Stupidity and Enlightenment

Oh my friends, what an exhausting day I had at the Beer Mine on Tuesday…Wow.

It wasn’t so much physically exhausting as it was mentally exhausting. I was really busy, but that doesn’t bother me at all.

It was the level of stupid and annoying I was encountering from the patrons. Holy Shit!!

Do you have charcoal? What kind of hot dogs do you have? How much is your ice cream?

Folks…we sell beer, pop, and smokes. The name of the place pretty well spells that out, and here’s the topper from yesterday.

Smelly Lady w/a Cold Sore on Her Lip and a Screaming Kid: Do you have chocolate milk?

Me: No, ma’am. We do not sell milk at all.

Smelly Lady w/a Cold Sore on Her Lip and a Screaming Kid: Do you have white milk?

Of course there was also an older man who wanted a bottle of pop. When I told him the price of said bottle of pop, he went ballistic.

This was later in the evening, so at this point I just laughed maniacally, for I knew being pissed off, offered me little emotional relief.

On top of that, It was evident to me that this man had not been out of his house since the Nixon Administration and was unaware of the fact that prices on things have increased somewhat since 1973.

Oy. Anyhoo…

All of this stupidity reminded of something. In a little under two weeks, May 4th to be exact, Ohioans will be going to the polls and voting in our 2010 Primary elections.

And I, after 27 years of being a registered Democrat will be registering as an Independent. And why is that? Because of what I just mentioned, stupidity.

Not on my part of course, but on the part of not only the Democratic party but the Republican party as well.

It has to me become quite evident that the Democratic party has been hijacked by far left loons like Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow and the GOP has been hijacked by right wing nuts like Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin.

It does not make me happy to leave the party.

I have for years successfully run campaigns in Ohio and West By God Virginia for many a Democrat, but while I am and always will be a Liberal, I am not a far left ideologue.

So, on May 4th I will, as an Independent, not be allowed to vote in the Democratic Primary, but will only be able to vote on a local Library tax levy issue and a tax renewal issue involving our local Elderly United organization.

Not very sexy, but it has come to this and it makes sense considering who I am and how I think.

After all, while I dig me the Holy Baby Jeebus, I loathe organized religion regardless of the denomination, so it makes sense that while I love politics, I have come to loathe any and all party affiliations.

I feel the need to make a joke now; a big hilarious finish...but while I do feel somewhat liberated, I feel sour now as well.

I do take my politics seriously.

Cheers!!

Truthers, Birthers, Rachel Maddow, and Glenn Beck Need Not Apply

Well my friends…President Obama addressed Congress last night outlining what he wanted to see in the way of a Health Care Reform bill.

I thought it was a pretty good speech, in spite of amateurish Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) screaming at the President, “You Lie”. C’mon Joe...classless, rude, and stupid is no way to go through life son.

Anyhoo…

Will Obama get what he wants? Will Congress do anything substantial? Eh, I doubt it. Today’s Congress is far too polarized and representatives are far too self serving.

And, because of their propensity for inaction and off the wall claims toward each other from both Democrats and Republicans, I have decided to form a third party. And yes, I am serious.

I know; there are a number of third parties out there…

The Libertarian Party. I have a huge Libertarian streak that runs through me, but as I do enjoy drinking coffee that doesn’t contain shit, I appreciate government run wastewater treatment plants.

And fire departments…I like fire departments. Plus, the 2008 Libertarian Presidential candidate was Bob Barr. I mean, c’mon…Bob Barr?

The Green Party. Are they an annoying, pretentious lot or what? I’ll cut back on my electric use and recycle when I can; quit giving me grief about it.

You guys are emotionally exhausting, and you only have political clout in places where the majority of voters eat gorp and wear Birkenstocks.

The Constitution Party. You’re still riding the success of that 200+ year old document? Anything new?

Oh that’s right, the 27th Amendment which affects Congressional pay raises and was originally introduced by James Madison finally passed in 1992. Zzzzzzzzzz.

There are others, but most of these third parties aren’t serious or are single issues types of parties that have no broad appeal. I, along with others who want to join, am going to build an effective third political party.

With the help of relatively new Bagwine reader and center-right guy, Clay Perry, the platform for this party is already being discussed. But, before we can fully go to work on that, allow me to toss a few thoughts out there.

This party is for people who are open to differing views, can think critically, and most importantly, can think for themselves.

