Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Lights, camera...action!


Why oh why are four-day work weeks so challenging?

Damn.

Anyhoo, let’s jump in.

Today the House will vote to repeal health care reform.  The GOP majority will gather, speak out against the legislation, and then vote.  Democrats will also gather, likely speak in defense of the reform, and then get their vote on.  When the performances are over, the House will vote to repeal the health care reform law and…

Um, well.

Yeah.

You know and I know that you know and I know that this vote is symbolic.  The repeal will go nowhere in the Senate.  No one thinks a wholesale repeal will happen.  Rather, most of us are waiting to see whether the GOP will starve programs to death and which programs they’ll select as hostages to negotiate for [insert heinous policy here].

Legislators know that shit too…but the people, they do love their theater!

Pause…sip coffee…continue.

If this bitch were advising the minority party, I’d urge them to stage a work-in.

Yep…a work-in.

Democrats would gather in their assigned committees and work on the shit that needs to be worked on. 

I’d hold a press conference on the steps and announce that this show vote is a waste of the people’s time and money…that there are important things that need doing, including real discussions of the problems the GOP has with health care reform, that are being delayed by this theatrical performance.  And then I’d read off the meetings Dems plan for the day and what the fuck they intend to work on during the work-in.

But that’s not how government works. 

Theatrical symbolic votes are met with a defense on the floor and testimonial attempts to make points in favor...points that the opposition ain’t trying to hear right now.

So here we are and there you have it – today the House will present the Great Health Care Reform Repeal Vote of 2011, the press will cover it, and the nation’s bitness will wait another day to allow for it.

Landlords mad and getting madder 
Ain't we got fun? 
Times are so bad and getting badder 
Still we have fun 
There's nothing surer 
The rich get rich and the poor get laid off 
In the meantime, 
In between time... 
 
Ain't we got fun? 

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