Chigglets

You might be a redneck if…

…if you are an economist named Elvis.
…if you didn’t know the recession was over 2 years ago.
…if you think money makes a good paperweight.
…if you are related to Bill Clinton.
…if you think federal reserve is a fine wine.
…if you think economic stimulus is a male enhancement product.

Not sure? Pickup a copy of this book and have a laugh.

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All eyes are on Iowa voters, we’re waiting for their opinions, we want to know which candidates made an impact on them. We’re waiting to see if Iowa voters agree with our opinions and if not why, what did they see because this state gets to see the candidates up close and personal for it seems like months, they get to know the candidates until it hurts which it probably started the 2nd week of the campaign.
Please don’t base your vote on looks, sense of humor, or because you like their wife, although those reason may help us select our friends they can’t be reasons to select a Presidential Candidate. Vote for the candidate that you think can put aside personal feelings for the good of the country, vote for the candidate who can make unpopular decisions because its the right thing to do, vote for candidate that has experience in getting things done in Washington, but whatever you do don’t vote for a Candidate just because Oprah likes him. Thats a great reason to buy a book but not to pick a Presidential candidate.

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Here we are kids, barreling down on 2008, not a lot of good things to show for our efforts. It was a big year, and maybe somehow, that’s a very sad thing. Maybe it’s because Benazir Bhutto was just assassinated. Maybe it’s because our president was not assasssinated. OK, i can’t say that I actually condone the idea of assassinating our president. That’s a little harsh. But you would have to admit that, if nothing else, it would certainly stir things up in Washington a little… although I gotta imagine that if Bush goes down to an angry Oswald in the crowd, then Cheney is a blink or two behind him. He’d declare Martial Law before he could claw the crown from GWB’s gasping, flopping body. I really do like the sound of a de-facto President Pelosi.

This is s special note to those who choose to take what I write seriously:
***Now, you nasty government agencies out there who are certainly reading this right now, worry not, i’m way too lazy and self absorbed to ever make any overt action… or covert for that matter. Really any action at all. So go back to listening in on Kucinich’s phone calls, and leave my blog alone.***

Hell, all this ranting could just be the product of a weird malaise that is generally reserved for the rich and the rehabbing, but the sluggish pace of practically anything of real importance in the world, and particularly the grand politik, is making me so fucking mindless that I can’t even muster the dirty lust it takes to waste $600 on an iPhone.

Why is it all moving so slowly? Why does it seem like it takes forever for the G to pass even the simplest legislation? Why is it that SCHIP is vetoed by the president after being favored by the Democrats, the Republicans, and even the Medical, and Insurance Industries? There are a rare scattering of things that come out of the House and/or Senate in unanimity, and when they do (as SCHIP did), how ridiculous and appalling is it that George from the mountaintop has to go and smite that bitch. Really, what is the cause of this?

Ominous Rumblings
Since the Republican party decided to try impeaching Clinton for perjury and obstruction (which, mind you, is exactly what George W. Bush commuted Scooter Libby’s sentence for just this year, claiming it was “too harsh”… and i’d imagine impeachment would be way more harsh than whatever Libby was going to get) politics has been growing more and more divided, each party less and less willing to concede their side. You see, the Republican majority at the time had a huge murder-boner for the presidency, it would be a total feather in their cap to bring down the man who, despite all their criticism, ran the country better than anyone else ever had. When Clinton was aquitted, a scorned, bitter, and incredulous GOP would not allow anything like that to happen again. They lost, they lost big, and they were the majority. So, shaking the muck off of their face, they fought back hard, bought a presidential election, and proceeded to set loose the most destructive set of morons ever to grace the Executive Branch.

Media
Helping them in their journey, thanks greatly to the OJ Simpson Murder Trial (that guilty motherfucker should have never been given the freedom to commit armed robbery,) was the new incarnation of the national media, which was now switched on 24/7, and gaining more power of persuasion over a generation of Oprah watching idiots, almost in tandem with its growing political polarity. Fox News Channel hit the airwaves in the mid to late nineties, just in time for Bill O’Reilly to rant uncontrollably about the devil Clinton, and how he is ruining the universe. Following their lead, CNN’s crossfire featured Tucker Carlson in that fucking ridiculous bowtie, Ann Coulter… well, anyway. As time went on, and the news channels needed to fill time, they analyzed the same story to death, looking into every detail, finding every problem with everything. Just for the sake of having something to show people. What I don’t think anybody understands is that, in the scramble for 24 hour news outlets to fill time and make it look good, they redefined news. Everything had to look interesting and important, no matter how trivial or ridiculous it may have been. So after a decade of being inundated with the minutiae of political goings on, we actually believe that what’s being reported is important.

