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the Good, the Bad and the Government
Author: Raine    Date: 10/18/2013 13:07:43

I hate politicians, they're all the same. I hate politics, it's a dirty game. I hate DC, it's filled with swine. 'I hate the government', so many whine.

They hate it all until they need it. Sometimes, they don't even know they need it.
On the last day of September, an empty Chicago Transit Authority train somehow rumbled down the tracks and crashed into another train, injuring a few dozen passengers. The National Transportation Safety Board dispatched investigators, and they kept working when the shutdown started the next day because they were "essential." But the agency furloughed others whose job is to explain to the public what happened.

So millions of commuters used the transit lines without knowing more about what caused the crash. (snip)

Children learned the meaning of shutdown when they got home and booted up computers to do homework. From the U.S. Census bureau site to NASA maps, they were greeted by alerts that said government sites were down "due to the shutdown."

Linda Koplin, a math teacher in Oak Park, a Chicago suburb, asked her sixth-grade pupils to use a reliable online source to find the highest and lowest elevations.

"They were able to find all the elevations for the rest of the continents but they couldn't find information for their continent," Koplin said.
Then there are the personal stories. Little known to many is that government contractors put on furlough will not receive back pay. Lost on many people is that not all government contractors make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. They aren't all Haliburton, Kellogg Root & Brown, Raytheon, Caci -- the list could go on.

Some workers are line cooks at museum cafeterias:
He is a line cook at the American Indian Smithsonian Museum on the National Mall. Anderson is not a government employee. He's a contract worker - the government hires his company to make the food for visitors to the museum. When the shutdown closed the museum, Anderson lost his job. He'll now presumably be able to go back to work, but unlike federal workers, he won't get back pay. And he could use that back pay: Anderson is a divorced father of two who usually brings home about $350 a week after taxes and child support. His 16-year-old son lives with him in Washington but commutes by bus and train to high school in Maryland every day.
This man deserved a functioning government. This man deserved to be able to support his family.

We deserve a functioning government. Yesterday, the President said the following:
And we hear all the time about how government is the problem. Well, it turns out we rely on it in a whole lot of ways. Not only does it keep us strong through our military and our law enforcement, it plays a vital role in caring for our seniors and our veterans, educating our kids, making sure our workers are trained for the jobs that are being created, arming our businesses with the best science and technology so they can compete with companies from other countries. It plays a key role in keeping our food and our toys and our workplaces safe. It helps folks rebuild after a storm. It conserves our natural resources. It finances startups. It helps to sell our products overseas. It provides security to our diplomats abroad.

So let's work together to make government work better instead of treating it like an enemy or purposely making it work worse. That's not what the founders of this nation envisioned when they gave us the gift of self-government. You don't like a particular policy or a particular president? Then argue for your position. Go out there and win an election. Push to change it. But don't break it. Don't break what our predecessors spent over two centuries building. That's not being faithful to what this country's about.

The ongoing hatred spurned by extremists in the GOP is adding to a very ugly discourse in this country. Things took a very bad turn over 30 years ago after famed libertarian Ronald Reagan said: The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.' Wait, what? I bet you're asking 'I thought the Gipper was the GOP hero?' Well, there you go again.... in 1975, he also said, "I don't believe in a government that protects us from ourselves."
In addition, in recent months Reagan has taken to using the term "libertarian" (or "libertarian-conservative") to describe his political philosophy.

REASON: Governor Reagan, you have been quoted in the press as saying that you’re doing a lot of speaking now on behalf of the philosophy of conservatism and libertarianism. Is there a difference between the two?

REAGAN: If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism. I think conservatism is really a misnomer just as liberalism is a misnomer for the liberals–if we were back in the days of the Revolution, so-called conservatives today would be the Liberals and the liberals would be the Tories. The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom and this is a pretty general description also of what libertarianism is.

