Last week, in an attempt to appear relevant, House Republicans banded together to vote down Barack Obama’s $819 billion stimulus package. After four straight years of heavy losses, however, the move became nothing more than a symbol of the GOP’s imminent collapse. The bill they opposed passed 244-188. Plagued by dwindling numbers, outdated ideology, and a homogenous “rich whites only” image, the Republican Party is now being forced to make a choice. Change or die.
The success of the Republican Party since the Reagan Revolution was made possible by the coalition of fiscally conservative bankers and socially conservative southerners. This unlikely team put Ronald Reagan in the White House in 1980 and 1984, took over the House and Senate in 1994 to combat Bill Clinton, and narrowly won George W. Bush the presidency twice, in 2000 and 2004. Partially in response to the failures of the Bush presidency, and partially due to the lackluster campaigning of John McCain and Sarah Palin, the coalition collapsed in 2008, forcing fiscal conservatives to jump ship as Republican rhetoric swung into the realm of racism and fear. The result was a Democratic sweep, putting Barack Obama in the White House with a near filibuster proof Congress.
The scramble since November 5th has been as entertaining as it is pathetic. Lacking the ability to block liberal legislation, the Republican Party has transformed into a party of socially conservative whiners led by Rush Limbaugh, a controversial conservative pundit. In a short article published just before inauguration day, Limbaugh wrote, “…I’ve been listening to Barack Obama for a year-and-a-half. I know what his politics are…I hope he fails.”
After a week of dodging questions related to Limbaugh’s treasonous remarks and his newfound central role in Republican policy, President Obama issued a statement. He said to Republican leaders in Congress, “You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done.” This was said soon after John Boehner, House Minority Leader, cited the funding of bike paths, Planned Parenthood and a cleanup of Washington DC’s National Mall as the reasons why Republicans refused to support Obama’s massive stimulus package. And, despite Boehner calling Republicans “the party of better ideas, better solutions,” recently on Meet the Press, their only contribution to the political process as of late has been the enigmatic SarahPAC, Governor Sarah Palin’s pompous tribute to herself.
The collapse of the Republican Party, as wonderful as that sounds, is dangerous for democracy. Since the bitter Republican/Federalist rivalries of the 1790s, America has maintained a balanced government with two viable parties keeping each other in check. As the Republican Party implodes and the Democrats enjoy their unbridled chance to lead, a strong opposition party with fresh ideas must rise from the ashes of neo-conservatism and provide Americans with their most important right. Choice.
-Matt
Monday, February 2, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Matt is tagged for a meme, signals triumphant return...
Some anonymous person (HBoO) convinced me to write 25 things about myself that are reasonably unknown.
Here we go:
1. When I was a kid, my bus stop was a quarter mile down the street. My friend and I would walk past several ranchers to get there, each with its own dirt or stone driveway. One of the dirt driveways had a deep hole that would always fill with water when it rained. During winter, the water would freeze, creating a miniature ice rink. Every day, we'd "skate" on it or smash the thin ice with our feet, at which point we'd pretend to drown. The water was just a few inches deep which leads me to believe that my 9 year old imagination was just like LSD.
2. Once, I challenged a kid on my street to a race to the top of the street and back. I lost the race...and my dignity.
3. I have a small mole on my right thigh that always grows a single black hair. It may or may not be cancerous.
4. I hold my cell phone in my front pocket. If I forget to put it there before I go out, my pocket periodically vibrates.
5. I brush my teeth the exact same way every time.
6. I often think about trying stand up comedy.
7. I don't know how to properly use a tissue. When I have a cold, I snot rocket into a toilet.
8. I shower with my back facing the water.
9. Though I owned and played Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, and Sonic and Knuckles for several years, I never beat any of them.
10. I owned NHL 95 for Sega Genesis. Often I would create a character named Matt Brinn and give him maximum stats because I'm awesome.
11. I used cheat codes to beat Grand Theft Auto III, but not Vice City or San Andreas.
12. I think my favorite cheesy song from the 80s is Cum on Feel the Noize by Quiet Riot. Honorable mention-Sand Castles in the Sand
13. If all else fails, I have a great radio DJ voice.
14. And a movie trailer voice.
15. In a world...
16. I joined the internet community on July 1st, 2001 at the now deceased planetnamek.com with the username "MangaMan". I participated in lengthy Dragon Ball Z debates and text RPGs.
17. I say LOL out loud when I think something is only kind of funny.
18. When I did Tae Kwon Do, we had to memorize the meaning of each form that we did. I can still recite the meaning of the white belt form from memory.
19. Chun Ji means literally the heaven and the earth. It is in the orient and is interpreted as the creation of the world or the beginning of human history. Therefore, it is the initial pattern played by the beginner. This pattern consists of two similar parts, one to represent the heavens and the other, the earth.
