I was driving next to my U.S. Representative, Peter Roskam, yesterday. His car had a bumper sticker reading "Enough is Enough. Vote Republican." That was rich. Reading through his press releases, he keeps repeating the catch phrase "Washington is broken." Yep. It sure is. And he helps keep it that way. And he doesn't help our community all that much either. He backs anti-immigration policies, and was a very vocal opponent of raising the minimum wage. He plays into the casual, code-worded racism and classism that we're known for around here. The way this one works out is, don't pay lower-income people a living wage. A living wage would only encourage them to live in our communities. And let's talk tough about immigration, but know that all of the undocumented workers will be willing to be paid sub-minimum wage rates (good for small businesses!) but still not enough to be able to afford to settle in to our towns.

Bastante es bastante.

So, I may talk a big game about loving my fellow man (on the down low). But can I live that way? Not so much. I took the Sysmidgets to the Bristol Renaissance Fair today. I wish many things for my children. I picture their lives, and hope that they are happy, safe and loved. Living fulfilled lives and having strong relationships. But I swear, if they take to dressing up in Madrigal garb (complete with running shoes and sunglasses) perform maypole dances and talk in affected pseudo accents learned from time-travel episodes of ST:TNG, I will have no choice but to disown them. But at least the kids there were actually allowing themselves to be exposed to the sun, instead of working on their World of Warcraft guilds.

If they're going to dress up, they should at least speak to today's troubled times.

Labels: amphibian, presbyterian, quotidian

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 17, 2008 at 7:35 PM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.