Write Lightning is a blog from writer Deb Thompson.
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Politics
Mon, Oct 19 2009
No, and nothing but no
I just deleted a whole blog post on health care reform because my emotions are too high to make my point in one or two paragraphs. For now I will just say that I will not support any form of government-run plan, including any of the ones House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has come up with recently. Each suggestion for reform becomes more ludicrous than the last, including the notion that people should be fined for not buying health care. If that's their best idea for reform then they are making the best case for why they shouldn't be doing this at all. I will not support government-run health care. And I will not vote for any politician who does. I can't tell the rest of you what to do. But I hope you will at least study the history of health care, the history of other government-run programs and consider the chances for success if the government makes your health care decisions for you.
posted at: 15:18 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
I just deleted a whole blog post on health care reform because my emotions are too high to make my point in one or two paragraphs. For now I will just say that I will not support any form of government-run plan, including any of the ones House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has come up with recently. Each suggestion for reform becomes more ludicrous than the last, including the notion that people should be fined for not buying health care. If that's their best idea for reform then they are making the best case for why they shouldn't be doing this at all. I will not support government-run health care. And I will not vote for any politician who does. I can't tell the rest of you what to do. But I hope you will at least study the history of health care, the history of other government-run programs and consider the chances for success if the government makes your health care decisions for you.
posted at: 15:18 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
Tue, Sep 08 2009
American know-how or American know-it-alls?
I was heartened by the fact that many people gave President Obama's talk to students a fair chance today. It's a little frustrating when folks get so frozen in one major party or another that they see everything in black and white when the world is so many colors. I've always remembered that President Bush was readng to children at a school when he received the news about the events of 9-11. It was a shame that it happened at all, but in some ways it was kind of comforting (in an odd sort of way) to know that our country's major political leader could be going about his day doing something simple for children and have his day shocked the same way the rest of us did. It never occurred to me to make his visit to the children political, except to see that it was the kind of thing that presidents do. Thank goodness he didn't read about elephants or donkeys that day. It might have looked partisan and started a big row among those waiting for a chance to throw a verbal punch.
Can't we just enjoy President Obama talking to kids? I'm all for choice and fairness and respect, but this partisan bickering is starting to look silly and irresponsible to me. I don't want to be negative, so I'll just say that I hope we can focus on the issues and stop labeling people as liberal/stupid and conservative/stupid. With the anniversary of 9-11 coming up in a couple of days, this is a great time to focus on pulling together and helping one another along the trail. It's okay to have a joke or two and express our opinions, but the name-calling and personal ridicule are making both those who claim to be liberal and those who claim to be conservative both look mean-spirited and evil-minded. We can be better than this.
posted at: 19:27 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
I was heartened by the fact that many people gave President Obama's talk to students a fair chance today. It's a little frustrating when folks get so frozen in one major party or another that they see everything in black and white when the world is so many colors. I've always remembered that President Bush was readng to children at a school when he received the news about the events of 9-11. It was a shame that it happened at all, but in some ways it was kind of comforting (in an odd sort of way) to know that our country's major political leader could be going about his day doing something simple for children and have his day shocked the same way the rest of us did. It never occurred to me to make his visit to the children political, except to see that it was the kind of thing that presidents do. Thank goodness he didn't read about elephants or donkeys that day. It might have looked partisan and started a big row among those waiting for a chance to throw a verbal punch.
Can't we just enjoy President Obama talking to kids? I'm all for choice and fairness and respect, but this partisan bickering is starting to look silly and irresponsible to me. I don't want to be negative, so I'll just say that I hope we can focus on the issues and stop labeling people as liberal/stupid and conservative/stupid. With the anniversary of 9-11 coming up in a couple of days, this is a great time to focus on pulling together and helping one another along the trail. It's okay to have a joke or two and express our opinions, but the name-calling and personal ridicule are making both those who claim to be liberal and those who claim to be conservative both look mean-spirited and evil-minded. We can be better than this.
posted at: 19:27 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
Wed, Jul 01 2009
One tiny corner of a story of the buried difficulties with our state budget
In the midst of all the other fiscal lunacy going on in California, I ran across a story at the Chico Enterprise Record web site, involving houseboat owners at Bidwell Canyon Marina in Oroville. I went and had a look at the Bidwell Marina site, but there doesn't seem to be any news of evictions or contracts or anything else. If 900 boaters are being told to leave, I would want to know that before I got myself too entrenched in any plans at all at the marina.
I'm wondering how many other dramas are being played out at various parks and recreation areas all over the state. I hate to see the National Park Service take over, which is something that has been talked about lately. States seem to have fewer and fewer options apart from the federal umbrella as it is. I'd like to see as much state power left to states as is reasonably possible.
posted at: 16:58 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
In the midst of all the other fiscal lunacy going on in California, I ran across a story at the Chico Enterprise Record web site, involving houseboat owners at Bidwell Canyon Marina in Oroville. I went and had a look at the Bidwell Marina site, but there doesn't seem to be any news of evictions or contracts or anything else. If 900 boaters are being told to leave, I would want to know that before I got myself too entrenched in any plans at all at the marina.
