June 20-23

 Tad suggests that politically he is a "radical moderate."  His hypothesis is that 10% of the population is far left and 10% far right and he's with the 80% in between.  "So what's radical about that?" you ask.  Well, he thinks the 80% ought to be able to hunt and shoot the 10% on each extreme.  Makes a guy think.

Because I am doing little but resting and have little to report in the way of grand adventure, how about a few political comments?  That always livens things up.  This will just be a potpourri of general thoughts.

Both Republicans and Democrats speak in barely concealed, but imprecise, code.  For example, "The rich should pay their fair share."   "The rich" is intended to mean people who earn more than the listener.  "Fair share" means "more."  Want to have fun?  Ask someone who argues the rich should pay their fair share to quantify " rich" and "fair."  Then suggest that since only 50% of adult citizens pay any income tax, those who argue for tax increases appear to being saying that they don't want the 50% who pay no income tax to be victimized by the other 50% who don't pay their fair share.

Switching to the other party, "family values" is code for a lot less tolerance than I'd like to see.  (As an aside, many, and I suspect most, "family values" supporters who have been divorced should have the sense to keep quiet.  And by "sense to keep quiet" I mean "decency to shut up.")  "Family values" does not mean, "Let's set aside one night week to all eat a nice meal together and grow closer and more understanding and those who did not cook will do the dishes."  It means at least "I'm anti-gay."  Well have the moral courage to just say it.  (I do not discuss that "family values" also usually means "pro-life" because that is a far more intricate problem.  And though I disagree with much of what the pro-life movement espouses, I point out that it is probably the least selfish political movement in America and should be given credit for being so.)

These examples of code-speak point to the basic deficiencies in our two parties.  Democrats tend to be fiscal illiterates who think the money will never run out.  This is harsh, but what else can you call a person who calls for more spending when forty cents of every dollar we spend now is borrowed?  The situation has gone well past simply cutting some programs so as to fund others.  The party reaction to any problem is first to assume that government can do something about it and second to assume that the solution is to spend money.  This despite example after example of government programs that are at best too costly for the results they achieve and at worst are counterproductive.  At its most cynical, the party attempts to create a huge group of people dependent on the government who will automatically vote for the Democrats to at least maintain their "entitlements."

So why aren't the Republicans eating the Democrat's lunch?   Especially when these "entitlements" mean that younger people are and will be footing the bills for older people?  It is partly because there is a deep streak of intolerance in the Republican Party that younger and minority voters just can't stomach.  And they shouldn't.

These somewhat superficial talking points bring up more basic issues such as the expansion of the Commerce Clause to give government ever increasing power to take from A to give to B; the nature of people who seek power to seek more power; the rise of a professional political class - I don't mean just office holders - devoted principally to gaining and holding power; ways to limit power.  And why isn't there a party for the fiscally conservative, but socially liberal?  But all this is more than a single blog entry can even touch upon.  It does, however, help me vent and not snack.

.....

Went into town with Tad.  Saw a fine old church the sign for which read, "Hungarian Presbyterian Church."  I don't know about you, but that is a sign I never expected to see.

The reason we went into town was to do some shopping for Helen and drop in and see her.  Tad bought her a watermelon, one of her favorites, and I cut it up for her.  And we made her laugh.  I will be leaving tomorrow.  It is very unlikely I will ever see her again.  She recognized this, too.  She said as much as I gave her a hug, blew her a kiss, and walked out the door.  But she smiled as she said it.

Life is loss.  What makes it bearable is that before one can lose, one must have.  Helen knows this.  That's why she smiled.