Ideology - why I don't buy it

Recently I've been engaged in a respectful online debate over global warming with a couple people I really like and admire. But it has helped me understand why I have never been, and never will be an ideological Republican or Democrat.

Except for my belief in Jesus and living a good and clean life, I'm really not sure about much else.

Ideological leftists and rightists never hold out the possibility that their opponents may have something to say. It is impossible for them to say, "I was wrong," or "that was wrong," or even "I could be wrong."

I was one who was convinced we should invade Iraq because of the presence of weapons of mass destruction. I was not alone, a lot of people on both sides of the divide agreed with that, including our current Secretary of State. But when it was proved they didn't exist, I didn't keep insisting they did. That was wrong. The premise was wrong, the intelligence was wrong and we invaded a country for a bogus reason. I still love our troops and all they do, I refuse to turn on them.

I'll listen to the argument that Iraq will be better off without Saddam, but that doesn't change the facts that the premise of the invasion was wrong. Facts are facts.

Recently, the global-warming-is-caused-by-humans scientists got caught by a bunch of e-mails that show that many of them, upset that their computer models were wrong and that the earth has actually cooled over the last number of years, decided to cover up, cook the books or stifle the opposition. That was wrong. People should say so. Science is not ideology. Revisionist history is not real history.

Not a whimper about the waste of carbon emissions used in flying gas guzzling limos to Copenhagen for use by the dignataries, most of whom fly by private jets to the summit. When all those environmentalists start walking to their next summit, I'll start to listen.

Let's not even start on all the cow manure that Al Gore has spewed over the years on the subject.

Like their friends on the far right, you don't hear the left admit that. They don't acknowledge they have a credibility crisis of their own. They move forward like nothing happened.

Republicans were ushered into office in 1994 based on their promise to bring back fiscal stability and values and then they spent 12 years spending like drunken sailors.

The Democrats promise to bring back civility, bipartisanship and transparency in 2006 and are swept into office only to do the opposite. A Congressional representative who didn't pay his taxes is put in charge of the committee that decides on them, just for one example.

As all of you know, I couldn't support either major Presidential party candidate last election, but President Obama who promised open doors, transparency and the end to pork barrel spending was elected only to allow the first spending bill he signed to be laden with the usual useless Congressional spending.

Now he is apparently poised to do that again with another spending bill weighted down with pork, for both sides, but mostly his.

The lock step nature of politics, ala the Republicans versus Arlen Specter and the Democrats versus Ben Nelson are another reason I detest the two parties. People are elected to represent their districts or states, not the party that carries their political label. There should be no punishment for voting your conscience.

I applaud those representatives, even if I don't agree with them, who go against their party when they believe it is the right thing to do. Not so much when their votes are purchased with millions and billions of my money and yours.

At lot of my friends detest Joe Lieberman, I celebrate him. I don't always agree with him either. An independent thinker is not necessarily a bad thing. I thought it was just desserts when the Democrats worked so hard to get him defeated in the Democratic primary in Rhode Island only to have him come back and thump their guy as an Independent.

My local Republican congressional representative, Candice Miller, is supposedly a good conservative, but yet touts her efforts to bring Homeland Security grants that buys fire engines for places like Otter Lake, which, last time I checked, is not a hot bed for Al Qaeda. It is that kind of stuff that drives me crazy.

Recently there is a hell bent effort to pass any kind of health care. Doesn't matter if anyone reads the bill, knows what's in it or if it really helps anyone. It just matters that something gets passed to save the enormous ego of our young President. From what I understand, and I'll freely admit I haven't read the bill, is that none of the good provisions even take effect for four or more years, although the taxes that support it begin next year.

This country sorely needs health care reform. It certainly needs a way for everyone to have access to health care, but all that is lost in this partisan effort to either pass, or defeat, anything proposed by the other side. In my opinion it is better to do it right, than fast.

And, by the way, what ever happend to the Prez's campaign promise that the health care debate and legislative process would be open, transparent and on C-SPAN. I keep looking on C-SPAN, but it's not there.

Removing a brutal dictator from power, developing alternative energy and conserving our precious earth resources and providing health care for all, are noble intentions.

Good intentions, whether on the left or right, do not make good policy, science or economics. I'm sick of the back and forth, the lack of courage to do the right thing or even the courtesy to admit when your side is wrong, or makes a mistake.

That's all I'm going to have to say on politics for awhile. Frankly, I'm sick of it. I'm sure you all can agree that is a good thing.