On the bright side
October 15th, 2008 Filed Under news, politics
At least the 10% of my 401k that I lost today is not as much as the 10% I lost yesterday.
As a side note, it is interesting that the stock market performs better and with less volatility during Democratic presidencies:
Using the Dow Jones industrial average as the benchmark, Stock Trader’s Almanac shows a $10,000 investment compounded during Democratic presidencies since 1901 would be worth $279,705 after 48 years. The same $10,000 investment during 56 Republican years would have been worth just $78,699. If you adjust for inflation, the value of a $10,000 investment under Democratic presidents is $33,426.The inflation-adjusted value under Republican presidents is $26,145.
Stumble it!President Palin Bumper Stickers
September 18th, 2008 Filed Under politics
The very idea of Sarah Palin being President of the United States (POTUS) scares the piss out of me. It’s not just her take on the issues (well, the ones she’s actually thought about) and her ignorance and her appalling lack of experience–though they should be enough to disturb any conscious American who cares about their country. But her brazen disregard for some basic principles of democracy has left me dumbfounded. Trying to ban books from the library, and firing the librarian who wouldn’t? You can hardly make this stuff up.
So I got inspired to spread the message, both about Sarah’s Scandals and the horror that may soon be her presidency. (Do you really think McCain will live long enough to become a Maverick again?) I found zazzle.com and went on a tear.
The great thing about bumper stickers written in the future satirical tense is that if the unthinkable comes true, they actually become more stylish. At least until President Palin signs the Protect America First Act into law, which bans any bumper stickers which do not contain a Pro-Palin message.
Share and enjoy!
A Comment to Hillary
February 23rd, 2008 Filed Under politics, writing
CNN.com has another story about Hillary raging against the horrible tactics of the Obama campaign. I don’t know why CNN gives her such top billing for these claims, but after last week’s weak accusation of plagiarism I just had to send a comment to her campaign to let her know how I felt:
Today I looked on cnn.com and saw Ms. Clinton right there on the front page, with a headlined statement about ‘blatantly false’ Obama mailers. I have not done the research to find out if these particular allegations are true, but frankly I find my ‘outrage’ difficult to summon this time, given that I found her previous allegations of his ‘plagiarism’ to be almost totally hollow. I was disappointed with the Rovian tactics of her campaign then, and every subsequent angry Clinton headline just leaves me more discouraged. Honestly, though I will cast my presidential vote for the Democratic nominee regardless, at this point, I seriously hope she loses the nomination, and if she does win, I greatly fear for the long-term outcomes of the election and her subsequent presidency and the progressive movement as a whole in this country.
I’m sure my comments won’t matter one lick to Ms. Clinton, as my state’s caucus is in the past and she would get my reluctant vote in the national election anyway. I’m just sick of the ongoing “politics as usual” which has gotten us to where we are today, and that is why I support Obama even though I think Clinton’s policies and experience are more concrete. We need our leaders to spend their energy aligning anyone and everyone towards social and intellectual tolerance, economic and environmental sustainability, and a trustworthy (or at least transparent) government. The Clinton campaign clearly sees Obama as competition to be beaten, rather than a challenge to be met. I long for the day when one candidate’s policy loses nobly to another candidate’s vision, without debasing either campaign for the sake of winning at all costs.
I still admire Ms. Clinton and the work she has done for this country, and hope she will continue to work for the progress and change we so badly need. These kinds of political tactics may provide short-term gains for one faction of the party, but even medium-term they do a disservice to whichever candidate takes the nomination and the movement as a whole.
