Monday, April 28, 2008
THINGS I DON'T UNDERSTAND
According to the latest polls, 68% of Americans disapprove of the job that President Bush is doing, while 28% approve. Considering the mess we are in at home and abroad, I just don’t understand why 28% would approve of the president’s performance. And, what about that dinky 4% who don’t know what they think?
I have a lot of friends, and some family, who are Republicans. I credit most of them with having good sense, and some seem quite intelligent. But in this same poll Republicans gave Bush a 66% approval rating, and only 32% disapproved of his performance. I shall assume that those disapproving Republicans are the same group that I previously credited with high intelligence. Otherwise, I don’t understand it.
Further, I don’t understand why polls show almost half of the people would vote for a candidate who plans to continue Bush’s policies and his war.
Watching what has been going on at the State Capitol this year causes one to wonder just who voted and elected the majority in the state House or a big part of the Senate. They seem uncomfortable with serving the needs of the people, but comfortable in serving the special interests who lobby them and donate to campaigns.
The insurance lobby has halted or stalled coverage for the mentally ill, autism, and other catastrophic illnesses which beset a small segment of our people. More tax breaks have been awarded to corporate interests, including the multi-millionaires bringing a washed-up, third-rate basketball team to town.
Women have been loaded with more guilt trips (and doctors with paper work) if they need or want to end a bad pregnancy. This is done for those vocal people who want their own religion put into law, and who want dissenters made into criminals. How in the world did we get to this point?
The tax cutters are still at work, even though the disastrous results of their previous dirty work are already beginning to limit the state’s ability to perform its governing duties. “No new money for anything this year” is the rule, even though the expenses of educating children and college age youth are increasing, highway needs are accumulating, prisons are overflowing warehouses, child abuse and abuse of women is unworked, the mentally ill populate the jails, crime labs are ill equipped, retirements systems are broke, and state and education employees underpaid.
It just does not make sense why voters keep on electing tax cutters, when they should be able to see the inconsistency of that with needs of the people. Where are the statesmen and stateswomen? Don’t we have any?
And, just where did we get those nutty legislators who want to turn college campuses into old west, gunslinger towns? Even Wyatt Earp knew better.
Along come groups desirous of funding bridges and roads and county roads by taking money from education. Of course, they don’t say in their TV ads that they will take the money from schools. I don’t understand why we aren’t paying gas and diesel taxes equal to the surrounding states, if we want road funds. Oil companies and gas stations charge the high prices anyway.
Now the legislature is taking away gambling funds dedicated to scholarships for all students, and putting these into paying bonds for matching endowed chair donations primarily at just OU and OSU. I don’t understand that move, or why it was supported by local legislators from areas where smaller colleges are located. Did anyone ask questions about this?
I don’t understand how the legislature, the regents, the governor, or the college presidents could in good conscience allow college costs on students to escalate to the current level, excluding worthy students who cannot pay the exorbitant fees now charged. There is fault enough to go around for that.
Any person in a leadership position who stood idly by over the last ten or fifteen years and allowed all this to happen is guilty. Artificial barriers, financial or other, erected in the path of access for an academically qualified person into higher education are plainly undemocratic.
The basic tenet of equal opportunity in American democracy demands equal access to higher education.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
I have a lot of friends, and some family, who are Republicans. I credit most of them with having good sense, and some seem quite intelligent. But in this same poll Republicans gave Bush a 66% approval rating, and only 32% disapproved of his performance. I shall assume that those disapproving Republicans are the same group that I previously credited with high intelligence. Otherwise, I don’t understand it.
Further, I don’t understand why polls show almost half of the people would vote for a candidate who plans to continue Bush’s policies and his war.
Watching what has been going on at the State Capitol this year causes one to wonder just who voted and elected the majority in the state House or a big part of the Senate. They seem uncomfortable with serving the needs of the people, but comfortable in serving the special interests who lobby them and donate to campaigns.
The insurance lobby has halted or stalled coverage for the mentally ill, autism, and other catastrophic illnesses which beset a small segment of our people. More tax breaks have been awarded to corporate interests, including the multi-millionaires bringing a washed-up, third-rate basketball team to town.
Women have been loaded with more guilt trips (and doctors with paper work) if they need or want to end a bad pregnancy. This is done for those vocal people who want their own religion put into law, and who want dissenters made into criminals. How in the world did we get to this point?
The tax cutters are still at work, even though the disastrous results of their previous dirty work are already beginning to limit the state’s ability to perform its governing duties. “No new money for anything this year” is the rule, even though the expenses of educating children and college age youth are increasing, highway needs are accumulating, prisons are overflowing warehouses, child abuse and abuse of women is unworked, the mentally ill populate the jails, crime labs are ill equipped, retirements systems are broke, and state and education employees underpaid.
It just does not make sense why voters keep on electing tax cutters, when they should be able to see the inconsistency of that with needs of the people. Where are the statesmen and stateswomen? Don’t we have any?
And, just where did we get those nutty legislators who want to turn college campuses into old west, gunslinger towns? Even Wyatt Earp knew better.
Along come groups desirous of funding bridges and roads and county roads by taking money from education. Of course, they don’t say in their TV ads that they will take the money from schools. I don’t understand why we aren’t paying gas and diesel taxes equal to the surrounding states, if we want road funds. Oil companies and gas stations charge the high prices anyway.
Now the legislature is taking away gambling funds dedicated to scholarships for all students, and putting these into paying bonds for matching endowed chair donations primarily at just OU and OSU. I don’t understand that move, or why it was supported by local legislators from areas where smaller colleges are located. Did anyone ask questions about this?
I don’t understand how the legislature, the regents, the governor, or the college presidents could in good conscience allow college costs on students to escalate to the current level, excluding worthy students who cannot pay the exorbitant fees now charged. There is fault enough to go around for that.
Any person in a leadership position who stood idly by over the last ten or fifteen years and allowed all this to happen is guilty. Artificial barriers, financial or other, erected in the path of access for an academically qualified person into higher education are plainly undemocratic.
The basic tenet of equal opportunity in American democracy demands equal access to higher education.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
