Political tags - such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth - are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire.
The Worm Ouroboros (1922) is a heroichigh fantasynovel by Eric Rücker Eddison. The book describes the protracted war between the domineering King Gorice of Witchland and the Lords of Demonland in an imaginary world that appears mainly medieval and partly reminiscent of Norse sagas.
Though triumphant, the Demon lords find that victory is bitter because there are no more enemies worthy of their heroism, no more great deeds to perform. The Lord Juss says to Queen Sophonisba:
“
Thou O Queen canst scarcely know our grief: for to thee the blessed Gods gave thy heart's desire: youth forever, and peace. Would that they but give us our good gift, that should be youth for ever, and war; and unwaning strength and skill in arms. Would that they might but give us our great enemies alive and whole again. For better it were we should run hazard again of utter destruction, than thus live out our lives like cattle fattening for the slaughter, or like silly garden plants. (page 392)
”
Sophonisba, gifted by the gods with the power to grant wishes, returns the world to how it was four years ago; and so, with a blare of trumpets, an ambassador from Witchland arrives, "craving present audience," and the story starts over again.
Now, I am of course not saying that the Republican Party WANTED things to go back to the way they were, but that does seem to be the Human condition, after Great Trials, Adventures and Adversity, the Ultimate Evil is Vanguished and then
Everything returns to the way it was before and the process starts all over again.
If we look at the ebb and flow of power between the Democratic and Republican Parties over the years we see this repetitive pattern over and over again,.
Indeed the most extreme reverses seem to follow the Greatest Victories.
Let's take a look at a graph of Republican Seats in the Senate over the past 50 years I have two lines for 40 and 60 seats with over 60 you can end a Filibuster, less than 40 you cannot maintain one,.
Now does the balance of power in the Senate look, THAT much worse now than in the past?
What about the House? I placed a line at 218, the House has 435 members if you have 218 Seats, you have a majority.
Ok you can see the whole pictue and to tell the truth I would prefer it be a different one, but I don't see it as that much worse than what has gone before.
Do you?
One thing history has taught us about Politics, whatever the situation whether in our favour or against it, we can be certain of only one thing
Are the reports of the death of the GOP, to paraphrase Mark Twain, "Greatly exaggerated?" Or are we seeing the inexorable demise of a doomed beast -- like seeing the last wooly mammoth go down in tar pits of La Brea?
The defeats suffered in the 2006 mid-term and 2008 Presidential elections, combined with the recent defection of Senator Arlen Specter to the Democratic Party, certainly left a whiff of lingering death in the air. Was Specter's decision a mandatory 10-count that will allow the Republicans to get off the mat and fight on? Or was it the final knockout roundhouse?
I am sorry but there is quite a bit of exageration here. The 2006 Election was the average outcome of a second term bielection. It is true that the Democrtic Party did much better than the Republican Party in that election, but there was nothing out side of the normal range.
51 needed for Dem majority/50 needed for GOP majority, 33 at stake, 0 undecided
PARTY
NOT UP
TOTAL
GAIN/LOSS
Republican
40 seats
49
-6
Democrat
27 seats
51
6
Independent
0 seats
0
0
Now it is also true that 2008 took that trend further
House of Representatives
Senate
All of the above looks daunting, I will be the first to admit that, but if this portends the demise of the Republican Party shouldn't it be as bad or worse than what has gone before???
Let's just take a look and see how the present state compares with say the 1976 Election?
Now I might be biased but I don't see much difference in the balance of power in the Senate and the distribution of House seats looks better today than after the 1976 Election.
But what about one might ask the overwhelming victory of the Democratic Presidential Candidate?
Was it really that overwhelming??
1976 Jimmy Carter against Gerold Ford
Carter won with 50.1% of the vote to Ford's 48%
2008 Barack Obama against John McCain
Obama won with 52.9% of the vote to McCain's 45.7%
2008 was better than 1976 but neither compare with 1964
Johnson had 61.1% of the vote to Goldwater's 38.5%
No any prediction of the demise of the Republican Party
needs to explain why it did not curl up in die during the last
40 some years when things looked as bad as they do now or even'
Concerning an addition of 1% to the sales tax in my local community
Well the dust has settled in Linn County Iowa and the forces of Let's Raise Taxes, someone else will pay for it, have won,
Here is an exchange I had on facebook, The names are absent, because at the present time I prefer to speak about Principles rather than Personalities.
It all started when I read the following
"congratulations Marionites. We passed the LOST penny and will receive $20 million over next 5 years for sewer, streets & parks. Also our sewer bills will remain static rather than double as projected. Good for Marion!!"
My immediate reaction was, "this person sounds like they really think someone just GAVE them -$20 Million. Don't they realise that $20 Million just left the wallets of taxpayers and went into the hot little hands of politicians???
I responded with
I see if they don't get the vote they want just keep doing it over and over until they get the vote they want?
sounds like some recent Congressional Races to me.
and
"Also our sewer bills will remain static rather than double as projected. "
But your TAXES are going up $20 Million dollars or do you really think folks are going to drive to Marion to give them that money?
Guess who gets to pay for the bulk of your $20 million dollar windfall, guess who gets hurt worst by a tax lke this?
Now I WAS mistaken about the $20 Million cost to Marion Taxpayers for which I was promptly corrected.
Do you guys even do any research before you take a position? Marion pays out 13 million and receives 20 million. My sewer bill was projected to double in 4 years and now won't. It would have been monumentally STUPID to vote NO if you live in Marion. Sometimes you can be so married to ideology that you will cut off your nose to spite your face. That is what the vote NO crowd was NOT able to accomplish tonight. Sorry some of you can't see that.
