From Rasmussen Reports, seventy five percent of those surveyed want to see changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA, or The Job-Killing Health Care Law Act, as it’s referred to by the Reps in the House), while only 18% want to leave it alone. But among the ‘change it’ population, 20% say repeal it and do nothing, 28% say repeal it but keep the popular stuff, and 27% say don’t repeal it, just get rid of the stuff they don’t like. So, that sums it up pretty well, don't you think? True to form, the majority want the good stuff and are not interested in the hard stuff.
Over at Pew Research, Americans of all political persuasions believe the President ‘stands up for what he believes in’ – 77% overall believe this to be the case, and that includes Reps (67%) and Independents (79%), as well as Dems (89%). His job approval ratings continue to be less than stellar (46%) but fairly consistent. More interesting from this survey was a question asking respondents to describe the Tea Party in one word. No prompting, just one word. In April of last year, the five words most mentioned were: great, interesting, patriotic, good, and ridiculous. Nine months later, the five words most mentioned were: good, radical, crazy, OK, and ridiculous. Hmm… is this another ugly baby? And last from this study, only 34% of those surveyed approve of the new GOP leadership’s agenda, while 43% disapprove.
That segues nicely to a recent Gallup poll, which finds that Americans are very focused on domestic issues. Among the issues considered ‘extremely important’ or ‘extremely important/very important’, the economy is first and health care is sixth. Two through five? Unemployment, the deficit, corruption, and education. And while the House has determined that the ‘Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act’ is the single most important thing they have to tackle, only 33% of their own party rate this as extremely important; rather, Republicans seem to be focused on the economy, the deficit, government corruption, unemployment, terrorism, and illegal immigration, all of which scored higher on this question than health care.
Go figure.
A collection of thoughts from gubernatorial inaugural addresses.
Ohio: John Kasich
Thank you, Babe.
You know, my inauguration,
the conductor of a great orchestra,
with all of you playing an instrument in that orchestra,
my inauguration is your inauguration.
You know, I’m only a servant.
I am only a servant, a public servant.
I report to the people. I report to you, the people.
And when I wake up every morning, I’ll say my prayers,
I’ll hug my family,
and I will focus on Ohio’s economy.
Nothing, nothing can stand in our way.
I am a servant of the Lord.
I am a servant of the Lord.
You see, Ohio has wide horizons, we have unlimited
opportunity. Ohio is an exciting place. And I have
come to understand as a grown man what Ohio is all about.
We are about common sense.
We are about common sense.
Get ready for an exciting time. Put on the seat belt
because we’re going. The weeds have grown up.
The obstacles at times seemed great.
The light is dimmed in our great state.
Our enemy. Our enemy is not our people
or our assets or our great cities. Our enemy,
our enemy is the status quo.
The status quo, the dark side of human nature
that shuts down dreams and basks in fear.
The status quo, the dark side of human nature
that shuts down dreams.
Our enemies…They refuse to help raise the bar.
And as our mother used to tell us,
Donna, raise the bar.
The people who refuse the power of team
and refuse to raise the bar are weak.
We will defeat them. We will defeat them together.
Well, as far as it relates to our enemies,
we can make them allies.
We are not Republicans. We are not Democrats.
We are not liberals. And we are not conservatives.
We are Ohioans. We are Buckeyes together.
It’s our mountain to climb. Can you see it?
Can you see that mountain? I know you can.
Nevada: Brian Sandoval
I am reminded of the struggles and triumphs
that have shaped our state.
I am reminded of opportunities realized through
the courage of our forbearers.
We live in a time when the odds seem to be against us.
The earth has shifted beneath our feet.
And for some, the results have been disastrous.
But character is measured in times of crisis.
People say Nevada is at the top of all the bad lists,
and the bottom of all the good lists.
This perception cannot – and will not – be our reality.
These are our times.
Optimism is the foundation of courage.
And rarely has our state been so in need of courage.
Perhaps never has optimism been so necessary
for citizens who hunger for a Nevada
filled with promise, progress, and prosperity.
History unfolds around us.
We must choose between indecision and action,
between complacency and courage,
between the status quo and what might be.
The Nevada I know will choose action, courage
and opportunity. We will choose optimism.
I know this in my heart.
New York: Andrew Cuomo
From the falls of Niagara to the
powerful waves of Montauk,
we have it all and everything in between.
We really have every asset that man or God
could be expected to give to a place.
That is the State of New York,
and I saw that up close and personal.
Our expectation is that the politicians and the
elected officials of people are now going to do
what the people voted for
and what the people need.
Nothing is going up in their lives.
It is a time for deeds, not words,
and results, not rhetoric. It is time
for a bold agenda and immediate action.
There is no more waiting for tomorrow
and there are
no more baby steps, my friends.
Look at the commitment, look at the resources.
They could have built a building
in one-tenth of the time,
with one-tenth of the expense
and one-tenth of the effort.
That’s not what they wanted.
They wanted to make a statement
when they built this institution of government.
Why? Because the government is them.
It is not an alien force…
A collection of thoughts from gubernatorial inaugural addresses.
Rhode Island: Lincoln Chafee
We have suffered for reasons
that are all too familiar to all of us.
Our present condition has not developed
overnight.
It has been decades in the making
and it is the shared legacy of Democrats and
Republicans, business and labor,
liberals and conservatives.
We have tolerated something that Roger Williams
did not – a refusal to do the work necessary
to correct our course,
and an acceptance of a fractious society
that emphasizes division over common purpose.
Each part of our agenda is important unto itself.
But our ultimate goal is to reclaim the vision
of our founder… It is written in marble behind me:
“To hold forth a lively experiment…
that a most flourishing civil state may stand.”
Our state may be small, but our ambitions
have never been. Our challenges are great,
and our obstacles are many,
but I promise you today
that our great state will lead again.
Rhode Island’s best days are still ahead of us.
Let us today begin that journey
to a better future.
Our time here is so short.
And Rhode Island is so extraordinary.
Idaho: Butch Otter
Idahoans are deeply concerned
with decisions that affect the liberties
and opportunities available for
future generations.
Idahoans take seriously their job
in electing individuals who will
safeguard those freedoms.
Tolerance for mission creep
spawns an attitude of passive acceptance
that government’s needs come before
those of the people.
The divide is increasingly drawn
between those who work for a living,
and those who vote for a living.
Ladies and gentlemen, that day is gone.
Frugality in the public sector should
not be seen as cruel or careless,
but rather as necessary to maintaining
our economic and personal liberties.
Idahoans are best characterized
by their determination.
We always are determined to improve
ourselves and our communities, and we depend
On each other to make that happen.
We labor together, we celebrate
our victories together,
and together we work
to make our State an oasis
of personal compassion
and unlimited opportunity.
California: Jerry 'Moonbeam' Brown
Without the trust of the people, politics
degenerates into mere spectacle; and
democracy declines, leaving
demagoguery and cynicism to fill the void.
In this crisis, we simply have to learn
to work together
as Californians first,
members of a political party second.
It is not just my family
but every Californian is heir to some
form of powerful tradition,
some history of overcoming challenges
much more daunting than those we face today.
From the native peoples who survived
the total transformation of their way of life,
to the most recent arrival,
stories of courage abound.
And it is not over.
The people of California have not lost their
pioneering spirit or their capacity to meet
life's challenges.. We an overcome the sharp
divisions that leave our politics
in perpetual gridlock,
but only if we … find that loyalty, that devotion
to California above and beyond
our narrow perspectives.
It is sobering and enlightening to read through
the inaugural addresses of past governors.
They each start on a high note of grandeur
and then focus on virtually the same... issues —
education, crime, budgets, water.
It strikes me that what we face
together as Californians are not so much
problems but rather conditions,
life's inherent difficulties.
A problem can be solved
or forgotten but a condition always remains…
to elicit the best from each of us
and show us how we depend on one another
and how we have to work together.
With realism, with confidence, with loyalty
— in that deepest sense —
to California, to my forebearers and
to posterity — as our song says:
"California here I come right back where I started from."
A collection of thoughts from gubernatorial inaugural addresses:
South Carolina: Nikki Haley
Our state has an incredibly powerful and rich history.
It is one that has not always been pleasant,
but one that can teach us
many great lessons.
Let's see: tax protests, tea parties,
the grassroots beating the professionals –
it does have a certain
familiar ring to it.
Growing up in rural...South Carolina,
my family experienced this state... at its best.
No, not every day was perfect.
No, we were not always free from the burdens.
For us, happiness existed in not knowing what we didn't have.
When we embark on this new journey
toward growth and prosperity,
we must do so together,
with one vision.
A vision that is focused on
the success of our families and businesses
is a vision that is not impaired
by bipartisanship, personalities, or distractions.
We don't have time for that, and I won't stand for it.
Florida: Rick Scott
Clear goals and hard work can achieve amazing things.
The giant oak trees that surround us here
ARE what they ARE Because acorns had a plan.
Unemployed parents struggle
to put on a brave face for their children,
but it’s hard to hide the fact…
that the wolf is at the door.
I’ve been a child in a home like that.
Three forces markedly reduce that chance for success—
taxation…regulation…and litigation.
We’ll also re-examine every regulation to make sure
its benefits outweigh its costs.
Unless they are pruned.
Regulations grow like weeds.
After all, we have always been the destination
for dreamers. Railroads into the wilderness…
A magic kingdom…A trip to the moon…
Freedom from a foreign tyrant…
Better health...Life without winter.
