My God, I Had No Idea...

Did you hear this? John McCain...was a POW! In VietNam! Yeah, apparently his plane got hit by a missile and he crashed and was imprisoned for, like, 5 years. And it was really, really bad. I mean, freaking awful. Nothing like we're putting those guys in Guantanamo through, but still, wicked heinous. I mean, seriously.

And, though it was awful, and a formative experience...IT WAS 40 YEARS AGO! ENOUGH ALREADY! What are you going to actually DO for me? How are you going to get me affordable health care? How are you going to make it so I can afford to buy gas for my car and oil for my furnace THIS winter, not 10 years from now when the first oil would be flowing from Florida? How are you going to make it so I can afford to send my child to college? How are you going to make it so I can stay in my house and not lose it because of predatory lending?

How are you going to care for veterans of this and past and future wars and occupations? What are you going to do to get us out of Iraq? How are you going to make us energy independent? How will you keep all the lobbyists on your staff from making laws that will help their industries and stockholders, at the expense of taxpayers?

You didn't say a word about that, John McCain, when you had your chance. You told us you had been a POW. Jeez Louise, like we didn't %^&$*#% KNOW that already??? We know your tragic story, and how you overcame your captors to return to America, the land which you learned to love, divorce your wife because she gained weight and lost height, and start a career in politics.

John...have you ever punched a time clock? Have you ever cashed a paycheck that wasn't drawn on the U.S Treasury? That wasn't paid for by U.S. taxpayers? There isn't any dishonor in that, it's just that, well, most people don't live like that. Most people wouldn't be able to spend $300,000 on an outfit for their wives. That's a home purchase for most people, John. In some cases enough for 2 homes. That's 20 years' salary for someone making the minimum wage, John. You know, that thing you vote against every single time you have had the chance.

So, here's a question for you, John: How much money should someone make in this country, at a minimum? What's the least it would be fair to ask an employer to be required to pay an employee? And don't give me any crap about "let the market decide". Give me a number. What's the minimum a worker should expect to make?

And is this an amount that can support a decent living?

Let's hear it, John. We already know about the POW thing. Tell us what you're going to fix. Tell us how you're going to fix it. Tell us how you're going to make this a better country, not how you're going to fight fight fight.

And, keep in mind this little bon mot: Jesus Christ was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a Governor.