Author: Jon

Bipartisan government – the wifes take

So, apparently the other human being who lives with me doesn’t agree with my post about the Democrats being big meanies who don’t want to compromise.  She says, and it’s certainly a valid point, that the Republicans have shown no interest in compromise, and the Democrats have things they need to get done.  So they should just do them.  Getting the majority is no small feat, and they need to make things happen quickly or run the risk of losing ground in the 2008 elections, where Republicans will be eager to play up any failures by the new majority.

I think that was Mike‘s point in the comments, too – they need to jump in and get some things done, and then they can worry about compromising.

On some level, I have this optimistic view that the Democrats will rush in and stand on principle, doing things the Right Way even if it means they lose, and then eventually that Right Way will win out, and the country will be better off.  Why I think that, I don’t know.  I’m not usually that optimistic.  I think I hold Democrats to a higher standard than I do Republicans.

In any event, my view has been tempered somewhat.  But I still don’t like the sound of what they’re doing.

News Flash – People take cabs at 2am on New Years Day

I went to a party at a friend’s house for the New Year.  It was a cool party.  It became uncool, however, through no fault of the hostess, at about 2am.  My wife and I had planned to take a cab to my mom’s house, only a few miles away, where the spare room was all set up for us.  We had both been drinking, and had no intention of driving anywhere.

So I went to Google maps and looked for a cab in the area.  First company didn’t even answer the phone.  The second one told me there was a two hour wait for a cab.  The third said they had no cabs.

Was this a shock?  Were they unprepared for people to want cabs after parties for New Year’s?  I can’t imagine demand was much higher than last year.

It worked out okay, as the hostess had a fold-out couch that we could sleep on that wasn’t even uncomfortable.  But it was annoying.  You suck, Annapolis cab companies.

A new age of bipartisan government

Democrats To Start Without GOP Input – washingtonpost.com

As they prepare to take control of Congress this week and face up to campaign pledges to restore bipartisanship and openness, Democrats are planning to largely sideline Republicans from the first burst of lawmaking.

Oh, wait, never mind.  It’s great to talk about bipartisanship and compromise to get elected, but then let’s just throw that out the window and pass some laws really quickly before anyone can do anything about it.  This is not how our government is supposed to work.

Don’t get me wrong, I approve of some of the laws they want to pass.  More stem cell research?  I approve.  Tightening ethics rules for lawmakers?  Sure.  Cutting interest rates on student loans?  Well, maybe.  I don’t know that cutting the interest rates is really going to help the kids who graduate with $100,000 in debt, but maybe it will.  I’ve spoken at length on the minimum wage, and how it should be tied to real, local economic indicators and shouldn’t be a tool of politicians to appeal to liberals and poor people.  Yes, it should be raised, because if you assume we need a minimum wage, we certainly need to raise it from what it is now because it hasn’t changed in, what, ten years?  At least adjust it for inflation.

I wish the Democrats would notice that they’re alienating a lot of the people who could really be helping them.  After the colossal mess that President Bush has made of absolutely everything, many people (Like me, for example) are desperate for someone to bring back a little sanity to the federal government.  The Democrats would just have to come through on some of the promises they made before the elections and I’d be happy to support them.  But they aren’t even in office yet, and they’ve already broken a big promise to compromise and keep everyone involved.

Are you trying to force me to vote Libertarian, Nancy Pelosi?  Because I’ll do it.  You watch.

A bunch of stuff

Bad timing for some big news items. I haven’t had a chance to write about Gerald Ford, even though I flew out of an airport named after him last week. I haven’t had a chance to write about Saddam Hussein, in part because I’m still not sure how I feel about the whole thing, which is puzzling. I haven’t written about New Year’s, which contains a small complaint about the cab companies in Annapolis, Maryland, who were woefully unprepared for the demand.

So, either I’ll get to all that, and whatever else I missed, or I won’t. That’s the nice part about not doing this for a living. You can always complain yourself if I’ve missed something really glaring.

Happy New Year!