Truthers, Birthers, and other gray matter deprived nut jobs who hang on every word uttered by folks such as Sean Hannity, Keith Olbermann, Glenn Beck, and Rachel Maddow, need not apply for membership. We will just make fun of you.

If you’re interested, I have a couple of things to ask of you. Let me know through comment or e-mail what things should be in our platform. Secondly…Our party needs a name.

For me, The Bagwine Party, came to mind, but then I thought…People would call us Bagwiners. I don’t like the connotation.

The "winer" thing makes us sound like we are politically correct Nanny-Staters, and of course that is a group whom this party will stand firmly against.

So, give me some ideas so that I can get to work on getting a design for our logo.

That’s where I am with this idea so far. I want to pick a local or regional office for which this party can field a candidate in the 2010 election cycle, so time is of the essence.

Help me out folks…Help yourselves out, and help this country out.

Cheers!!

Government 101: Democrats, Republicans, and Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester III

As Obama and the House and Senate are set to return to their jobs after the upcoming Labor Day Weekend, a few thoughts came to my mind in regards as to what troubles our nation.

President Obama, after defeating John McCain took his victory as a mandate for all things Obama.

Many Democrats in the House and Senate saw his victory as an exclamation point on the gains that they had made in Congress during the 2006 and 2008 elections, and in concert with President Obama decided to remake America in their image.

The Republicans?

They want to do nothing…well, other than to instill images of Death Panels, terrorist attacks, and gay married people running amok, into the minds of paranoid Americans.

As soon as Obama assumed office, Congress passed the ginormous stimulus plan in order to feed some financial lithium to an American economy on the edge of deep depression.

I get that.

It was an expensive proposition, but I think that in 9-12 months, the benefits of the stimulus package will begin to pay off for our economy, and even the job numbers, which typically lag behind an economic upswing, will see considerable improvement.

But, after that…

Obama decided to reform our health care system…As our nation’s health care costs are exploding, eating up 1/6th of our economy, and millions go uninsured, it is an admirable goal.

Cost containment, portability, and affordability are issues that must be dealt with.

However, Obama and the Democrats should have limited their reformation of health care to those three health care issues. What’s not to like about those goals? Nothing.

But noooooo, they had to go and push for a complete overhaul while Americans are already nervous about the economy. Boneheads.

On the other side of the aisle?

Republicans want nothing done on this issue, because even those three issues smack of a slap in the face to the free market system and are fascistic, Stalinistic, and any other fearful “istic” phrase they can think of.

The Dems went a bridge too far, and the Republicans want no bridges built at all. Unless, of course, it’s a bridge to nowhere.

On top of that?

The Dems and the Obama administration are pushing for a new energy program, torture investigations, and a dozen other agenda items including repealing the Defense of Marriage Act.

Seriously, the Dems should have kept it simple until the economy turned around and people weren’t bombarded by proposals of change upon change while many Americans are unsure if their job or house will be there tomorrow.

Dems, you should have listened to the Richard Dreyfuss character from “What About Bob” and said to yourselves, “baby steps.”

Republicans, you need to get off your asses and offer counter-proposals…

Quit thinking that change is not needed and saying much like Voltaire’s character, Pangloss from Candide, “This is the best of all possible worlds.”

It’s not. And, I’m sure your tea baggers and town hall meeting naybobs don’t know who the hell Voltaire is anyway.

When I think of our government lately, I think of M*A*S*H. I remember Charles Winchester saying after his first session of surgery saying, “I do one thing. I do it very well, and then I move on.”

Either Hawkeye or BJ replies by saying something like, “Charles, this is meatball surgery. You patch them up and send them on.”

The meatball surgery idea is fine when you are close to a war front, because the wounded in M*A*S*H were sent on to an Evac hospital to be fully healed.

This nation has no Evac hospital. We need to focus on one thing at a time, do it very well, and then move on.

Of course, while Winchester had the right idea as to how to do something, Hawkeye had the right perspective.

Hawkeye was concerned about the patient, Winchester was more concerned about his own reputation.

America is the patient and needs a doctor like Hawkeye AND Winchester without the reputation and reelection seeking habit of Charles...

I doubt that that can happen...

Maybe it was Plato who was right…We need a Philosopher King. We need an Enlightened Absolutist.

What he have now, sure as hell isn’t working.

Cheers!!