Debt and Rights

Flamingos stand in a pond in Navi Mumbai, India,
on Sunday, May 22.
Punit Paranjpe/AFP/Getty Images

Like a bunch of flamingos.

That is what I feel our Congressional leadership is like, sometimes.

The debt crisis has been looming for months and they find out they may have five more days and they immediately plan to take five more days.

And what has the Democratic-controlled Senate been doing the past few weeks? They should have passed a debt ceiling bill and be negotiating with the House. Seriously, things apparently have become broken.

And the whole process is being held hostage by a few outliers.

I feel that the majority of the Congress just want to raise the debt ceiling and get on with business. Yes, the looming budget battle is going to be wild, but allowing a small minority to hold the whole country hostage and threaten not only our economy but the world's? Really?

Sadly that is where we are headed. In Florida, for instance, one parent can decide which books the majority of children cannot be exposed to in schools, whether the majority agrees or not. My view, if parents object to a book, then don't let their kids read the books. The idea that librarians can be held liable for obscene material in the collection, as a law in Arkansas is proposing, is preposterous. The definition of obscene is fairly amorphous and apparently changes with the wind. There is classical literature and art which certain people would feel is obscene. Look at the statues in Europe where portions have been broken off because someone felt it was obscene.

We have lost societal compass that made us what we are: an inclusive society that embraces individual freedoms and rights even if we, ourselves, don't agree with the practice of those rights. I believe that one can be Pro Life and yet support abortion rights. It is not that hard. There is no inherent right allowing someone to abridge the rights of others just because of a disagreement and especially when that disagreement is based upon a supposedly religious difference.

America is great because it is diverse and embraces differences. Wait, that, apparently is the liberal lie.

Well, I'm still waiting for Congress to raise the debt ceiling--a fairly simple task. I am not convinced they are capable of more complex problem solving.

Finally, I would never call members of congress flamingos, I like flamingos too much.

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD