Frankly, my dear, you're an a-hole

Like a lot of people I gave an internal smile of satisfaction when I saw the video a couple of weeks ago of Sen. Barney Frank chastising a woman at a healthcare town hall meeting.



Like a lot of people who lack the topical knowledge or just plain smarts to make a good argument, the young woman in the video resorted to likening President Obama to Adolph Hitler. It's pretty well accepted that once you bring up Hitler or Nazis, you've pretty much lost the argument (unless you're arguing about whether Hitler could take Macho Man Randy Savage in a WWE Cage match, then I guess the Nazi references would be appropriate).

But the young woman in question brought upon herself the Barney Frank tongue lashing. She deserved it, and maybe she'll find a different, more appropriate and clever metaphor for her poster at the next healthcare town hall meeting (assuming someone lets her know what a metaphor is).

So yeah. Nice to see Frank callin' her out.

But then as I thought about it a little more, I realized I was feeling a twinge of ... something. There was something, I don't know, not quite right about the whole exchange (I mean aside from the obvious ridiculousness of the entire affair).

Then I realized that it was actually Frank who lost. By engaging the woman in the caliber of conversation with which she tried to engage him, Frank actually lost. He didn't realize that in this kind of un-argument, you can't win if you participate. That's a surprise given his vast political experience.

He took the bait and lowered himself to the level of the ad hominem.

Then, a few days later I was listening to a Planet Money interview with Frank that managed to completely erase what little respect I still had for him.

Planet Money's Adam Davidson interviewed Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, about trying to come up with a non-partisan way to address reforms aimed at preventing the kind of financial and regulatory crap casserole that allowed the recent global economic meltdown.

Frank's response was that he doesn't believe in non-partisan solutions.

"We're not dealing here with arithmetic. There is never going to be a consensus answer to what happens. You're not going to get calm, reasoned, bipartisan investigation," Frank said.

Frank proved himself to be a partisan bully. This is why there's so little hope for our country. The people in charge at the highest levels see this as some sort of game. What's important isn't finding the best solution and the best policy. What's important to them is scoring partisan points for their team.

The attitude has filtered into most of the politically aware society. The actual policies are irrelevant. People only care about associating with one side or the other and the petty "victories" those sides achieve.

tagged: politics, healthcare, economy, policy, Nazi, Hitler, Barney Frank

That's the ticket!

I'm a big believer in random acts of generosity.

That's why I took advantage of some interstitial time this morning to make a quick donation to the City of Overland Park.

I had just dropped my daughters off (one at school, the other at daycare) and was cruising to work down one of the many residential side streets near one of the many suburban school areas when it just occurred to me that, hey, I should make a random donation to The City.

Sure, I pay my taxes. But sometimes I think that's not enough. I mused, if only there were a way I could give a little more on top of that during these times when the mood strikes me.

That's when I realized that Overland Park has a method for me to do just that. For, as I drove down the street I noticed the familiar form of one of the Overland Park city police cruisers parked in the shade of a tree.

I was able to get his attention and get him to follow me a few hundred feet where he pulled up behind me. He put his flashing lights on and even made the effort to walk up to my car window to talk.

I explained the idea I had about wanting to donate a little more to the Overland Park general fund. I showed him my driver's license so that he knew I was indeed a resident of our fine burg. He inspected it briefly, then went back to his squad car for a moment.

When he returned, he notified me that he had a suggestion for my quandry. He provided me with a ticket, a sort of voucher, notifying me that I had the opportunity to donate $105 to the city sometime within the next 30 days. I had the option of visiting the municipal court to get a free tour and make my donation. But I could also choose to donate over the phone at my leisure.

And not only was I able to donate this small sum, but in return I was granted a one-time opportunity to exceed the posted speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour. It was lucky, since I had done just that mere moments before seeing the officer in his patrol car.

So it was a double win for me. Not only did I get a short thrill of driving 36 mph in a 26 mph speed zone, but I also received the personal satisfaction of making a small contribution to the financial security of Overland Park.

I just hope my random generosity will be an inspiration to you all in your daily commute.

tagged: Overland Park, police, donation, Johnson County, ticket, speed limit, generosity

YouTube Tuesday: Wrestling with health care

I agree with Ze Frank on this health care so-called debate.

