Opinionated Fool

And because the media south of the border seems to like to learn from the media north of the border, we have it on good authority that president Obama may or may not have eyed up a 16-year-old. Hold the presses, *now* we have a story. I mean, really and seriously. Forget crackergate. Hell, forget the fact our own prime minister was even late (by a minute 40!) for a photo at the G8 summit. Oh no, none of that matters now. Not while the headline reads Barack may or may not have flirted with some random chick in her teens. Tell you what, Obama. You buy me a plane ticket to Italy and I’ll do all your flirting for you. I’m semi-good at that. Besides, flirtation never hurt anyone. Just don’t go to Bill Clinton for your advice.

Questions are being thrown about, both inside and outside of congress/the whitehouse, on just how much one should consider trusting US president Barack Obama when it comes to matters of spending your money. And, unsurprisingly, experts in the industry are now beginning to slip ever so slowly away from trusting him. Particularly with regards the economic predictions and the related stimulous package–a package that, the article goes on to say, hasn’t even come close to being rolled out yet.

The Obama camp has dug itself in a little bit deeper than it was hoping for, though, in trying to ramrod a healthcare reform bill, plus a cap and trade bill, through congress at the exact same time–and is getting more resistance than it planned on to both. What may have surprised Obama, though, is some of the resistance is coming from inside his own party, including Sen. Robert Byrd who has already indicated he won’t support the cap and trade proposal as it stands right now due to fears over new emissions regulations that would be introduced by the bill, and how it would effect the mining industry. In theory, Obama’s ideas, at least on a healthcare front, are souind. In theory. But he’s going to have to do a lot more sweetening of the pot–on both fronts–if he wants to be able to push things through before the fall. Otherwise, he may have talked himself into a hole that there’s no digging out of.

That’s certainly the impression when you look at a lot of news papers and websites this morning. Many wonder if Palin even has enough left in the tank to actually survive what she’s effectively brought on herself. And a few have even gone so far as to argue there’s no way. She’s more than likely damaged her political career with an early departure from her position as Alaska’s governor, neverminding the fact that her reasons for doing so–criticism by media and others, ethics complaints, etc–would likely only get worse were she to actually run for president in 2012, to the point now that nomination for president would more than likely secure another democrat victory.

Palin has been rather endlessly criticised, by republican loyalists and not-so-loyalists alike for both the way she carried herself in the 2008 election, as well as her early and, some would say cowardly, resignation from her Alaska post. The fact that she came off as not really understanding a whole lot of anything didn’t exactly help her situation either. But what’s making many scratch their heads is the post-announcement Sarah.

In this case, the post-announcement-Sarah is almost giving the appearance of looking for attention, as after her resignation announcement, she became very active on both Twitter and Facebook, as well as courting the media even more so than before–I believe there was a vague mention of a fishing trip over the weekend? When you look at all of that, it’s not hard to see why it is many journalists are now thinking Sarah Palin for president would probably result in political suicide. And they’re not alone. Even the voters, now, are thinking maybe she’s not exactly choice numero uno for running one of the most powerful countries in the world. With feedback like that, it’s hard to see Palin making a run at the whitehouse. Granted, she still has some support, and I’m sure if she decides that’s something she wants to pursue her supporters will certainly see that it happens–I just can’t sit here and say it’d be the best idea she’s ever had. It most asuredly won’t be the best idea the republican party’s ever had. And that may not go well in 2012.

Update: If Sarah thought an announcement of resignation would quiet those calling for her head, she was so sadly mistaken I wanna cry. Seems she still has to defend herself from a half ton of those complaints. Guess she didn’t run fast enough.

Whichever side of that fence you happen to fall on, this may more than likely be some semi-good news if you happen to live in the US. The Obama administration is trying to push through a bill that was floated during the Bush days of government, designed to get tougher on immigrants. Specificly, of the illegal variety. The basics behind the legislation as it stands now would require employers to run all applicants through an online database to varify that they are, in fact, legally entitled to work in the US. Since one of the major things I hear plenty of from folks I talk to from that side of the border is the fact that there’s a large number of illegals that don’t end up actually doing a whole lot for the country, I wouldn’t be surprised if this particular piece of legislation ends up passing with very little governmental resistance. And, to the extent that it probably has a baring on what happens with immigration on this side of the border–everyone knows, after all, that the US and Canadian governments tend to be pretty arm in arm on things like this, particularly post-9/11–I’ll be keeping an eye on this just to see where it ends up stopping. Maybe we’ll get lucky and it won’t take the remaining 2.5-3 years of Obama’s term before it ends up being law.

The G8 meeting in Italy hasn’t even started yet, and already we’re seeing evidence folks can’t seem to figure out exactly what they want the rest of us to believe. On the one hand, US president Barack Obama has himself, and probably others, convinced everyone’s getting along rather nicely with regards the current economic situation and future plans for further stimulous action. Then, from seemingly a completely different G8 meeting, UK prime minister Gordon Brown almost completely contradicts that, saying while most countries participating in the summit this week seem to have some kind of a general agreement going in as to how we should proceed, Canada’s Stephen Harper, as well as Germany’s government, aren’t quite so ready to go along with what is apparently a generally accepted approach to the recession. And of course, we have Harper himself, who now says patience, not more stimulous money, is needed to wait out this downturn.

So, I ask anyone who gives a damn, can you figure out which of the three stuges actually comes close to what might, possibly, be considered a semi-truth? Somehow, I don’t think it’s Obama, seeing as his own administration seems to be in agreement with Harper’s general attitude, even if he himself isn’t. And Brown just seems to be continuing the British tradition started by his predecessor in sucking up to the US president of the day. I’m scared to say it–I’ve never been known for being a conservative supporter before, though there’s definitely a first time for everything–but could Stephen Harper actually be the closest to giving us the real picture? The honest to goodness “please save our country” part of me wants to say no, but… the links seem to stand for themselves. I don’t think the Michael Ignatief fan club will enjoy swallowing that pill.

