Some of our Republican friends are quite upset by Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's comment about a "wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences" being able, "more often than not to reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." Of course, she has already indicated that this was a poor choice of words, a recanting of sorts. And our boy Newt has done has own recanting of sorts about his "racist" comment, too. But, as usual, I fail to grasp why this is such a big deal.
Before you get your bowels in an uproar, I am not saying women are better than men, or Latinos are better than Anglos. What I am saying is that Ms. Sotomayor merely stated what we all feel in our heart of hearts. We all believe that our life experiences, shaped by our cultural background and experiences, qualify us far more than any one else on the planet to make brilliant decisions and conclusions. Perception is reality, as McLuhan once said. Everyone views life through the lens of our lifetime. We don't see how someone how has not been shaped by the forces that shaped us could possibly reach the brilliant, fair and equitable decisions that we do. It is simply impossible. In this regard, the nominee is just another frail human being, albeit one with a little more power and public eye than most of us.
So should such a comment disqualify Ms. Sotomayor? Have we become so politically correct that such a human statement means that you are not qualified to become a Supreme Court Justice? Is it even wrong? Don't we want our Judges to bring to the table the fullness of their life experiences? Of course, we need to guard against someone who life experiences produce a prejudice, which I guess is the argument being made by the neo-conservatives here, but there is nothing in Sotomayor's record of rulings to indicate that.
There has been for many years a dangerous trend in politics to weed out anyone with flaws. Someone that falls short of an unattainable ideal. Flawed people often grow as a result of mistakes, life experiences, and failures. Perhaps they even become better people. As a result of this trend against the less than ideal, I fear we are in great danger of no longer producing giants. And make no mistake about it, there were once giants that guided this country. Today, they would be weeded out. FDR--crippled adulteror, Lincoln--odd looking manic depressive, Teddy Roosevelt--too earthy, too opinionated, Sam Austin--drunken failure, Washington and Jefferson--slaveholders for God's sake!
You can have your list of vanilla middle of the road candidates. As for me, let me have some flawed humans, like those above, that bring it all, good and bad to the table. Maybe we'll see a giant again.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Why the Legislature is Broken
For the past several weeks, our wonderful Legislature has been at an impasse over the State's budget. As we near the July 1 deadline for passing a budget, there seems to be no movement. Of course, I have come to expect very little from our Legislature in terms of leadership and statesmanship, and they have continued to meet my low expectations.
The real problem is they have no incentive to fix the problem. No one runs against an incumbent anymore. They have no real threat of being kicked out of their cushy part-time job. Because of this, they are free to respond to their real constituencies. These can be special interest groups, lobbyists, the Governor, or whomever. This invulnerability allows them to posture with impunity. They can draw lines in the sand and call it integrity, when it is in fact showmanship. The legislature bows to their real masters, who are, for the most part, no longer the voters.
As a Democrat, my thinking is the Republicans are following the orders of Hailey the Hutt. I am sure my Republican friends say the Democrats are in the thrall of the Speaker, or perhaps the Black Caucus. It doesn't matter. No one is living this job for life unless they want to, barring scandal, the only thing that they fear. Of course, even then, they bow out and are not voted out. But clearly, fixable problems are not getting fixed.
Think about it. If you and I were in a room, or say 4 or 5 of us, and we were faced with this problem, we'd be having beers together by 5:00 tonight. House and Senate leaders are at odds over how much to tax hospitals to help pay for Medicaid. There is going to be some tax, so we meet, look at the two figures and start splitting the difference until we hit a number. Problem solved and I've got the first round at Happy Hour. Another sticking point is a plan supported by Gov. Haley Barbour and Senate Republicans to reserve $60 million in federal stimulus funds to protect the state against possible lower revenues in future years. The Democrats aren't sure that the money can be so reserved (it is for stimulating, after all) and want to spend it to help the State. Again, it is an all or nothing negotiating stance. Real people, who have better things to do than waste time, would work a compromise, like, I don't know, spend some and reserve some. It is called compromise, after all, and like a T-shirt I once saw said, "this ain't rocket surgery".
But these fine public servants don't see it that way. And since we are never going to vote them out, they can continue to play hardball, to the detriment of the working stiffs of the State. It's a cozy little club and a good time away from home for them.
What's the solution? Draft the Legislature. Set up a lottery, have all adults register and pick numbers. Everyone serves a two year, three year, four year, whatever term. After that you're done. Not enough time to line your pockets, and maybe an incentive to do the right thing. No need to worry about former legislators becoming lobbyists, because the guys and gals they knew are gone, and so is their influence. Of course, these guys would also have no worries about getting kicked out, but at least we would know they were going on a date certain. The mechanics of passing the laws, etc. would be handled by staff. If you are worried about those staff members becoming too powerful, limit their employment too.
See, it's all solvable. I think I'll work on the Middle East next. Let's see, where did I put Obama's phone number?
The real problem is they have no incentive to fix the problem. No one runs against an incumbent anymore. They have no real threat of being kicked out of their cushy part-time job. Because of this, they are free to respond to their real constituencies. These can be special interest groups, lobbyists, the Governor, or whomever. This invulnerability allows them to posture with impunity. They can draw lines in the sand and call it integrity, when it is in fact showmanship. The legislature bows to their real masters, who are, for the most part, no longer the voters.
