The Progressivati

Glenn Beck’s latest paranoid delusion is really amusing. He finally reads American history, and he concludes that all of our social progress in the last 100 years can be traced to a multi-generational conspiracy by Progressives:

BECK: “I’ve done a lot of reading on history in the last few years and I was amazed to find that what we’re experiencing now is really a ticking time bomb that they designed about 100 years ago, beginning in the progressive movement. And they thought, ‘You know what, if we just do this and this and this and this, over time if we do it in both the Republican and Democratic parties, we will have our socialist utopia.’”

But there is no secret society of Progressives, no clever plot that manages to attract both Republicans and Democrats, and no pre-planned “socialist utopia.”

What exists is the pragmatic evolution of human relations. We live and work together for mutual aid in survival and happiness. We share common needs, and we learn from experience that working together with other people enhances our ability meet those needs. This requires coordination, whether by an individual, the group as a whole, or a sub-group. It is out of this need for coordination that governments arise. The more effective a government is at coordinating and ensuring our mutual survival and happiness, the longer it will remain. Eventually we learn that the survival and happiness of the social group is best achieved by ensuring that the “mutual aid” we all seek is “mutually” enjoyed by all members of the group, not just a particular individual, class or sub-group, and that the “aid” we seek addresses all of the challenges we face in life, not just defense.

Glen Beck can only imagine that some secret group - “They” - have plotted and implemented, piece by piece, over 100 years, various reforms intended to create a “socialist utopia.” But “They” do not exist, outside of Glen Beck’s paranoid fantasy.

Of course, that is what I would say, if I were one of “Them”.....

Alex Budarin, 12th Degree Progressivati

Thank You, Harry Reid,

And all of my fellow Democrats in the U.S. Senate.

Through your efforts and your votes last night, we are closing in on that day when the American people receive what Presidents since Theodore Roosevelt have wanted for them -- health insurance for all citizens, regardless of condition. It will not be perfect. But nothing ever is.

Please begin working with Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats on terms of reconciliation. Give the American people a Christmas present with a lifetime guarantee. And make "Teddy" happy!

3 Things I Learned from Buddhism

I have read Buddhist literature for many years, and have practiced meditation as well. Here are three things I have learned from Buddhism that I believe are important to remember:

1. All things are impermanent. For example, there will never be a permanent political majority. The desire for permanence will lead to frustration, anger, and suffering.
   
2. All things are imperfect. For example, there will never be perfect legislation. The desire for perfection will only lead to frustration, anger, and suffering.
3. All things are interdependent. For example, you will never be completely independent of the other people and things around you. The desire for complete independence will only lead to frustration, anger and suffering.

I just wanted to pass along these lessons before I pass along.

Alex Budarin

Parlor Wit

Latest news from Ironic Times:

• Senate Health Care Bill Now Mandates Insurance to Pay For Prayer Treatments
  

Using money saved by eliminating public option.

• Goldman Sachs, Citigroup Got Swine Flu Vaccine

Due to large number of swine.

• Bush, in Japan, Finally Admits a Mistake

It was a huge mistake, he tells Japanese students, to trade Sammy Sosa to the White Sox in 1989.

Saluting Our Veterans

Today is the day we honor our military veterans, for the sacrifices they made of their blood, lives and sanity in response to our nation's call.

We do not honor them for acts of selfishness and personal profit. We do not honor them for refusal to consider the welfare of their countrymen. We honor them because they made sacrifices for the common good of all their fellow citizens.

There will never be a national day of honor for Fox Republicans.

Thank You Nancy Pelosi

Thank you President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and members of the House of Representatives who helped to pass the healthcare reform bill. With your action our country has taken a giant step toward keeping alive a promise that was made to all American citizens in our nation's founding documents: that this country and its government would promote the general welfare of its citizens, not just the welfare of some among them.

Alex Budarin

Five Years Ago

Five years ago, George W. Bush was re-elected President of the United States. Republicans gloated. Bush had political capital, and he intended to use it. He set out to partially privatize Social Security. He vowed to stay the course in Iraq. He didn't worry about balancing the budget. He wasn't concerned about the economic impact of cutting taxes while pursuing two wars. Invading the privacy of U.S. citizens was just a necessary part of the "War on Terror." And Fox Republicans cheered him on at every step, damning his critics as traitors, alarmists and defeatists.

Five years later, George W. Bush is a pariah. When he leaves the U.S. he still meets demonstrators protesting his foreign policies. Social Security has not changed. By popular demand, the Iraq War is winding down, and there are questions now about the Afghan War. We have been through the worst recession since the Great Depression, and only now do we see signs of recovery. But Bush has no regrets.

Neither do Fox Republicans. They refuse to acknowledge that their beliefs and ideas lead to disasters. However, now that Obama and the Democrats have the upper hand, Fox Republicans are suddenly very concerned about government spending, government intrusion, government bureaucrats, and changes in government programs.

What a difference five years can make.