I'm wondering how many other dramas are being played out at various parks and recreation areas all over the state. I hate to see the National Park Service take over, which is something that has been talked about lately. States seem to have fewer and fewer options apart from the federal umbrella as it is. I'd like to see as much state power left to states as is reasonably possible.
posted at: 16:58 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
Wed, May 20 2009
D.C. politicians have a spit-wad contest while Californians just say no
There's just too much name-calling going on in Washington this week for me to link to any of those current news stories. It's the type of silly drama I'd expect from little children, but not from grown men and women drawing a salary on taxpayer money.
Meanwhile, yesterday the citizens in California voted to make do with less on a state-wide level. I don't really think it was a knock against one politician or another here. Taxpayers are just feeling stretched on a rack right now. Some of us have given up cable TV and going on vacation. Many have traded eating out for eating in, and a few are having to also cut back on supplies for eating in. Some of us have tightened our belts so much that tummies are close to touching backbones. Of course, if we can feel our backbones, that may be the best thing for us, because backbone is exactly what it's going to take to get things done. And this time we're not in the mood to do it without stressing a few officeholders at the same time. Have you heard of the No Budget No Pay movement? I'm thinking that yesterday was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to taxpayer angst.
posted at: 11:55 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
There's just too much name-calling going on in Washington this week for me to link to any of those current news stories. It's the type of silly drama I'd expect from little children, but not from grown men and women drawing a salary on taxpayer money.
Meanwhile, yesterday the citizens in California voted to make do with less on a state-wide level. I don't really think it was a knock against one politician or another here. Taxpayers are just feeling stretched on a rack right now. Some of us have given up cable TV and going on vacation. Many have traded eating out for eating in, and a few are having to also cut back on supplies for eating in. Some of us have tightened our belts so much that tummies are close to touching backbones. Of course, if we can feel our backbones, that may be the best thing for us, because backbone is exactly what it's going to take to get things done. And this time we're not in the mood to do it without stressing a few officeholders at the same time. Have you heard of the No Budget No Pay movement? I'm thinking that yesterday was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to taxpayer angst.
posted at: 11:55 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
Tue, May 19 2009
California special election
I hope my friends who are working today to help people vote are staying busy, even though predictions were that there would be a light turnout. Californians are voting on six different measures. Meanwhile, Governor Schwarzenegger received an invitation to the White House and I hear he took advantage of using his absentee ballot.
posted at: 13:49 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
I hope my friends who are working today to help people vote are staying busy, even though predictions were that there would be a light turnout. Californians are voting on six different measures. Meanwhile, Governor Schwarzenegger received an invitation to the White House and I hear he took advantage of using his absentee ballot.
posted at: 13:49 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
Mon, May 18 2009
Catholic or not, help us understand, please
I'm not Catholic, but I attended Catholic school from grades 1-8. I can't say I understand Peter Roff's take on President Obama's visit to Notre Dame. I am concerned about separation of church and state, but on the level of individual freedom as established by our founding fathers. (By the way, there were also more than a few founding mothers who influenced things a bit.)
The only difficulty I can see thus far with President Obama's visit would be that he may have used taxpayer money to attend a church function. But that doesn't seem to be the crux of any of the arguments I've heard on this whole affair. People have a right to express their distaste of the visit. I'm just not sure I understand what it is that they find distasteful. Some speak of the right-to-life issue and some speak of other issues. If there is a larger issue over these, I wish someone would express it a bit more precisely so that the rest of us can understand. We might even agree if we knew what the exact issue was. I loathe feeling dense, particularly in church-state matters. But I do admit to feeling dense in this case.
posted at: 15:46 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
I'm not Catholic, but I attended Catholic school from grades 1-8. I can't say I understand Peter Roff's take on President Obama's visit to Notre Dame. I am concerned about separation of church and state, but on the level of individual freedom as established by our founding fathers. (By the way, there were also more than a few founding mothers who influenced things a bit.)
The only difficulty I can see thus far with President Obama's visit would be that he may have used taxpayer money to attend a church function. But that doesn't seem to be the crux of any of the arguments I've heard on this whole affair. People have a right to express their distaste of the visit. I'm just not sure I understand what it is that they find distasteful. Some speak of the right-to-life issue and some speak of other issues. If there is a larger issue over these, I wish someone would express it a bit more precisely so that the rest of us can understand. We might even agree if we knew what the exact issue was. I loathe feeling dense, particularly in church-state matters. But I do admit to feeling dense in this case.
posted at: 15:46 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
Thu, May 14 2009
If you don't like Dick Cheney being the one on the soapbox...
There are so many strong personalities mentioned in this piece that I'm having trouble digesting it all. I'm neither Republican nor Democrat, but it seems to me that when you have a spokesperson, self-appointed or otherwise, who is so controversial that people don't know whether to trot him out or lock him up in a dark stall, maybe you need to push a few dozen more horses out of the barn and into the arena. Where are the up-and-coming Republicans who will either grab these issues and cast out the demons of the past or who will make us forget by focusing on the future?
posted at: 09:52 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
There are so many strong personalities mentioned in this piece that I'm having trouble digesting it all. I'm neither Republican nor Democrat, but it seems to me that when you have a spokesperson, self-appointed or otherwise, who is so controversial that people don't know whether to trot him out or lock him up in a dark stall, maybe you need to push a few dozen more horses out of the barn and into the arena. Where are the up-and-coming Republicans who will either grab these issues and cast out the demons of the past or who will make us forget by focusing on the future?
posted at: 09:52 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
