Unfortunate Truths

Perhaps the biggest missing piece in the government funding debate is the fact that revenues generated by taxation exceed the amount necessary to cover the interest on the national debt. This important fact has been ignored or glossed over by both left and right. Why?

Political gain and expediency.

For the Democrats, this is an unfortunate truth that belies the notion that the United States must reach a funding accord or the nation will default on its loans. The truth is we need simply to pay the interest on said debt to prevent defaulting.

For the Republicans, this is an unfortunate truth that removes the hammer they wield in the argument over funding the Affordable Care Act.

Another unfortunate truth is that both sides would rather risk the future solvency of the nation than risk losing their jobs. Both parties run to the cookie jar when constituents clamor for more of anything, fearful of the backlash of unhappy voters. Meanwhile the debt grows.

The Republican answer to the debt is to reduce spending. But what spending should be cut? Every dollar spent by the Federal Government is precious to someone who benefits by it. The idea that raising taxes diminishes job growth has helped to underpinned their argument, but not as much as they hoped.

The Democrat answer is to increase taxes. But which taxes? Rich, poor, and everyone in between wants to keep as much of their income as possible. With so much uncertainty in the world, there is a great desire to keep what's been earned for that impending "rainy day." The class warfare angle has helped, but not as much as they hoped.

The answer will come from "We the People." And I'm afraid we won't like the result.

Another unfortunate truth. Without a change in the hearts of citizens, chaos will inevitably ensue. We see it already. The rule of law is becoming an anachronism. From the smallest things, like ignoring red lights and stop signs because they are inconvenient or the rationale that no one will get hurt if I simply don't stop, to students willing to cheat en masse through cell phones rather than study, to elected officials openly admitting they will not obey the laws of their state and nation.

Jeremiah 17:9 says

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it"

The influence of Judeo-Christian values once mitigated much of the damage done in society, but that influence is eroding quickly. The backlash against such influence is fueled in large part out of a desire to fulfill the needs of self over the needs of the many. Truth that inhibits an individual's personal choices is not only inconvenient, it is seen as unfair. Tolerance is the byword, but like the rule of law it is disbursed judiciously, and only when it doesn't conflict with self gratification.

Law breeds contempt. Contempt breeds chaos. Chaos breeds anarchy. Anarchy breeds Destruction.

Jeremiah 17:10 says

I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."

Shutdown Over Failure

I am so tired of the partisan politics in my country. But I am even more tired of the relentless obfuscation of the truth by the press.

Shortly after the midnight deadline passed, and the Federal Government shut down, BBC News ran with this lead,

The US government has begun a partial shutdown after the Republican-led House of Representatives refused to approve a budget for next year.

The House actually has passed numerous budget bills, several this week in fact. They just weren't anything the Senate like enough to sign onto. Whether or not you agree with their stance on the issues or their decision making, you should still portray the facts accurately.

This is also from the BBC article,

Shortly after midnight, President Obama tweeted: "They actually did it. A group of Republicans in the House just forced a government shutdown over Obamacare instead of passing a real budget."

 It may be true that the President tweeted those remarks, but his argument is disingenuous. He knows full well that both parties are to blame. The Republicans may not be willing to make concessions, but neither are the Democrats.


CNN's coverage began innocently and accurately enough,

"The two sides bickered and blamed each other for more than a week over Obamacare, the president's signature health care law. House Republicans insisted the spending bill include anti-Obamacare amendments. Senate Democrats were just as insistent that it didn't."

But soon drifted.

"Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen said the reason there wasn't a budget deal is because Republicans refused to negotiate months ago.

 "They want to go to conference with 45 minutes left," Van Hollen said late Monday night. "That is a recipe for a government shutdown."

Again, the budget process didn't begin the night of the shutdown. Publishing falsehoods and misrepresentations muddies the waters and leaves one wondering if this wasn't one of the purposes for such reporting in the first place.

The comment on CNN, that "The two sides bickered and blamed each other for more than a week over Obamacare, the president's signature health care law," doesn't tell the whole story either. The truth is the gauntlet was thrown down when the Affordable Care Act was voted upon and signed into law before more than a few had a chance to read it, and before anyone had the the time to digest it.It was pushed fast and furiously by the administration, as though to get it into law before anyone could dissect it.

The Republicans lost when enough of them helped make it law. They will lose this round as well, because the Democratic Party has claimed, with great support from the 5th Estate, the moral high ground.

Voter ID Nonsense

Not too long ago, I went to a restaurant with my son. When he ordered a beer, the waitress asked for his ID. A few days back, I was at a convenience store when a young man asked the clerk for a pack of cigarettes. They carded him as well. When I picked up my prescriptions at the drug store they required a proof of identity before they would give the medicine to me.

With these facts in mind, I wonder. How do seniors and minorities manage to buy alcohol? How do get the store to give them cigarettes? And how do they get the drug store to give them their prescriptions?

Well, you say, they simply pull out a driver's license, or another photo ID, and voila!

Really? It's that simple? Huh. 

A judge in Pennsylvania just blocked a PA voter ID law because he thinks its too hard for seniors and minorities to get an ID in time for the elections. How do they get around? They must all take public transportation. And they don't smoke, and they don't drink.

Democrats say any law requiring voters to show proof of identity is an attempt to prevent minorities and seniors from voting for Obama.

With that logic,

Minorities and seniors must have the lowest lung cancer and alcoholism rates in the world.

Good thing too. They'll never be able to pick up a prescription.

Don't Judge the Player by the Team

I don't know the reasons behind the current strike by National Football Referees, but it sure has raised eyebrows and blood pressures. Officiating sporting events, professional or amateur, has never been an easy thing. Nor has it ever been without controversy.

I suspect that the majority of those who officiate professional sporting events receive hate mail, possibly even death threats. Players who commit errors that lead to their team's defeat do.

Fans gather after a game to scrutinize every play, every decision on and off the field, and every call made by every official. Heated arguments erupt between fan bases of opposing teams. Rivalries sometimes boil over into violence. Sports fans can be very devoted, spending a great deal of their time examining the statistics of an individual player and his or her importance to the game.

So why don't we see the same devotion and passion among people when it comes to choosing their political representatives?

I'm an Orioles fan. I like to know if Adam Jones can hit sliders down and away. I want to know how Matt Wietters bats against left handers.

Politically, I want to know if my congressman will support my views. I want to know my representative's stand on the issues. And, just as I will demonstrate my support for a good ballplayer and my lack of support for a poor one, I will support those who prove to me that they will represent my views in congress.

To do that, I need to understand the issues. I need to see how a given politician reacts to these issues. How else can I make an educated vote? I read the opinions of sports analysts from different organizations to better understand a play or player. I need to do the same with issues and politicians  before I vote.

Sadly, a great many people I know don't see past the party affiliations of the candidates. It's like rooting for a player on your home team regardless of his lack of hustle, his lackluster play on the field, or his inability to follow the manager's orders.

I appreciate ballplayers on many teams. I want my home team to win, but that doesn't stop me from acknowledging the fine play of a player on another team.

If we followed the issues and the politicians as strongly as we follow our sports heroes, we might not be in the fix we're in right now.