Some People Just Set An Alarm Clock

So we're minding our own business, enjoying "Up With Chris Hayes" this morning and I cannot fail to notice that Chris isn't there. Also that in the background was some sort of cartoon character looking in the imaginary window behind the faux-host.

OK, maybe I had just woken up and was still a little fuzzy.

A lot fuzzy.

My POINT is that one of the guests was someone from the Tea Party Express. Unlike (Name any show on FOX. Any of 'em.) "Up With Chris Hayes" is a round table discussion with both or all sides of an issue involved and they actually, yanno, listen to the opposing side with respect and politeness.

Weird. I know.

Almost like it's an actual discussion of ideas and not just a big ol' circle-jerk "lets show those dummies who don't think like us a thing or two and then kick 'em off the air when they start making sense".

Anyhoo.

They had a spokesperson there from the Tea Party Express.

On MSNBC.

For realsies.

The topic was the fiscal cliff debacle.

Her assertion was that we need to address the deficit, and that we need to do it not by just discretionary spending cuts but that we need to also look at 'entitlements'.
And that one of the biggest most dangerous entitlements out there will be the implementation of 'Obamacare'.

Those on the TV round table were respectful and though they didn't agree with her, they didn't verbally smack her upside the head.

The woman in our bed, barely not even out from under the covers, was not so kind. Ward has gotten used to weekend morning tirades (muffled a bit by quilts and flannel sheets) issuing forth from my side of the bed before, "Good morning, Gomez...I need coffee".

"Yes. Lets look at entitlements- lets start with the tax breaks for the very wealthy, move onto huge sums of cash thrown at already-obscenely bloated corporations and banks and then lets look at the goddamn military budget and finish up by TAXING THE CHURCHES!!! DEFICIT SOLVED!!!"

*Commercial break*

Generally, the commercial break is when I have a chance to catch my breath, do a little more waking up and the dogs are able to unclench their paws from terror and settle back onto the pillows and into that nice warm spot in the bend of my legs.

Not today.

Some financial company's idea of an excellent marketing strategy was to show a man (sort of a hispanic-looking man, but we will overlook that for now) on his first day at a restaurant. As a bus boy.

It states that this man goes from his first paycheck (as a BUS BOY, remember) to a financial consultant and sets up a plan for his future.

It shows pretty cleverly, by changing his hats and clothing and background around him while he remains standing in one place his rise from bus boy, to waiter, to chef, to restaurant owner to retired comfortably well-off old guy.

On accounta his wise investment choices from all those years.

As if all anyone needs to do is follow point A to point B and so on and everything will work out OK.

And juxtaposed next to the Tea Party Express chick talking about "entitlements" just hit me all kinds of wrong.

Because here's what she's saying and what the commercial is saying and what I've been hearing from the conservative side for damn ever now-

"If you 'just' follow the right course and do the right things, you will succeed. This is America- if you do not succeed it's your own damn fault and you must be lazy and therefore do not deserve any help."

Except that's bullshit.

Does that reasoning take into account any of the million or so things that happen to a family over the course of a lifetime? Things like abuse, divorce, cancer, job loss through company closure, car accidents, ANYTHING LIKE THAT?

No. It does not.

Life is not simple or straightforward.

People who go through it with no bumps in the road are not blessed, or have not chosen any more wisely than anyone else. They've just been damn lucky.

Nothing more and nothing less.

It's a crap shoot.

And that's the reason a civil society SHOULD be set up to care for those who need it, instead of shaming them into disappearing off of the radar in despair and hopelessness.

Because in a world of odds, the odds are much greater of needing help someday than being what our sick, twisted society calls 'a winner'.

The dogs skittered back to the far reaches of the king sized bed again in reaction to the muffled cursing coming out from under the covers.

I threw back the quilt, kissed Ward on the head, said, "Good morning, Gomez...I need coffee" and headed first to pee, then to get my coffee cup.

Ahhh....another day begins.