20. My favorite movie is Amelie. I'm not afraid to admit that I bawled when the cat moved the beads. I still tear up when I see it.
21. No other movie has made me cry. Grave of the Fireflies came close.
22. I recently watched Firefly, the Joss Whedon show that got canceled after 14 episodes. It's the best show I've seen since Cowboy Bebop. I guess this means that one of my favorite things is sci-fi western comedy dramas that last a season or less before releasing a movie spawned from DVD sales.
23. Bad acting in a good movie stings my soul. Bad acting in a bad movie makes life worth living.
24. When I take my glasses off, I'm compelled to rub my eyes incessantly.
25. It's been thirty hours since I've consumed a food that isn't pizza.
***
Wow, twenty five things is too many. Until next time...
-Matt
Here we go:
1. When I was a kid, my bus stop was a quarter mile down the street. My friend and I would walk past several ranchers to get there, each with its own dirt or stone driveway. One of the dirt driveways had a deep hole that would always fill with water when it rained. During winter, the water would freeze, creating a miniature ice rink. Every day, we'd "skate" on it or smash the thin ice with our feet, at which point we'd pretend to drown. The water was just a few inches deep which leads me to believe that my 9 year old imagination was just like LSD.
2. Once, I challenged a kid on my street to a race to the top of the street and back. I lost the race...and my dignity.
3. I have a small mole on my right thigh that always grows a single black hair. It may or may not be cancerous.
4. I hold my cell phone in my front pocket. If I forget to put it there before I go out, my pocket periodically vibrates.
5. I brush my teeth the exact same way every time.
6. I often think about trying stand up comedy.
7. I don't know how to properly use a tissue. When I have a cold, I snot rocket into a toilet.
8. I shower with my back facing the water.
9. Though I owned and played Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, and Sonic and Knuckles for several years, I never beat any of them.
10. I owned NHL 95 for Sega Genesis. Often I would create a character named Matt Brinn and give him maximum stats because I'm awesome.
11. I used cheat codes to beat Grand Theft Auto III, but not Vice City or San Andreas.
12. I think my favorite cheesy song from the 80s is Cum on Feel the Noize by Quiet Riot. Honorable mention-Sand Castles in the Sand
13. If all else fails, I have a great radio DJ voice.
14. And a movie trailer voice.
15. In a world...
16. I joined the internet community on July 1st, 2001 at the now deceased planetnamek.com with the username "MangaMan". I participated in lengthy Dragon Ball Z debates and text RPGs.
17. I say LOL out loud when I think something is only kind of funny.
18. When I did Tae Kwon Do, we had to memorize the meaning of each form that we did. I can still recite the meaning of the white belt form from memory.
19. Chun Ji means literally the heaven and the earth. It is in the orient and is interpreted as the creation of the world or the beginning of human history. Therefore, it is the initial pattern played by the beginner. This pattern consists of two similar parts, one to represent the heavens and the other, the earth.
20. My favorite movie is Amelie. I'm not afraid to admit that I bawled when the cat moved the beads. I still tear up when I see it.
21. No other movie has made me cry. Grave of the Fireflies came close.
22. I recently watched Firefly, the Joss Whedon show that got canceled after 14 episodes. It's the best show I've seen since Cowboy Bebop. I guess this means that one of my favorite things is sci-fi western comedy dramas that last a season or less before releasing a movie spawned from DVD sales.
23. Bad acting in a good movie stings my soul. Bad acting in a bad movie makes life worth living.
24. When I take my glasses off, I'm compelled to rub my eyes incessantly.
25. It's been thirty hours since I've consumed a food that isn't pizza.
***
Wow, twenty five things is too many. Until next time...
-Matt
Friday, December 5, 2008
House agrees to write legislation to bail out auto industry...
I just read the the front page of the New York Times. In response, I wrote all of my representatives to convince them to vote against another cataclysmic mistake in a series of cataclysmic mistakes. Here's the text of my letter:
I ask you, with utmost urgency, to oppose the $25 billion bailout for the big three auto companies. Though there are numerous reasons to vote against it, I will focus on just one: the source of the funds.
According to the New York Times, the $25 billion is likely to be taken from "subsidized loans intended for developing advanced fuel efficient cars." I think this sends the Big Three the wrong message. If we give them money that was intended to be used to revamp the industry, it will encourage them to continue nefarious business practices that caused their collapse.
To understand their backwards mentality, turn on any TV and watch the car commercials. These companies are emphasizing big vehicles that conform to an outdated concept of "manliness." It is obvious that these companies are not listening to consumer demands for smaller more fuel efficient vehicles; otherwise they would have evolved their business model according to their customer's desires.
We cannot reward a private industry that fails to supply consumer's demand. Bailing out these companies not only undermines our capitalist system, it will rob the American people of crucial funds that should be saved for progressive policies that provide jobs for our ailing economy.
