Indignant Desert Birds

It seems that Mitch McConnell hates the fact that Democrats won’t go along with his ideas. The fact that his ideas are terrible is sort of besides the point. Remember that gridlock comes, not from congressional obstinance, but from legitimate disagreement about the best course of action for America. That disagreement is good and healthy, but in order to properly weigh and measure which side has the better plan, they must be allowed to implement that plan.

So McConnall has a… call it a vestige of a point. The American political system really is broken. In 2008, Americans elected Obama and a huge Democratic majority. They promised to pass a huge stimulus, pass healthcare reform, and end the war in Iraq.

We ended up with… a continued involvement in Iraq, a barely adequate healthcare reform, and a Federal economic stimulus that almost (but didn’t quite) do enough to cover the anti-stimulus being done by the various states.

The reasons for this had little to do with the leadership of Obama or Pelosi (or Reid!), and everything to do with the mechanics of Congress. It is shockingly easy for a small group of elected officials to gum up all of Congress and keep it from doing anything. Blaming Obama for this is a bit like blaming an engine installer for auto body damage.

If we tried the Democratic plan and it failed, I’d agree that McConnell should be allowed his turn to fix things. Instead, he was able to block the Democrats from implementing their plans, and is furious that Democrats are able to block his.

Tags: conservative, pestilence, politics by Punning Pundit
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Well, Pink Polo moved, wanton frolicking got a new job, and I… was helping people do stuff. So, we’re back. And to prove it, here’s a picture of our favorite and most indignant of all the desert birds:

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more animals

I know I’ve not put up much of substance since I’ve been back; I’ve been busy looking for work. Looking for work is almost as much fun as actually working, but the pay is a lot worse. If you’re interested in hiring me, I’m an HR/Sales sort looking for work in the SF Bay Area or the DC metro area. I got myself a taste of politics and it’s the best drug ever.*

To keep myself from stabbing myself in the eye out of shear boredom, I’ve been playing games. Specifically Civ4 and Fallout3. Fallout 3 was designed, I think, to remind me how bad I am at FPSs. Thank the gods for the VATS system; otherwise I’d never hit a damned thing. So far the quests are much more than the usual sort of “kill kill kill” grind typical of RPGs, and I’m rather enjoying that I can get XP for _failing_ to blow up a city.

Speaking of grinding, I’m off to apply for more work. But if you drop me a line, I could be up for a bit of Left 4 Dead…

*I’m comparing this to the zero other drugs I’ve used.

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Throughout the 1990s, attempts were made at raising Fuel efficiency standards. Every time a new bill would go before congress, American automakers would say that, in effect, American jobs would be lost since American companies were not as capable as Japanese or European car companies.

Congress did the dishonorable thing and caved.

Of course, as gas prices have set new records, American auto sales have plummeted. And so factories are closing and workers are being laid off. Executives, on the other hand, the ones who lobbied congress and refused to proactively head off this problem– they’re doing just fine. Even if they are fired, they won’t lose their lifestyle, their houses, and so forth. Their children will still have had the best health care, education, and toys money can buy. Many of these children will think of themselves as “self made”…

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