Don’t exactly buy my analogy? How about this. I don’t believe there is one American who would vote to have billions given to countries and regimes that are openly and admittedly our enemy, but we do it to the tune of billions annually, not to mention the foreign aide that goes out to countries who like us because we are rich. How about to dictators that hold no value in human life? Still, our government does it constantly, day in and day out, without so much as a pass at letting the citizens decide. What about entitlements? Earmarks? Pork-barrel-spending? It amazes me that an average citizen can become so much smarter that everyone else as soon as they are elected. They know best for their constituents.

It’s not that I couldn’t say the same thing about poverty in our country, or medical care for the underprivileged, it’s just that my pet peeve this morning is the cutting back of Nasa. I’ll bet most of don’t stop to think about what all the Nasa program has given us. It’s not just that they may give us an arm up on this planet should the universe hurl some nasties at us, or that the exploration of space may be really necessary for our children or grandchildren.
The NASA journal “Spinoff” lists these products, which have included things like improved pacemakers, state of the art exercise machines and satellite radio. Each product was made possible thanks to a NASA and made available for private companies to market. Invisible Braces, scratch-resistant lenses for eyeglasses, Memory Foam, Ear Thermometer, Shoe Insoles, Long-distance Telecommunications, Adjustable Smoke Detector, Safety Grooving in pavements, Cordless Tools, Water Filters, and not least of all, pacemakers.
I’m not writing this to put a plug in for NASA, the main point of this rant is to point out the manipulation our government uses against us. Given a say in how our money is spent, there are billions of dollars we would strip from their “budget” (choke, choke) long before cutting projects such as NASA. I am willing to bet that if a group of intelligent citizens got their hands on the budget, most of the earmarks would go, as would a large portion of foreign aide. I regress – why are dictators that hate us getting billions of dollars when we have starving in this country.
If you pay attention, what you will notice is that every time there is a lot of noise about their spending, the go into a budget-cutting mode, cutting welfare, Medicaid, Social Security and disaster assistance – all the things that really are important. But the entitlements go on. Then they just wait for the uproar. “But I thought you wanted us to cut the budget?”

Please note before you attach my rant to the present administration, although I have no love for them, this is a problem with a long-term history with both parties. Neither party really has our best interest in mind. If only. If only we would all stop blindly attaching ourselves to a party and open our eyes to the rhetoric they are spewing, maybe we can band together and stop some of this insaneness.

Along came the Tea Party, and a spark ignited in my political soul. Maybe here was the chance for some moderate realism in our country. Maybe we could defeat the “good-ol’-boys” club and get some fresh-thinking non-political types in office! Maybe, finally, the apathetic, sleeping public would arise and participate, seeing a chance that their voice might make a difference.

Not so fast, Hoss. All good dreams fade when we awake in the morning light. After all of the hoopla of the presidential election and the failure of the activists to sway the momentum of the Democratic campaign, the Tea Party has openly married the Republican Party – Because they are (cough, choke) – Conservative? One again, what happened to MODERATE? Or, the new buzz word – centrist?

Once again, tricked by the hidden motives of what appeared to be a new public awakening, I slide back into my shell of apathy.

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