Now, I can’t say that I will agree with all the things that the present group who call themselves Libertarians in the sense of a party say, because I think that like in any political movement there are shades, and there are libertarians who are almost over at the point of wanting no government at all or anarchy. I believe there are legitimate government functions. There is a legitimate need in an orderly society for some government to maintain freedom or we will have tyranny by individuals. The strongest man on the block will run the neighborhood. We have government to insure that we don’t each one of us have to carry a club to defend ourselves. But again, I stand on my statement that I think that libertarianism and conservatism are travelling the same path.
How wrong he was. In the years after that interview, after his election, we have seen the Republican party take the Reagan mantra to teach the middle class to hate government. Libertarianism has taken over the Republican party.
Teaching the middle class to hate their government was an essential part of the plan to implement Corporate Feudalism. A middle class cannot exist without a strong government. This is because only a government has the power to stand up to the giant corporations of today’s world, or the powerful individuals and private armies of earlier times. It is the government that enforces the laws to protect the middle class from those who would like to become their economic rulers. That is why prior to the Industrial Revolution and the creation of the middle class all economies were run according to some version of the feudal system. If you want to put an end to the middle class and replace it with a feudal republic, you would need to change people’s perception of their government.
30 years later, we have gone through another Republican-led government shutdown that cost our nation 24 billion dollars. We have seen people pushed to the brink economically. Businesses have suffered. Children ceased receiving life saving medical treatments, and of course, the veterans.

Good government works. It works when we stop believing the mantra that it is something to be hated. It works when we stop electing libertarian conservatives funded by billionaires. It works when we elect people who will represent our values as opposed to what we are told to believe. It works when we believe in ourselves without the filter of anger and hate. It works when we research and understand the issues at hand. Trust but verify. (Ironically, also attributed to Ronald Reagan) Trusting in ourselves and our choices allows us to elect trustworthy representatives. It works when we don't demonize what was given to us by the founding fathers.

Good government doesn't necessarily mean big or small. Good government is efficient. Our elected officials need to start focusing on good governance as opposed to crisis governance. Too many elected representatives feed the fear and anger that simply allows the cycle of learning to hate government. It's dysfunctional and unhealthy to our psyche as a nation. There is nothing wrong with good governance. Imagine a day in your life without the benefits that good, functioning government has brought over the decades: A Day in Your Life.

I am a Democrat. I am a liberal. I believe in a multi-party political system. I believe in healthy debate and discourse. I believe in voting and I believe in trying to make things better. I believe in letting our elected officials know when I believe they are wrong and I believe in trying to help them see solutions. I believe in being an active participatory citizen. I believe in good government. Our constitution allows for us to always strive to make this a more perfect nation. It should not provide for people to demonize our government -- and our country.

and
Raine
 

77 comments (Latest Comment: 10/19/2013 01:18:42 by TriSec)
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Comment by trojanrabbit on 10/18/2013 13:20:39
Grr.....

Thanks to Mrs. Rabbit listening to a pushy Verizon Wireless salesperson and her trying to do things she has no business doing (screwing with the phone and internet) we now have no internet at home.

She brought home this stupid device that you're supposed to connect your home phone to that lets the phone be on the wireless account and you can have your phone number transferred to that box.

So I figure that when the phone number was transferred the DSL account it was attached to went away. Never mind the fact she put it in wrong.

She was right there when a different sales weasel tried to sell this thing to me when we bought our phones and I said NO, we had DSL. And he said, you're right, it won't work.

All her Cafeland stuff is going to rot. Good.

Comment by BobR on 10/18/2013 13:23:34
Comment by Mondobubba on 10/18/2013 13:27:02
Mala, I don't know about you, but in a zombie infested post-apocalypse I don't think anyone is going to have the where with all to build a robot to help in zombie evasion. Nor, do I think the firearm vs ax test was valid. Since Adam was using a foam rubber ax that just had to make the head of a zombie they couldn't see what would happen if the ax got stuck in the head of one the walkers.

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/18/2013 13:27:58
Quote by BobR:
What. The. Fuck...





