The Wasilla Windbag Speaks

I know the taping of Sarah Palin's Alaska happened already over the summer, so her little "I feed my kids smores " comment to protest Michelle Obama's (horrid!) recommendations against childhood obesity are already way outdated.....But nevertheless, I need to comment.

This again is like the millionth example of why Sarah P. has absolutely no critical thinking skills. It is a fact that Palin lives in Wasilla--surrounded by a huge population of people struggling with obesity. As I know locals bump into her at the Wasilla Wal-Mart, she must be aware of this. She does not pretend to surround herself with the well-off or well-educated.

So in Sarah's brain the obesity epidemic looks something like this: "well these poor folks choose to eat lots of chips, cakes and soda, yet don't exercise. Bless them and their future health problems, because it is their choice as Americans, you betcha!".

Here's where her thinking stops. Just stops I tell you. She can't comprehend what's next. Does she think low income obese people just disappear? Or do they all have some kind of magical free-market health plans that take care of life-style related illnesses and pay for them?

Back to reality--I worked for two years in low income disability services in Wasilla Alaska. Sarah's precious town. Does she have any idea how many people in WASILLA apply for Social Security Disability payments due to lifestyle related illness? A conservative estimate would be about 1/2 of those applying for SSDI had lifestyle disability. Heart disease, Diabetes II, lung cancer. Not to mention the Medicare & Medicaid payments.

So in Sarah's world, the Government has no right to recommend what to eat--just pay the disability $$ later on? Oh no, that's right -the Tea Party feels we should slash SSDI payments and Medicaid, etc....Those non-constitutional entitlement programs. So the answer for Sarah is: (if you can swallow this) "Eat what you want precious child. Get diabetes and heart disease--then I will make sure your government never pays to care for you, ha, ha!"

So is she just dumb, or EVIL?

Tea Party, Libertarians, and the People

So I have been reading up on the differences between the tea-party people and what the libertarians have been saying all along. The most significant difference is obviously that the libertarians don't support useless & expensive wars, while the tea party folk feel they are quite all right (talk about spending tax payer money) but whatever.
Yet, if you truly look at honest libertarian ideas (say Ron Paul) you will find that "removing government" or less government as everyone yells & chants these days is really a much bigger sacrifice than anyone realizes.
Government is so entrenched in our system (food prices, utilities, mortgages, banks, credit) that if you yank the plug we would have the craziest price inflation, unemployment & poverty that anyone has ever seen or even dreamed of. I sort of agree (for environmental reasons) that it would be interesting to let the system collapse and start over again--but give me a break people. Who in their right mind would do this? The elected official (say a president) who actually followed through with this sort of idea (and eliminated corporate welfare as they call it) would be burned at the stake.
Then say you stopped social programs such as social security --did history disappear here? We can't remember why it was created in the first place???? Just travel to any country (say third or second world) and see what happens when people are left to take care of themselves....It's not nice--ever seen an orphanage full of disabled kids? That's where they go without government benefits--because you can't afford to keep them at home. Not to mention the terrible poverty of the elderly, disabled adults & increased death rates.
Have a good day people...