Large and small,
Dreams are the stuff that Florida is made of.
Kansas: Sam Brownback
We were born on Hope…in sacrifice and bloodshed.
A Hope built on the Truth that all men and women
were created to be free.
If you had enough courage and self-sacrifice
to come claim 160 acres of challenge, then it was yours.
Some succeeded, some failed, and a state was born!
Believing in the future of Kansas, speaking it,
making it happen. As you believe, so you will be.
Character is the fruit produced out of the Kansas environment.
Yesterday is gone, tomorrow never does come.
Today is our masterpiece.
We have been placed here for a reason
and a short season.
Let us make the most of it.
And before you yell at me, the title of this post references Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign mantra '"it's the economy, stupid."
As updates continue to stream in from Arizona following the shootings last Saturday, we’re hearing more about the alleged shooter, his mental issues, his family, and how he decorates his back yard. And we’re hearing at least some encouraging news on the condition of Representative Gabby Giffords, which is both remarkable and a very good thing.
We’re also hearing from a whole host of pundits of every stripe chiming in with their thoughts on whether politics had anything to do with the shooting, or whether it’s right to put out a map with gun sights…er I mean surveyor’s map icons...over political districts and call for a ‘reload’, or whether it’s right for Americans – politicians or not – to be using ‘violent’ metaphors (battleground, taking shots, fighting hard, etc) in our political speech.
And of course now there are the calls for limiting what can be said, or how it can be said, or regulating ‘fairness’:
- Rep James Clyburn (D-SC) wants to bring back the Fairness Doctrine, and have the FCC engage in ensuring ‘fair and balanced’ is more than just the tag line for the partisan Fox News Network.
- Rep Robert Brady (D-PA), with support from at least one colleague (Ruben Hinojosa, D-TX), is looking to make using ‘threatening symbols’ such as gun crosshairs illegal in ads targeting… I mean aimed at… I mean pointed at… members of Congress or federal employees. See how easy it is to innocently use common phrases in a bad way?
- Brady, when asked if he thought the crosshairs map could have incited the shooter in Tucson said temperately “I don’t know what’s in that nut’s head. I would rather be safe than sorry.” Given the backlash from the mental health community in response to NPR CEO Vivian Schiller’s comments that Juan Williams should have kept his views on scary Muslim garb “to himself or his psychiatrist", and now this comment from Brady, can bills barring speech unflattering to mental illness be far behind?
Anyone who calls for censoring speech in reaction to the shootings in Arizona is missing the point.
We don’t need laws telling us that we can’t say really stupid stuff, or violent stuff, or rude stuff, or disrespectful stuff. We don’t need to stop pointing out where we disagree, or even that we disagree.
Rather, what I think would help is if we remember that not everything is ‘us vs. them’, not everything is a conspiracy, and not everything can or should be blamed on Donkeys, Elephants, or Teapots. Not everything is about being in the majority and lording it over the minority. Not everything is a mandate –-in fact, most things aren’t mandates, and we should stop pretending that they are. And not everyone with a different opinion is un-American, a traitor, a moron, an idiot, and so on and so forth.
And politicians should be a little slower with their legislative trigger finger, and not try and force us be nicer to each other.
Oh wait. Can I still say ‘trigger finger’? I’d better be careful...
Certainly, the talking heads will be all over the horrific shooting in Tucson yesterday, which left a federal judge, a nine-year-old child, and four others dead, and seriously injured Rep Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and several others. Today, instead of listening to them, let's go to Sunday School with the newspapers, where we have more time to reflect on what’s being said and where we might expect rhetoric to be toned down some. No guarantees, but we’ll give it a try.
To start, in an unsigned editorial on the Arizona Star's website, the paper offers condolences to the families of the innocent victims, and notes that "Giffords has never let vitriol deter her from public service. She works hard to be accessible. She's shown not just willingness but courage to engage with people who don't agree with her." It would be unfair of us to ask our elected officials to do more than that.
In the New York Times, political columnist Matt Bai talks about how information was quickly removed from the Internet, including the ‘crosshairs’ map posted last year by Sarah Palin’s PAC. He notes, “The country still labors to recover from the memories of Dealey Plaza and the Ambassador Hotel, of Memphis and Birmingham and Watts. Tucson will either be the tragedy that brought us back from the brink, or the first in a series of gruesome memories to come.” It will be interesting to see which direction we head.
Matthew Cooper, managing editor of White House coverage at the National Journal, offers that “our country is whole lot more like Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan than we thought when we got up this morning”, now that we’ve had our first elected female office holder shot. He also notes that we have no idea what motivated the shooting, if it even had anything to do with politics, if the shooter was mentally ill… and what would it mean, anyway?
