It surprises people who know my political leanings that I have a necktie that proudly celebrates the history of the Republican Party. The print is a collection of campaign buttons, stretching from the 1880s through “I Like Ike.” I wear the tie often, perhaps twice a month. I like to wear it. The surprise comesContinue reading “On Ending the Party”
Tag Archives: Politics
On the President's Early Morning Speech
I awoke this morning, fixed a cup of coffee, sat down at the computer, and turned on NPR’s “Morning Edition,” only to discover that President Bush would shortly be giving a speech on the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a high-ranking al-Qaeda leader in Iraq. Listening to the speech, without the President’s image, to distractContinue reading “On the President's Early Morning Speech”
On the President's Speech
President Bush addressed the nation tonight in a rare address from the Oval Office on the subject of immigration reform and border security. In other news, I received Neil Young’s new CD, Living With War in the mail today–Living With War is an anti-Bush album, with tracks decrying the war and calling for Bush’s impeachment.Continue reading “On the President's Speech”
On the Minimum Wage
Senator Hillary Clinton of New York introduced a bill last week, the Standing with Minimum Wage Workers Act of 2006, that would provide for an increase in the federal minimum wage, from its current $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour within two years and then index future minimum wage increases to Congressional pay raises.Continue reading “On the Minimum Wage”
On Buying Rolling Stone
On Friday I bought the latest issue of Rolling Stone. I used to be an avid reader of Rolling Stone, but a few years ago I stopped for reasons I couldn’t begin to explicate. Oh, there was the feeling that the magazine had ceased to have any relevence to me or my tastes in music,Continue reading “On Buying Rolling Stone”
On Suessian Poetry
Bill Leisner pointed this out–if the Bush Administration were a Doctor Suess poem, what would it be like? I’m the decider. I pick and I choose. I pick among whats. And choose among whos. And as I decide Each particular day The things I decide on All turn out that way. There’s more, a lotContinue reading “On Suessian Poetry”
On Writing More Letters
Today, another letter goes in the mail to the Raleigh News & Observer. Our topic today? Presidential signing statements and absolute monarchy.
On Why Republicans Can't Criticize the President, Either
Jane Smiley, the novelist, wrote an article at The Huffington Post on the recent Republican criticism of and distancing from the President. Her thesis? Democratic opponents of President Bush and his policies have been arguing for years that the President’s policies are misguided and flawed all to no avail. But several Republican commentators and theoristsContinue reading “On Why Republicans Can't Criticize the President, Either”
On Garrison Keillor and Impeachment
Garrison Keillor, host of public radio’s A Prarie Home Companion, has an editorial at Salon.com weighing in on the case for impeaching President Bush: These are troubling times for all of us who love this country, as surely we all do, even the satirists. You may poke fun at your mother, but if she isContinue reading “On Garrison Keillor and Impeachment”
On Social Security Privatization
Last year President Bush proposed a Social Security privatization plan–workers could divert some of their payroll taxes into private savings accounts–as a way of heading off a financial crisis in the Social Security program at some point in the future. In Bush’s view, making workers more responsible for their retirement needs would reduce the burdenContinue reading “On Social Security Privatization”