fiscal cliff
Watching the House vote on the Senate’s bill to avoid the fiscal cliff last night, I was struck by how relieving it can be to watch our leaders to their jobs. When the votes were tallied, we saw forward movement, with Reps. Boehner and Paul voting in favor of the necessary legislation. A splinter of hope was realized in the middle of the night on New Year’s Day. Rationality won out over ideology.
What has nearly broken our union time and again is a devotion to identity politics: so often we vote for candidates we think are like ourselves rather than the best people for the jobs. President Obama’s administration has been harassed and harangued by politicians and a media outlet obsessed with how his identity is different than theirs- and consequently, they’ve felt him unworthy of their support. At last, we are seeing that strident belief begin to weaken, and a glimmer of logic shines in. Read more
The end of the world came and went and instead of a Mayan apocalypse, we saw the NRA proposing its own.
The Christmas holiday came and went and instead of creating peace on earth, we scuttled Santa's sleigh with drone strikes.
The fiscal cliff's about to come and go & though no deal is better than a bad deal, both sides will use the dire, urgent moment to push unwanted, unnecessary ideas.
Seems like the biggest disasters aren't made by Mayan prophecies but the ones we bring on ourselves.
Let's put away our guns and drones, man-made crises & political apocalypses -- and instead of ending the world, how about we just end the year?
Here's to a healthy, happy, big-hearted more progressively prosperous new year.
In the meantime, share a night with us, sharing reflections, resolutions & a toast at your local progressive social club.
DRINKING LIBERALLY Find - or start - a chapter near you.
Tax fairness is a pillar of a successful economy but the GOP wants to further tax cuts for the rich without saying how they'll pay for those cuts...meaning working Americans will pay the tab.
Our social safety net has strengthened our society but the Tea Party wants to slash entitlements...yet won't name particular programs they'd cut.
We want revenue to keep our country running, but conservatives argue for closing loopholes...without showing how that can add up.
One side is arguing for a stronger America. The other side isn't making an argument at all.
We want the New Deal. They are offering No Deal.
At least we know who we're dealing with.
Deal yourself in for a coupe of rounds of good conversation with great company at your local progressive social club.
DRINKING LIBERALLY
Find - or start - a chapter near you.
Those who poured out in droves to vote for President Obama, who by the way, won a second term in office, deserve to have what they stood in long lines on Election Day for. The Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare, is part of that.
It seems that Republican House Speaker John Boehner does not get it; President Obama won and his signature health care law stands. Our health care system is not going to go back to emergency room care for those who cannot afford health insurance, and tens of millions of Americans without decent care. It is time to move forward, with the full implementation of the law taking effect in 2014, just a little over a year away. Read more