From the Arizona Republic, Bill Goodykoonz points out that “Covering breaking news is a messy, competitive business” and that we’ve lost the old window for reflection that used to exist before we had 24/7/365 access, and could prevent us from prematurely reporting ‘facts’ (such as that Giffords had been killed) before they were determined to be facts. He notes that losing the window may not be a bad thing, but reminds us that “…traditional media and social media and all who consume it -- have more power to inform than ever before. We also have great responsibility and ought to use it.” Point taken.
“We can’t say we weren’t warned,” laments a Chicago Sun-Times editorial. When people show up with guns, or signs indicating ‘next time’ they’ll bring their guns, and routinely call people they disagree with traitors and un-American, and our political leaders don’t try and put a stop to it (or worse, inflame it themselves), we should have known something would happen sometime. Sometime, sadly, was yesterday. The editorial takes a slight turn from some others stating it is “simply not true” that both left and right are equally guilty of promoting this kind of speech or action. “Overwhelmingly today, the fear-mongering and demonizing flow from the right, aided and abetted by cable TV and talk-radio hosts. They may represent only the irresponsible fringe of conservatism in America, but they are drowning out the thoughtful voices of the vast majority of conservatives.” I suspect this editorial itself will inspire more of the same.
The LA Times focuses on the tenor of commentary from both the left and the right, much of it for the purpose of "fanning the maximum fear, and injecting it into the roiling narrative of anger, partisanship, and paranoia that passes for dialogue today" and they had plenty of examples to prove the point. On the other hand, they include President Clinton's comments on the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, in which he stated "...we must all accept responsibility for our words and actions before they enter a vast echo chamber and reach those both serious and delirious, connected and unhinged." The gunman in this case almost certainly embodies at least one of those four adjectives. They close the editorial stating they are "both ashamed and embarrassed at the intemperate commentary we read on Saturday." If you've seen what's being said out there, you'll agree with them, as I did.
Dear Representative Buerkle:
I’m writing you to let you know that I do not agree with your position on repealing or defunding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as PPACA, and referred to by some as the Job-Killing Health Care Law.
While I’m not thrilled with PPACA in its entirety, I do not believe that killing this bill is the right decision. I am however interested in understanding why you believe it IS the right decision.
I’m also interested in what Republicans would offer instead? What specific coverage benefits would you provide, if you succeed in taking away the ones that became effective last year? What specific job-creating or job-preserving provisions would you include in a health care reform bill?
If you do not believe in mandating that everyone have coverage, can you explain to me why you think it’s acceptable and necessary for me to pay for other people’s health insurance, through higher premiums, fees and taxes paid directly by health insurance companies such as my employer, or through claim payment surcharges?
Last, I’m concerned that the vote to repeal PPACA is specifically excluded from the pledge that all new bills will either reduce spending, or if they raise spending, they have to be accompanied by equal spending reductions elsewhere. How will you make up for the projected $230 billion impact repealing this Act will have? And why was this bill carved out?
Thanks for your consideration and response.
I work for a regional BlueCross BlueShield Plan in Central New York. The CEO of my company has been in the business for a long time. He makes lots of money. He has a lot of contacts in the health insurance and medical arenas. Heck, he’s been to the White House and met with President Obama. If I were to try and think of someone well-prepared to navigate the American health care system, he’d be pretty darn high on my list.
But right now, he has a role more important than CEO -- the role of devoted husband to a wife who has terminal cancer. He elected to share their story in Bloomberg Businessweek last month, and it’s a story that is both touching and enlightening. Here are a couple of excerpts:
- On his own preparedness for navigating the system: “I’ve spent almost 40 years on the business side of the health-care industry, including the last seven as chief executive officer of a health plan. I believed my network of contacts would serve us well. I presumed there were unambiguous answers to questions about the best treatment plan and the best providers. What I learned was that for uncommon diseases like Linde’s, if not all diseases generally, clear answers often don’t exist. I will never forget one doctor telling me that the information I sought wasn’t available and that I would have to trust my gut. This is pretty incredible when you think about how much as a society we spend on health care.”
- On our ‘best course’ moving forward: “As a society, we need to be honest about treatment limitations. Patients should be well informed about what the industry knows and doesn’t know. There should be candor about the likelihood that care will make them worse instead of better. Patients should be empowered to be the treatment decision makers. In recognition of the uncertainty patients face, we need to compassionately acknowledge their pain and fear. We need to counsel that aggressive intervention isn’t always the best course of action.”
Some folks say that illnesses are ‘equalizers’ – they treat everyone the same, whether rich or poor. But I believe our health care system came out as an additional equalizer, beyond his wife's illness itself, in David’s case.
As he and his family now deal with the reality of his wife’s decision to seek palliative care instead of any additional aggressive treatment, their story should be required reading for all those who profess to know what’s best for us.
