151 Band

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Polishing the Brass On the Titanic

I didn't watch any of the debates, nor will I.  Sitting back and observing the shenanigans put on by supporters of this campaign or that campaign is entertainment enough.  Old school terms like "socialist" or "fascist" are being tossed about like bread crumbs at a duck pond.  The supporters eat each other alive while the candidates and their consultants ride along in their luxury bus, enjoying air conditioning and not being troubled to get their hands dirty.  Sadly, this isn't the first election cycle to see such mayhem.

There have been vitriolic campaigns in the past on a state, local, as well as federal level that have been nothing short of blood baths.  The John Kerry Swift Boat attacks, previous Congressional races where the big question of the day was, "Are you now or have you ever been a Democrat?" Of course, there was the now famous Willie Horton attack ad campaign, and now, negative robocalls have replaced door hangers largely.  

The truly sad thing about it all is that this fighting, bickering, attacking, and abuse are doing nothing but feeding the flames of the militants on either side of the aisle while the Average Joe is opting out of the "gotcha game."  If we don't get our shite together, we're headed for disaster.  In other words, we're polishing the brass on the Titanic as it's going down.

One would think that in this day and age, common sense could be included in the process, but unfortunately, it is as elusive as Bigfoot.  Here are some common sense answers to questions that I think could be easily adopted and solve a whole lot of problems.

1.  School Nutrition:  This should be a no-brainer, kids.  Children are going to school hungry and in this great country, that shite just doesn't need to happen.  Yes, it costs taxpayer dollars but since we're a "nation founded on Christian principles," makes sense that our charity would extend to feeding children.

2.  Environment:  What in the hell is wrong with us?  We have scientific evidence that humans are jacking up the planet - like the deal with the rubbish island floating around in the Pacific Ocean.  That's just ate up with stupid and we should be doing something about our end of the madness.  We are messing with entire ecosystems and that is wrong no matter how you slice it.  Unless you're Rush Limbaugh or Shawn Hannity and produce more methane than a 5,000 head cattle ranch.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
3.  Guns:  I believe that the Heller decision was the right decision and yes, I'm a beastly 2nd Amendment supporter.  There are some things that need to be fixed, however.  We need to make sure that parents who own firearms are held responsible if their children access those firearms and cause bodily injury or death.  Common sense, people.  Yes, concealed carry permits should be issued for college students who meet the already stringent requirements (you gun-grabbers forget that you have to be 21 to even own a handgun).  

4.  Welfare Reform:  Those receiving government welfare should be means-tested to ensure that it is warranted even though 90% of the time, it's not.  We have created a generation or two of dependency on the government teat to gain sustenance and it's wrong.  And that's just the oil and gas industry.  (See what I did there?)  You see, my friends, the oil and gas industry have these little associations that are created to lobby for bills that benefit the oil and gas industry.  Most of the time, it's to eliminate taxes as much as possible for them.  They hire these "legislative liaisons" who are little more than brothel employees, deciding which candidate gets the "VIP treatment" while fundraising for elections.  Meanwhile, the poorest among us are struggling and oil and gas CEO's are struggling to decide what Bentley they will drive any particular day.  It's common sense, people.  If a company posts profits, they don't need corporate welfare and an argument can be made that no company should be receiving government hand outs.

Those are just four ideas upon which maybe, just maybe we can agree upon.  Both sides of the aisle need to shut the vitriol down and start providing solutions.

Of course, it's just my opinion and I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt it.  

Ron "Gorilla" Black