Good Night, and Good Luck

In the week following Keith Olbermann's departure from MSNBC, I find myself doing a bit of soul searching. The big issue of the moment is that I'm contemplating how people work together. How new people work with more seasoned people; how those that don't agree on certain points overcome those hurdles; what happens when people take things personally that really only have to do with policies or requirements?

It's an interesting process. I consider these things as I begin to watch the State of the Union address - a speech that will be given in a different Washington, D.C. One that I hope will bring people together, not tear them apart.

I feel honored to have worked in the Michigan Legislature for 5 years - the opportunity to see the times when people refused to work together; the times when people came together to get something accomplished; the times when the minorities on other side were shut out because they didn't have the same opinion as the majority.

I want to offer a reminder to everyone - no one is going to agree with everything someone else says. You don't have to. What we need to remember is that we NEED to keep things civil. We cannot accomplish anything worthwhile while tearing others down. I believe that we are capable of disagreeing without making personal attacks. I've seen all too often when people resort to personal attacks on good people.

After President Obama's speech last week, Senator John McCain wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post.

Below is what really hit me -

"Our political discourse should be more civil than it currently is, and we all, myself included, bear some responsibility for it not being so. It probably asks too much of human nature to expect any of us to be restrained at all times by persistent modesty and empathy from committing rhetorical excesses that exaggerate our differences and ignore our similarities. But I do not think it is beyond our ability and virtue to refrain from substituting character assassination for spirited and respectful debate."

I ask everyone, no matter what we are debating, to make it civil.

Flashback...

Ah, Zell.

Finally compelled...

All week, I haven't really been into watching the Democratic Convention at all. I've just been tired, and more interested in things that have been closer to home. It was a very odd feeling to get questions all week about what I thought about speeches and respond "I haven't watched it yet." I'm sure it was also weird for the people who were asking - I usually am up on all of that stuff!

Last night, I made a point of getting home after yoga (picked up sushi), and settling into my chair. Of course, since I don't have cable, I couldn't watch all the coverage before the big speech, so I watched a little football. Then I realized that PBS had coverage - d'oh!

I know it sounds cliche, because lots of other people are saying it, but watching the video before the speech really solidified my belief that this is the right time for Barack Obama to lead our country. His speech reinforced that - it pointed out that John McCain doesn't quite know what real people in our country are going through, it challenged McCain to debate Obama, and it gave us hope.

After this weekend, I will be quite ready to get out and do what I can!

A random hodgepodge of topics...

There may be no rhyme or reason to this post, except to get things off my mind that I keep thinking about...

First, another friend of mine posted this, but I thought it was just another reminder of why libraries are so important.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-andrews15-2008may15,0,3401026.story

Why shouldn't everyone have access to knowledge? Regardless of how much money any of us have, we should be allowed to have access to books, computers, movies, and all the other services our local libraries offer us. Knowledge should not only be for those who have money.

Second, I'd like to take a moment to advocate for who I think would be the best choice for Barack Obama to make for Vice-President. Please see the photo below.

I know, wouldn't I be great? Haha. Just kidding.

John Edwards would be the perfect pick, in my opinion. He's from the South, he has a blue collar background, he's a populist, and gosh darn it, people like him. I know what you're saying - it didn't work last time. Well, remember he was paired with someone who had about the charm of a wet rag. An Obama/Edwards ticket would be dynamite!!!

Third - I went into the Hot Topic store in Muskegon recently. As Eric and I were looking around, I heard this fantastic music they were playing. I asked one of the guys that worked there who it was, and it turns out it was The Dresden Dolls. Who are they, you ask? Apparently, a group that Ben Folds has produced, with two members, a female singer/piano player, and a drummer. I went out and bought their new CD last night, and I highly recommend it to you all.

I think that's all for now - GO WINGS!!!!!

Oh, all the things to catch up on...