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio presented a paper back in November that concluded that kids who are overly engaged in social networking are also likely to be overly engaged in certain bad behaviors, including sex, drinking, smoking, and fighting. More of the ‘hyper-texters’ who send at least 120 text messages a day, or ‘hyper-netowrkers’ who spend at least three hours daily on networking sights, are poor, female, and from single parent households. The researchers also found increased incidents of depression, television watching, poor eating habits, and increased parental permissiveness. Makes you wonder how they have time to be involved in all of these activities?
In another study released last November, an increase was seen in the number of baby boomers seeking emergency medical treatment for drug misuse or abuse. From 2004 to 2008, the number of folks 50 or older treated in an ER for a drug-related issue increased from almost 116,000 to just over 256,000, an increase of 121%. Almost a fifth of those visits (19.7%) were by patients at least 70 years old. Not surprisingly, pain relievers (43.5%), drugs used to help relieve anxiety or improve sleep (31.8), and anti-depressants (8.6) were the meds most frequently involved. I say not surprisingly because, other than drugs used to enhance male sexual function, these seem to be the ones most commonly advertised on TV during prime adult viewing hours, such as the evening news.
I learned about boomers and drugs in the latest edition of AARP/The Magazine (yes, I’m a member). The latest edition includes some data on how we stay connected. The survey, which included folks 50 and older, found that while 40% consider themselves extremely or very comfortable using the Internet, an equal 40% prefer to get their news the old fashioned way – via newspaper or print news magazines. When it comes to social networking, 27% of all boomers do it; more do it on Facebook than other sites; 73% are connected to relatives other than children or grandchildren; and 63% of those who were introduced to social networking by a family member were introduced by one of their kids – and likely NOT one of those hyper-networking kids in the CWRU study.
A mixed bag (three Reps and two Dems) appeared on CBS’ Face the Nation this morning. On Republican unity, Michele Bachmann (R-MN) indicated the Reps are fairly unified even if they won’t agree on everything. Speaking on bipartisanship, NY Dem Anthony Weiner indicated that it's a means, not an end – legislation has to meet the values of his constituents, not just be bipartisan for the sake of it. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) pointed out that the trick now is for the Reps to not squander the progress that’s been made in moving the economy forward.
Tea-partier Mike Kelly babbled quite a bit about having been living in the real world and having to pay his own way; now that he’s only a couple of days away from being sworn in to serve in the 112th Congress, spending our money instead of his own, he didn’t have much to offer.
Darrell Issa (R-CA) takes over as chair of the House Oversight/Government Reform Committee. He spent much of his time talking about Medicare fraud. Best line? “We can save one hundred twenty five billion in simply not giving out money to Medicare recipients who don’t exist for procedures that didn’t happen.” Everyone, regardless of political stripe, should be able to get behind that one.
He also advised that his boomer wife is collecting Social Security now, and he plans on collecting himself when the time comes. Hope there’s money left.
On NCB’s Meet The Press, Lindsey Graham (R-SC) misstated the ‘mandate’ of the last election as Americans rejecting Dem policies because of too much debt and too much government growth. Voters actually said this, but we’ll forgive the Bachelor from SC. He indicated that we have to get Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae ‘in a more privatized environment’ and on healthcare, he’s in favor of allowing states to opt out of the individual mandate, the employer mandate, and Medicaid expansion.
He’s also in favor of raising the retirement age and looking at means testing for Social Security. Darrell Issa, beware.
Graham’s candidate for President in 2012? “The most electable conservative.” He meant Romney; but the 'electable' tag seems to leave out Ms. Palin, thankfully.
Last, over on Fox News Sunday, the conversation centered on the new Congress and their plans. Fred Upton (R-MI) promised a vote on repealing the entire health care reform bill before the State of the Union address, and then attacking pieces of the bill individually; he believes they might actually get it voted down in the House.
Issa, again, this time talking about holding hearings on regulatory impediments to job creation. That should be fun. Allan West (R-FL) complained about House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and his plan to have everyone spend less time in Washington. In Cantor’s view, the more time they spend in Washington the ‘bigger’ government is; West and other Tea Partiers are not enthralled with that position. I suspect most Americans would rather have them working than wandering around raising money or worse, spending money 'fact-finding' all over the world.
None of the Reps on FNS would admit to wanting a government shutdown come March, so we can expect the debt ceiling to rise in the spring. What we get in return remains to be seen.
 |
| Albany Times Union photo |
Governor Andrew Cuomo gave his inaugural address today at the Capitol, and announced his plan to rebuild New York. In his speech, he thanked those who helped him get elected; he thanked those who were elected along with him; he thanked those who came before, including his dad former Governor Mario Cuomo and our Accidental Governor David Paterson; and he thanked those with whom he'll have to work when the new administration begins in earnest next week.
