metric reflection

PotD – 01/20/10 – 01/23/10

One year on

So I started writing this on the 20th, but then I was too sick and busy to finish. The same thing occurred on the 21st, and the 22nd, which then stopped me from writing anything on those days (or really having any time to think about it). But today is my do nothing day, which I have commemorated with a string of viewings – movies, Conan’s last show, lots of eels videos and Lost montages. Basically a day getting lost in youtube to get over a killer sinus infection.

So, back to the picture. I scrapped what I’d previously written because it was filled with lamentations over the end of health care, the general cowardliness of Democrats in Washington, and how everything was going to come crashing down – that the system was obviously going to fail, because if there aren’t 60 votes to fix a problem as drastic as health care, then how is anything going to being done?

But you know – that’s just defeatist. Of course I’d be happer if the Democratic candidate hadn’t disdained things like campaigning or knowing that Curt Shilling was a Red Sox pitcher and not a Yankee. But that doesn’t change what has occurred in the past year: a rush to bailout banks and automakers to try to stabilize the economy, a stimulus package that was smaller than what experts believed was necessary, SCHIP, Copenhagen, the Cairo speech, Guantanamo’s slow closure, Afghanistan surge, etc. And 4th and an inch on healthcare on the goal line.

Normally, such grave times would be met with calls for unity, for working together toward a moderate approach – or at least putting faith in your leaders. But there’s been so little of this, from either party, or from the Tea Party morons, or the press. And that’s what I think is hopeful: that Obama was able to get that much done without a very stable working environment. And as the economy gets better – because it must, eventually, get better, right? – that will ease, and the real issues will get tackled. At least that’s what I have to be hopeful for.

And just for that, to make up for the last few days:

Crazy Guy at Inauguration

Attack of the Pigeons