Doris Allen's Open Salon Blog

Could We Please Talk About Something Else?

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:07:36 -0400

Well, the Republicans have been running ads saying that we shouldn't tax pop or "juice drinks" in order to pay for health care. I look in vain on television for some details on this "tax." Is is 2 cents a bottle or a gallon or what? Of is it fifty cents? I mean, how many people would say no to paying two cents more for pop if they had free health care? Why don't the television people, always gassing on Henry Louis Gates, discuss stuff like this? And educate people. The President has to go on television, otherwise no real information is ever discussed. His whole attempt to talk to the press about health care resulted in complete stupidity on the part of the press and not just the conservative press. Sarah Palin and Henry Gates have been done to death by everyone. Jon Stewart had the wonderful last word: the "teachable moment" delivered by one of his black correspondents was "don't forget your keys."

I just want to know some things and the Democrats who want this need to get a loud and clear message out. Why should gas cost the same for years and years because they don't dare tax it? Those people who almost went over that bridge in the Midwest awhile back would probably have been willing to pay the gasoline taxes to insure that the roads they travelled were safe. Stuff costs money. Alcohol and tobacco have been taxed through the roof. Why not pop? It's lousy for you, too. And there's no nutritional value. They're not taxing FOOD people. Anyway, just a rant...

Me and The Auto Bailout

Tue, 9 Dec 2008 16:12:31 -0500

See, I take the bus and so I don't have any patience with Big Oil and Big Auto. I'd like to see Congress take the Big Three over by calling in the money that they already owe the American people and then taking over the assets, the plants, the real estate the way that any takeover mogul does and then re-tool all those plants -- and make and design efficient public transportation systems. That has to be cheaper for you and me than handing them more billions.

Big Oil and Big Auto have always been for the easy money, the quick fix and the fancy packaging. THEY HAVE NO VISION and THEY DESERVE TO FAIL!!

I personally hope that one day the sight of a drive-through window will elicit the same disbelief that the scenes in forties, fifties and early sixties newsreels show people smoking in church! at the hospital! in college classes! The waste that it represents, in energy, in health, in any sense.

But Big Oil and Big Auto have never wanted to persuade people to do anything except pull up the train tracks and destroy the neighborhoods to build bigger and bigger highways. (Never mind that the bridges the highways lead to can't be widened and so they crack under the stress of the increased traffic and weight.) And they have done a wonderful job of persuading people not only to love cars, but to see it as their bounden right to own a car. And that gas prices should never go up because it's not fair! Everything else costs more, but gas costs should remain the same? I don't understand that.

( Just an aside: In a world with diminishing energy resources, why should anyone take a plane from New York to Boston, or Baltimore, or even D.C. ? Cincinnati to Dayton or Chicago or Columbus or even Cleveland? A decent and efficient train service would mean no trips to the airport from downtown, no wait while you're searched, abundant cabs and even buses taking you to downtown locations because you ARRIVE DOWNTOWN!

Taking a plane doesn't always get you there faster and it's far more stressful to you. Why not settle back in a train seat (lots more room) where you can use your cell phone or your laptop for the two to four hours the trip takes?)

In the heavily populated areas of the world, the people have to travel long distances on poorly operated mechanical transportation. Rickety buses, etc. As these countries, India and China, Mexico begin to move into production to sell us consumer goods, they will be looking to improve their infrastructures and have efficient transportation that works in their climates! where current cars and trucks don't work so well! The United States could be the place where important and useful and profitable work in this area could be begun.

Congress should call the loans of these companies and commit their assets to the American people and and a true manufacturing effort that will enrich the world.

In popular literature, third-world revolutionaries always want American weapons. It would be nice to be exporting something else as well.

You know, just sayin'. YMMV.

To Joan Walsh

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 01:10:24 -0400

Dear Ms. Walsh: Can't get anything to work so that I can post near your article, so I'm posting here. If you and Mr. Buchanan discuss this again, I hope you will ask the following: "Are you implying, sir, that General Powell was not qualified for the posts he is supposed to be so grateful for?" And, I think that when he says, "John McCain is drowning -- why is General Powell doing this NOW?," the answer should be, "Maybe he feels that since the race seems already to be lost, he can throw his weight behind his conscience without the loss being his doing."

And, I feel that, Barack Obama's superhuman powers of not being seething with anger at the current nasty tactics of his opponents, their obvious race-baiting and hate-mongering -- those superhuman powers need not be mirrored by other minoritiy peoples who are not running for office. Why shouldn't Colin Powell be personally offended by this nastiness, ON HIS OWN BEHALF and say so without Pat Buchanan then calling him "ungrateful"? I'm sorry, but just because you made him a "house worker," Pat, doesn't mean that he won't ask to be manumitted when he gets the opportunity.

It's so sad that we'll be hearing that Colin Powell is ungrateful. Come out of the closet, Republican leaders and admit that you wanted a figurehead, why don't you? Can't you understand how bad it makes you look? Clarence Thomas had better now say a word, I guess.

How come no one talks about this?

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:10:03 -0400

I've looked in vain all over the place for someone to talk about this new TV tax that starts in January. Not only is some unidentified company or individual going to make a huge profit of between 10 and 50 dollars per television set in America, we are all going to end up with a BOX ON OUR TV!

Am I the only one who senses 1984 here? Why doesn't anyone else care about this? And how did it come about?

Would love to hear others' thoughts on this.