My responce was
I see the fact that taxpayers other than those in Marion get to foot $7 million of the Bill makes a difference
Wait a minute I don't live in Marion, Oh well I will console myself in the words of Joe Biden that I do my patriotic duty ensuring lower sewer bills in Marion ;-)
Just call me monumentally STUPID, and maybe meanspirited and greedy but what they refer to as "married to ideology" I think of as "standing on principle"
Not everyone can get more tax money back than they pay in. SOMEONE has to have that extra bit lifted from their wallet,
It would seem this person does not care about that factor as long as THEY are not the one who has to come up with the extra largess.
How valid are your principles on Holding the Line on Taxation if you are
going to fold your hand the first time Des Moines decides to "buy you off"
At present nationally
the bottom 60% of income earners pay less than 1% of federal income taxes on net.
When "tax credits" primarily go to this group in the form of checks from the government (rather than a reduction in their tax burden) it is simply an abuse of the language to call the spending a tax cut.
What it really should be called is "Redistribution of Wealth" and isn't that what this article started with someone crowing about?
They are happy they will be getting back more than they pay in.
Of course Obama's plan will end up with folks who did not PAY income tax at all getting checks cut from money taken out of the pockets of those who DO pay taxes.
In the words of our good friend they would be monumentally STUPID not to vote for someone who would do that for them
As for the rest of us, we would be equally STUPID not to resist it,
But if we have those among us that don't mind this process as long as THEY are on the receiving end of the handouts we have a problem, particularly if the person is someone we voted for and helped elect,
There has been a lot of controversy about Miss California's answer to Perez Hilton, I want you to watch these two video clips and then answer a few questions.
If Miss Prejean's answer makes her an outright Bigot, Doesn't that implication hold true therefore for President Obama?
Also how can it be claimed her opinion is extreme or fringe
If that is the same opinion as the majority vote of the State of California,
The majority of the country and the President?
Unless there is a NewSpeak definition of extreme or frnge?
While Harry Truman did say, "The Buck Stops Here" in some cases the Buch never makes it to the Oval Office.
There has been a lot of excitement over the buzzing of high rise buildings in New York City recently by one of the Air Force 1 aircraft for a "photo-op"??
This might have been in mere bad taste were it not for the decision NOT to disclose this event to the Public.
NEW YORK (WABC) -- A photo shoot involving an Air Force aircraft and two fighter jets led to hundreds of frightened calls from residents and workers in Lower Manhattan Monday
How did we come to a day when a Russian TV network would appear to be acting in a professional manner, and CNN would be acting like Socialist Attack Dogs?
A Strange Thing Happened on the Way to the Epicycles
I use the term "epicycles" as an example of an extremely complex convoluted method to force reality into conformance with a desired outcome.
This is a not uncommon occurrence in human endeavors and if the initial starting point of the paradigm is invalid the results can be bizarre and paradoxical.
I met recently with the Leadership of the Linn County Central Committee,
Our dialog was civilized and the basic outcome was that, we agreed to disagree
.
They do not agree with my analysis of the situation the Committee finds itself in, but that they did not have any desire to silence me.
To which I agreed.
It is not my habit to merely dispute an issue with someone and then not think about the matter further. I spent a fair amount of time later that day mulling over the implications of what we discussed.
To recap the situation as it appears to me.
At the February Central Committee meeting David Chung, and quite correctly I might add, brought up a point of procedure, on Iowa State Election Code and the various Constitutions of the Republican Party at the State and County level
.
The result was that we were in fact not in compliance with the above as far as membership and more importantly eligibility to vote and it has come to my attention after investigation, that this situation may be back 10 years or so.
The practice of asking if anyone wished to join the committee and then voting them in is not even close to compliance with State Law and our Constitutions and By-Laws.
A serious problem since at the time we were looking at Officer's Elections at the March meeting.
It was decided to form a committee to examine the Form As from the Precinct Caucuses in order to compile a list of Credentialed Voters.
Now that method was IMO quite correct.
The State Election Code states.
43.99 Party committee persons.
Two members of the county central committee for each political party shall, at the precinct caucuses, be elected from each precinct
The State and County Party Constitutions state
<
IV. MEMBERSHIP OF CENTRAL COMMITTEE
The County Central Committee shall consist of two precinct committee members elected from each precinct at the precinct caucuses
So it appears to me that the only persons who couldhave been listed for the March Election as Central Committee members were those elected to those positions at the Precinct Caucuses.
It would seem that everything should have been simple. Look at the Form A records from the Caucuses and list those persons elected to those posts.
However the list that was derived included not solely persons listed as elected to be County Central Committee Members, but Chairs, Co-Chairs, Secretaries and a category called Alternates.
Now let me be clear on one thing there is no position as Alternate County Committee Member, there is something called an Assistant Central Committee Member, but those are appointed by a majority vote of the Central Committee which does not happen at the Caucus.
In my opinion, our list contained not just elected Central Committee Members who were eligible to vote but others who were not eligible.
At least not in compliance with the State Election Code and the Constitutions and By-Laws.
In fact I am informed that one elected Central Committee member's name did not appear on his Precinct Caucuses Form A and therefore they did not vote someone who Chaired the Caucus voted instead.
When I presented my conclusions, which are the Election may not be valid, the response seems to have been we should let it stand because we voted on it.
I may be doing the two gentlemen a disservice but to me the logic seems to be.
Upon discovery that a large portion of those who thought they were Committee Members, were in fact not,
We examined the Form As and compiled a list of persons many of whom were not eligible to vote either,
and we should let the results stand because
The original group comprised of many people who were not eligible to vote, voted to do so.
This sort of circular argument, gives me a headache.
In a latter article I will present my own ideas on how to remedy this situation in a Post I plan to title