So, most of you probably know, I don’t have cable in my apartment. In most ways, this is a good thing. But, there are so many TV shows on cable stations that I want to watch, that I’m now requesting them from the library. And, that’s not even counting the shows that I just totally missed when they were on! Here is a list of what I’d like to catch up on:

Damages
The Closer
Rome (though, it’s apparently not on anymore)
The Wire
Mad Men
Big Love
Veronica Mars
Gilmore Girls
Dexter
Weeds
The L Word

In other news – since I started writing this morning, it was reported on the news that John Edwards will be dropping out of the presidential campaign. While this saddens me, I hope that it causes the two front-runners in the Democratic Party to adopt the issues of poverty and the shrinking middle class as major concerns for our country. We, as a country, need to understand that until our citizens are taken care of, there is no way the United State can truly prosper. Sure, there will be the rich few that can afford anything they want, but the normal person is still looking for a job after being laid off, trying to figure out how to support their family, or choosing between food and medication for themselves.

Thank goodness it's already Wednesday night. I can’t wait to relax this weekend!


Currently reading: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

An issue of humanity...

Yes, it’s an issue of humanity.

The budget issue is an issue of humanity. You may wonder why I say that. Over the weekend, I attended the Michigan Policy Summit, which was put on by the Michigan Prospect. We talked a little bit about health care, education, and clean energy – how these things all have implications of humanity behind them. I think everything the government does should be backed by humanity.

Tuesday, I sat through a presentation about cutting the budget. It totaled $1 billion in cuts. It made me physically sick, to say the least. The programs proposed to be cut were clearly the ones that many of our citizens use. I know that we get a lot of people who don’t want their taxes raised, and I can respect that. But what they don’t realize is that if funding is cut for things like the Department of Community Health, Department of Human Services, and the School Aid Fund, to name a few, the people of Michigan will not have much to offer. These cuts would be across the board and cut everything from libraries to child protective services to Medicaid services to home caretaker relatives. I understand that not everyone uses these programs. Seriously, I get that. However, we all benefit from these things. They make our society better – by providing quality education to all kids, our workforce is stronger. By providing health care to all, our kids have a better shot of learning in school and our workforce is able to go to work and is more reliable. Our libraries offer books, programs, videos, CDs, and other various things for the whole community to use.

Our society shouldn’t be about how to make the next dollar. It should be about providing our citizens with the tools they need in order to thrive in our state, not just merely survive. Sure, profits are a good thing – they drive business. But, if our people aren’t taken care of, those profit goals are harder to attain. We need to start investing in our people – ALL of our people. It’s the right thing to do.

That's right - the biggest upset EVER!!!!

So, for those of you that know me, you know I'm a Michigan grad. I've gone to football games every year since I started school there. Eric and I went today. Well....you know what happened. So depressing, yet, I'm not as bummed about it as I normally would be. I'm looking on the bright side - get the loss out of the way first. One loss does not equal an awful season. Then again, we'll see how I feel if we lose next week (which we better not, because Ducks suck.)

Which brings me to a pet peeve of mine. I think I already know the answer to it, but I don't like it. Why is it that there are certain programs, some in this state, that feel as though winning 10 or 11 games in a season isn't a success? Or, in basketball (yes, I'm talking about UM here), you don't give a guy enough time to recruit and build his own team (I love you Tommy!!!!). When there's no consistency in your program, it's really hard for it to be good. No one can come in and work miracles. The answer is money.

Now, I like Lloyd Carr. Yes, I just said it. I don't always agree with everything he decides on during games, but I like the way he coaches. There's a lot to be said for coaches preparing their teams for games. However, I feel there's a point where the team has to start taking responsibility for missed catches, fumbled balls, and just plain stupid split decisions (I'm talking to you Chad Henne...). A team is a team, not just a coach. And, a coach can prepare a team only so much - it's the players that have to execute.

Enough football - as we were heading to Ann Arbor this morning, I saw a Ron Paul 2008 sign on one of the overpasses near Jackson Rd. You have to understand that I love Ann Arbor - so liberal. So, I was kind of surprised to see this. Then again, not really. It got me thinking about how there are passionate groups about other candidates than Hillary or Barack or Rudy. Just because these candidates are making the most money, and the MEDIA is putting them at the top of the list, there are still other candidates out there. However, so many people don't take the time to learn the issues, learn about the candidates, or anything that would help them make an informed decision. They watch the media, and listen to the "lead" candidates, and then make their decision. There are lots of candidates that don't get any real media time, so how do they really have a chance when it feels like the media is deciding our candidates for us?

Alright, as I'm wiped out today, I'm going to wrap this up. And - GO BLUE!!!!!