Posts tagged as:

tea party

SCANDAL: the flurry of interest in an offense caused by a fault or misdeed.

May 15, 2013

This has been a week for scandals.  In just a matter of days the media  was bombarded with stories of IRS shenanigans involving Tea Party and other conservative applications for tax-free status, new allegations regarding the Benghazi tragedy, and the report that the Federal Government has allegedly peeked into private communications involving reporters from the [...]

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ATROPHY [A-truh-fee]: wasting away as a result of disuse

May 8, 2013

In matters related to the human body, I am intrigued by the concept of atrophy.  It is the phenomenon which occurs when a specific part of the body is not used over a period of time.  The result is that the body part shrivels up and eventually can literally die.  It is a term which [...]

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JUST SAY “KNOW”: a response to anti-intellectualism

January 8, 2013

Over the past year I have made numerous references to the attempt to “dumb down” the expectations of the American people in order to assuage the desires of a group of political activists who embrace anti-intellectualism as their credo.  The most obvious example of this segment of our society is the Tea Party movement which [...]

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SHAMBOLIC: highly disorganized, in shambles

December 30, 2012

Talk about reacting to the moment.  Our word for today is shambolic, a word I heard for the first time an hour ago.  David Brooks, who I consider to be one of the most thoughtful, intelligent conservative commentators on television, was a member of a panel convened by David Gregory, the host of Meet the [...]

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SEGUE [SEG-way] : to make a smooth transition

December 8, 2012

One of the criteria which depicts the American way of governance is the smooth transition from one presidential administration to another.   It is recognized as a segue: a transition without conflict or violence. In some countries the transition of leadership is by coup or armed revolt.   Violence in the streets and loss of life is [...]

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TAX: an amount of money required of citizens and companies for the running of a government

November 29, 2012

The hot topic in Washington these days is taxes.  It should be a surprise to no one.  President Obama made it clear in his campaigns that when he was elected to his second term it was his intention to renew the tax breaks initiated by the Bush administration for Middle Class citizens and the poor.  [...]

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WELL, HERE IT IS, POSTING NUMBER 1,000. Remember that if you comment on this posting, your name will be put into a hat and one name will be selected to win a Starbucks gift card!

August 29, 2012

______________________________________________________________________   Clearing the Air   In reading over the past 999 posts it occurs to me that I have skirted the issue on some posts, trying not to upset people I know would disagree with me.   It’s been convenient to use euphemisms from time to time to avoid outright disagreement with people.   Reading over [...]

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VEEP: a casual, abbreviated way of identifying the Vice President

August 12, 2012

Now that it’s official, Paul Ryan will be the Republican candidate for Vice President of the United States, things begin to get a little clearer in the campaign.   There’s been an awful lot of “mush” over the past several weeks and months, but Ryan’s selection clarifies what the rest of the election campaign will be [...]

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MEME [meem]: a cultural factor that replicates over time, much as a gene is carried from generation to generation

April 25, 2012

The word meme “was coined by the British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in The Selfish Gene (1976)… as a concept for discussion of evolutionary principles in explaining the spread of ideas and cultural phenomena. Examples of memes given in the book included melodies, catch-phrases, fashion and the technology of building arches.” (Wikipedia)   It has become [...]

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SYSTEMIC: an underlying, repeating pattern

August 2, 2011

When you look at the illustration to the right which depicts the solar system it gives you a basis for understanding the word systemic. There is an order, seemingly a plan, by which the planets relate to the sun.  It is predictable, allowing us to develop a calendar and giving us a road map  by [...]

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