The Darth Vader of the Republican Party is at it again. Merely three weeks after undergoing a heart transplant former Vice President Dick Chaney took on the President. Addressing the Wyoming Republican Party convention, the erasable curmudgeon offered a full throated criticism of the Obama administration; referring to the President’s first term as an “unmitigated disaster”. Unfortunately, Mr. Chaney’s suffers from a severe case of memory loss and his recent surgery did nothing to dampen his vivid imagination. Historically each administration shoulders both the good and bad that occur during their years in office. A quick review of the events during Mr. Chaney’s days of prowling the White House corridors are less than flattering. The unwarranted war in Iraq… the unwinnable war in Afghanistan...the market crash on Wall Street…the near destruction of the auto industry…skyrocketing unemployment…the loss of 750,000 private sector jobs/month…turning a $200 billion surplus into a $5 trillion deficit…and last but certainly not least, allowing the worst terrorist attack on American soil in our history. If Mr. Chaney feels that it is appropriate to blame the Obama Administration for all of the country’s current ailments, then that is certainly his right. But he should then assume responsibility for everything that occurred during his watch as well. History will decide whose administration deserves to be called an “unmitigated disaster.” Our guess is that history will not be kind to Mr. Chaney.
Taliban insurgents signaled the beginning of the “fighting season” striking the Afghan capital and several other cities in a series of coordinated attacks. The onslaught, which lasted 17 hours, targeted the US, UK and German embassies as well as a multitude of government buildings and NATO bases. The offensive offers undeniable proof that US efforts to secure the country have failed. They also provide a clear picture of what is in store for the next country foolish enough to invade this desolate piece of real estate. It has been ten years. Bin Laden is dead. It’s time to bring the troops home.
The USA Today is reporting that a growing number of firstborns in the US have unmarried parents. The report states that “the number of first births to women living with male partner jumped from 12% in 2002 to 22% in 2006-10…an 83% increase.” The report goes on to say that the big jump since 2002 “is likely because of the recession which was at its height from 2007-2009.” “I think it is economic shock” says Karen Benjamin Guzzo, a sociologist at Bowling Green University. “Marriage is an achievement that you enter into when you are ready. But in the meantime, life happens. You form relationships. You have sex. You get pregnant. In a perfect world, they would prefer to be married, but where the economy is now, they’re not going to be able to get married, and they don’t want to wait to have kids.” We understand that our society no longer views “unmarried pregnancy” in the same manner prevalent a few short decades ago. The time when our grandparents placed a certain stigma on unmarried pregnancies has long since passed. But we don’t understand the correlation between a recessionary economy and an unmarried pregnancy. “But where the economy is now, they’re not going to be able to get married” just doesn’t make sense. If two people are cohabitating and can afford food, clothing and rent…can’t they afford to purchase a marriage license? We are not making a moral judgment here…but let’s call this what it is. A growing number of people across all economic and educational demographics find it acceptable to cohabitate and have sex prior to marriage…a sort of trail arrangement. Some would call this the result of a degradation of morals in our society. Others see it simply as a common sense approach to making a lifelong commitment. Whatever! Let’s just call it what it is. People make choices. The result of these choices is an increase in unmarried pregnancies and the responsibilities that come with parenthood. If two people can afford the necessities of life surely they can afford a marriage license. Condoms are not all the expensive either. The economic argument doesn’t hold water.
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