Political bargaining with the truth

You can’t bargain with the truth. Whether you’re old or young, we’re going to see what you’ve done. There’ll be nowhere else to run in the end.You can’t bargain with the truth. ‘Cause whether you’re rich or you’re poor, you’re going to meet at the same door; you’re going to know the real score in the end.And if you want to help your fellow man, you better start with what is in your hand.

Cat Stevens

Drill, baby, drill!

I must have way too much time on my hands.

The evidence? I’m watching an inordinate number of political news shows. As a result, in the past month I’ve variously experienced cautious optimism, raw disgust, anger, “you got to be kidding me!” exclamations, and downright concern about the intelligence of our nation. My husband declares that the whole political system should be revamped. After all, eighteen-plus months is just too long to elect a president. 

OK, fair warning….if you haven’t already guessed, this is a rant.

You could argue that scurrilous, untrue and dishonest advertisements are just part of the game.  

But why does it have to be that way? How does a campaign—and for that matter, the candidate—feel good with itself when it misrepresents the facts? Obama wanted to provide sex education to kindergartners?? Get a grip. Obama wants to raise your taxes…yeah, if you are in the top 1% annual income bracket. It goes on and on and on. And even sadder, Obama has been pressed to respond in kind. What happened to the two candidates who declared that this election would occur on a higher plane? 

But what frustrates me the most is that people—voters—don’t bother to check out the facts contained in those ads or in the ridiculous emails that travel the Internet at warp speed. People read them and think, “Geez, Obama’s a Muslim! Did you know that he was sworn in on a Koran?” 

Just because it was in an email – does that make it true? Why not check out the facts? Don’t trust potentially partisan sources? Then go to http://www.factcheck.org/, www.snopes.com,  or www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter. The  Democrats and Barack Obama are not totally clean either, but to me the Republicans have been totally irresponsible. Their motto? The best defense is offense. 

And when does repeating and repeating something (like claiming you were against the Bridge to Nowhere) make it a reality when all the facts say otherwise? 

One last shout-out: those of you who say you can’t possibly vote for Obama because he doesn’t put his hand over his heart during the national anthem, please admit the truth. You plan not to vote for him because you don’t agree with his proposed policies—equal pay for women, affordable health care for all, doing nation building here rather than in Iraq, among others—or you just can’t see voting for a Democrat under any circumstances. I can accept those reasons (well, kind of), but please don’t use phony excuses.  

Gimme, gimme, gimme. It seems we want it all. The current financial crisis is just the latest—and most stratospheric—example of greed and irresponsibility. Finally we have proof that Gordon Gekko, in the film Wall Street, was wrong when he said “Greed is good.” 

Right now it feels more like the 2007 film, “There Will Be Blood.” 

Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and AIG. As I’m writing this, it’s certain more institutions will join the list. Their CEOs walk or are sent away with millions and the American taxpayer is saddled with an historic $700 billion pile of poop. Many say that unregulated markets are supposed to be free to fail or to heal themselves; others remind us that our financial inner workings are so complex and fundamental to our nation’s health that we have to do something.  

I know I don’t understand it all. Do you? With all the slicing and dicing that went on with sub-prime mortgages, how can anyone sufficiently wrap their arms around the extent of the problem? The 3-page Paulson bailout “plan” will no doubt be picked apart by every possible senator and representative—and rightly so. Let’s hope that any bailout plan includes no golden parachutes, as much help for Main Street as there is for Wall Street, and strict bipartisan oversight. 

And what about those individuals facing foreclosures because they were tricked into signing on the bottom line of mortgages they didn’t understand and certainly couldn’t afford? Yes, there should be personal accountability and someone making $50,000 shouldn’t be buying a $750,000 house. But shouldn’t the lender prevent that from happening when they see the borrower’s financial statement? If they ask for it. 

In our society, everyone wants what they want and they want it NOW. Consider the 20 year-old who’s making $22,000 and really wants that big screen TV. He can’t afford it, so he charges it. It’s not surprising, then, that collectively, we share 2.6 trillion dollars of consumer debt. (And note that consumer debt does not include debt secured by real estate.) Another depressing statistic: our nation has the lowest level of savings of any developed nation. 

And don’t get me going about the political pandering to the “me me me” constituency. Gas tax holiday? Gimme me a break. Rather than getting behind an energy plan that will make us energy independent in ten years, we want an extra $30 a month in our pockets. 

Admit it—sacrifice is not in our vocabulary. 

Drill here, drill now….even when it won’t lower our gasoline prices any time in the next decade and doesn’t do a single thing to aid our energy independence, let alone move the needle on climate change.  

The fact that Democrats have decided to allow a quarter-century ban on drilling for oil off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to expire—thus conceding defeat in a months-long battle with the White House and Republicans—makes my stomach knot up. 

When will we ever get serious about clean and renewable energy?

 I’m stunned by the number of people who have decided to vote for McCain-Palin because “she is like me.”  What is that all about? It’s similar thinking about having a beer with Bush that got us the mess of the last eight years. 

If you didn’t see it, read Jane’s blog, Freedom to Choose. She’s lays it on the line with regard to Sarah Palin. 

I want a President that’s smarter than me, not someone who knows how to dress a moose. Someone not prone to rash decision making, a person who’s curious, thinks deeply, considers diverging views and turns a difficult topic into pure inspiration. What’s wrong with great oratory style and a desire to make us better than we already are? 

Fortunately, as each interview is conducted with Palin, she is revealed as the lightweight she really is. I think I have more foreign policy experience from my world travels than she does from being able to see Russia from her house! And now there are rumors that the Republicans are trying to have the Vice Presidential debate delayed. Hmmm, wonder why?

 I’m going to need a long nap after November 4.

I’m fortunate that my lane change has resulted in me having the time and energy to get engaged....by being more connected with my community and by becoming an informed participant in our country’s political process.

What are you trying to accomplish with your lane change? How do you feel about the election this year?

Shout out!

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