He didn't divulge a lot of details (although he did mention an emergency financial plan) - those will come next Wednesday in his first State of the State address. But he made his priorities clear: jobs, a property tax cut, and cleaning up Albany. Here are some of the notable quotables from his address:
- On why the inauguration was not a big celebration: "In my administration, this is going to be the way it works. When we actually do something and perform and help the people of the State of New York and we make government function, then we are going to have a big party and celebrate, and not before."
- On why government leaves a bad taste in our mouths: "...people then feel betrayed by their government. That they have problems, they have needs, they look to the government and they assume the government was going to be there to help them because that’s what government is supposed to be all about... and instead they find a government that’s part of the problem rather than part of the solution."
- On priorities of government today: "Too often government responds to the whispers of the lobbyists before the cries of the people."
- On deficits: "The state faces a budget deficit and a competence deficit and an integrity deficit and a trust deficit."
- On the enormity of what we in the Empire State are facing: "My gray hairs are multiplying just thinking about what we have to do."
- On his attitude: "My attitude will be constructive impatience with the status quo of Albany. We need change and we need it now...We must accomplish more, faster, smarter, and better, than we have in decades."
- On inspiration:."President Lincoln said in this city on his way to his inauguration, “Citizens may swear allegiance to one party or the other and believe with all their might that they are right, but once an election is passed, and until the next election, they should be one people.” President Lincoln’s words are profound. We are not first Democrats, Republicans, or Independents. We are first New Yorker and we must act that way."
- On calling us on the carpet: "Where are the people? Where are the people in Albany? Where are the people in the Capitol? That is the profound absence in this system. The people aren’t engaged. And that is what is going to have to change. If there is a silver bullet in the battle to recapture Albany, it is the re-engagement of our citizens."
- On transparency: "We will be opening up the second floor, the Governor’s floor, so the members of the public will once again have access to their government. It is a symbol of a new approach: to reconnect with people, to build back trust, to defeat the power of the special interests with the power of the people."
- On the 'architecture' of Albany: "I want to rebuild this government. Rebuild it by bringing back competence; rebuild it by bring back integrity; rebuild it by bringing back performance; by bringing back people of talent; by bringing back people of good will; rebuild it by bringing back professionalism and respect and decorum and protocol and collegiality and partnership with the Legislature and product for the people of this state."
- On his bottom line: "Rebuild the government, restore confidence, restore trust, get the people of this state believing once again. Believe in government, believe in themselves, believe in each other, believe in our future. Believe in our potential...At the end of the day, what this is all about is making this state a better state for the 19 million people who live here."
Our job now is to ensure Cuomo and the Legislature do exactly that. Are you ready to do your part?
The tradition of making New Year’s resolutions is frequently attributed to the ancient Romans or Babylonians. According to some, it has to with Janus, the two-faced king who could look both to the future and to the past, and folks wanting to curry his favor or to start the year out on the right foot.
These days, we don’t so much seek favor from the gods, but tend more to commit to weight loss, exercise, and eating better; getting out of debt; and the generic ‘spending more time’ with friends and family. I worry that last one’s an invitation to spend more time with fingers flying over a touch-screen talking finger to finger, rather than face to face, but in the end it many not matter so much the ‘how’, as long as the ‘what’ is achieved.
This is the first year for resolutions here at veritable pastiche. So here we go:
- I resolve to engage more with people. Instead of just writing about the people who make the news, I’m going to write to the people I write about, so that they have the chance to get involved in the conversation. And, I resolve to give them the benefit of the doubt even when that seems silly, and even when fairness is the farthest thing from my mind. If they ignore me, well that’s another story…
- I resolve to find joy in my writing. There are moments, sometimes days, I confess, that writing is the last thing I want to do. And then, when I start up again, I can write for hours without even thinking about it, and it’s all fun. Much of that doesn’t end up anywhere, or get seen by anyone, it’s just me priming the pump. I’m also hoping to explore writing poetry a little more; I used to do that when I was younger, but it’s been a while (well, since my poem for a contest in Slate) and I want to enjoy that again.
- I resolve to read more this year. My Sweet Baboo and I have a whole mess of books that we’re going to be moving into our new library, before spring. They come from garage sales, from friends, and from the bargain bins at the major booksellers, and they’re here for me whenever I need them. I just have to make time for me to make time for them.
- And, of course, it wouldn’t be a new year if I didn’t resolve to lose weight, eat better, exercise more, spend more time with family, and be kind to strangers.
Oscar Wilde famously noted that, "a New Year's Resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other." He's right; historically, while something like half of American adults make resolutions, 97% of the ones made are never fulfilled. And while 75% of us are solid on the resolutions after two weeks, a mere 46% make it past six months. I don't know the number of those who make it the full year, but it's not high.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to meet your expectations, if not my own. Best wishes for a happy, healthy, safe, and prosperous New Year.