Comment by wickedpam on 10/18/2013 13:29:53
Quote by Mondobubba:
Mala, I don't know about you, but in a zombie infested post-apocalypse I don't think anyone is going to have the where with all to build a robot to help in zombie evasion. Nor, do I think the firearm vs ax test was valid. Since Adam was using a foam rubber ax that just had to make the head of a zombie they couldn't see what would happen if the ax got stuck in the head of one the walkers.



yeah, don't think there will be any robot building so Grant's decoy is kind of a false idea.

good point about the axe. should have tried a machete instead that's a more useful tool and weapon.



Comment by wickedpam on 10/18/2013 13:31:01
Morning all

Just running thru, day off, taking mom's car to get inspected then right back so hopefully I'll get to hear some of the show.

Back later

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/18/2013 13:32:49
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Mala, I don't know about you, but in a zombie infested post-apocalypse I don't think anyone is going to have the where with all to build a robot to help in zombie evasion. Nor, do I think the firearm vs ax test was valid. Since Adam was using a foam rubber ax that just had to make the head of a zombie they couldn't see what would happen if the ax got stuck in the head of one the walkers.



yeah, don't think there will be any robot building so Grant's decoy is kind of a false idea.

good point about the axe. should have tried a machete instead that's a more useful tool and weapon.



I was kinda disappointed. I watched about 2/3 of it and went to bed.


Comment by BobR on 10/18/2013 13:40:37
Quote by trojanrabbit:
Grr.....

Thanks to Mrs. Rabbit listening to a pushy Verizon Wireless salesperson and her trying to do things she has no business doing (screwing with the phone and internet) we now have no internet at home.

She brought home this stupid device that you're supposed to connect your home phone to that lets the phone be on the wireless account and you can have your phone number transferred to that box.

So I figure that when the phone number was transferred the DSL account it was attached to went away. Never mind the fact she put it in wrong.

She was right there when a different sales weasel tried to sell this thing to me when we bought our phones and I said NO, we had DSL. And he said, you're right, it won't work.

All her Cafeland stuff is going to rot. Good.

Oy... why was she in the Verizon store in the first place?

Comment by BobR on 10/18/2013 13:55:22
Comment by trojanrabbit on 10/18/2013 13:58:22
Quote by BobR:
Quote by trojanrabbit:
Grr.....

Thanks to Mrs. Rabbit listening to a pushy Verizon Wireless salesperson and her trying to do things she has no business doing (screwing with the phone and internet) we now have no internet at home.

She brought home this stupid device that you're supposed to connect your home phone to that lets the phone be on the wireless account and you can have your phone number transferred to that box.

So I figure that when the phone number was transferred the DSL account it was attached to went away. Never mind the fact she put it in wrong.

She was right there when a different sales weasel tried to sell this thing to me when we bought our phones and I said NO, we had DSL. And he said, you're right, it won't work.

All her Cafeland stuff is going to rot. Good.

Oy... why was she in the Verizon store in the first place?

Unfortunately, there's a Verizon Wireless kiosk where she works at BJ's.

Comment by TriSec on 10/18/2013 14:02:04
Quote by BobR:
What. The. Fuck...


Hey, at least it wasn't aborted. Right? RIGHT?



Comment by Mondobubba on 10/18/2013 14:06:17
Comment by Mondobubba on 10/18/2013 14:08:50



KEEN!

Comment by TriSec on 10/18/2013 14:29:44
Oh, and certain persons around these parts that tend to denigrate baseball....

Not only am I awaiting an apology, you may also go poop in your hat.

Both series have been outstanding - can't remember finer baseball of recent vintage.



Comment by BobR on 10/18/2013 14:34:19
Quote by TriSec:
Oh, and certain persons around these parts that tend to denigrate baseball....

Not only am I awaiting an apology, you may also go poop in your hat.

Both series have been outstanding - can't remember finer baseball of recent vintage.


Baseball is still going on?

