BrianHimes.com » Politics

I’m tired of Partisanship

Brian — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:52:24 +0000

I got to thinking yesterday, when I heard that the House had voted down the President’s Jobs Bill, that I’m really tired of partisanship. What happened to compromise? What happened to working together toward the common good?

It’s really upsetting to me when votes fall along party lines and nothing gets done. Now, I’m not saying that the Jobs Bill is good or bad. This isn’t intended to be a commentary on that. What bothers me is that I get the impression that Republicans and Democrats will only vote for their own ideas. It doesn’t matter if it’s a good idea or not. What matters is who proposed the idea and that’s a terrible way to go about anything.

So, why do we let out politicians get away with it? Why do we settle for nothing getting accomplished? Are we so disillusioned that we think only one party can be right? I hope not. I hope we know better deep down inside. I hope that in the coming election we can set a course to change this situation. I hope we can get passed our hang ups and work together. We’ve seen what happens when we can’t so let’s try something different.

Politics and Sin

Brian — Mon, 09 May 2011 18:57:54 +0000

I’ve been wondering…

Why are politicians encouraged to leave office when they are caught in adulterous relationships?

Does that affect someone’s ability to govern? Perhaps it can be argued that dealing with personal issues can distract from the job of governing our country, but I’m not really sure that’s the reason our leaders step down when faced with these issues.

I think there’s a public perception that these politicians have committed the unforgivable sin. And yet, it’s a sin that is so rampant across our culture that in one way or another it touches almost everyone. I’m not trying to justify it. I just think it’s interesting that sexual sin is one of the lines we draw in the sand for our politicians. If they cross that line they are out. Why do we do that? Why do we pick that sin?

Obama Causes a Little Traffic in LA

Brian — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:32:18 +0000

So, President Obama visited Los Angeles this week and people seem to be in an uproar because of the traffic issues caused by his motorcade.

Now, I understand hating traffic. And anything that makes it worse is truly annoying. But really, what’s with all the backlash at the President for visiting?

You should be honored when the President visits your town, whether you like him or not. I would bet that all the bad press regarding the traffic has less to do with the traffic than it has to do with people wanting to bad mouth the President. You’re entitled to your opinion, but let’s call it what it is and not hide our dissatisfaction under the guise of complaining about the traffic he caused. Ok?

And if you truly are enraged about the traffic, there are plenty of other issues that should concern you. Here are a few:

Bad public transportation

Inadequate funding for expansion of public transportation

Old, neglected, inadequate freeway systems

Inadequate funding for freeway expansion

Inadequate funding for freeway maintenance

Urban sprawl

Commuters

Too many cars

Bad drivers

I think you get the idea. Let’s grow up and stop playing dumb political games.

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Mosque at Ground Zero

Brian — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:55:31 +0000

Smart move?

Probably not, unless you want to stir up a hornet’s nest of emotion.

Illegal?

Nope. They own the land.

Unamerican?

Nope. We have this thing called religious freedom. Remember that?

What should be done?

Love.

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I’m Fed Up with Politics

Brian — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:07:56 +0000

Did you see this? Republican funds spent at sex-themed nightclub

Whatever your political stance may be you have to admit that this is ridiculous. I’m soo tired of the headlines about corrupt politicians. I understand that nobody’s perfect but come on. Are these the people you want representing you and your interests? Along with that, I’m fed up with both the democratic and republican parties and politics in general. No one is willing to compromise and everyone wants to push their own agenda. I think our it’s time for this country to wake up and realize things are broken. What’s the solution? I don’t know. I just know that this isn’t working.

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Land of the Free…

Brian — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:22:00 +0000

There’s a ton of free stuff available today if you vote. I marked my ballot this morning on my way into work and picked up a free coffee from Starbucks for my efforts. Also offering free food items are Krispy Kreme and Ben and Jerry’s. If I have time, I may try and swing by those places a little later.

Get out and vote, and get some free stuff. After all this is the land of the free… voter incentives.

Burbank’s Winter Shelter

Brian — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:01:00 +0000

Tonight, among other topics, the Burbank City Council will discuss the 2008-2009 Homeless Winter Shelter Program.

Last year the city of Burbank agreed to host the shelter at its Armory because the city of Glendale, who had previously hosted the shelter, was renovating their Armory. This year, the city of Glendale has revealed that they are not interested in reopening their Armory for use by the Winter Shelter Program placing the load again on Burbank.

Living really close to the armory, I received a letter from the city notifying me of tonight’s meeting. And, last night, while working on my car, I was approached by a neighbor who was passing out material in opposition to the proposed shelter.

Judging from the literature I received, I think there is some misinformation about this shelter floating around. I encourage you, if you’re concerned, to read the Staff Report and its supporting documents. If that doesn’t satisfy you, attend tonight’s meeting at 6 PM at Burbank City Hall.

Prop 8 and Religion

Brian — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:47:00 +0000

I read an interesting article this morning titled Wielding religion as a weapon against gay marriage written by Steve Lopez of the Los Angeles Times.

And then I read another article, titled Religious Rhetoric and Gay Marriage, also in the LA Times by Sandy Banks.

It is really interesting to see the contrasting opinions of the churches mentioned in these articles and the general public in regards to this issue.

Rock the Vote

Brian — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:54:00 +0000

Do you plan to vote in the upcoming presidential election?

Since I recently moved, and the DMV can’t ever seem to change my voter registration even though I checked the box on my change of address form, I re-registered the other day through Rock The Vote.

I waited until now to register because I am still undecided on how to cast my vote. I’m one of those people who refuses to associate themselves with a political party because they think it’s ridiculous to think that anyone is always going to agree with a particular party’s candidate. I had even considered not voting because I am less than thrilled with both of the main candidates, which really is probably just a cop-out on my part. However, after some soul searching I came to the conclusion that voting was something I needed to do.

So now I’m searching. I’m trying to decide how to cast my vote. If you have any info you want to pass along to help me make my decision it would be much appreciated.

Election 2008 From Jib Jab

Brian — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:48:00 +0000

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Have you seen the new JibJab cartoon for the 2008 election? It’s hilarious. I saw it this morning on the Today Show. Check it out for yourself.