According to recent surveys by Rasmussen Reports, (all of which can be found here) 83% of those surveyed believe that credit cards tempt folks to buy things they can’t afford. Of people who have at least one credit card, 36% think they personally need to cut back on spending, 58% think they don’t, and 81% think that everyone needs to cut back. In a showing of economic strength, 65% of credit card holders feel it’s unlikely they’ll miss a payment in the next six months. Last, 36% of those surveyed are very comfortable using their credit cards online, compared to 11% who are not at all comfortable doing so.
In a survey taken before ten days before Christmas, Fox News found that 75% of respondents would offer a hearty Merry Christmas vs. the more generic Happy Holidays. If a store were to force employees to say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, 30% would stop shopping there; the number of Republicans (46%) and white born-again Christians (48%), not surprisingly, is much higher. Kindly, a good number of those surveyed - 41% - would give President Obama whatever was on his list, but 31% would give him only fruitcake. Another 21% would give him the proverbial lump of coal. On that subject, if the President were to re-wrap his coal and pass it on to someone else (say, Mitch McConnell), he’d be in good company with the 16% of the population that are re-gifters. Dems, at 54%, are more likely than Reps (42%) to just keep an unwanted gift. Which may explain Charlie Rangel’s longevity.
On CNN’s State of the Union, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs advised us that POTUS has not had a smoke in about nine months, and that since the election the Reps have learned that they can no longer sit around saying “no” but now they have to participate in governing, which is why the Lame Duck session was so productive.
Over at NBC's Meet the Press, senior White House advisor Valerie Jarrett echoed Gibbs’ statement about the Reps having to lead, and she also talked about Obama’s desire to spend more time outside Washington, “listening and learning and engaging” with the American people. In the roundtable with Tom Brokaw, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Peggy Noonan and Bob Woodward, there was a lot of conversation about the lame duck accomplishments, including the tax deal, repeal of DADT. Brokaw pointed out that POTUS was leading from the front, rather than the back, of the pack and how he stood down the Dems who were not pleased with his deal-making with the Reps. Woodward related a story about Bill Clinton at Richard Holbrooke’s wake, and how everyone got caught up in Clinton’s emotional aura, in comparison to Obama still not seeming connected with the people. Obama may need to find his inner Clinton, or to Peggy Noonan's point, he needs to regain his mystique. And everyone thinks it’s going to be an interesting two years starting in January.
Chris Wallace talked with Senator Tom Coburn on Fox News Sunday. Coburn is the one who brought us the Waste Book 2010, with its $11 billion in easy pickings of wasteful spending. Coburn pointed out that both Dem and Rep administrations have not made the kinds of sacrifices that are necessary to keep us from ending up like Greece. When pressed for specifics, he talked about eliminating redundancies and cutting programs, such as having 39 agencies supporting 267 jobs training programs. If we don’t make changes, the senator says, we could see “15 to 18% unemployment”. Also, Coburn gave us this week’s “no way, no how” – he will not run for another term, he’s sticking to his commitment and self-imposed term limit. Last, Bill Kristol, of the Weekly Standard, predicts that Sarah Palin won't run in 2012.
The day we have been expecting, but not looking forward to, has come. Today we lost our beloved Michael T, the King of Cats.
Affectionately known as Mikey or MT, Michael came into My Sweet Baboo’s life back in 1996, as a little gray and white long-haired puffball. He was originally our neighbor’s cat, but spent most of the time on this side of the property line. Neighbor Bob offered the cat to MSB, and the rest is history. A cat named Zoey went to the vet, but Michael T was the cat that came home – you can hide a lot under all that fur!
Over the years, MT established himself as the king of the house, and more importantly, king of the garden. There were always other cats around, but he was the Big Shot, his gorgeous gray fur and pure white mane demanding attention not only from people, but from the other cats as well. He wasn’t at all interested in birds or squirrels, but adored the flowers, shrubs, and all of the little hiding places he found in the garden, and we always said that for MT, a bad day outside was way better than a good day inside.
Earlier this year, while MSB was doing some weeding out back, MT was at his side, helping out. One of his favorite things was to lie down either on our hands, on the weeds we were trying to pull, or on top of new plants we had just put in… This time, MT stood up looking as if he was going to chase something, then jumped, let out a yelp, and fell to the ground. Making a long story short, after a night at the emergency animal hospital, it was determined that he had suffered a heart attack, he had fluid around his heart and lungs, and a blood clot had likely cost him use of his right hind leg. Worse, we were given a very discouraging prognosis of only three to four months.