Calling the this a national debate is like calling a WWE match a "round table discussion." There's not really any discussion going on and everybody with half a brain knows the outcome was determined before it even started.




Hat tip to Shane on the video.

tagged: TIME, health care, Ze Frank, debate, politics, policy

Friday Blogthing: The write stuff

I was hoping my result on this quiz would be "Rita Arens," but I guess Tom Wolfe is a good enough second choice.

The Which Crazy Writer Are You? quiz
Tom Wolfe

Ah, the life of a wall flower. You get to hang out with the most interesting people - radio DJs, hot rodders, hippies, Hell's Angels, Wall Street tycoons, frat boys - and are completely happy putting them into the spotlight.

You're completely happy hanging back with your martini and your little notebook, jotting down all your little observations, in sight but out of mind. Sure, everyone at the party knows who you are - but do they know the real you? And, more importantly, if you want to fade into the background, what's with the bright white suit?

Find out which crazy writer you are.

tagged: Friday, quiz, personality, writer, Tom Wolfe, author

Death

I've been thinking a lot about death recently, trying to process a lot of things that are too maudlin to get into around here.

But it's what my mood is these days.

Here's a clip from top-selling album "The Prophet" by Lebanese sensation Khalil Gibran that I've found particularly helpful. Just thought I'd share it along...

Death

Then Almitra spoke, saying, "We would ask now of Death."

And he said:
You would know the secret of death.
But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?
The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.
If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.
For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.

In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.
Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.
Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honour.
Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king?
Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

tagged: death, Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, poetry

Crackin' wise

This morning I stopped at the Quick Trip for a morning cuppa before work.

It's on the way to the office and I have a refillable mug and the office coffee is worse than drinking turpentine (and I should know), so there's really no reason NOT to get my java fix.

Anyhoo, I head up to the counter with my hot Colombian Supremo (with a squirt of half&half) and pay the cashier. I get my change and turn to head out the door.

As I'm turning, I overhear the woman next to me say "... sorry, I don't have the extra two cents." Turns out her items cost a total of some number of dollars and two cents. I realized that when I received my change, part of it included two pennies.

Now was my chance to do a random good deed.

"Here you go," I said as I tossed the Lincoln's on the counter.

I got the expected "Thanks" and smile. And I felt pretty good about it I guess. But I didn't do this random act of kindness for the thanks, or the smile, or even the feeling of doing something nice for a complete stranger.

Rather, I did it for the chance to be able to say "No problem. It's just my two cents."

Yeah. I'm corny like that.

tagged: coffee, pennies, two cents, Quick Trip, kindness

Getting ethnic

One of the best benefits of living in a city (as opposed to a cave, where I grew up) is the opportunity to experience life and culture from the perspective of someone else.

That opportunity, combined with Saturday's amazing weather and a strong desire to avoid doing yard work led us to hit up the Ethnic Enrichment Festival at Swope Park.

It was a great time, and like I said, the weather couldn't have been better. I don't know if it's because of global climate change or what, but it's been incredibly unseasonably pleasant around here this year.

There were about a babillion booths at the festival, and I think we visited all of them.

Since we arrived in the late afternoon, one of the first orders of business was finding something to eat. This isn't difficult in the least. Just pick out a booth and stand in line for a few minutes. I chose to stick with my own Scotch-Irish heritage and dine on some bangers and mash from the Scottish booth (unfortunately, they weren't giving out any Scotch whisky, dammit).

We had dessert pastries from the Scandinavian tent. The powdered sugar dusted pancake balls were a big hit, as were the various fruit Danishes we sampled. Of course, later in the evening I treated myself to a mystery meat skewer and an ice-cold coconut from the Thailand pavilion.

But most of our time was spent waiting in line at the Pakistan booth where a talented artist was offering Henna tattoos for a small fee.

Our six-year-old daughter was determined to wait as long as it took to get one on her hand. Seriously. We waited a looong time.

I distracted myself briefly with trip to the privies and a brief stop to watch a group of Slovenian (I think) musicians perform some traditional tunes.

