Thoughts on politics...

[whymc]

I'm not thrilled, obviously, with the results of this election.  One of the two people in the Senate that I've genuinely looked up to as something of a personal hero is no longer going to be there.  The house has flipped.  The Senate will be deadlocked

Comments

[voland]

You should be very worried about CA. They are already bankrupt, and now that they went democrat any austerity efforts there will be DOA. That is bad, for CA will set precedent for more bailouts and idiocy.

[whymc]

This depends on whether or not you believe austerity is the answer to CA's budget problems - I actually have a simpler one: amnesty for all non-violent drug offenders. This would release between 1/2 and 1/3 of all prison inmates, who are in jail for 'crimes' that don't actually threaten anyone, and would lift a huge expense burden from the state's budget... that'd be my solution...

[voland]

Austerity and fiscal sanity are the only long term solution for the country. Your solution is certainly great but it is not enough. Without serious long term reforms, spending cuts, and tax hikes, we will fail as a nation.

Please take a couple minutes to read this article.
http://reason.com/archives/2010/10/12/it-can-happen-here

[whymc]

I do, actually, agree with you on this - I use the example of the postwar US when I teach the economic portion of the history of the cold war. I guess that, if I had to list the reforms that I'd like to see, they'd run in this order

[nidea]

re: last paragraph: you and me both.

[zorbtrauts]

I'd settle for parties that simply focused on the problems facing the country, rather than each other.

[eithni]

Yeah, when I saw the Feingold results, first I wanted to puke... then it was just a blue streak for a little while. It didn't really help.

As far as the political landscape is concerned, I'd rather see a true multi-party system, where nuance and shades of ideology are represented and cooperation between the parties is necessary. Wingnuts could be elected in certain areas, but the general population would be insulated from their crazy-rays...

*sigh* I'd like to say more, but since my day included a conference with Disability Rights Wisconsin, some seriously bad announcements from CMS, and an icky conference call, I'm well past done.

[whymc]

Ugh. I don't blame you for being done... and I *would* like to see an instant run-off system (we'll never get proportional representation here, but the run-off would come close).