As a Democrat, my thinking is the Republicans are following the orders of Hailey the Hutt. I am sure my Republican friends say the Democrats are in the thrall of the Speaker, or perhaps the Black Caucus. It doesn't matter. No one is living this job for life unless they want to, barring scandal, the only thing that they fear. Of course, even then, they bow out and are not voted out. But clearly, fixable problems are not getting fixed.
Think about it. If you and I were in a room, or say 4 or 5 of us, and we were faced with this problem, we'd be having beers together by 5:00 tonight. House and Senate leaders are at odds over how much to tax hospitals to help pay for Medicaid. There is going to be some tax, so we meet, look at the two figures and start splitting the difference until we hit a number. Problem solved and I've got the first round at Happy Hour. Another sticking point is a plan supported by Gov. Haley Barbour and Senate Republicans to reserve $60 million in federal stimulus funds to protect the state against possible lower revenues in future years. The Democrats aren't sure that the money can be so reserved (it is for stimulating, after all) and want to spend it to help the State. Again, it is an all or nothing negotiating stance. Real people, who have better things to do than waste time, would work a compromise, like, I don't know, spend some and reserve some. It is called compromise, after all, and like a T-shirt I once saw said, "this ain't rocket surgery".
But these fine public servants don't see it that way. And since we are never going to vote them out, they can continue to play hardball, to the detriment of the working stiffs of the State. It's a cozy little club and a good time away from home for them.
What's the solution? Draft the Legislature. Set up a lottery, have all adults register and pick numbers. Everyone serves a two year, three year, four year, whatever term. After that you're done. Not enough time to line your pockets, and maybe an incentive to do the right thing. No need to worry about former legislators becoming lobbyists, because the guys and gals they knew are gone, and so is their influence. Of course, these guys would also have no worries about getting kicked out, but at least we would know they were going on a date certain. The mechanics of passing the laws, etc. would be handled by staff. If you are worried about those staff members becoming too powerful, limit their employment too.
See, it's all solvable. I think I'll work on the Middle East next. Let's see, where did I put Obama's phone number?
Carrying your Internet cloud with you
I am currently using a wonderful little device obtained from my local Verizon carrier for my Internet needs when I am away from a line. This little card-like device is called a MiFi 2200. (Cute play on words for WiFi, eh?) It is a little bigger than a credit card and about 3 or 4 times as thick. What it does is connect you to the Internet anywhere you can get a Verizon signal. Previously, I had a plug in device that served the same function.
So why switch over? One of the beauties of this device is it broadcasts its signal for a range of about 30 feet, and it supports up to 5 users at one time. You do not have to plug it in, like the older device, just cut it on. So you and others can use it at the same time. Great for collaborating with others, or for use at the house when your cable connection is on the fritz, as it is at my house. Security is provided using the concept of "security by proximity". For another user to log on, in addition to being close enough, they have to use the log-in password, which is printed on your MiFi card. If you don't give it to them, they can't get on. If you move away, they can't get on. You are in control of usage.
The other thing I like is the portability. I can have the card in my coat pocket, computer case, etc. and as long as it is on, I am in business. I don't have to plug it into my computer, although I can. So you can be discrete, if you desire.
The device costs $150.00, with a contract, of course. You get a $50.00 rebate. If you are a current user of the old device, the cost is $100.00, with the same $50 rebate. Subscription plans have two options, with two amounts of data. Choose the bigger one, for about $65 or so per month, which was what I was paying for the old card. As a bonus, as an old card user, I get unlimited data. Love the grandfather clause!
If you travel much, and use the internet connections in airports, coffee shops, etc., this device can pay for itself very quickly. I also enjoy the piece of mind knowing I can get on even when the cable or T1 line is on the blink.
Two big thumbs up from me for the MiFi 2200 by Verizon.
So why switch over? One of the beauties of this device is it broadcasts its signal for a range of about 30 feet, and it supports up to 5 users at one time. You do not have to plug it in, like the older device, just cut it on. So you and others can use it at the same time. Great for collaborating with others, or for use at the house when your cable connection is on the fritz, as it is at my house. Security is provided using the concept of "security by proximity". For another user to log on, in addition to being close enough, they have to use the log-in password, which is printed on your MiFi card. If you don't give it to them, they can't get on. If you move away, they can't get on. You are in control of usage.
The other thing I like is the portability. I can have the card in my coat pocket, computer case, etc. and as long as it is on, I am in business. I don't have to plug it into my computer, although I can. So you can be discrete, if you desire.
The device costs $150.00, with a contract, of course. You get a $50.00 rebate. If you are a current user of the old device, the cost is $100.00, with the same $50 rebate. Subscription plans have two options, with two amounts of data. Choose the bigger one, for about $65 or so per month, which was what I was paying for the old card. As a bonus, as an old card user, I get unlimited data. Love the grandfather clause!
If you travel much, and use the internet connections in airports, coffee shops, etc., this device can pay for itself very quickly. I also enjoy the piece of mind knowing I can get on even when the cable or T1 line is on the blink.
Two big thumbs up from me for the MiFi 2200 by Verizon.
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