Access To Democracy

THE CHUTZPAH AWARD - To Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, an outstanding mayor who announced his run for Governor only two days after winning re-election in November, 2009.  So much for serving out your term.

 PAWLENTY OF QUESTIONS - As Governor Tim Pawlenty cruises the nation seeking the GOP Presidential nomination, disingenuous in his denials, one wonders whether Minnesotans are paying for his State Police bodyguards as he ignores his electorate.

JOE MUST GO - Joe Lieberman, for any number of reasons, must be stripped of his Chairmanship and cashiered from the Democratic Party, for 1) threatening his filibuster if the health care bill has a public option; 2) for deciding, without any qualifications, that the Ft. Hood shooter is an Islamic Terrorist, in the face of qualified medical opinions that he is an unbalanced soldier; 3) for protecting his wife who lobbies for the health care industry, instead of representing the overwhlming will of his constituents on health care; 4) for trashing every campaign promise he made two years ago.

HEALTH CARE - How come it’s the ones who have health care who don’t want those without to have it, often trumpeting the cost, but never say a word about the trillion they supported for the Iraq unnecessary war or any of the other monies squandered in the last decade.

DID YOU KNOW - That every member of Congress and the Senate receives a base salary of over $161,000, and in addition, the taxpayers pay for 72% of their healthcare costs, with numerous choices for them to choose from.  Did the Founding Fathers envision a class of Royalty?  Hypocrites!

DO YOU WONDER - Whether Rudy Guiliani will be on Bernie Kerik’s visitors list in prison.  After all, this is his business partner/buddy whom he wanted to head up Homeland Security.  You did a great job, Bernie!

OR EVEN WONDER - How much good $100 million that NYC Mayor Bloomberg spent (of his own fortune) to get himself re-elected (after changing the term limits rule) could have done if he had directed it to the needy instead of his ego?

DO YOU WISH - That those of us who supported Barack Obama would like to see him show some of the toughness of  LBJ in dealing with the nation’s problems instead of sucking up to a GOP which will never support anything he supports, or not banging heads with wishy-washy Dems who would rather take a lobbyist’s money than fight for their constituents?

ARE THE LUNATICS RUNNING THE ASYLUM - With Tamiflu at a premium and far behind scheduled release (surprise!), why on earth did the Wall St. vultures responsible for our financial scandal, get supplies and injections ahead of needy children and pregnant women?  Heads should roll, all the way up to the Secretary of HHS!

FUZZY MATH - The Republicans are doing victory dances, as though they have won next year’s elections, when they won two Governor’s races (one incumbent was an incompetent screw-up, and the other in a toss-up state) while at the same time all the Special Congressional elections have gone to Democrats, who also took six of eight big-city Mayoral elections?

I HAD A DREAM - That the members of Congress and the House decided to represent the voters in their districts fairly, eschewed lobbyist money to fight for the will of the voters and bettering the nation rather than worrying about their own re-elections and padding their bankrolls.  Damn, it was only a dream!