As my partner pointed out in the email she sent me that is the genesis of this post our representatives in Washngton – men and women who work for us, on our behalf – cannot pass meaningful healthcare reform, cannot seem to find time to extend unemployment, seem wholly unable to do anything to stimulat ethe economy or create jobs but by golly they can introduce legislation to regulate cosmetics.

That’s right. House Bill H.R. 5786 was introduced yesterday and aims to make sure that no unsafe ingerdients are used in cosmetics sold in the US. Because that, like defense of marriage, is really frigging important right now. There is NOTHING more pressing than making sure that the make-up and shampoo we use doesn’t have ingredients that aren’t approved by the FDA – an agency that is known for it’s ability to stop bad things from entering our food and drug supply.

Give me a break!! I think it’s time we recall every one of the politicians in Washington and get some new blood in there. These guys and gals are ineffective and wasting our hard earned money. I talk to people ever day about what’s on their minds and no one – not one single person i know or who is known by someone I know – has EVER mentioned that, at this point in time given what’s going on in our world, they give one good shit about cosmetic safety.

This is unbefreakingbelievable. What are these people thinking?

“While this decision has not been an easy one, recent events regarding Republican National Committee fundraising at Voyeur, an LA based lesbian bondage themed nightclub finally tipped the scales,” Daniels said.

I think this is just the type of person the Republicans need to reinvigorate their image and help win back control of the Government.

One of my all time favorites quotes – typically attributed to Voltare though thought to actually have originated from Ewelyn Beatrice Hall – is:

I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

I have no love for the man but I do love the fact that we live in a country where a man like Rush can say what he said freely. I also love that we live in a country where those who disagree can freely voice their opposition and those who agree can chine in to their heart’s content.

What scares me a bit is the number of people commenting on blogs that we should “start Civil War II” or “take out the new Hitler”. It’s this response that I can’t imagine is what Rush is striving for. I honestly believe he’s just an entertainer cashing in on his innate ability to be controversial. I think he serves a purpose and that is to drive moderate conservatives to become independents or democrats.

I just wish there wasn’t this undercurrent of violence and hatred. It makes me sad.

I’ve been defending the President up to this point. No more. To say I am disappointed does not do justice to how I feel. We hired (elected) to affect change. Part of the change he was supposed to affect is health care reform. The legislation that will come out is neither reform nor meaningful change. If any of us mere mortals failed to achieve objectives we were hired to achieve we would be out of a job. That’s what I propose for Obama – we vote him out of office in 2012. I’m not planning to vote for him again. In fact, I may just vote Republican next time – as long as it isn’t for that twit Sarah Palin who is just an absolute joke.

check the charity dotcom

This is not only an unattractive site but it’s not intuitive – which of the four giant buttons does a visitor click on and why? And when a visitor does click on one of the four big button they are taken to a completely different site and the only one that actually offers any kind of information useful to someone coming here to find out about charities is the Attorney General site which gives six tips on charitable giving. The tips are good so I’m going to include them at the end of this post. I am amazed that the state of Colorado could not find someone with appropriate design and development skills to build a site that would actually be useful to people who want to give their money but want to make sure they are doing so responsibly. In this economy they could have had 50 candidates in an hour if they had posted on Craigslist.

The goal of the state of Colorado was a good one. But as is so often the case, the execution is sub-optimal. I would love to see the figures on abandonment for this site. I can image that the majority of people who come here will look at the page, be confused about why they are there and what to do once they are and will leave. A great and altruistic goal – protecting potential donors – will not be achieved because there was no upfront design time spent on this site. It’s a shame really.

A much better site – thought there are problems with the design of this one as well – is Charity Navigator. On this site they did the right thing – they put a search box way up top and highlighted it in yellow so visitors could do what they came to do without hunting, pecking and getting confused and frustrated.

much better, more usable design

The State of Colorado could have used this site as a starting point and made some improvements -hell they could even have simply linked to it and not attempted to reinvent the wheel. Makes me wonder how much of my tax dollars went to the site the Colorado put up.

Here is the six point list fromt he Colorado Attorney General’s site:

First it offers no panacea though there have been many statements made by proponents suggesting so. Some have stated that not supporting stem cell research is tantamount to “taking away the cure for cancer”. This is a bit more than a bit of an overreach but as Ronald D. G. McKay, a stem cell researcher at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, told the New York Times, “People need a fairy tale”.

Second the opponents frequently use as the foundation of their argument the notion that an embryo is actually a human; it should be valued as highly as a human life. I won’t argue this – at least not in this post – save to say that this foundational statement doesn’t take viability into account. What I will say is that those making this statement as a justification for opposition to stem cell research don’t make the same noise over the fact that the blastocysts, which is a laboratory-fertilized human egg, in question are going to be destroyed. It’s not as if scientists are suggesting that we take blastocysts destined for a waiting mother’s womb and use them for research. The blastocysts in question are slated for destruction. Why only rail against the use of these embryos in research?

I’m not making an argument for or against stem cell research. To be quite honest I haven’t taken the time to do enough research to form an educated opinion. What I am arguing for – and I argue for this no matter the subject – is that both sides of the issue try to be a bit more truthful and blanaced with their claims and try to stir up less over-the-top emotion. I know, I ask too much sometimes.

I’m excited. Obama is the president elect. He brings with him promise for a better America than the one we’ve had for the past 8 years. He brings with him the promise of an end to the crippling level of partisan politics we’ve been living with. The promise of an end to the lies, deceit, cover-ups and elitism that are the true Bush doctrine. The promise of an end to the $16 Billion being spent monthly on a needless and seemingly endless war.

Most important of all he brings HOPE. Something we’ve been needing desperately for far too long. The road forward will not be easy and there are many challenges that will require serious politics to overcome. By serious politics I mean an absence of the finger pointing, name calling, filibustering, positioning, whining and general sophomoric nonsense with which Washington has been awash for a very long time.

My HOPE is that Obama will do what’s necessary to create unity, build bridges and develop synergy. That, after all, is what it will take to get this country back on track.

You know what, at the end of that day I really don’t give a rat’s ass who you vote for. But if you’re going to vote for one person over another do so because you have a reasoned, well thought out opinion of your own. Don’t do it based on some crap you heard on a campaign ad or because it’s what some talking head on one side of the argument or another told you to believe.

People have the right to their opinions and I cherish that about this country. But for crying out loud don’t be a sheep. Do the research – and by this I mean well rounded research not just what the right or the left says – and form your opinion based on thinking about that research.

Anyone who has taken a minimum amount of time to look into the facts knows that Obama isn’t a radical Muslim. He’s a Christian. And anyone who understands the policies of the Republican party – at least the policies of today’s Republican party – understands that those policies are anything but inclusive and will benefit no one but the very wealthiest.

I don’t care who you vote for but for crying out loud please don’t vote for someone because someone else told you to. Do it because you’ve reviewed the facts, have mulled them over and have formed a reasoned opinion.