I’ve lived in the States since 1991, and the Clinton years were quite simply the best years I have ever seen in this country.  For a short while, America really became the land of milk and honey I’d always heard about.  The abundant jobs, the peace and stability….those days when our biggest problems consisted of Jerry Springer and Monica Lewinsky.  Ahhhhhh.  Since Clinton, it’s been a depressing downward slide into the war on terror and austerity.  Is it really too much to hope that an impeachment rerun might bring back some of that mid-90s deliciousness? 

The story would be pretty much the same this time around, except without the adultery.  Once again, only half the Congress is Republican, so the House would vote to impeach, and the Senate wouldn’t.  The President would remain in place.  If the American people got too irritated with all the time and money spent on the investigation, as they did during the Clinton debacle, the President’s popularity might go up and the midterm elections might bring more votes for the Democrats.

So I say, bring it on, Republicans.  If you do, I might be able to say with a straight face: “My favorite Presidents always get impeached.”

And since last summer, Trader Joe’s has been expanding–for the first time–into Texas.  Hmmmm…could this be another sign that Texas is turning blue, or at least a milder shade of red?  We know about the rising demographic shift gradually changing the state.  Could this be yet another reason for those who believe in Texas as a bastion of conservative thought to be just a little worried?

We’ll see…I guess they better secede soon before we corrupt them completely.

But the basic truth about marriage is that it’s an economic contract.  That is what it has been about for straight people for centuries, with romantic love only being a recent addition to the mix.  That’s why most of the arguments in favor of same sex marriage have been about money, and rightly so.  And about the simple desire of people wanting to be treated like everyone else, which is completely understandable.

I see no good reason not to expand the definition of marriage to same sex partners.  I also can’t help but question the “sacred institution” of marriage itself.  Hopefully we can continue to re-invent our institutions and traditions in ways that make our lives happier and more fulfilling.

“The mystic parasites who have, throughout the ages, reviled the traders and held them in contempt, while honoring the beggars and the looters, have known the secret motive of their sneers: a trader is the entity they dread–a man of justice.”  –  Ayn Rand

All right, Paul Ryan.  Enlighten me.  How can you be a follower of both?  I’m having genuine trouble figuring this out.

And now, the sequester–here to make things even worse.  Remember, it was supposed to be dumb and arbitrary, and it is.  Work-study programs and grants are going to sustain serious cuts.  Also, origination fees on college loans are expected to increase.  All in all, about 70,000 college students are likely to be affected, and they are low income students–the ones who can least afford it.

Until recently, some financial support for universities was provided by that evil, evil stimulus bill, but that funding has now run out.  There is a Higher Education Act coming up for a vote in the future, but considering that this is the Congress which for the longest time couldn’t get its act together on violence against women, I’m starting to suspect this bill will get blocked, like everything else these days.

We are doing this to ourselves–and have been for a while–just as our international rivals such as China are looking for ways to offer their educational institutions more subsidies and support, and thus give themselves an edge in global competition.

But hey, these student moochers, right?  Why are they expecting government support?  Never mind that a good education gives them a better chance at being productive citizens–and not needing social services–after they graduate.  On the other hand, if our education system goes down the tubes, that dreaded 47% will turn into an even larger and more impoverished underclass–is that really what we want?

But then there’s stuff like this article about the sequester.  The article actually states:  “Republicans want to replace the current regime of cuts with different, more sensible, cuts.”

Huh? Now keep in mind, this is a news article, not opinion.  Last time I heard, the Republican version of “sensible” involved going after Social Security and Medicare as a first priority.  Going after the elderly, sick and disabled, who already don’t have very much, is not sensible.  Especially if you refuse to consider any other sources of revenue.

And just as importantly, saying that one party is “more sensible” than the other is clearly opinion and bias.  I can’t imagine a news source like the BBC, for instance, injecting a phrase like this into their reporting, without it being a quote from somebody else.  I can imagine MSNBC using this kind of wording, but then I’m fully willing to admit that MSNBC is biased in the liberal direction–that’s why I enjoy watching them so much.

Perhaps those who watch Fox should also be able to admit that it’s not objective and that is why they love it.

Now, to each their own.  Everybody needs a fetish–and Lord knows people with as much of a stick up their rear as the Freedomworks contingent need one–but ACK.  Does this mean that the Freedomworks conferences involve after-hours cuddly fur piles?  Inquiring minds…don’t really want to know.

So who else is against raising the minimum wage?  Republican lawmakers.  Republican lawmakers, as opposed to the Republican rank and file, which is much more divided on the issue.  And no wonder, since a lot of regular Republicans work regular jobs, in which they are dependent on a decent wage.  The lawmakers are much more concerned about the well-being of their business owner friends and how this measure might affect them.  As usual, the Republican leadership doesn’t necessarily represent the interests of the people voting for them–and the people who continue to vote for them do so at their own risk.