Well, MT had other ideas. Loaded up on Plavix, enalapril, Lasix, and aspirin, he fought back slowly but surely. Within a couple of weeks, he had regained almost full use of his hind leg. With good weather every day and the garden starting to come into bloom, he began to thrive, returning almost to the Michael of old. He spent his days in his favorite spots, on a bench out back in an untamed part of the garden, or hiding under the euonymus, or on the bridge over the dry creek bed – we didn’t know for sure where he’d be, and we were pretty nervous at first when we couldn’t immediately find him, but he stayed close to home, came in every night, and was just a happy cat.
As summer turned into fall, and the weather started to turn, he continued to enjoy his time outside; the gazebo became his favorite spot, where he could sit and survey the garden from a cushioned lawn chair, out of the sun. He’d come to meet us at the car when we got home, and when we’d head inside the indoor cats would race to him, greeting him as if he were a conquering hero.
Even when it got colder, he wanted to go outside, he didn’t want to waste a single day of it. Once it got really cold and we had all the snow, he’d grudgingly spend the day inside with the other cats. Every day when we got home, there’d be the five of them waiting at the door, MT in the front of the pack. If it wasn’t too bad, he’d go out and sit on the front porch, or maybe head out into the driveway, getting his curly belly hairs damp with the snow, and then hurry back inside.
Today, when we came into the house, there were only four to greet us. MT had seemed fine last night and this morning, but he passed sometime during the day while we were at work. I like to think he just figured that all this snow would take way too long to melt, and he couldn’t stand the thought of being inside that long.
Rest in peace, MT.
Today I'm introducing a new feature: Sunday School, where I'll recap the Sunday gabfests. Let's get to it!
White House advisor David Axelrod is confident that the tax deal the president negotiated with Reps will pass when it comes up for a vote. There are still a number of complaints from House Dems, but as many Reps have said, come January the game changes as controls shifts from the left to the right side of the aisle. At that point, all bets are off. Axelrod spoke on CNN’s State of the Union.
As mentioned on Fox News Sunday, ten years ago today the US Supreme Court anointed George Dubya Bush President -- my how time flies! Also on FNS was some conversation about the tax deal and a great round table discussion on Friday’s press conference with ‘two presidents and one lecturn’. A great clip here at about the 7 minute mark.
Over at NBC’s Meet the Press, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg indicated there’s "no way no how" he’s running for president. He also pointed out that in the real world of governing leaders do what’s possible and so everyone gets something, rather than sticking to a straight partly line and getting nothing accomplished, and that President Obama’s success is America’s success and we all should be supportive of him now, as our President, in light of our current economic situation with China in particular. Interesting position, but perhaps an easier one for an Independent big-city mayor to take than for a dyed-in-the-wool Rep, for example.
Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich) told the reporters on CSPAN’s Newsmakers that the hearing on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell will likely wait until after Congress has an investigation into the shootings earlier in the year at Fort Hood. Levin personally was against DADT and remains so, recognizing that many other countries allow gays to serve openly.
At ABC’s This Week, the tax deal was the main topic of conversation, echoing what was seen on the other shows or talked about last week… the ‘hostage’ situation mentioned by the President; calling it a stimulus; and pointing out that the huge increase in the deficit caused by this compromise seems to be a step in the wrong direction. The round table discussion raised the point that sure this was bipartisan, but it wasn’t leadership and it didn’t make any hard choices or call Americans together in shared sacrifice. Next year, when the Reps are in control of the House, will there be shared sacrifice, or only sacrifice?
Last, on Face the Nation, Axelrod declared he was not worried about Obama being a one-term president, and Howard Dean indicated he didn’t think Obama would face a primary opponent for 2012. Interesting.
There’s a whole lot of jibber-jabber about the plan to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for everyone across the income spectrum, tinker with the death/estate tax, and with any luck add even longer unemployment benefits.
Here’s just a sampling from Tampa Bay online, NPR, and Business Week:
- "If it's take it or leave it, we'll leave it," said Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas.
- "While I have concerns with some specific aspects of the plan, I support the proposed framework to avert further economic hardship and provide a first step to restore the foundations for sustained growth and job creation." Rep. Paul Ryan, (R-WI)
- “Most of us who ran in this last election said we were not going to vote for anything that increased the deficit. This does. It raises taxes. It raises the death tax. I don't think we need to negotiate that aspect of this thing away. I don't think we need to, you know, extend unemployment any further without paying for it.” Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC)
- “I've said before that I felt that the middle-class tax cuts were being held hostage to the high-end tax cuts. I think it's tempting not to negotiate with hostage takers, unless the hostage gets harmed. Then people will question the wisdom of that strategy. In this case, the hostage was the American people, and I was not willing to see them get harmed.” President Obama, in his press conference on Tuesday.
- “If everybody took out what they didn’t like we would have nothing…At the end of the day this will get done.” – White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs
Until we see a vote, which may come Monday, I suspect we'll hear a whole lot more of stuff like this.
