Dagger’s Blog

No, this isn’t an x-rated entry.  I’m talking about the stimulus package and the associated fal-de-rah.  I’ve been trying to form an informed opinion about the package, but it’s difficult when you have to rely on the mass media slant.  Overall I felt like I didn’t like it but I wasn’t sure why.  I’m one of those peculiar people who doesn’t particularly enjoy making a fool of themselves so I try to be well versed before I go spewing off my opinion.  So, with that in mind, today I decided to see what I could find out about the stimulus package.  I kind of figured the package itself would be lengthy and full of language designed more as a sleep aid than actual information.  But what they hey, let’s just see.  Yep, I’m right.  The package is 647 pages long!!!!  My first thought was…here’s a great way to stimulate the economy…just keep hiring unemployed people to type, publish, print and bind the document.  But seriously…647 pages.  I wonder if the average American voter understands that the person they’re electing has to somehow absorb the information from a document that may well exceed the size of The Bible.  It was just unveiled on January 15^th.  Who could possibly know everything they need to know about its contents?

 Anyway, I did finally find a somewhat helpful article here:

 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28903962/

 Of course, the media is all a-cackle about the fact that it passed the House with zero votes from the Republican side of the aisle.  One interesting fact that seems to be missing from most media reports is that 11 Democrats also voted against it.  The vote in the House is largely symbolic anyway as everyone is aware that not a single Republican vote was needed it order for it to pass.  Also, and I was kind of new to this notion, the version that the House voted on is NOT the final version.  Are you confused yet?  I pretty much am. 

I’m remain a fence sitter as to how I feel about the zero Republican support for the package.  It makes me feel uncomfortable that the media is reporting (as fact) that the Republicans were united in a front designed to reinforce dissention among party lines.  Everyone knows that Republics can’t agree on anything so a unified front is kind of a farce.  I think that some of them did it as an in-your-face gesture, but I think to believe that all of them did it for that reason alone is a little naïve.  How sad that a Republican representative who was voting no on the stimulus package because he didn’t like some of the components would be lumped into a group of troublemakers.    

I heard one of the Republican representatives speaking to the media on TV a day or so ago and he indicated that he was pleased with the efforts that President Obama has made to step across the aisle so to speak.  That scores brownie points for President Obama in my book.  There have been reports of several different means that Obama used to soften the lines of party loyalty.  (I particularly like the cocktail party for Republicans.  I guess even President Obama believes in the stereotype that Republicans are a bunch of whiskey swilling, cigar smoking blow hards.) However, he went on to say that the House Democrats were not being so amiable and flexible.  Seems like the President forgot to make efforts to bring his own party on board first.  And if he ever intends to get anything done in the House that is truly of a cooperative nature, he better sit down with Nancy Pelosi and have a “come to Jesus” meeting.  (Ok, I don’t particularly like Rush Limbaugh, but I heard him refer to her as Nancy “Mussolini” Pelosi and I think that’s freaking hysterical.) 

I keep stumbling upon articles that support ideas that I’ve been thinking about.  It’s weird, almost like some cosmic affirmation.  I imagine some would say it was the work of Satan.  Oh well….

In one of my subsequent comments to the “Missing Boat” post, I mentioned that I didn’t happen to agree with “forced giving.”  Here’s an article by someone I’ve never heard of who agrees with me and even takes it farther than I had originally thought about.

http://www.wakalix.com/wp/2008/04/06/no-compassion-in-forced-giving/

Addendum….

I just figured something out, I think.  (Thanks Lee for causing me to walk through this in my head.)  It was bugging me that Obama worshippers feel that a single man can make such hugely profound changes.  At first I thought that sentiment came from Obama himself, but now I don’t think it does.  After reviewing some of his speeches, he rarely says HE is going to do something, but refers to accomplishments as being achieved by the collective WE.  So what was making the fanatics believe that Obama was the answer?  And here’s my conclusion…the belief that ONE man can fix everything is a critical vertebrae in the belief that ONE man messed everything up.  They can’t BLAME Bush for the problems unless they CREDIT Obama for the change.  That’s why I’m seeing the bottom drop out of all of this at a later date.  When HE doesn’t live up to those expectations, because quite frankly he can’t, what’s going to happen to the scaffolding of supporters that are holding up the pedestal?

I must be….I must be really dense or just plain stupid because I’m not getting it.  Am I jaded?  There must be something wrong with me.  Did I not drink the right Kool-Aid?

I tried to watch the Inauguration today.  I had it on at work.  But I feel like I’m watching a knighting on Pluto or something.  All the throngs of people in the cold, crying at the words of the Inauguration speech….CRYING!  What?  I’m watching this scroll of comments on msn.com and I’m seeing comments like, “President Obama is such an inspriation to ALL OF US.  He brings us hope for our future.” or ”A vision of hope for the future which also acknowledges a lot of hard work ahead. I haven’t been this proud to be an American in a long time.”   And there’s where I get lost.  I’m not inspired at all…at all.  You know when I’m proud to be an American….when I think about a cousin I barely knew, a young man full of life ahead, who died in Iraq SERVING his country (SERVING is capitalized to indicated that some of us have been doing even though Obama hadn’t made it popular yet)….when I’m at an event with my former Marine/current Air Force active duty husband and the National Anthem begins to play and I can feel him quietly come to attention beside me….he does that because he SERVES his country DAILY! 

(I cannot author this post without pointing out that the Obama supporters who spew love and equality were the ones in the mall today BOOING when a picture of our departing President was flashed on the jumbotron.  I assume that Obama hasn’t changed BOOING to a form of reverence yet so it must be a demonstration of dislike/hate…where’s the love in that?  And they are also the ones who actually started chanting “na-na-na-na…hey, hey, hey goodbye” like they were at some freaking high school football game…if that’s love and equality, I’m proud to be a hater!  At least I’m honest.) 

I’m looking forward to the report that comes out about the First Hundred Days in office.  I guess maybe I’m not impressed by words.  I’m not certainly not inspired by them.  Let’s see if he can inspire me with his actions instead.