Spy games

I am a little astonished at all the hoopla about the U.S. spying on other governments.
In my opinion, everyone does this. I don't usually like that excuse, but here I think it not only pertains,
it is fundamental.
OF COURSE it is in our national interest to spy on other governments, friendly or not.
OF COURSE it is in their national interest to do the same.
Perhaps in a personal world friends are always friends, but it is certainly NOT that way in international
relations. Remember, just a few decades ago, Germany was our enemy and Russia was our friend.
Furthermore, I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt to individuals that are outraged about this,
but, again IMO, the noises being made by leaders are completely phony.
We are being subjected to this outrage simply because we have the only leaker.
It is in the other nations interests to get us out of the spying, so they can get an advantage.
Perhaps what we need is leakers from several other governments to level the playing field.
Because what is going on now is just one big game.

Be careful .....

What the Republicans 'won' after all their efforts is something they have been crying for for years.
A new President Obama.
Strong
Resolute
Standing up for America
A leader
Congratulations, guys.

a (possibly) bi-partisan answer

No, not about the government shutdown or default.
No, this is about something more everyday: customer service.
This is in serious decline in our country. No matter where you go, there are not enough
customer service workers. It seems this is where many companies have chosen to
economize - in the very workers that most interact with the customer, the very workers
that give the customer their impression of the company.
Since everyone is doing it, no company pays much of a cost.
But I think this holds the key to not one, but several problems we are experiencing.
First, of course, it its own problem. We have accepted this for too long. In the past, we
were accustomed to good service. Why have we let it slip away? We DON'T have to just accept this.
We need to start demanding better service. Companies will listen if we speak loud enough.
Second is the unemployment problem. How much better off would our economy be if
every company hired just ONE more customer service person in each location? And how much easier
would our lives be?
Third, and this may be where the bi-partisanship fades away, the inequality problem.
Let's not pay for this with higher prices, let's use executive salaries. Why should the big boys get
so much money for cutting our service? How many people could be hired with a big chunk of the
multi-millions they get? And how much more of that would be spent right here at home, instead
of invested overseas?
This would be a positive way to take us back to the 50s that conservatives revere so highly.
In those days, salaries WERE more equal and that is the time period we look to for great
customer service because there were enough employees to provide it.
Anyway, that's my idea.

Value of government

People frequently talk about 'the government' as if it was some kind of external entity.  It's not.
Government is merely society's instrument for doing large things that we cannot accomplish alone or in small groups.
As such, it impacts everyone's lives everyday, usually in ways that we cannot readily see. No matter how much someone thinks they have never used government services, THEY HAVE!
We all take for granted that in the U.S. we have the safest, most orderly life on the planet. That is because of our government.
Somehow we have allowed a relatively small group of nihilistic greedheads to convince us that government is unnecessary at best, the enemy at worst.
Perhaps this is the real reason the right worships Reagan, because he promoted an anti-government attitude, even while he betrayed all the policies they wanted to dismantle it.
I am not saying that there are not faults in government. It is run by people after all, so it will never be perfect. Neither is any other institution run by people, and we don't hear an outcry to get rid of them.
If you don't like something about the government, work to fix it. If enough other people agree with you, it will change. If most people like it, it won't.
But don't chuck it completely because it isn't perfect.
You really wouldn't like being on your own.

one possible answer

So the U.S. government is shut down. How did we get here?
Well, a few years ago the Democrats in office passed a comprehensive healthcare reform, something they had been wanting to do for decades.
What they passed was really a pretty moderate bill, because that was all they COULD pass. What the left really wanted was real government healthcare. The ACA is not that. Insurance companies still exist and largely run healthcare. It IS government regulated health care and since the Republicans hate regulations, any regulations, that bothers them. They made a proposal at the time, but it was not complete healthcare reform, it was just small adjustments to the system we had.
However, there is much that is moderate or even conservative in the bill that was passed, because compromise was necessary to accomplish anything. The very mandates that the right is now screaming about IS A RIGHT WING IDEA!!!!
Now the Republicans say they want to compromise with their budget bills, BUT THE COMPROMISE ON HEALTHCARE WAS MADE IN 2009!!!!!!!!!
So that's the first ingredient.
Second, the Republicans are both indebted to and under pressure from the very fringe of their side. They are answering to a very small, but very vocal and active group. This means that this small group has a very outsize influence in our country today.
This needs to end. Now.
There is one way we can accomplish this. It won't be easy, but I think it will be easier than getting money out of politics, the other big reform that is being promoted.

We need independent redistricting commissions EVERYWHERE.
We need district lines that don't automatically favor one candidate so strongly that the average person is not heard or considered at all.
We need candidates that really want to govern, not just make their name so they can have well paying jobs for the rest of their lives. Being famous for nothing is one thing in Hollywood, it is much more sinister in Washington. Right now we have the sad spectacle of a decent, intelligent man who went to D.C. to make our country better being stymied at every turn by fame/wealth hogs who only want to satisfy themselves and don't care how much of a mess they make - like all hogs.

Anyway, that's the answer I see.