Friday, January 14, 2005
Come on, die young
My blog is open to criticism. If any of you disagree with what I say, you're allowed to say it, and I'll read that criticism, and either accept it or try and defend my statements. I think that it would be pretty disturbing if I applied a filter to my friends in order to guarantee that all the feedback would be positive.
Yet this is exactly what our dear friend in the White House does. A few days ago, President Bush held a "town hall" meeting to discuss the implications of his suggested social-security reforms. However, instead of letting a mixed audience attend, those allowed to view and speak were carefully screened and selected, so it was hardly surprising when the feedback displayed on the cameras was overwhelmingly positive.
However, this wasn't the most disturbing thing to come out of that discussion. At one point, while sitting next to an African-American Bush tried to make the point that the current Social-Security system was unfair to blacks because they had a much shorter life expectancy than the rest of the population.
This reflects the mindset of the current population and most conservative lawmakers: instead of fixing the problem, which is a significantly lower life expectancy for a minority due to relatively heavy poverty, violence, and discrimination, we should remove a system which forces them to think in the long term, and replace it with one where they can accept that they will always die younger than we, and so should be able to spend their money earlier on.
Bush's answer: ignore the problem, let them deal with it on their own.
Yet this is exactly what our dear friend in the White House does. A few days ago, President Bush held a "town hall" meeting to discuss the implications of his suggested social-security reforms. However, instead of letting a mixed audience attend, those allowed to view and speak were carefully screened and selected, so it was hardly surprising when the feedback displayed on the cameras was overwhelmingly positive.
However, this wasn't the most disturbing thing to come out of that discussion. At one point, while sitting next to an African-American Bush tried to make the point that the current Social-Security system was unfair to blacks because they had a much shorter life expectancy than the rest of the population.
This reflects the mindset of the current population and most conservative lawmakers: instead of fixing the problem, which is a significantly lower life expectancy for a minority due to relatively heavy poverty, violence, and discrimination, we should remove a system which forces them to think in the long term, and replace it with one where they can accept that they will always die younger than we, and so should be able to spend their money earlier on.
Bush's answer: ignore the problem, let them deal with it on their own.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
A feeling's description
In the blizzard of '77
The cars were just lumps on the snow
And then later trippin at 7-11
The shelves were stretching out of control
On a plane ride
The more it shakes, the more I have to let go
And the signal's still getting all mixed up
We're always doing damage control.
But in the middle of the night I worry
Its blurry even without light
In the middle of the night I worry
Its blurry even without light.
I miss you more than I knew
I know I have got a negative edge
That's why I sharpen all the others a lot
Its like flowers or ladybugs
Pretty weeds or red beetles with dots.
But in the middle of the night I worry
Its blurry even without light
In the middle of the night I worry
Its blurry even without light.
I miss you more than I knew
I miss you more than I knew
I miss you more than I knew.
The cars were just lumps on the snow
And then later trippin at 7-11
The shelves were stretching out of control
On a plane ride
The more it shakes, the more I have to let go
And the signal's still getting all mixed up
We're always doing damage control.
But in the middle of the night I worry
Its blurry even without light
In the middle of the night I worry
Its blurry even without light.
I miss you more than I knew
I know I have got a negative edge
That's why I sharpen all the others a lot
Its like flowers or ladybugs
Pretty weeds or red beetles with dots.
But in the middle of the night I worry
Its blurry even without light
In the middle of the night I worry
Its blurry even without light.
I miss you more than I knew
I miss you more than I knew
I miss you more than I knew.