I know, it’s early for almost all of my usual readers, who tend to be in the United States.  But I won’t be near a computer at midnight.  Actually, I might be, but I’m pretty sure I won’t be sitting down to post something about it.  The wife and I are running late for a party at a friend’s house.  We were planning to leave ten minutes ago, and we are not walking out the door yet.  But that’s okay.

Anyway, it’s been a good year.  I’m not going to summarize now.  Maybe tomorrow.

Awesome playoff scenario

NFL.com – NFL News

**Packers clinch strength of victory tiebreaker over NY Giants if all of the following occur: ARI win, DET win, MIA win, MIN win, SF win, CAR loss, HOU loss, TB loss.

Because the Redskins and the worst defensive coordinator ever, Gregg Williams, couldn’t even begin to stop Tiki Barber and the Giants (He had TWO 50+ yard touchdown runs.  TWO!), Green Bay has a very slim chance to make the playoffs.  Eight games need to have exactly the right outcomes, or else the Giants go to the playoffs.  I think this could be the coolest playoff scenario ever.  Except that it will probably end up with the Giants going to the playoffs, and I hate the Giants.

The Redskins, on the other hand, should be embarrassed.  The Giants had lost six of seven games, were without one of their best defensive players (Michael Strahan), one of their best offensive players (Jeremy Shockey), and, for all intents and purposes, based on how he’s been playing, without their quarterback (Eli “The Whiner” Manning).

And the Redskins let the Giants come into their house and run for 250 yards.  Joe Gibbs is a Hall of Fame coach.  But that man on the sidelines is not Joe Gibbs.  I think a brain-sucking parasite had taken over his body and delegated all playcalling to a Ouija board run by a couple of chimpanzees who don’t even watch the games.

On behalf of the Redskins, I’d like to apologize to the NFC teams who had a shot at the playoffs if the Giants lost.  We let you down, and we’re sorry.

And to the Giants:  I can’t wait until you get knocked out of the playoffs in a three-touchdown loss to someone.  Have fun!

Soon you can eat a clone

FDA OKs Food From Cloned Animals – washingtonpost.com

Because scientists concluded there is no difference between food from clones and food from other animals, “it would be unlikely that FDA would require labeling in those cases,” Sundlof said.

I saw this today on Accidental Hedonist, and now on the Washington Post. The issue here is not safety, or how different or not different clones are from normal animals. The issue is that some people don’t like the idea of cloning, and don’t want to eat a cloned animal.

Personally, I don’t care if the animal was cloned. I don’t care if nano-scale assembly robots built my prime rib from individual carbon atoms. I’ll eat it either way. But I want to know what I’m eating. Give people the information to choose for themselves, and I’m happy.

All done

Golfing Benjamin While I was at my father-in-law’s over Christmas, I got a chance to hang out with my new nephews (New to me – they’re the sons of my brother- and sister-in-law). The older one, not pictured here, I’d met before. Benjamin, above, I’d met before, but he’s still pretty young. This is the first time I’ve hung out with him since he could really communicate. Two days ago, he was asking to play golf. There’s a nerf golf set in the basement, and the kids like to go down and play, but Benjamin is a little small to do it himself. I happened to walk by the kitchen as people were cooking dinner and Benjamin was looking for an escort into the basement. My wife told him to ask me, since I wasn’t busy cooking. So he did, and he and I went downstairs. He carefully set up all the little plastic holes. I put the flags on the sticks for him, and he put them in the slots where they belong. Then he hit the ball around a bit (His short game needs work, but he’s got the “put the ball in the hole” part down). Then he looked at me and said, “All done.”

And then, to my amazement, he started putting everything away. He gathered the holes (I had to help him remove the flags) and put everything back in the box. I only prompted him for one or two pieces that he forgot, and only after he had started cleaning on his own. When everything was put away, he said, “Go see mommy.” And we went back upstairs.

Watching little kids like that has always fascinated me.  I wonder about the thought process that goes on in his head.  Sometimes I think they couldn’t possibly be comprehending what it seems like they are.

I guess it’s good practice for when I have my own kids.