There's Always Next Time
God never occurs to you in person but always in action. -- Gandhi
Back in '94 when the first returns came in, I was overjoyed, for the briefest of shining moments, when Oliver North lost his Senate bid. Then the roof fell, and the Republicans swarmed Capitol Hill. At least there was a donkey in the White House then, so there was some balance. Last night, the news was bad from the get-go, with a highly-vulnerable Jeb Bush retaining his gubernatorial post in Florida because his opponent was a remarkably inept wannabe with money but no brains. Then followed the asses getting kicked out of SenateLand, delivering the full Congress to the elephants.
I was very depressed as I watched the returns come in, but less so this morning. The people responsible for this disaster -- which will likely lead to a war in the Middle East, more terror at home, and further degradation of the environment -- were the Democratic "leadership" and the great unwashed. The former, in a more esoteric nation, would be tried for treason for failing to offer a distinct alternative to the Republican agenda, and placed in stocks in front of the Capitol for the next two years. The latter, mostly the ill-educated down-trodden who have the most to lose, didn't bother to vote, and it will cost them dearly.
Actually, I think Daschle, Gephardt, and their colleagues should stand around in front of Wal-Mart during the next ammunition sale shouting "Billary loves Osama" and let's see what happens. These morally bankrupt corporate toadies had one purpose, and that was to preserve their own seats. Through their historic ineptitude -- their distinct failure to stand against war and in favor of accessible health care and a healthy environment -- they not only didn't take back the House but they lost the Senate. And this, after cheating their buns off in New Jersey, and to a degree, in Minnesota. They deserved to lose, but it's sad that they took the country with them.
I have no sympathy for the poor, who will get a lot poorer in the coming two years. The economy will tank, and the Republicans will make things worse by sending some of them to die in Iraq, and burdening them all with a new huge tax cut for the rich. But so what? These people haven't voted for a quarter-century, even though it was so clearly in their own best interest to do so. They ate fast food, watched television, and whined their way through the welfare lines, when they could have made all the difference in the world -- literally -- by taking a few minutes to vote. Perhaps the government will fail to act to protect them this time, and Darwin will have his way with the butt of the herd.
Here in the backwater of modern thought, the people of Redding rejected fluoridation, again, and in the face of a state threat to come in and do it if the city didn't, at a higher cost to the residents. Virtually every doctor, medical facility, local health official, and sentient being supported fluoridation, which tells you something about the area. The fluoriders outspent the gummers five-to-one, and still the black-teeth children lost by 13 points.
Another clue as to the character of Redding, this headline in the election day issue of the local newspaper. "Developers give late aid to 3 council candidates." The story read, "In a deluge of last-minute campaign contributions, deep-pocketed developer interests have pumped $19,500 into their three choices for Redding City Council." That might not seem like a lotta money, and it wasn't, but it was enough to buy their three candidates an easy ride, though truth be told, the competition was, um, weak.
All in all, however, I'm optimistic. Truth be told, we are grossly over-populated so how bad can a war and more terrorism be. Even with a nuclear holocaust, the Earth will always come back, even if it takes 450,000 years. Okay, that's a long reach for a rosy future, but absent a higher power intervening, it's better than nothing.
And that's SetonnoteS...I'm Tony Seton.
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