An article posted to the Fox News website begs the question of just how far into the realm of epic failure the US political system will actually fall. Andrea Tantaros, of Fox News, has effectively branded Sarah Palin as the new face of the US’s conservative movement. And, um, why? Okay, so she’s not bailed out the auto sector. She’s not driven the country into debt. She’s also not in the whitehouse. And before the pro-Palin bandwagon pulls up outside my front door, let me just remind the apparently forgetful that she already took a crack at being elected. Yes, it was for vice president. Be thankful. Had she took a run at being president, she’d of gotten herself stomped probably 3 times as bad. Why? The girl doesn’t have a clue. At all.

Over the weekend, Palin resigned as Alaska’s governor. When asked what she’d do instead, she didn’t know. And then she accused everyone who didn’t agree with her decision to resign of having a double standard. She blames ethics investigations and supposed insults thrown at her from reporters and other such critics for her resignation. And then there’s speculation she wants to run for president. Am I missing something here?

If you can’t, as a state governor, or Canada’s equivalent provincial premier, handle criticisms thrown at you from those who aren’t in complete agreement with you, why would you be so stupid as to take another running shot at the whitehouse? That makes about as much sense as George Bush being elected for a second term. And I shook my head at that, too.

I won’t take a shot at Palin’s apparent lack of world knowledge. Nor will I take a shot at her seeming lack of understanding of exactly what the vice president’s role actually is. Because at the end of the day, none of that matters. She resigned from state politics citing criticism. And she may or may not take another shot at federal politics, thus bringing forth yet more criticism. Which she said herself she can’t handle. Sarah, if you want to stay home and raise your family, great. Please do. If you want to even go about the business of writing a best-selling book, go nuts. I may even get my hands on a copy. Just please, for the love of god, stay the hell away from the whitehouse. You don’t know what you’re doing. And every day, it shows.

Update: Hey, Andrea? I invite you to dispute.

One of Barack Obama’s major platform points in his election campaign was to bring about the dawn of publicly maintained healthcare in the US; a point that, since he was elected, he’s continued to defend in spite of some pretty harsh criticism from congress. While in theory it’s a fairly decent idea to at least be exploring, I’m not really all that convinced that either side really knows exactly what it is we’re supposed to get out of this kind of system.

Obama maintains the US won’t be heading towards a single-payer healthcare system, much like that which you’d see in Europe, or Canada, but rather will be implementing a two-tiered system. Congress, however, seems to be clinging to the notion that single-payer is almost a certainty if one agrees to go along with the plan proposed by Obama. The only problem here is no one–neither for nor against the proposed reform–seems to really get it.

The gloom and doom segment of the anti-healthcare crowd seems to be stuck on the notion that *any* government-funded healthcare will put private insurance companies in the ground for good. Simply put, it won’t. (*) Even if Obama decides to adopt a model similar to that found in Canada, and even if he decides to outright call it a single-pay, government-run healthcare system, and even if over half the population of the US ends up taking advantage of the said system for one reason or another, it more than likely won’t amount to the complete crippling of the US health system as certain people like to charge. What it will mean, more or less, is folks who can’t for whatever reason aford insurance-unemployed, don’t get paid enough to do so, employer won’t pay for it, etc–won’t be completely screwed. There will still be the option of taking up an insurance plan with a private agency. And, it might even make the private companies slightly more likely to not require you take out a second mortgage in order to do so.

On the pro side of it, Obama’s supporters seem to be almost as alergic to the term “single-pay”, electing instead to try and brand it as a two-tiered healthcare system, where the government will pay for only those who have absolutely no other option. But that seems to be all we know about where he’s coming from. that, and the fact that it comes with a hefty bill attached. We’ve not seen any real specifics on the healthcare side of things out of the Obama camp aside from that to base any kind of a real opinion on.

As stated, the general, vague idea Obama’s put forth to us so far is, in theory, an awesome idea. And if I were in the US, I’d be keeping my ear to the ground on this one–well, I’ll be keeping my ear to the ground on this one anyway. But as it stands now, I get the impression he’s no more or less got an idea exactly what it is he plans on doing re: the healthcare system. If he does actually plan to implement some kind of convoluted two-tier system, then I don’t want to have to say it, but he’s going in a very wrong direction with the idea. And yes, if that is the case, Obama’s critics may have something here when they say it’s not going to work. Just not necessarily for the reasons they’re saying it’s not going to work.

(*): I am a Canadian resident, so my opinion on this may or may not be slightly biased–I like our healthcare system. Sue me.

Update: When pressed for more information on exactly what if any kind of limitations Obama would set on his new healthcare proposal, he wasn’t very forthcoming. Or rather, he wasn’t forthcoming at all. Not exactly a good way to inspire confidence in those who’s support you need, elle presidente.

Folks on both sides of the Canada/US border were sort of half shaking their heads after Sarah Palin proceeded to both resign as Alaska’s governor and somehow provoke speculation of an eventual bid at the whitehouse (do I hear 2012?). And this article posted on a Chicago Tribune blog pretty well nails it re: why that is. Sadly, I don’t think Palin reads the Chicago Tribune. Or this blog. But I’ll spell it out in plain terms anyway, because it’s the only way I might be able to wrap my head around why it is folks find it easy to jump on the “Sarah would make a good president” bandwagon.

The girl has virtually no political experience. Like, at all. I mean, yes, she ran for vice president in the 2008 election. And ran herself off a cliff. And now she’s not even Alaska’s governor as of last week. Sarah, my dear, I really hate to say it, but could you do much worse if you tried? Quite probably… well… not.