A Sorry State

This year's State of the Union Address was a snooze-fest with plenty of promises and posturing. I didn't buy Dubya's concern or sincerity for a single second. Once or twice I laughed out loud.

In other words, it was the same old crap from an administration far removed from the concerns of regular Americans.

Yesterday, I listened to Morning Edition on NPR. (My boys are a bit young for Howard Stern.) They aired a segment about folks from New Orleans who are living in a FEMA motorhome while trying to put their wind-and-rain soaked lives back together again. These people were surprised that Dubya's speech didn't spend more than a nano-second on Hurricane Katrina's devastation, his inadequate response, and future plans for rebuilding the region.

One such resident was Holly Hubble, a registered Republican. Holly had never been one to believe the government should involve itself in people's lives. Until now. She changed her tune after her house blew away and wants the federal government to makes things right again.

I gripped the wheel and talked myself out of a meltdown.

Would Holly rant and rave against her president if she wasn't living like white trash in a trailer? No way in hell. She'd cluck her tongue and perhaps say a prayer or two for those unfortunate Negroes before lecturing liberals about how it's not the government's responsibility to come in and fix everything. No, no, no. The people need to get up, brush themselves off, and solve their own problems. With Jesus' help. They should have saved instead of spending all that money on shoes! They should rely on family! They should rely on someone other than the government! Can't you hear her southern accent? "God bless!"

When Republicans face real issues they become real people. A gay child can convince an otherwise hateful man to rethink constitutional discrimination. Cancer hits close to home and all of a sudden health care is a right, not a privilege, and let's get us some stem cells but quick! Holly didn't feel anyone else's pain. Only her own. I'm sure there's a whole town full of people who are angry that they've worked hard their whole lives, paid taxes, and prayed at church every Sunday. They're wondering, "Where's God and Dubya when I need them?" They feel no concern for anyone other than themselves and are pissed their government has forsaken them.

Welcome to our world, Holly.

God bless!