, appeals to the U.N., sanctions, and support for various human rights groups; the right wants tough talk and an aggressive, military first posture.

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The health care circular firing squad

The debate over health care is fast reaching a fever pitch of sloganeering and circular arguments. A screaming collection of cowboys driving herds of mooing cattle over the landscape have come close to derailing any real action that seemed probable just a few months ago. On the right, a phalanx of insurance companies, big pharma, and the AMA; on the left, a scrum of typically weak Democratic senators. The rational middle is, at the moment, looking for cover in the crossfire. I think it is time to step into the body armor and state a few facts.

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By way of introduction…

The rational middle is the area occupied by most Americans in the absence of cable news and talk radio of any persuasion. It is my contention that the solutions to most of our problems, and the strategies that allow us to exploit most of our opportunities live in the middle. I will try to avoid the campaign cliche and the political catch phrase as I explore the news of the week, and I will also attempt to cite neutral sources in support of my opinions. As a break from the stress of politics (and as therapy for my sportsfanitis) I will also look at topics in the world of sports. I hope you will join the conversation on a regular basis and add your voices to those of us in the middle who are tired of the left and right.