“There is no part of this government that should be sacred.” – John Boehner
I beg to differ. The Social Security Trust Fund is sacred. Period.

Why does a journalist allow a statement like this to stand? People have paid into the Social Security Trust Fund. We agreed, in the 90s, I believe, to pay a higher rate in order to keep the fund sustainable. It is OUR money and it is owed to us when we age. It is not a random piece of pie for anyone …

I know, I know. Technically, you only have to be 30 years old, a United States citizen for 9 of those, and live in the state you want to represent to serve as a United States Senator. Still, do some of these people running understand what the job is? It’s all about writing laws. That’s pretty much it.
So, how can you do this job, if you don’t have even a basic understanding of the foundations of our laws?
I’m not saying you have to be a lawyer. (I might even say, …

There have a been a few moments recently, in which I realize I am learning something about Zuna and who she is and is becoming. She is growing and these things may shift in one way or another, so I decided to gather these memories as a mental snapshot demonstrating a bit of who she is now:
1) Growing Up:
She has entered puberty. We have definitive physical signs.
She didn’t want us to know.
2) The Realist:
At a friend’s birthday party there was a discussion about birthdays and growing up.
Another girl, “Birthdays are …

Originally published: 10/08/08
The supported style of debating in the U.S. is about how well you can avoid the question asked and steer your answer to some talking point you want to make. A skilled debater manages to make it look very connected to the question. As a methodical thinker who likes connectedness in dialog this drives me up a wall. Yet, it’s a  celebrated approach, so I don’t expect that to change.
At a “town hall” style debate, though, it really doesn’t read well. The …

Originally published: 10/07/08
It’s been tried every time Obama has run for public office: paint him as a terrorist because his path has crossed with William Ayers. Guilt by association is a tactic of a desperate campaign. When you’ve got nothing left to run on you start throwing mud and see if any sticks. Democrats have learned a few lessons and they’re not sitting back anymore. Now they’re lobbing their own mud balls. When it starts flying back and forth in a fury it can …