Letters to the Editor, 150 Words or Less

In the world of theater productions, there is the concept of presenting 3 one act plays with a similar theme; it's always a fun night out. I tend to be as wordy as a three act play, so here I present a series of 150 word or less vignettes as it were, that would also fit into the constraints of some letters to the editor if necessary.

The Problem With Metaphor
President Obama thinks he has found the perfect metaphor for the economy with, “After they drove the car into the ditch, made it as difficult as possible for us to pull it back, now they want to keys back. No! You can’t drive. We don’t want to have to go back into the ditch. We just got the car out.” But there is a problem with this analogy. As with President Obama, the Clinton Democrats also misread their victory as a ground swell toward socialism; they were so drunk with a perceived mandate, that the American voters put the Republicans back in charge as the designated driver. The problem is when the Democrats where voted back into the driver’s seat, they got drunk again. The car is still in a ditch, and the Democrats think the problem is not enough gasoline; this is still the thought process of a drunk.

Sam Farr, "Let Them Eat Obamacare"
When Sam Farr came to Santa Cruz, discussing the merits of Obamacare, he was asked about coverage and costs under federal control. Farr stated there would be a “cafeteria” plan much like he enjoys as a federal employee, he described his plan for his wife and children as costing $300 a month. Apparently he has been eating from the public trough for so long, he forgot the people were subsidizing his probable $2000 @ month plan. Everything about Obamacare has been a lie. You will not be able to keep your doctor or your old plan, your insurance rates are going to continue to increase and it will still increase the deficit a lot more than “one thin dime”. This is where the President and Democrats have been spending all their attention instead of trying to help the American people get back to work. It’s still the economy stupid!

The Stifling of Ron Williams
I am constantly impressed with Juan Williams’ readiness to discuss his beliefs and those of the left in a reasonable and none threatening matter. In other words, even though I disagree with Juan Williams politically, I admire him as a journalist and his personal integrity, the two being almost mutually exclusive these days, especially from the progressive left. On October 20th, Juan Williams exposed an emotional bias that many have since 911 against those in Muslim "garb" at airports, saying it “makes him nervous". This is not bigotry, it is bringing an emotional belief systems to the surface to be examined. All of us have emotional reactions to persons and situations that do not necessarily reflect our worldview. One can keep them buried and brand any discussion as bigotry and/or racism, or we can open it up for discussion. NPR is obviously more comfortable with the latter than the former.

The CRS Doubts the Constitutionality of Obamacare
The CRS Congressional Research Service is a non-partisan research agency, similar to the Congressional Budget Office. “If a member (of Congress) decides to introduce a bill, CRS analysts can assist the legislator (or his or her staff) in clarifying the purposes of the bill, identifying issues it may address, defining alternative ways for dealing with them, evaluating the possible advantages and disadvantages of each alternative, developing information and arguments to support the bill, and anticipating possible criticisms of the bill and responses to them.” Recently the CRS has released a report casting doubt on constitutionality of Obamacare's “Individual Mandate”. CNSNEWS . Gee, wouldn’t it have been nice to have worked this out before all the political will from the Democrat’s was wasted on Obamacare. So when Nancy Pelosi was asked where the Constitution authorizes congress to order Americans to buy health insurance was, and she replied with, “Are you serious?” A follow-up statement should been, “Well, yeah.”

Through the Eyes of an Independent.
It is difficult for a partisan to understand an independent. It starts with the belief that either party is just a capable to run the country. The current trend toward voting out incumbents has little to do with any conservative mandate. What the Independents want is the balance our founding fathers tried to build into the system. Independents tend to ignore negative politicking, they are more concerned with a candidates strengths and beliefs, rather than weaknesses viewed through a partisan prism. It is a misnomer that the American voter is easy swayed or manipulated. The reality is, after generations of being the target of the most sophisticated marketing strategies ever conceived, the American voter has become the most difficult group of people on the planet to manipulate. But they continue to be offered everything but what they really want; honesty and transparency.

Those Sexy Financial Instruments
The purpose of the stock market is for a business to sell stocks, or a percentage of ownership, so the money can be used to grow the business and the investor can share in the profits. The Glass-Stegall Act (1933), stopped the practice of betting on stock movements; a form of legalized gambling. When Glass-Stegall was repealed in 1999, the practice resumed as naked derivatives. Rather than inject money into business or economy, these derivatives allow investment banks to create debt on a scale never believed possible because they are not based on the purchase of any underlying assets, but a bet on whether they will go up or down. The problem with these instruments is their uselessness; they’re identical to playing craps, where the shooter is betting $5 on the pass line and there is a $100,000 being played on odds bets. But there is no funding of anything.

Democrats; Their Own Worst Enemy
The President and Democrats have been trying to convince voters that the problem in Washington is the Republicans so called obstructionism. Certainly there can be no doubt that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, with the help of President Obama has created the most partisan Congress in modern history. The plan was simple, the Democrats believed, since they had the Presidency and control of both houses, a filibuster proof Senate and near 2/3 House, there was no need to include the Republicans in any of the Health Care reform debates. The only offer of bi-partisanship to the Republicans was to vote for what ever bill Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi came up with. But half the Democrats wanted single payer and the other half did not. Still, in their arrogance they thought could pass a bill needing 100% agreement without the Republicans; the result stymied the Democratic Party and there lies the blame.