S.O.S.
So it, at some blindfolded, gagged, and stuffed in a trunk moment in recent history, became the status quo that the GOP voted everyting (with the possible exception of the hot potatoes, and immigration) along party lines, and the Democratic minority treaded water, waiting for sunnier days. With the coming of the Democratic majority of ‘06, everyone in the country expected something out of a late 80’s Ajax commercial… or maybe those Scrubbing Bubbles. The moment Nancy Pelosi took the reigns, the country would snap out of its funk, George and Dick would disappear in a thick green cloud of smoke, weird cackling echoing in the distance, and we’d be friends with the world again. It would be safe to drive our SUVs without killing the world, and the World Trade Center would be back, a giant double erection protecting the coast from evildoers. But sadly, with the grumbling losers still too stubborn to admit what’s good for them, the Dems have had to fight and fight to push through even the most nonpartisan of legislation, until we realized with sad frustration that the way things are going, anything could happen.

Stagnation
Moveon.org. Really, how can America hope to emerge from the rubble of 9/11 the fiery phoenix of freedom that we really are when organizations like Moveon.org are out there, speaking freely (ahem… in a way that makes the government look bad?) throughout the various wars and occupations initiated by the Bush Administration (which are too numerous and confusing to list), we’ve been told simultaneously that we’re doing a terrific job, and that we’re not making any progress. I guess what the government was never eloquent about was that exact fact: We’re doing a terrific job of not making any progress. However, anybody who has stepped up to clarify this point has been rebuked with great passion. In the situation of Moveon.org (an organization who has, on numerous occasions, called for the impeachment of President Bush), their Rebuking came in the form of a resolution, condemning their ad in the New York Times. The Betray-Us ad caused such an uproar in Congress that both the House of Representatives, and the Senate passed resolutions condemning Moveon.org for the ad.

Well, I guess, if Moveon.org was able to get the Dems and GOP together to so quickly pass resolutions, then it can’t be their organization that is grinding the wheels of Congress to a creaky halt, can it? How sad is it that medical care for children, protections from hate crimes, air standards, and dozens of other issues are all at a deadlock in the grand halls of the most powerful 68.3 square miles in the world, but it’s a matter of a few days before Congress can, with astounding unanimity, pass an amendment saying “That’s not cool, guys.”

Cooperate
When was it, between the political scandals, the constantly rolling news cameras, the lame punditry, the petty squabbling, that we forgot what it takes to get things done. In a system of government that limits itself to two parties, the only way to really be successful is for them to do what it takes to keep a fluid motion. Making compromises, communicating, and (what I think is the most important thing, and the most often neglected function of an elected official) doing what is right for everyone in the country. Too often do politicians forget that they do not represent the majority vote that got them into office, they represent every person, Democrat or Republican, and it is their duty to do what it takes, make the choices that it takes, to serve the people that brought them where they are.

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USA Today and Gallup recently released their yearly list of most admired men/women. In sticking with what is, apparently, the status quo, President Bush was named as the most admired man among over 1000 adults above the age of 18. The article states that sitting US Presidents are always named as the most admired man. What makes this result all the more fascinating is the extraordinarily low approval rating that the President also carries around. Only 30% of Americans approve of the job he is doing, yet he is the most admired man? What gives?

Well, this little revelation made me think…who would I name to this list. So, I came up with a top ten. The criteria was pretty simple for me. No family mentions. I admire the heck out of my father - probably more so than any of the people on my lists…but it is kinda corny and not nearly as debatable. So here is my top ten most admired men. I’ve also taken the liberty to include the USA Today/Gallup Poll results for comparison sakes. Here we go…

Most Admired Man:

USA Today/Gallup Poll

1. President George W. Bush - 10%

2. President Bill Clinton - 8%

3. Al Gore - 6%

4. Barack Obama - 5%

5. Reverend Billy Graham - 3%

6. Nelson Mandela - 3%

7. President George H.W. Bush - 2%

8 (tie). Bill Gates - 2%

8 (tie). Pope Benedict XVI - 2%

8 (tie). President Jimmy Carter - 2%

Friend/Relative - 4%, Other - 26%, None/No Opinion - 12%

My 2 cents:

1. Reverend Billy Graham - a man of truly strong faith and dedication to his beliefs (and a fellow Charlottean!)

2. Nelson Mandela - a man that stood tall against injustice and never lost hope for his dreams

3. Bill Gates - say what you will about Microsoft, but the man is a genius and, together with his wife Melinda, is a great philanthropist

4. Bono - a tireless soldier in the fight against AIDS and poverty.  Nevermind being the lead man in the 2nd greatest band of all time (but that is another list for another day, ain’t it?)

5. Bush 41 - you have to admire a man that chooses to jump out of a plane for fun in his 80’s.  Oh and also for all of the work he and Clinton have done in the wake of two horrible natural disasters.

6. John McCain - tough as nails, this one.  Survived being a POW and is still mixing it up in the presidential race.

7. Bill Clinton - a polarizing figure, politically, it is hard to deny his charitable works and uncanny charisma.

8. Tiger Woods - best golfer in the world? check.  course designer? check.  dad? check.  a charitable heart as big as his drives? check.

9. Mike Huckabee - another strong man of faith who isn’t afraid to show it…but who also build his policies not solely on his religious beliefs.

10. Barack Obama - a refreshing, optimistic voice in a rather cynical time.

Oh so close…Colin Powell, Tony Blair, Charles Steger (Virginia Tech President)

So there you have it, my list of most admired men.  What’s your list look like?

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