Comment by Raine on 10/18/2013 14:41:28
Speaking of Reagan -- he plays a prominent place in the blog today. (still editing so be kind...)


Comment by Raine on 10/18/2013 14:49:20
BLOG POSTED!


Comment by Mondobubba on 10/18/2013 14:59:11
Quote by Raine:
BLOG POSTED!



And it is excellent! Well said.

Comment by trojanrabbit on 10/18/2013 15:02:27
Of COURSE the whole idea of hiring contractors is you don't have to pay them sick days or vacation days or any of that expensive liberal stuff.

Comment by clintster on 10/18/2013 15:03:37
Just for the record, I am getting really, re-he-heally tired of conservatives (especially Ted Cruz) referring to the "failed" - or "disastrous" - or similarly adjective - Obamacare or FCC policy or stimulus or whatever.

It's Bad Talking Points 101, and it makes them sound like uneducated morons.

(waits patiently for someone else to supply the punchline)

Comment by Scoopster on 10/18/2013 15:04:49
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by Raine:
BLOG POSTED!


And it is excellent! Well said.

Seconded.. Fantastic job today, Raine.

Comment by BobR on 10/18/2013 15:12:38
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by Raine:
BLOG POSTED!


And it is excellent! Well said.

Seconded.. Fantastic job today, Raine.

I love this bit from the "A Day in Your Life" link:
Government benefits are also different because they are often less tangible than the goods we get from a store. These benefits frequently take the form not of the presence of something, but of the absence of something. Think of it this way: much of the job of government in our lives is to ensure that bad things don’t happen to us. We pay taxes so that our homes don’t get burgled, and our food doesn’t make us sick, our banks don't fail, and our bridges don’t collapse. In other words, often when people in government are doing their job right – nothing happens. No wonder no one notices. So while we really do get a lot for with our taxes, we often get it in a form that is largely invisible to us. This is one of the reasons why we too easily fall for the illusion that government is doing nothing for us


Comment by Mondobubba on 10/18/2013 15:29:00
Speaking of hating gummit, this is a very interesting article.

Not one of these ass clowns went to the exchanges to see if they could get a better deal.

Comment by wickedpam on 10/18/2013 15:29:41
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Mala, I don't know about you, but in a zombie infested post-apocalypse I don't think anyone is going to have the where with all to build a robot to help in zombie evasion. Nor, do I think the firearm vs ax test was valid. Since Adam was using a foam rubber ax that just had to make the head of a zombie they couldn't see what would happen if the ax got stuck in the head of one the walkers.



yeah, don't think there will be any robot building so Grant's decoy is kind of a false idea.

good point about the axe. should have tried a machete instead that's a more useful tool and weapon.



I was kinda disappointed. I watched about 2/3 of it and went to bed.


to be honest they were testing stuff against a horde


Comment by Mondobubba on 10/18/2013 15:32:23



This is my favorite quote about Ayn Rand:

There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.
John Rogers.

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/18/2013 15:32:55
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Mala, I don't know about you, but in a zombie infested post-apocalypse I don't think anyone is going to have the where with all to build a robot to help in zombie evasion. Nor, do I think the firearm vs ax test was valid. Since Adam was using a foam rubber ax that just had to make the head of a zombie they couldn't see what would happen if the ax got stuck in the head of one the walkers.



yeah, don't think there will be any robot building so Grant's decoy is kind of a false idea.

good point about the axe. should have tried a machete instead that's a more useful tool and weapon.



I was kinda disappointed. I watched about 2/3 of it and went to bed.


to be honest they were testing stuff against a horde


I was not impressed.

Comment by Raine on 10/18/2013 15:37:54
Quote by BobR:
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by Raine:
BLOG POSTED!


And it is excellent! Well said.

Seconded.. Fantastic job today, Raine.