It was well after dark when we left. And although I felt culturally enriched, the food and the clutch full of trinkets left my wallet a bit lighter. But I think we got our money's worth.

tagged: henna, Pakistan, Kansas City, Ethnic Enrichment Festival, family, food

Friday Blogthing: Knowing me, knowing you

Average Jane shared a link in the old RSS feed to Personas, a sort of techno-arty online experiment that attempts to distill your personality into a rainbow bar code based on (as far as I can tell) what others say (er, write) about you online.

Here's my result (you'll have to click to enlargify):I don't know what this actually means and as far as I can tell it's completely devoid of any kind of utility. But there is a pretty neat, colorful and kinetic show as it calculates your result. Click here to try it for yourself.

tagged: Friday, Blogthing, personality, online, Personas

Go to health care

This is the kind of thing I'm talking about (thanks for bird dogging this, jdoublep).

It's clear that to make a mostly free-market plan work, those with chronic illnesses need to be protected. Fortunately, the template is already in place. About 30 states, usually those without requirements for community rating or guaranteed issue, have high-risk pools that automatically enroll people with pre-existing conditions. Their premiums generally can't exceed 150% of the average plan within the state, even though the patients may actually cost far more. The full costs of the high-risk pools are covered from state income- and sales-tax revenues.

It seems like so much of the so-called discussion on this issue (and pretty much any issue of public policy these days) is of the either or nature. Either you're in favor of the government completely taking over health care and providing everything to everybody, or you think health care is fine the way it is and that government should leave the situation unchanged because socialism is teh suck.

It's rare to have people take a look at the entire scope of the problem, think outside of the party lines, and propose options other than the two extremes. And even though health care reform this year is dead, hopefully we'll start to see more of this kind of thinking.

tagged: health care, reform, Obama, Shawn Tully, partisanship, politics, policy

Dialogue on health care

One of my favorite people on my RSS reader is rubigimlet, proprietor of The Drift.

Seriously, if you haven't subscribed or added her to your blogroll, you should do it. Now. I'll wait.

Got it? Okay.

The reason I like The Drift is that even though there are typically only a couple of posts a month, they're always worth reading. The more serious ones even make me think (dammit). The recent entry on community health care co-ops is a great example.

There's also today's post, a general discussion about the health care "debate." Even though (or maybe because) I don't agree 100 percent, I started to leave a comment. That comment turned into an entire post which you are (hopefully) about to read.

Ruby wrote:

Let’s cut to the motherfucking chase – conservatives are motivated by fear mongering liberals are motivated by class warfare

This is the first statement that I wanted to comment on.

This theory about what motivates conservatives vs. liberals is highly, er, theoretical. That is, it doesn't have any practical bearing on the world that we live in. By that, I mean that in the current state of our society where there is very little difference between "conservatives" (an extreme minority of whom are truly conservative) and "liberals" (who claim to be fair minded but, in fact, employ the same bullying rhetorical style they castigate others for using).

On the contrary, fear and money are the primary motivators in both parties.

Since it became clear that the national Hopium high is beginning to wear off (gee, never saw that coming), much of the rhetoric from the ruling party has been about the impending cataclysmic collapse of health care if the government doesn't step in and take over.

On the other side, you have to be a complete dolt not to recognize that reform in the health care industry is needed.

personally, i’d rather put my stake in someone beholden to VOTERS rather than shareholders. then from there, we can at least honestly address this whole idea that the electoral college is a farce. -- rubygimlet

Good point. My personal view is that, given the federal government's history abject failure in pretty much everything they do, I don't see how people can trust national health care to the same people who brought us Walter Reed Hospital.

Also, I agree that we should be able to count on "someone beholden to VOTERS..." Unfortunately, thanks to the godzillions of dollars accepted in donations by pretty much everyone in DC (but especially the Obama administration (which has already sold out to Big Pharma)), such an animal does not exist.

So I suppose the next best thing is a way for me to vote with my dollars, which sickeningly are worth more than my actual democratic vote.

As for the merits of the electoral college, well, that's another post. But it seems a civics lesson might be in order.

tagged: health care, debate, Big Pharma, Obama, Hopium, Liberal, conservative