Al's Opinions

Over the years I have received many requests by mail to sign a petition in favor of one thing or another. There is an organization devoted to "saving social security" that sends me a petition occasionally. I get petitions to save snow leopards, polar bears, wolves, and other forms of wild life. Just today I received a petition from AARP in favor of "Strengthening the Four Pillare of Retirement for America's Seniors." In case you're wondering, here are the four pillars of retirement:

1. Social Security
2. Affordable Health Care
3. Pensions / Retirement Savings
4. Supplemental Earnings

A petition to strengthen these pillars has to be addressed to the federal government, particularly the administration of George Bush. Mr. Bush has expressed himself as opposed to government-sponsored social security (it should be private, supported by savings accounts), to government-sponsored health care (except Medical and a shrunk SCHIP program), and to spending government money on anything that might smack of creeping socialism. It is clear to me that, until Mr. Bush leaves office and is replaced with a President with more compassion for the people in need, petitions are a waste of time and good paper. The AARP perhaps should devote its considerable clout to advocating impeachment of the Bush-Cheney team.

Labels: Bush Administration, Bush's Stubbornness, social security, Universal health care

Tonight I listened to Jim Lehrer interview two Congressmen on The News Hour on public television. One Congressman was a Democrat from Pennsylvania; the other, a Republican from Michigan. The topic was the bill that the House passed providing money to fund the war but also specifying or suggesting dates for withdrawal. Naturally, the Democrat supported the Bill and the Republican opposed it. I listened to the usual arguments.

The Democrat argued that we must convince the Iraq government that we will not remain forever and that they have about a year to make the necessary political compromises to achieve peace in the country. The Republican argued that we should never let an enemy know of our plan to leave the field of battle, because that is a sure way to lose the war. There was sense in both positions, but it seemed to me that there was an important problem that neither man, nor Jim Lehrer either, wanted to mention. That problem is the apparent stubbornness of President Bush in sticking to a failing policy of trying to solve the problem with a military victory.

Our political system insulates the President from the Congress. If the President is following a dangerously bad policy there is nothing that the Congress can do to stop him, as long as he has the support of at least one-third of the members of each House. Both Houses of the Congress are trying to persuade the President to adopt a different course. The President continues his determined stand and will not admit that he has made a mistake. Since he won't admit the mistake, he can't be expected to correct it or to change his policy.

I have long admired the parliamentary system of government that many other nations that were formerly colonies of Great Britain have adopted.

Labels: Bush's Stubbornness, Jim Lehrer, Parliamentary system, Withdrawal from Iraq