Motivations of the "Mobs"

Commentators and politicians are clearly taken aback by the level of emotion being displayed at these health care town hall meetings. Various explanations for this outpouring of interest abound, and some have been quite ridiculous, including claims that these people were sent here at the request of big business or that they are merely expressing racism. However, I think it is quite easy to understand why people are ticked off. I will tell you why in bullet point format:

• More so than almost any other legislation, this health care bill would impact virtually everybody, and in a big way. People get fired up about illegal immigrants or taxes, but even those issues don't have the potential impact of this one.

• People are tired of the way Washington operates. One-thousand-plus page bills are written, "debated," and voted on in a span of days, and people have almost no ability to learn about and then speak up about these issues in such a short time span. This is an especially acute problem after the bailouts were rushed through Congress earlier this year. Remember, if the Democrats had their way, this bill would already have been passed and signed.
  

• People are sick of politician-speak. President Obama says, "If you like your health plan, you can keep it." But people have every reason to suspect that this will be true for no more than a year or two, as the "public option" swallows everyone up as employers respond to incentives to drop health coverage for employees. In response to a question about government funding for abortions in its plan, Senator Arlen Specter said, "You can get a plan that doesn't pay for abortions, and someone else can get one that does." That's a ridiculous answer, because it clearly means that the government plan will pay for abortions. I also hear people like Rep. Chet Edwards in Texas say, "I will not support a Canada-style, single-payer plan." Sure, that sounds good, but it doesn't address whether or not he'll vote for the plan currently working its way through the House. People are tired of this obfuscation.

• People don't trust legislation to work like it is supposed to. The TARP bill wasn't intended to provide bailouts for auto makers, but it did. The stimulus bill wasn't supposed to pay for ridiculous pork projects, but it did. The Bush Medicare drug bill was supposed to cost X, but it cost much more. Health care reform will undoubtedly have similar unannounced consequences (I'm not sure if they will be unintended).

• People are sick of elitist politicians. Voters know Congress won't subject itself to whatever plan it passes, just like Congress doesn't use Social Security or commercial airlines.
  

For these reasons, I fully support citizens who yell at and boo their Congressmen. While the politicians may publicly dismiss these people, privately they know that the anger expressed at these meetings could also manifest itself next Election Day.

UHF: Bean Brownies

Riddle me this, what is even weirder that putting spinach in your smoothies? Beans in your brownies! I first saw this recipe a couple months ago but it was too out there, even for a undercover hippie like me. But I've never been able to find a homemade brownie recipe I really liked so when I recently made a big batch of black beans to freeze, I figured I would give it a try. What's the worst that could happen? And to my surprise, I liked them. You should try it, you might like it too!

1.5 cups black beans (or 1 15oz can, drained)
3 eggs
3 Tablespoons oil/melted butter
1/4 c cocoa powder
pinch salt
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 c sweetener (I've used both white sugar and honey with good results)
1/2 tsp baking powder (optional, will be more cake-like with it, more fudge like without)

Dump in a blender and blend till smooth - don't leave any bean chunks. Pour into a greased 9x9 pan and bake at 350 for ~30 minutes or until top changes from glossy to matte. Do this secretly if you want to serve to husband/kids, do out in the open if you want to enjoy the whole pan yourself:-)

When warm, they are more brownie/cake like. Refrigerate the leftovers though and they become this combination brownie/fudge - delish! I made my first batch with an unrefined coconut oil so they tasted like a Mounds bar. The second batch I used melted butter (you could also use vegetable oil, except don't, that stuff is not good) and tried adding baking soda. It was good too. I've seen versions of this with honey and agave nectar replacing the sugar and even a vegan version that used applesauce and a banana to sweeten. I'm going to keep trying to see exactly how healthy I can make this.

Summer Update

I'm doing pretty well on my summer to-do list, which is good as I've only got a few weeks left. The one thing I'm behind on is my knitting and crocheting. I just couldn't do any for the first part of the summer as the eczema on my hand was too bad. But it cleared up a bit while I was on vacation and I was able to get all my washcloths done. I did three different patterns, figuring I would make more of whichever I liked most, or move on to other patterns if I didn't like any of them.
From left to right, these are the patterns I followed, ( L, M, R. I am pretty excited about the middle one, it has these cool little scrubby rows). The pattern included front post crocheting in it which I had never done and didn't quite have a handle on at first so the bottom is weird but it's only dishcloths so I'll try to let it go (okay, I'm trying to let it go at least). The other two are pretty standard. I'm hoping the rights one's airiness really will help prevent the dreaded kitchen cloth stink but only time will tell.

I also finally got my living room walls redecorated. I was tired of the old canvas I had painted, so I got two more and some fabric (it took me a month because I went weekly using a Hobby Lobby 40% off coupon each time, but I saved ~$23 that way). Once I had everything, it was super easy and I like the color it added. I didn't take a before photo because my camera battery was dead and I didn't want to wait, but here is the after.
Plus, it perfectly matches my brand new slipcover. It's red and super cheerful. I was so tired of those silly stripes so I love it but I'm a little worried about Craig's reaction. He isn't a big fan of slipcovers. I hope he likes it!

My summer is coming to a close pretty soon (in a scheduling type of way, not a temperature type of way, I still have months of heat left to deal with) and I'm glad. I'm tired of being so productive. I'm ready to start spending my weekends just lounging around with Craig.

Another Austen Anecdote

Oh my goodness, this cracked me up.

Congress to Citizens: "Let Them Eat Cake"

When was the last time we had a good old-fashioned tarring and feathering here in America? I think it's about time to reintroduce this time-honored tradition on the steps of the Capitol. Here's why:

• "Congress plans to spend $550 million to buy eight jets, a substantial upgrade to the fleet used by federal officials at a time when lawmakers have criticized the use of corporate jets by companies receiving taxpayer funds." This item was placed in a defense spending bill; the Pentagon asked for four planes, but Congress wants more. And apparently these planes are not your run-of-the-mill private jets, either; they are top of the line. Congresspeolple could fly commercial, but they prefer not to. And remember the manufactured outrage when those auto execs came to DC on private jets? Oh, the hypocrisy.
  

• On a related note, Congress apparently needs these planes because "[t]axpayer-funded travel for Congress is booming. Legislators and aides reported spending about $13 million on overseas trips last year, a Journal analysis has shown, a nearly 10-fold jump since 1995." Click that link to read about one egregious Congressional jaunt. They claim these trips help them understand the issues, but I think similar understanding could be gained from watching the Discovery Channel, at much less cost to taxpayers.
  

In the grand scheme of federal spending, the amount of money being wasted here is not much. But as the chasm between an increasingly self-indulgent, corrupt Congress and the people they are supposed to serve gets larger every day. Fortunately for them, though, some in their ranks have enough sense to know when they've crossed the line. Several representatives are speaking out against the new jets. I guess that's the key, knowing how corrupt is too corrupt to get away with. That can be a fine line to walk, though.