Once again, vote NAY to any piece of legislation that provides the auto industry with tax dollars. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Matthew Brinn
Concerned Citizen
I urge you all to copy this letter (or write your own) telling your representatives to vote against any legislation that allocates funds to bailing out the auto industry!
-Matt
I ask you, with utmost urgency, to oppose the $25 billion bailout for the big three auto companies. Though there are numerous reasons to vote against it, I will focus on just one: the source of the funds.
According to the New York Times, the $25 billion is likely to be taken from "subsidized loans intended for developing advanced fuel efficient cars." I think this sends the Big Three the wrong message. If we give them money that was intended to be used to revamp the industry, it will encourage them to continue nefarious business practices that caused their collapse.
To understand their backwards mentality, turn on any TV and watch the car commercials. These companies are emphasizing big vehicles that conform to an outdated concept of "manliness." It is obvious that these companies are not listening to consumer demands for smaller more fuel efficient vehicles; otherwise they would have evolved their business model according to their customer's desires.
We cannot reward a private industry that fails to supply consumer's demand. Bailing out these companies not only undermines our capitalist system, it will rob the American people of crucial funds that should be saved for progressive policies that provide jobs for our ailing economy.
Once again, vote NAY to any piece of legislation that provides the auto industry with tax dollars. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Matthew Brinn
Concerned Citizen
I urge you all to copy this letter (or write your own) telling your representatives to vote against any legislation that allocates funds to bailing out the auto industry!
-Matt
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
T. Boone Pickens discounts everything that Stephen Moore thinks/says...
T. Boone Pickens, the biggest advocate for the expansion of wind energy in America, argued his cause against Stephen Moore of the Wall Street Journal.
Pickens began the argument by stressing the necessity for America to relinquish its dependence on foreign oil by embracing green energy technologies. He expanded on this point by providing thorough knowledge on existing resources, their allocation, and the feasibility of maintaining our current lifestyle. In short, we can't. According to Pickens, who has worked and managed energy plants for his entire life, if America scoured its lands for nonrenewable energy, it'd be able to provide just four million barrels of oil a day for a limited number of years. Currently, the USA consumes 12 million barrels each day.
Moore, at this point, interjected with his views. "Oil doesn't come from the ground, it comes from our minds," he said, "I don't believe in peak oil."
Pickens, obviously flustered by the remark, emphasized the cost of drilling in these places. "Yeah, we can drill 30,000 feet into the Gulf of Mexico. It'll cost $120 million and, if we're lucky, we'll get four billion barrels, not the 20 billion figure that is being tossed around Congress," he argued. On more than one occasion, Pickens was able to provide statistical and monetary information that Moore was unaware of. Throughout the course of the debate, Moore repeatedly nodded his head in agreement with Pickens rebuttal. "Yes, well, you'd know those numbers better than I would," he said.
This, in my opinion, is a microcosm of America's energy ideologies. On one side, you have pragmatists who realize that our lifestyle is unsustainable and needs to move in a new direction. On the other side, people blinded by their preference to maintain the status quo skew figures and refuse to accept basic facts. Whether you believe oil is running dry or that it'll last forever, the truth is that oil is destroying our environment so, therefore, it's killing us. We have made the basic technological innovations to leave fossil fuels behind, but special interests only concerned with today's profits are hampering our progress. Let's move forward with these new ideas so that one day, years from now, we can watch this debate and chuckle at Stephen Moore's ignorance because, honestly, that's all his opinion deserves.
-Matt
Pickens began the argument by stressing the necessity for America to relinquish its dependence on foreign oil by embracing green energy technologies. He expanded on this point by providing thorough knowledge on existing resources, their allocation, and the feasibility of maintaining our current lifestyle. In short, we can't. According to Pickens, who has worked and managed energy plants for his entire life, if America scoured its lands for nonrenewable energy, it'd be able to provide just four million barrels of oil a day for a limited number of years. Currently, the USA consumes 12 million barrels each day.
Moore, at this point, interjected with his views. "Oil doesn't come from the ground, it comes from our minds," he said, "I don't believe in peak oil."
Pickens, obviously flustered by the remark, emphasized the cost of drilling in these places. "Yeah, we can drill 30,000 feet into the Gulf of Mexico. It'll cost $120 million and, if we're lucky, we'll get four billion barrels, not the 20 billion figure that is being tossed around Congress," he argued. On more than one occasion, Pickens was able to provide statistical and monetary information that Moore was unaware of. Throughout the course of the debate, Moore repeatedly nodded his head in agreement with Pickens rebuttal. "Yes, well, you'd know those numbers better than I would," he said.
