Saturday, August 3, 2013

Making Enemies

THE REPUBLICANS in the united states house of representatives voted, for what was at least the fortieth time, to repeal obamacare. Its purely symbolic, of course. they know there is only a vanishingly small chance of the rest of the federal government agreeing to repeal it. they are trying to make a point, make a statement, which, it seems we must all, absolutely, do.

Sometimes you wonder whether in fact it might be better if most of us merely remained silent.

Soon enough we will once again enjoy the now annual drama of whether the federal debt limit will be raised, or whether the country will default, which, we are told would reult in all manner of biblically proportioned cataclysm. 

Also, there is the mater of the ederal appellate court in washington D.C., which the republicans refuse to allow obama to fully stock, claiming that six appellate justices are plenty, nine are not needed. Since the added three would doubtless be liberals, of course they aren't needed.

If you're of a certain age in america, you fondly remember the days of howard baker, tip o'neill, and compromise. harry reid, ted crtuz, marcorubio and the current crop seem like buffoons by comparison.

Perhapsit is inevitable, that as the gap between the rich and the poor becomes ever greater in america, that the gap between liberal and conservative becomes proportionately greater, the political discourse proportionately more rancorous and hateful, and the level of vitriole in the media and public discourse proportionately higher.  

We are currently living in an ear of opposing any idea whcih emanates from your opponent, whether its a good idea or not. Politics by ideology, rather than by reason and compromise.

We probably wouldn't all get along all the time even if there were one big middle class, and very small wealthy and poor classes, and economic equality reigned throughout the land. But we would probably get along better, much better, than we do now.

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