The Smell of Irony...

So the Republican'ts can't seem to force themselves to vote to extend unemployment benefits because it only "encourages laziness" among the worker-bees.

This is the group (along with any Democrazies who vote against it) who have LIFETIME health and retirement benefits, and pretty much life-time jobs as long as they don't screw up too badly.

They've just appointed a temporary seat-warmer for Robert Byrd's seat (the recently deceased Senator who became the longest-serving US Senator in the history of the US in 2009) - and they'll have to hold a special election to fill the seat permanently.

Now, you have to realize, this temporary seat-warmer will be a senator for about 6 months. Lucky for him, he won't serve long enough to receive either a pension or health benefits. According to http://usgovinfo.about.com/ members of Congress receive retirement and health benefits under the same plans as other federal employees. They are not eligible for a pension till they reach age 50, but only with 20+ years of service. Without doing a crap-load of digging, I can't tell you if the temp-guy gets health benefits, but somehow, I don't think so.

Thank goodness.

However, my kid - an unemployed welder - could be denied further unemployment benefits because some rich fat white guys/gals (and that's not racist: look up the percentage of minorities in Congress) decide that he (my kid) will "become lazy." I snort in the general direction of those people. Those people who have lifetime pensions larger than I'm likely to receive; who have lifetime health care likely better than I will receive. They want to deny people with and without families who are suffering in this nasty economy a basic right to which they have contributed. There's something both ironic and mean-spirited about that. Don't even give me any bunk about "contributing to the deficit." Particularly if you subscribe to the new Republican't mantra of "It's the Democrats spending like crazy."

Are the Republican'ts that tone-deaf? They're getting as bad as the Democrazies who are unable to get a  coalition of the willing together, even WITH an instruction booklet. Hey, Dems - the Repubs are NOT interested in bipartisanship.

Here's more in the smell of irony category. Apparently, Newt Gingrich, who wants to run for Prez in 2012,  says on the Today Show that the bank bailout is Obama's fault. So is the war in Iraq. Newtie, Newtie, NEWTIE... Can you count, dude?? The bailout was a last-ditch effort of Shrub's to leave Obama with a steaming pile of manure. And that "drunken sailor" remark in regard to Democrat spending??? I do believe Shrub was spending all that money on a preemptive war of dubious worth in Iraq.

Let's look at those pesky facts. Shrub invaded Iraq in 2003. Obama got elected in 2008. Simple math: 2008 - 2003 = FIVE. FIVE YEARS of Shrub's War. Not Obama's.

Right now, I'm not a total fan of Obama's - he needs to play rough, and he can't. Adding the abortion clause to the health care legislation is playing along with (R)s who wouldn't pee on him if he was on fire. Sorry - it's the bald truth.

On October 3, 2008, the Senate passed the $700 BILLION bank bailout bill. Obama got elected on NOVEMBER 2, 2008.  That bailout was done under Shrub's watch TWENTY-NINE days prior to the 2008 election. And even after the election, Obama wasn't sworn in till January, 2009. Again - Shrub's Bailout. Not Obama's.

I realize how when the smoke of the burning irony gets into the eyes, it's hard to see the facts. But they're there. And we can easily find them. Finding those facts, from reputable non-partisan websites, took me all of 5 minutes using Bing.

Before you wholeheartedly put your vote or support behind a political party, please do some basic research. Before you listen to a talking head, no matter what TV or radio station, please help yourself by researching the topics.

The political talk is going to get uglier, if you can believe that. And I truly AM a cranky piece of work when it comes to my kids and what will happen to them. I'm all for them not being pampered, but trust me - unemployment is not pampering my kid. He's lost his home; he's lost his vehicle (an old Ford F150 pickup); he has bills which we are NOT paying for him. He's living in our basement. I'm telling you - he's feeling awfully ashamed of himself, and there is nothing he did wrong. He's a victim of an economy that went into the crapper and he has a lot of company.

Finding a way out of this mess will cost money that Obama has to spend. It's not entirely his fault. Afghanistan IS his baby. The economy and Iraq are not. In order for us to make and keep our nation great, we can't sit back and be spoon-fed. We need to wake up and smell the irony.