Larry Anderson

This is a very political post on a currently sensitive topic. Easily offended people probably should not read this. You have been warned. Click here to see cute kittens instead.

Just to be completely clear, I think it's time for me to state the following:

1. I'm not crazy about the Affordable Care Act as it stands. I'd prefer a single-payer solution. However, we didn't get one, and the ACA is better than the status quo ante. Millions of people will be able to get insurance who weren't able to before, and that's a public good.
2. The current standoff with the GOP in the House is entirely the fault of about 40 Tea Party GOP members who are acting like terrorists. You can't negotiate with terrorists. Their truculence is threatening the full faith and credit of the United States, and by extension the world economy, and that's despicable. While I have my issues with President Obama, notably on the subject of the NSA surveillance scandal, I support him in not negotiating with a bunch of angry people who are basically making an unreasonable demand, and then insisting that compromise must be found. F*** that.
3. That is not to say that I believe all Republicans are unreasonable. There are many out there, including Congressmen, who are basically being held hostage to the obsessions of the fringe. Speaker John Boehner is enabling that, allowing himself to be led instead of doing the leading. It will be interesting to see how long he remains Speaker when this is all over.
4. The point of this blog and of my various social media feeds, whether on Twitter, App.net, Google+ or elsewhere, is to express my opinion. I have no responsibility to anyone to be "fair," even-handed, or to blame both sides of a dispute. Sometimes, one side really is to blame. I also have no responsibility to engage in debate just because someone else wants to. If you don't like what I say, feel free to not follow me. Use your own blog or feed to put forth your opinion. The US is still theoretically a free country, and that is your right (readers elsewhere, please delete and edit as appropriate).
5. So that you know where I'm coming from, I'm a politically liberal, left-wing registered Green (in case that wasn't already obvious). I think that sometimes government needs to be involved. I also think that corporations are not your friend. I further think that we're becoming an increasingly divided nation, both politically and economically, and that's not a coincidence. I want just enough socialism to overcome the worst aspects of capitalism. There's a balance still waiting to be found.

I think that about covers it. As always, thank you for visiting. :-)