This, in my opinion, is a microcosm of America's energy ideologies. On one side, you have pragmatists who realize that our lifestyle is unsustainable and needs to move in a new direction. On the other side, people blinded by their preference to maintain the status quo skew figures and refuse to accept basic facts. Whether you believe oil is running dry or that it'll last forever, the truth is that oil is destroying our environment so, therefore, it's killing us. We have made the basic technological innovations to leave fossil fuels behind, but special interests only concerned with today's profits are hampering our progress. Let's move forward with these new ideas so that one day, years from now, we can watch this debate and chuckle at Stephen Moore's ignorance because, honestly, that's all his opinion deserves.
-Matt
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
President-Elect Obama addresses governors...
Earlier today, President-Elect Obama called a meeting with the governors of all fifty states to discuss his plans to launch a coordinated effort to fix our financial situation.
I just finished watching his statements on C-SPAN, it was as refreshing as it was moving. To hear a politician humbly ask for help, not just from his Democratic buddies, but from Republicans as well, put a smile on my face. One thing in particular that he said nearly brought a joyful tear to my eye.
He said, "I offer you [Republicans] the same hand of friendship and the same commitment to partnership that I do to my Democratic colleagues. There is a time for campaigning and a time for governing...We are not going to be hampered by ideology while trying to get this country back on track. We want to figure out what works."
He went on to discuss his desire to try gubernatorial ideas from either party that work on the state level in Washington. I can't remember a time when an American leader had the pragmatism and the humility to ask for help in such a way. Later, during the press conference, Governor Rendell of Pennsylvania said that such a meeting during a transition period was "unprecedented."
As trite as it is to say at this point, I'm excited. I have that nervous excited feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I can't wait to see what happens next.
-Matt
I just finished watching his statements on C-SPAN, it was as refreshing as it was moving. To hear a politician humbly ask for help, not just from his Democratic buddies, but from Republicans as well, put a smile on my face. One thing in particular that he said nearly brought a joyful tear to my eye.
He said, "I offer you [Republicans] the same hand of friendship and the same commitment to partnership that I do to my Democratic colleagues. There is a time for campaigning and a time for governing...We are not going to be hampered by ideology while trying to get this country back on track. We want to figure out what works."
He went on to discuss his desire to try gubernatorial ideas from either party that work on the state level in Washington. I can't remember a time when an American leader had the pragmatism and the humility to ask for help in such a way. Later, during the press conference, Governor Rendell of Pennsylvania said that such a meeting during a transition period was "unprecedented."
As trite as it is to say at this point, I'm excited. I have that nervous excited feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I can't wait to see what happens next.
-Matt
Monday, December 1, 2008
George W. Bush apologizes, hopes history will gloss over the last eight years...
In an interview with Charlie Gibson that will air later tonight, George W. Bush expressed hope that he will remembered for combating the AIDS virus.
Let's take a look at an important statistic, provided by Avert.org.
Notice the downward trend once Bush takes office in 2001? No? That's because teen pregnancies, AIDS, and other STIs have gone up since Bush took office thanks to a faith-based initiative to force schools to teach abstinence only sex education. The result is the same amount of teen sex, but less forethought to use protection. So, according to statistics, Bush wants to be remembered for spreading sexual ignorance.
I guess that's better than being remembered for eliminating civil rights, over 4000 US deaths in an unjust war, sitting idle during a global economic meltdown, and refusing to act during the most destructive natural disaster in our history. If you look at it like that, he chose wisely.
-Matt
Let's take a look at an important statistic, provided by Avert.org.
Notice the downward trend once Bush takes office in 2001? No? That's because teen pregnancies, AIDS, and other STIs have gone up since Bush took office thanks to a faith-based initiative to force schools to teach abstinence only sex education. The result is the same amount of teen sex, but less forethought to use protection. So, according to statistics, Bush wants to be remembered for spreading sexual ignorance.I guess that's better than being remembered for eliminating civil rights, over 4000 US deaths in an unjust war, sitting idle during a global economic meltdown, and refusing to act during the most destructive natural disaster in our history. If you look at it like that, he chose wisely.
-Matt
Revamp...
Yes, I've been neglectful, but let's try something new. See that new header? It means that this blog is taking a new direction. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to start writing about issues (talkin' 'bout the issues but keeping it funkay!) that I have some insight on. Things like, the global economic meltdown, the crazy people that are being thrown to the forefront of the "new" Republican party, Obama's transition to the White House, and maybe this huge thesis I have to write over the next six months on the politics of the Great Depression and how they are being rehashed, day by day, in the waning months of 2008.
Bored? Too bad. This is what I've been thinking and reading about, so this is what I'm going to write about. Stick around, hopefully I'll say something smart..:-)
-Matt
Bored? Too bad. This is what I've been thinking and reading about, so this is what I'm going to write about. Stick around, hopefully I'll say something smart..:-)
-Matt
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