Flapping my 'right' wings

The week before September 7th, several things happened that I thought I should write about. Some of it I started on and then hit the delete key and did away with it. It was cathartic action. Now that is a great word isn’t it? Catharsis…from the Greek language meaning to cleanse and purge. A more up to date definition in Webster’s Dictionary is 2 a : purification or purgation of the emotions (as pity and fear) primarily through art b : a purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension 3 : elimination of a complex by bringing it to consciousness and affording it expression.

It seems that many people need a little catharsis when it comes to politics and our present administration, and I am including myself in this so don’t everyone jump on my little wagon at once to start beating me in the head. It is no secret that I am conservative about a lot of things. It is also no secret that I did not vote for the present administration. That was my right the last time I checked that I could vote for whomever or against whomever and I have exercised that right many times since I was 18 years old.

Last week I received an e-mail calling me a self indulgent right wing leaning writer and one of my friends accused me of being racist when I made the statement that if I had younger children in school that I would probably not send them on Tuesday, when the POTUS will be speaking. I have read the speech and it’s all well and good. He isn’t saying anything that any parent, teacher or school administrator has not been saying for years. And for that matter, if more parents would take on more responsibility for their kids education, Mr. Obama would not feel the need to go on television to speak to the kids. The government is not a baby sitter. The government should not the one that is responsible to make sure a child gets a meal and gets their school work done. The government should not have to be the one that teaches you that you need to wash your hands when you go to the bathroom or to cover your mouth when you sneeze or to stay at home when you are running a fever. What I took issue with was the poorly worded agenda of lesson plans that were sent down the pike. The White House has even said that it was poor worded so I was not making anything up.

The fact that our president is of mixed race is not an issue with me. Or have people forgotten that he is of mixed parentage. He is a man. And apparently he is surrounded by people that need to go back to school and learn how to write things in a more non-threatening way. Mr. Obama’s plan to make a speech to students is not new – President George H.W. Bush did the same in 1991, in a move that was opposed by Democrats. So opposition to things that sitting presidents do really does cross over the party lines.

Then there is this health care reform. I have had times of no health care especially when I was a small business owner and my husband was without a job. We just held our breath and paid the bills and tightened up the belt until we didn’t have any more holes in the belt! Then we have had had health insurance that wasn’t worth a penny that we paid into it because it didn’t cover anything we needed it to cover. And then companies put caps on how much they will pay. So if you are in a bad accident or are hit with a catastrophic illness, you better learn to suck up on the pain and heal yourself from within because they will be sending your sick butt home.

Do we need health care reform? YES WE DO? Do we need the government to run our healthcare? HELL NO! Since when did the government do a good job at running a business? Just think back to Katrina? How well did they do with that? People are still living in limbo waiting for the government help on that one. The other problem I have with the House health care bill H.R. 3200 is the government agency that will be given the authority to implement and enforce will be the IRS. Just what we need.

Think I am flapping my right wing leaning self-indulgent conservative self about that? Look up the bill and read it. It’s close to 1000 pages and you read for yourself what your congress probably has not read. You will find out exactly what having a catharsis means then. And while you’re at it, call up your old teachers and thank them for having the patience to teach you how to read and think for yourself and for knowing when to wash your hands.