I love this bit from the "A Day in Your Life" link:
Government benefits are also different because they are often less tangible than the goods we get from a store. These benefits frequently take the form not of the presence of something, but of the absence of something. Think of it this way: much of the job of government in our lives is to ensure that bad things don’t happen to us. We pay taxes so that our homes don’t get burgled, and our food doesn’t make us sick, our banks don't fail, and our bridges don’t collapse. In other words, often when people in government are doing their job right – nothing happens. No wonder no one notices. So while we really do get a lot for with our taxes, we often get it in a form that is largely invisible to us. This is one of the reasons why we too easily fall for the illusion that government is doing nothing for us
I did too.

Thank you all! I absolutely loved reading "A Day in your Life" The whole site is fantastic and I can't believe I hadn't seen it before today.


Comment by Raine on 10/18/2013 15:41:28
I also loved this comic from the link:
https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1174550_10201971272341858_139045924_n.jpg


Comment by wickedpam on 10/18/2013 15:46:36
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Mala, I don't know about you, but in a zombie infested post-apocalypse I don't think anyone is going to have the where with all to build a robot to help in zombie evasion. Nor, do I think the firearm vs ax test was valid. Since Adam was using a foam rubber ax that just had to make the head of a zombie they couldn't see what would happen if the ax got stuck in the head of one the walkers.



yeah, don't think there will be any robot building so Grant's decoy is kind of a false idea.

good point about the axe. should have tried a machete instead that's a more useful tool and weapon.



I was kinda disappointed. I watched about 2/3 of it and went to bed.


to be honest they were testing stuff against a horde


I was not impressed.


it did lack - nice to see Merle though


Comment by Mondobubba on 10/18/2013 15:46:36
Comment by Mondobubba on 10/18/2013 15:48:10
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Mala, I don't know about you, but in a zombie infested post-apocalypse I don't think anyone is going to have the where with all to build a robot to help in zombie evasion. Nor, do I think the firearm vs ax test was valid. Since Adam was using a foam rubber ax that just had to make the head of a zombie they couldn't see what would happen if the ax got stuck in the head of one the walkers.



yeah, don't think there will be any robot building so Grant's decoy is kind of a false idea.

good point about the axe. should have tried a machete instead that's a more useful tool and weapon.



I was kinda disappointed. I watched about 2/3 of it and went to bed.


to be honest they were testing stuff against a horde


I was not impressed.


it did lack - nice to see Merle though



Not to sound hipsterish or anything I was a fan of Michael Rooker before he was so mainstream. :0 Yes, you caught me I was ironically mocking hipsters.

Comment by wickedpam on 10/18/2013 15:49:45
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Mala, I don't know about you, but in a zombie infested post-apocalypse I don't think anyone is going to have the where with all to build a robot to help in zombie evasion. Nor, do I think the firearm vs ax test was valid. Since Adam was using a foam rubber ax that just had to make the head of a zombie they couldn't see what would happen if the ax got stuck in the head of one the walkers.



yeah, don't think there will be any robot building so Grant's decoy is kind of a false idea.

good point about the axe. should have tried a machete instead that's a more useful tool and weapon.



I was kinda disappointed. I watched about 2/3 of it and went to bed.


to be honest they were testing stuff against a horde


I was not impressed.


it did lack - nice to see Merle though



Not to sound hipsterish or anything I was a fan of Michael Rooker before he was so mainstream. :0 Yes, you caught me I was ironically mocking hipsters.





Comment by Raine on 10/18/2013 15:55:00
Former House Speaker Tom Foley has passed away.

Comment by Raine on 10/18/2013 16:02:23
More Democracy, More Trust, and More Government

Certainly many Americans have a legitimate reason to feel disappointed and frustrated with government – it often isn’t being responsive to their needs. Unfortunately, conservatives have been quick to exploit those feelings of alienation to further their own ideological agenda of cutting back on government programs. They argue that if government doesn’t listen to us, then we should reduce it. But the real solution is to make sure that government does listen to us – that all of us do have an equal voice in government. As the American philosopher John Dewey explained: “The cure for the ailments of democracy is more democracy.” And what really needs to be reduced is not government, but the unfair power of affluent special interests. The more we do this, the more we can begin to build back up public trust in government. As our government becomes more representative and more responsive to all Americans, we will all begin to trust it more.
Yup.

