A couple of exchanges in the debate the other night caused me to think a bit more about other people and now I’m singing the post debate blues.
When John McCain began to discuss partial birth abortions and used his fingers to “quote” the phrase “women’s health” in a mocking way, it seemed unusually cruel, even for someone on the right. Making a “Sophie’s Choice” between your life and the life of your baby has to be the most horrible and traumatic experience imaginable. I can’t imagine the pain of this decision. To mock these women on national television and demean the reason for their choice is unconscionable. It really provides an insight into the judgmental and cruel nature of their hearts. It’s sad really, and McCain seemed so arrogant about his cruelty.
The second issue was during the attack on Obama’s economic policy as “wealth redistribution”. To me, it demonstrated how out of touch with reality McCain and the GOP are on the economic reality of the last 8 years. We just went through the largest wealth redistribution in our Country’s history. When the Republicans took office in 2000, 3% of Americans owned about 90% of the wealth. Today, 1% of Americans own 90% of the wealth. Both political Parties have economic policies that produce winners and losers. Under the Republicans, 99% of Americans lose wealth, while Democrats propose economic policies that spread the wealth a little bit more fairly.
I have been very blessed in my life. I have been able to help victims get justice against Big Government and Big Corporations and earn a very good living doing so. I have no problem with the idea that if I have been blessed more than others, then I can contribute more than others for the good of our Country. I accept the proverb that for those who have been given more, more is expected. I agree with Joe Biden, paying taxes is patriotic.
Indeed the concept of progressive taxation seems to be some kind of alien creed to some people. I have never understood why.
This great guy stood up for his wife’s right to have an abortion. They had been trying to have another kid, but the fetus had “Mermaid Syndrome” and was probably going to be stillborn. Of course, anti-choice people never consider these profound situations. They always think that abortion is just a woman getting knocked up, waiting 8 months, and changing her mind instead of a situation like this or instead of in the first trimester, often when the “baby” in question is A CLUSTER OF CELLS ON A SUBATOMIC LEVEL: