Wednesday TV + Other thoughts

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

TV Thoughts

Mad Men

Wow, just amazing, what a great way to build the story lines around a major true event like the Kennedy Assassination. Oddly the only other time I can think of any TV show working with something like this was a Jefferson's episode dealing with the King assassination. But that's another issue. This show just does a great job of maintaining it's expectations episode after episode. I can only imagine how it would have felt to have had a major event like that intrude on your life. I guess I can come close with one of my best friends getting married the weekend after 9/11, that was a pretty amazing time, and the closest modern parallel to the Kennedy Assassination.

As far as the events in the show, nothing really moved along except that veryone's favorite weasel might actually show some backbone and his own form of integrity and leave the agency, to which I reply: yeah go for it!. And of course the Draper drama. When Betty stood up and told Don she just doesn't love him anymore, and then you see Don just walk alone into his room and sit down it is was just amazing. He has seen his life just collapse over the last couple of episodes, a collapse that mirrors the shock of major events in the world. And you see him being forced to cope with everything seemingly spinning out of control, which is so unlike Don that it must be a huge shock. Just amazing work and acting.

Big Bang Theory

Love this show, especially this episode. The whole idea of someone who knows nothing about football trying to figure it out so he can fit in is so cool. And then the lines from Sheldon where he explains he's from Texas, of course he understands football, the whole scene wit that was so cool. Ending with him picking up Football for Dummies, looking at it and tossing it aside in disgust is just so picture perfect with what you can imagine Sheldon's father was like when dealing with him. This is such a fun show. And the character of Sheldon is so funny. Of course it makes it funny that I happen to have an old and dear friends who has some very similar mannerisms to that character.

Politics

Well I can't exactly say I was surprised by the election results here in Colorado Springs yesterday. Doesn't mean that I am happy, in fact I am pretty mad about it, but not surprised. We (liberals, progressives, Democrats etc.) really need to find a new paradigm, a new way of framing any argument that involves taxes. Because the gut instinct of anyone in this country now, after a generation of Republican-Conservative brainwashing/propaganda is that Taxes = bad, evil etc. It doesn't matter who is getting taxed, or where that money goes or even how much real money is being given to the government. The bottom line is that if you take a random poll the simple question: would you ever vote to increase taxes? The answer will be no 6 or 7 times out of 10. (These are non-scientific numbers of course). It doesn't matter what that tax money will go to, you could tell people that if they pay 10$ a year in additional taxes they will all get a free big screen TV, there will always be some portion of people whose response will be Hell No, don't you dare raise my taxes.

And I think that is exactly what happened here in Colorado Springs. We were asked to pay what really amounted to a small additional amount of taxes, taxes that not everyone in the city would pay, to pay for nice parks, bus service, and efficient responsive Fire and Law Enforcement service. And the reaction was: "It's just scare tactics, how dare the city government ask me for more money!?" I think that people have been educated to react to any request for money from the government with a response of Hell No.

So my response is that until we can re-educate people that government <> waste my feeling is that we will get what we pay for. And the next time I hear anyone complain about a lack of city services: snow plows, slow fire response, trashed parks, poor schools my response will be that they are getting what they are paying for. I feel like I live somewhere with only 1 restaurant. And restaurant management will limit the wait staff and menu options and cleanliness until the customers are willing to pay higher prices. So even though I am willing to pay for it, until the majority of the customers agree we are all stuck with crappy service.

I love my home town, but there are many times I feel like the character in the Bruce Springsteen song. It is my home, I couldn't leave it even if I wanted to. But damn there sure are time when the people here make it real hard to love any more.