Not Quite Center

Despite all the talk about campaign finance reform, there is very little that has been and is done. The laws that have been enacted have left loopholes for “soft money” and special interest groups. Elected and hoping-to-be-elected politicians play musical contribution checks as they donate money to each other, and lobbyists funnel money to the officials they think they can most easily influence. The Supreme Court has ruled that this kind of financing of campaigns is protected by the Free Speech clause of the First Amendment. In my opinion, the current system of campaign finance is terribly undemocratic. (more…)

There is a Japanese proverb that says, “When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends.” There are many people in our country who have not seen George W. Bush for the person he is. So maybe it will help to take a look at his friends. (more…)

Barack Obama has struck a chord with Americans in his latest book, The Audacity of Hope. The first thing he does is admit that politics is a rotten game, although he says that most politicians are not the evil people we think they are.

The second thing he does is lay open the biggest issues of our day—not like Rush Limbaugh or Michael Moore would do it, with an agenda of polarization—but rather in an attempt at revealing the complexity of the issues and thereby making us realize that there are no easy answers. He explores the pros and cons of both sides, openly states which he prefers and why, and leaves an opening for others to disagree. (more…)

On a 60 Minutes report (read or watch it) Sunday, March 4, David Walker, the Comptroller General of the U.S. (head of the Government Accountability Office) speaks frankly and frighteningly about the financial situation of the country. Essentially, according to Mr. Walker, with the aging and retirement of the Baby Boom generation, Medicare and Social Security will bankrupt the country within 35 years without quick action. (more…)