Weekend Round Up of Thoughts and Opinions

1)      Public polling is a colossal waste of time, and any elected official who lets it determine policy is both a fool and dangerous.

2)      Is it possible for our government to govern without first considering the political consequences?

3)      “Millions of our citizens do not now have a full measure of opportunity to achieve and to enjoy good health. Millions do not now have protection or security against the economic effects of sickness. And the time has now arrived for action to help them attain that opportunity and to help them get that protection." – Harry S. Truman

4)      President Obama reaching out to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, may lead nowhere in the short term.  But diplomacy is about engaging your adversaries to come to some common ground; it’s tedious and slow and is why neocons hate it.

5)      When the mall attack in the US happens, I bet it originates from a Cinnabon.

6)      Only in this dysfunctional country is a constitutionally upheld law and a proposed pipeline used as bargaining chips to keep the government from shutting down.

7)      We don’t have a healthcare crisis, we have a health insurance problem.

8)      Ever notice that both sides of the political aisle love to quote Thomas Jefferson?

9)      Why does every piece of legislation introduced by Congress include a tax clause or credit?  Isn’t the tax code complicated enough?

10)   Improved U.S.-Iranian relations will be perceived as bad news by the Saudi and Israeli governments.

11)   If Republicans were serious about a bipartisan healthcare bill, they would not have waited until AFTER the Affordable Care Act to be deemed constitutional before they acted. 

12)   Raising the cost of postage by $.03 will not save the United States Postal Service.  It needs a complete restructuring and overhaul of its systems, processes, leadership, and entitlement culture that is rampant in so many branches.

13)   If Rand Paul is such a civil libertarian shouldn’t be threatening to shut down the government unless the Patriot Act is repealed?

14)   Politicians: A majority of Americans agree that spending should be cut.  Truth: Americans don’t want the part of government spending that comes their way to be touched.

15)   Scary thought: A Romney administration with John Bolton and the neocon cabal dealing with Syria, Russia, and Iran.

16)   For those Reagan worshippers criticizing President Obama for reaching out to Rouhani, it’s not like he sold weapons to the archenemy in Tehran, right?

17)   My stress levels are so much lower since I stopped watching Sunday Talk Shows. 

18)   After watching the Ted Cruz show this week, it begs the question: Is being a self-promoting clown a pre-existing condition?

19)   We are nation with real problems: education, unemployment, infrastructure, deficits, etc. and yet the one body that is supposed to be part of the solution is actually part of the problem.  Psst that means you Congress.

20)   Enabling the uninsured to get health insurance is very important, but making sure everyone has access to effective and efficient health care is more important.