a rare partisan rant

Well not all that rare, in the past I did them all the time.

But I have to make note.

I just finished watching "The Daily Show" (stayed up past my bedtime). As usual, Pennsylvania's junior Senator did not disappoint.

He was on pimping his new book "It Takes A Family." I've skimmed this book briefly in the B.Dalton down at Strawberry Square. It reminds me as to why I don't read political books. It's awful, self-serving tripe. Avoid like the plauge.

But anyway, on "The Daily Show" Senator Santorum believes that the government really needs to nurture and protect families, even though I think most people do a great job at being individually responsible for their own families without government intervention.

Pay attention to that phrase, individual responsiblity. It will become very important for our discussion.

Now the Republicans have always been "The Party of Individual Responsiblity." This is their mantra. It is the code word they've used to slowly dismantle most social programs to varying degrees. They don't like government. Limited, small government is their thing. No biggie, I can respect that.

They castigate liberals for too much government such as throwing money at broken problems like public schools and cities and creating "the nanny state."

It seems, lately, the Republicans have coopted this role. Now with Pennsylvania embarking on an "Academic Freedom" initiative to protect college kids from being "indoctrinated," various people screaming about whats on the TV (uh, turn the TV off and make your kids go read a book or play outside?), and now Santorum saying "we need to nurture families, eww gay people," it is clear they want to create their own "nanny state." It was a bad idea when Democrats wanted to do it and its an even worse idea now. I am totally for "Individual responsibility." Gee, I suppose that could make me a Republican.

I'd like some feedback on this, as I see this all the time. It's an irritant. It is also a fear that this sort of thing will send us Into The Long Dark Night*. What do you all think?


PS--A job related rant- Congress, please pass the highway bill so departments of transportation nationwide can do their jobs. These extensions are ridiculous.


*Into the Long Dark Night is the (new) tentative title of the research I'm working on, once I get it written.