You know what we value most as a nation by what we are not allowed to take on without widespread hysteria. The illuminating metaphor is known as the “third rail” of politics. Lose your footing and step on something we as Americans hold dear and – ZAP! Our most lethal third rails are cutting Medicare,… Continue reading →

Imagine you have an action hero head of state: his bronzed muscles rippling as he battles balancing budgets, bureaucracy and lobbyists. He’s a retina-searing international superstar who sets the political world ablaze. His occasional character “complexities” are always forgiven by perfectly timed press conferences. He’s a cigar smoker ”” a Humvee driver. And yes, the… Continue reading →

An hour south of Tucson you’ll find deserted silver mines used to make Confederate bullets in the latter days of the Civil War. The settlers of the region tried and failed to gain the federal government’s protection for their business interests. They were at war with the Apache tribe and desperate to have federal troops… Continue reading →

In the past hundred years Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola have spent billions in advertising and employed millions of people to get you to think this caffeinated bubbly sugar water is different/better/worse than that caffeinated bubbly sugar water. People are fiercely loyal and opinionated on the subject. All this marketing and bloviating ignores the fact that… Continue reading →

During the long cold winter of January of 2009, Republicans were dreading the impending thaw with an Obama Administration. It was just after the massive “compassionate conservative” bank bailouts. The economy was hemorrhaging millions of jobs and yet a CBS/New York Times poll reported President George W. Bush still had a 22% approval rating. It… Continue reading →

When Republicans warn that a policy is a job-killer, Americans should listen. If any group of lawmakers and thinkers know about killing jobs it’s the Grand Old Party. In 2008, the final year of the Bush Administration, after two terms of careless deregulation implemented with bastardized pseudo-free market battle cries, the economy lost 2.6 million… Continue reading →

It seems everybody gets their own pet conspiracy these days: Birthers, Birchers, Deathers, Truthers and whatever you call the people who won’t get their kids inoculated. According to the theories, nothing is as it seems and everyone is in on it. Following this reasonable assumption, I’ve come up with my own. Here it is: former… Continue reading →

The most pivotal scene in our nation’s recent civil rights history was not as some would assume, electing the more qualified, younger and dynamic presidential candidate (of a different party than George W. Bush) who also happened to be half African, – but it was, in fact, the self-proclaimed Tea Party protesters hurling racial epithets… Continue reading →

Congressman Eric Massa’s abrupt retirement and his ensuing talk show blitz consumed the media with tawdry details of his career’s implosion. The first and only term now former US Representative from New York went on Glenn Beck’s Fox News program with the promise of naming names and exposing the corruption of those who Beck suspects… Continue reading →

Contrary to the sign at the grocery store, it’s pretty safe to say you will not be able to save the Earth by purchasing a reusable bag.  Do an experiment: buy a canvas bag and see if the issue is then resolved. If it’s not, it means the slogan for the environmental movement and the… Continue reading →

The trick to great rhetoric is to pick a word or phrase everyone likes and no one can possibly be against. Then take that expression and be completely for it daring anyone to challenge you. President Barack Obama campaigned for “change.” Change was such a good platform after eight years of George W. Bush that… Continue reading →

The other day I bought allergy medication at a massive national chain drug store. I found the display of everything to ease my hay fever right next to some freshly cut flowers, which just so happens to be what I’m most allergic to. I was in a retail establishment and the treatment was right next… Continue reading →

Sarah Palin will always be a Hail Mary Pass. She is a last-ditch, slapdash shot for a win. Regardless of facts, faux pas or folly, conservatives will continue to tout her as an asset as long as she continues to act like a battering ram to their opposition. If she still throws jabs, utterly doe-eyed… Continue reading →

The knee-jerk “government is bad” argument against health care reform, the jobs bill or banking regulations is always “it creates more bureaucracy.” This is mainly from Republicans who want to be called lawmakers. Yes, there are people working in the government ”” gladly cashing their government paychecks ”” whose default is always that the government… Continue reading →