Palin's next stop...The View?

So what's next for the former vice-presidential hopeful, and 2/3 term Governor from Alaska? Some would hope nothing, while the rest believe she was and is capable of being President of the United States. What do I hope? She becomes the next talking head on The View. Why you ask? She is way too entertaining to simply fade away into the Alaskan abyss of moose-hunting and fly-fishing, and yet not qualified to serve any office higher than the one she just quit. The View would give her an entertaining opportunity to hone her debate skills, and to learn how to articulate her beliefs in a way that no longer makes Katie Couric blink her eyes with confusion. The View, with possibly a season or two under her belt, would give her the chops to take on any politician or world leader that's visible from her house. Because, let's face it, The View IS survival of the fittest on estrogen. Each day, these ladies go on TV and tear each other apart in such a way that would make even a masticating lion feel squeamish. And few would argue that anyone gets more abuse from this gaggle of gals than a conservative...that is unless it's a conservative woman. Bottom line is, it's sink or swim on this show, and if Sarah can at least doggy-paddle until she learns a proper breast-stroke, I think she will come out of the experience much stronger, more confident, and ready to take the next step in her political career. It won't put in her in the White House, but it will start her in the right direction, which is something she desperately needs right now. She also might also earn some respect from some of the centrist moms and other fair-minded women out there who watch this entertaining spectacle. So come on, Sarah. The opportunity here is too good for you, for them, and for us to let you pass it by. Take over for Elizabeth while she's out on what honestly seems like her fourth maternity leave since first joining The View, and win us over once again...one "you're darn tootin'" and "bless your heart" at a time.

Beer Diplomacy

By now, everyone has heard about the July 16th arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr. by Cambridge police officer Sgt. James Crowley. It's been talked about so much that it probably contributed to the failure of President Obama to get America focused on his health care proposal. The interesting thing is that while this case has been framed by the media as another example of racial profiling, it turns out...it wasn't. In fact, both the media and the President prejudged this case before all the facts were known, and unfortunately for them, they were wrong. The 911 tapes released today show that the caller reporting the possible break in at Gates home, never specified the men's race. When asked by the 911 dispatcher what race the men were, she only stated "one might have been Hispanic. I don't know what the other one looked like." The caller was calm, and acknowledged that these men potentially lived or worked there, but felt the police should check to make sure.
It also turns out that there were black police officers on the scene at Gate's house when Sgt. Crowley made his arrest. They all contend race had nothing to do with this call, or arrest. The also vouch for Sgt. Crowley that they've never seen one instance of him exhibiting racism. The tapes from the scene appear to confirm no wrong-doing on the part of the cops, other than their arrest of Gates for disorderly conduct, might have been a bit legally flimsy. In the end, it appears the only ones that wanted to make this about race were Gates himself, the media, and to a lesser extent, the President.
Thankfully, the President has since retracted some of his comments and is working to try heal the wounds this arrest has caused throughout the country. "Beer Diplomacy", if effective at resolving things with Gates and Crowley, should perhaps be expanded to other conflicts around the globe. Perhaps that's all the Castro brothers need to finally let go of the Bay of Pigs debacle? But I digress...
The Gates case is another reminder that one should not respond until he or she has all the facts. It's also a reminder that for all the times law enforcement get things right, that in spite of countless people's lives they save on a daily basis, it is only their perceived failings that will ever make national news.

Prescription for failure

While there are so many notable events going on in the world today that are worthy of discussing in my opening blog posting (new protests in Iran, Bin Laden's son killed in Pakistan...Hillary being called "a primary schoolgirl", "not intelligent" and "sometimes a pensioner going shopping" by North Korea's Foreign Ministry) I feel obligated to say a few words about a topic that frankly, bores me to tears; health care. It appears that after rushing through a massive stimulus package, and a cap & trade bill (through the House) without anyone, including congress reading it, Obama has finally hit a wall with the unsexiest of domestic topics. It's not that it isn't an important issue. Everyone needs health insurance, but no one enjoys talking about it for hours on end (sorry for adding to the problem). What's more is that most people in this country have it, and think it serves them pretty well. They are right to be afraid of losing something good for something unknown. New polling shows that a majority of the country does not want the health care bill that is being proposed by both the President, and the Democratic leadership. A majority also thinks the President is trying to move to fast with getting it passed. The American public is willing to look past the passage of two game changing proposals by this President without knowing what was in them, but draw the line at their health. With good reason, I might add. The government, sans the military, does a pretty crummy job at every industry it attempts to oversee or run. If you would like a list, let me know. Otherwise, I think the record is fairly established on this one, and a full listing of failed government ventures might turn into a novela equally as boring as health care.
Let's see...the unsexy, the unknown, and big government; that's an unholy trinity, that virtually prevents congressional passage unless it's at least limited to two. Not much you can do about unsexy, and God knows it's been talked about enough already but the unknown still exists. So the only option is losing the big government part. So far, it seems the President would rather try his luck at a Fall 2009 vote, than go this route. I fear this is a prescription for failure.
I'm not quite sure why some Democrats and the President, want to reinvent the wheel, while some Republicans refuse to admit the wheel is a bit lopsided and simply needs to be fixed. How about we fix what doesn't work, and leave what does? How about we get rid of the fraud, waste, and abuse and frivolous lawsuits from the current system first? The government should help the 47 million Americans that don't have insurance to get it. That makes sense. But how about letting them choose to get their care from an already established health insurance company? If the government creates it's own system that is a lower cost alternative, it will put the other companies out of business. At best, the quality of care will be drastically reduced. It's common sense. Employers will choose the cheapest plan for their employees. Citizens forced to pay for a portion of their own insurance will also choose the cheapest plan. The only ones left that will be able to afford the current system, will likely be the top 5%, and the current system and most insurance companies wouldn't survive at that rate. This would take us one huge step further towards the class system being created in this county, created, by the way, in the name of helping the poor and middle class. It isn't just Republicans sounding the alarm on this. This is a lot of moderate Democrats and Independents who are holding this bill up.
In summary, Obama is right to want to provide coverage for those who need it, but can't afford it. The Republicans are right to be wary of health care brought to you by the same geniuses that can't seem to ever deliver my mail to the right house. The two parties need to work together to preserve a fairly healthy system that is overdue for a good diet and much more exercise.