Comment by TriSec on 10/18/2013 16:02:25
Quote by Raine:
Former House Speaker Tom Foley has passed away.


Eagle Scout, too. Class of '45.


Comment by Raine on 10/18/2013 16:50:20
Dumbasses.
Three adult Boy Scout leaders may face charges for toppling an approximately 170-million-year-old rock formation in Utah's Goblin Valley State Park, the Salt Lake Tribune reported Thursday.

The men, named on the Tribune YouTube page as Dave Hall, Glenn Taylor and Dylan Taylor, filmed themselves knocking over one of the formations known as "goblins," and cheering after the rocks came down. The video was posted to Facebook and obtained by the Tribune.

"Some little kid was about ready to walk down here and die and Glenn saved his life by getting the boulder out of the way," the person taping the event is heard saying in the video. "So it’s all about saving lives here at Goblin Valley."



Comment by livingonli on 10/18/2013 17:29:27
Good day, folks. I should get a sleep aid since I keep having trouble falling asleep and then I just sleep late.

Comment by BobR on 10/18/2013 17:35:56
Regional Foods, rated. Awesome in its snarkiness, there are some on this blog who will not be amused.

Comment by Raine on 10/18/2013 17:44:30
Quote by BobR:
Regional Foods, rated. Awesome in its snarkiness, there are some on this blog who will not be amused.
Bait, I shall not take.


Comment by Raine on 10/18/2013 17:52:01
http://static.happyplace.com/assets/images/2012/02/4f4d13eea927e.jpeg


Comment by BobR on 10/18/2013 18:15:33
Comment by clintster on 10/18/2013 18:34:48
Quote by BobR:
Regional Foods, rated. Awesome in its snarkiness, there are some on this blog who will not be amused.


Good to see shrimp and grits getting its due, and pork BBQ is rated higher than beef (the soon to be former Mrs. C will NOT be pleased at that one). And I could go back and forth on the placements of Chicago style vs NY style pizza. However, this was my favorite entry of them all:

43. Green Jell-O with goddamn carrots in it (Utah)

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/193i0qqm6yu4ipng/original.png


Come on, Mormons. Goddammit.


Comment by Raine on 10/18/2013 18:35:22
Comment by Mondobubba on 10/18/2013 18:39:11
Quote by Raine:
Quote by BobR:
Regional Foods, rated. Awesome in its snarkiness, there are some on this blog who will not be amused.
Bait, I shall not take.



C'mon Raine you know you are ready to make a Red Bull fueled straight through drive to Deadspin's world HQ for a throw down about pizza.

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/18/2013 18:51:22
Quote by clintster:
Quote by BobR:
Regional Foods, rated. Awesome in its snarkiness, there are some on this blog who will not be amused.


Good to see shrimp and grits getting its due, and pork BBQ is rated higher than beef (the soon to be former Mrs. C will NOT be pleased at that one). And I could go back and forth on the placements of Chicago style vs NY style pizza. However, this was my favorite entry of them all:

43. Green Jell-O with goddamn carrots in it (Utah)

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/193i0qqm6yu4ipng/original.png


Come on, Mormons. Goddammit.





The full-blown rant against Cincinnati chili was epic.

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/18/2013 19:00:24
Comment by clintster on 10/18/2013 19:03:34

I dunno, I think #11 is a little taller than the real thing. Points for that.

Comment by TriSec on 10/18/2013 19:09:36
Quote by BobR:
Regional Foods, rated. Awesome in its snarkiness, there are some on this blog who will not be amused.



Indeed, we are not amused.

I suspect the author was raised on Manhattan clam chowder.

Comment by BobR on 10/18/2013 19:28:04
Quote by clintster:

I dunno, I think #11 is a little taller than the real thing. Points for that.

#14 made me LOL

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