Impromptus

This post is something of a catch-all for several different topics rolling around my head. I've titled it Impromptus in honor of Jay Nordlinger over at National Review Online, and his column of the same format.

* Did you hear that Barrack Obama confided to aides that it would be easier to govern if he were President of China? I don't know exactly what to say to that, so I'll just let it hang there for you all to look at and marvel. Anyone find it interesting that it's only Democrats who ever envy the governing ease that a totalitarian system provides?

I don't remember hearing that Scott Walker envied the ease with which he could have passed his bill if he were a pol in Communist China, National Socialist German Worker's Party Germany (You now, the Nazis. When you know where their name comes from, the Nazis don't resemble anything on the "right" do they?), or the European Union where what Brussels wants, Brussels gets even if the regular people disagree. Insert brussel sprouts joke here.

* Speaking of Scott Walker, RealClearPolitics links today, to an article at the Denver Post in which the author propounds his belief that despite losing, the Democrats really won in Wisconsin.

Imagine your back in high school. When the football team loses by 8 touchdowns, but you still want to feel proud, what do you do? Well, you mention that the team held them to only 8 touchdowns. It could have been worse you know.

Or, you bought a car and paid over the sticker price? Well look at the goodies! It's got tinted windows, a scratch/rust-resistant coat, "ground-effect" body panels, and chrome rims. Oooh!

I'm sorry (I'm really not), but the Democrats lost on this one. No amount of looking through John Lennon rose-colored sunglasses is going to change that.

And you lose the moral-superiority to foam and froth at the mouth about the overturning of democracy and governing like a banana-republic when your politicians have been hiding out in a neighboring state to deny a duly-elected legislature the ability to achieve quorum and legislate.

That, is actually what banana-republics do. They don't negotiate and try to reach a compromise with the opposition, as Scott Walker did. Heck, in your run-of-the-mill banana republic, if you've done things right, your opposition is either dead, disgraced, or terrified to cross you.

* Finally, off the topic of politics, we had to get a new dvd player because ours ceased to display a picture last week, and that's rather the point of a dvd player. We decided to go blu-ray, and checked out Inception from RedBox last night.

I don't know how improved the image quality is - it's hard to compare if they aren't side-by-side - but, man doesn't Inception make you terrified to fall asleep and dream? You can also tell that Christopher Nolan directed Batman Begins, Dark Knight, and Inception - half the actors are common and the music has a similar feel. It's not bad, just . . . I noticed.

We don't buy many dvds (blu-rays now?), but I liked the movie and would probably consider getting it to watch again. I also almost wish it was book-based and there was a book to read and compare/contrast to the movie.

* Finally, finally. The job-hunt season for under-employed (substitute) teachers is upon us. I hope someone else's pain will be my gain. Wish me luck.