Politics

GOP Moral Turpitude

Posted on by Joseph Sparks

While any legitimate moral outrage by GOP elected officials is appreciated after Charlottsville and the pardon of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, it is surprising that Republicans said anything given their moral turpitude on critical policy issues and race. For years Republicans have decided to disseminate lies that cause death and economic harm for political expediency.

After Charlottesville, Donald Trump demonstrated his immorality when, after multiple statements, he still seemed to blame both sides for the violence in Charlottesville. His first statement seem to hold sway, “We condemn in the strongest most possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides. On many sides.”

While a few Republican Senators, Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John McCain (R-AZ), and Marco Rubio (R-FL), condemned Trump by name, other prominent politicians such as Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) condemned Trump without mentioning his name.

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Not Meeting Needs

Posted on by Joseph Sparks

Not Meeting Needs

When I was a boy, my mom would often make me come with her when she would deliver food to older relatives. As a child the last thing I wanted to do was waste my time delivering food, especially when the houses and people often smelled funny. Of course the people were always appreciative, and I remember vaguely one great aunt of mine saying that my mom doing this was close to heaven. I know the aunt was grateful for the food, and it certainly did not hurt that my mom was an excellent cook.

My dad was always supportive, except perhaps for an occasional grimace. If my mom was not able to make dinner because time got away from her, my dad without complaint either took all five of us out to dinner or we got carry out.

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Government is the Solution, a Seismic Shift

Posted on by Joseph Sparks

A major shift in thinking has occurred since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, and the political ramifications are likely to be enormous.

At his inaugural in 1981, Ronald Reagan said, “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” This wrong belief has pervaded and controlled political thought for at least three decades and led to some very bad policies such as the bank deregulation that caused the financial crisis of 2008.

Recently, Republicans realized they have to actually develop a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, and people are demanding that some important features are available in a replacement plan. These features include allowing people with pre-existing conditions to get insurance, no lifetime limits, and allowing children under 26 to stay on their parents’ plans.

It gets even worse for Republicans. People are also demanding improvements such as more affordable premiums and lower copayments and deductibles.

For the first time in many, many years, there is a popular uprising where people are saying to the government, “fix this.” People realize government is the solution.

This is not to say that the government is the solution for everything. However, the right government policies can provide great solutions to some problems as illustrated by health care.

In point of fact the public enables the private, and now that people are realizing this, it signifies a seismic shift in our politics.

Democrats Must Focus on Messaging

Posted on by Joseph Sparks

There is a passionate debate as to whether Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz should be replaced. This debate focuses on three main points: did Wasserman Schultz show favoritism towards Secretary Clinton, has she been biased against Senator Sanders, and can Wasserman Schultz unify the party? However, neither of the preceding points are the most important criteria for evaluating the Chairwoman’s performance as head of the DNC.

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