1. The Republican party motivates its people using greed. The Democratic party uses avarice. Either way disgusts me.
2. The Religious Right has no problem gainsaying the parts of the Bible talking about caring for the poor because, damn it, they should be working. Never mind that they do work and have to deal with a set of governmental rules that deny them benefits if they aren't working OR if they're making too much money. If you really want to help people off welfare, start by being less Draconian and start focusing on getting them educated, giving them a base level of health care and day care, and START CREATING SOME JOBS THAT ACTUALLY PAY SOMETHING.
3. Is it truly an economic recovery when the new jobs being created are seasonal and pay less than they did before the bubble? Is it truly a recovery when the $60-80K/year tech jobs are being replaced by $6-8K/year tech jobs in Bangalore? Is it truly a recovery when despite the explosion in productivity and GDP growth 2/3rds of all hiring managers are saying they aren't planning on adding jobs in 2004? Is it truly an economic recovery when I've seen exactly one job ad in the last three months analogous to my current position that pays MORE than my supposedly low government salary?
4. I have no problem with privatizing some parts of government, but this Friedmanite mantra about making the whole damn thing private is really starting to annoy me. Whenever someone brings up the fact that there are a few things the government provides that are, by their nature, unprofitable, someone always says, "If they're unprofitable, we shouldn't provide them." Hey Einstein, has it HIT you yet that quality of life provisions are not profitable by their nature, like parks and recreation?
5. While we were home Susan had to see a doctor right away for an issue involving the pregnancy. We ended up at this for-profit assembly line drop-in clinic, supposedly "the future of medicine." It made my experience with the NHS feel like a trip to the Mayo Clinic. Two hour wait to see a doctor for exactly THREE MINUTES, all for $100. They demanded a co-payment... our insurance has no co-payments. They didn't understand what "NO COPAYMENT" meant. And the thing is, these things are so assembly line that they can run twenty people an hour through the clinic, collect the $2000, and crush all other competition. At least with the NHS you got seven minutes with the doctor, and while there were no walk-ins, you could generally see a doctor in the afternoon with a minimum of wait. Also, I don't recall any of these national health plans on the table in this country talking about running private practices out of business.
6. I have no problem with Social Security reform. Hell, I think it's time we actually made these damn things into accounts and stopped making it this "children pay for the parents" crap. I say you give people three options. Option 1 is the same as now, except that the money is turned into a loan the government must pay interest on. Congress can't touch the money, period. Money, in effect, turns into a 30-year T-bill. Option 2 lets a person invest in the government retirement funds just like a 403(b). Person accepts responsibility
for losses and gains. Option 3 lets a person waive Social Security... but they also waive Medicare, Medicaid, and any other government-run or subsidized personal benefits (except Veterans benefits). That person is on their own -- they are playing without a social safety net. Once you choose to forgo paying for the social safety net, you can't get the benefits back, period. You want retirement? Open yer own IRA. You want Medicare? Start saving for long-term medical care insurance right now.
7. The baby-industrial complex sucks. Infant outfits cost $10... but they outgrown them fast. I really need a Costco card and a storage unit to hold the 2000 diapers we'll go through in year one.
Enough ranting for now.
