We've entered a time of Heroes

There are days when the disaster in Tokyo is overwhelming. And then there are moments that bring it into sharp relief. Like, for example, this quote regarding the rescue workers trying to bring the Fukushima nuclear reactors back under control.

"They need to stop pulling out people—and step up with getting them back in the reactor to cool it. There is a recognition this is a suicide mission," the official said.

Let's not let up praying for the workers and their families. Even if their heroism successfully saves the reactors, it is likely they will not live to see the first anniversary of the Earthquake.

Will Tea Party Republicans keep their promises?

We've seen the pattern again and again. A movement arises with high ideals, gains power, gets elected, and quickly sells out its ideals in order to gain additional power. It's been seen on the Left and the Right and in the Middle. Now the question is will the Tea Party follow the same course or will they be able maintain some level of intellectual honestly? And perhaps more importantly, can they stay honest without sacrificing actual accomplishment?

Republicans campaigned coast to coast on, among other things, a promise to cut $100 billion out of the federal budget.

But now they are talking about cuts as slim as $30 billion, blaming the change on the fine print that no one read -- or if they read, did not understand.

It turns out the $100-billion figure meant $100 billion from a budget that President Barack Obama proposed, which was never passed. And now that the fiscal year is nearly half over, well, there's just no way ...

They say no War Plan survives contact with the Enemy. My guess is we should prepare for some disappointment.

Congrats, and a Reality Check

Congratulations to the Republican Party (and Tea Party) on winning back the House in a historic sweep not seen in 70 years. Congratulations to the Democratic Party for holding onto the Senate, if only by a seat or two.

As all parties settle down to the business of governing, let's remember a few basic facts that will be all-too-tempting to ignore:

1. This was a HOUSECLEANING, because the People believe Congress has been ignoring their will and best interests.

2. This was NOT a mandate for every Republican idea in the hopper. It was specifically a mandate to FIX THE ECONOMY. Let's not get sidetracked onto other issues, at least until people are going back to work.

3. This was a warning to all career politicians - Left and Right - that if the major parties don't get their act together, voters are ready to embrace a Third Party (in this case the Tea Party) who offers solutions and vents their anger. We see no benefit to hanging onto historical party structures "just because".

So, please govern humbly, and be focused on the task at hand. Or else 2012 will look a lot like 2010, but without a happy ending for Republicans.

Home-grown terror may be on the rise

One of the great accomplishments of the final years of the Bush administration was to prevent any further terrorist attacks in the United States. Between the diligent work of our intelligence and law enforcement agencies and the War in Iraq to distract and divert our enemies, the homefront has remained relatively unscathed.

Terrorism experts are warning that may be about to end. And no, it is not any particular Obama administration policy that is putting us at risk. It is an increasing willingness of Al-Qaeda and its allies to recruit Americans and settle for smaller attacks which are harder to predict and prevent.

"The impact of the attempted attacks during the past year suggests al-Qaeda, and its affiliates and allies, will attempt to conduct smaller-scale attacks targeting the homeland but with greater frequency," said Michael Leiter, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, pointing to plots against the subway system in New York, the attempt to down a commercial airliner approaching Detroit and the failed car bombing in Times Square.

Leiter said in his testimony that "al-Qaeda in Pakistan is at one of its weakest points organizationally," but he noted that "regional affiliates and allies can compensate for the potentially decreased willingness of al-Qaeda in Pakistan - the deadliest supplier of such training and guidance - to accept and train new recruits."

"The spike in homegrown violent extremist activity during the past year is indicative of a common cause that rallies independent extremists to want to attack the homeland," said Leiter.

Housing Prices Lowest in 15 Years

Economics is a fascinating and frustrating "science". Why? Because it all comes down to human perception. Things are worth what we collectively think they are worth. "Intrinsic value" has very little meaning for most things in the modern economy. We're seeing this in the housing market where people are holding off buying not because prices are too high, or mortgages are impossible to get, but because of a collective sense that things are getting worse.

One reason the market is hurting is that buyers and sellers are in a standoff over prices. Many sellers are reluctant to lower their prices. And buyers are hesitating because they think home prices haven't bottomed out.

"It really is a self-fulfilling prophecy," said Aaron Zapata, a real estate agent in Brea, Calif. "If all buyers perceive that home prices are coming down, then they will stop making offers -- and home prices will come down."

Of course, in the middle of the Great Recession, people are also loathe to take on a new, massive 30 year pile of debt. Still, we all know when house prices will turn around. When we collectively decide they should!

President Obama's solution the the Oil Spill: More Taxes

There is a truism of government - you don't tax businesses, you tax their customers. Every tax placed on a business is passed along to customers in higher prices. So when a politician both claims "taxpayers will not pay for the BP cleanup" and that it will be paid with by higher taxes, be skeptical. Be very skeptical.

Lawmakers want to increase the current 8-cent-a-barrel tax on oil to make sure there is enough money available to respond to oil spills. At least 6 million gallons of crude have spewed into the Gulf of Mexico since a drilling rig exploded April 20 off the Louisiana coast.

President Barack Obama and congressional leaders have said they expect BP to foot the bill for the cleanup.

"Taxpayers will not pick up the tab," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Monday.

BP executives told Congress last week they would pay "all legitimate claims" for damages. But the government needs upfront money to respond to spills, as well as money to pay for cleanups when the responsible party is unable to pay, or is unknown. Money spent from the fund can later be recovered from the company responsible for the spill.

It is a good point that funds are needed for immediate work on the current spill. But we should all be aware this will mean higher prices at the pump for all of us. Especially heading into summer. Which will cause people to travel less, and depress the economy even more.

Yes, Virginia, Democrats could pass Health care if they wanted

While it is hardly good-natured, this article points out something which Conservatives and moderates may need to hear. The reality is, Barack Obama does not need to tack to the center to pass Health Care Reform. He could pass it today with the existing Democratic majority.

Some of us realized all along that there was no rational reason that the Massachusetts election had to kill health care reform. Fundamentally, the main barrier -- getting sixty votes in the Senate -- had already been crossed. The remaining obstacles are puny. All the Democrats needed to do was have the House pass the Senate bill. If they insisted on changes, most of those could easily be made through reconciliation, which only requires a majority vote in the Senate

I am hopeful that Democratic congresspeople who want to keep their jobs after the election will realize that this is a bad idea. But it is certainly possible. We need to be ready for anything.

Health Care Reform Reality Check

Quantity over Quality

This week, I was discussing with a friend the old theory of "quality time" - that it is okay to spend very little time with your kids, if you make sure the time you DO spend with them is significant. He explained how his own observations had shown him that this theory of parenting was clearly wrong, and that he could always tell which kids were most likely to go bad by seeing how much time they spent with their parents on a regular basis.

In the same way, it is good to remember that while we all seek quality, the way to get there in virtually any enterprise is through quantity of time spent. I came across this article which does a good job of explaining why.

Well, came grading time and a curious fact emerged: the works of highest quality were all produced by the group being graded for quantity. It seems that while the "quantity" group was busily churning out piles of work - and learning from their mistakes - the "quality" group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay.

I'd strongly recommend reading the whole article - it is short. It reminds us that any enterprise - work, hobby, marriage, parenting - requires the investment of time. Skimp on it, and that enterprise will never grow beyond a certain point.

Reality Check: Barack Obama is a Christian

I am getting very tired of the meme running around that Barack Obama is a Muslim. It has been circulating the Web, and being used by some people as a reason NOT to vote for him. And figures as prominent as Ross Perot have been caught repeating the line, because they assume it is true.

IT IS NOT TRUE. Here is his church's website. Barack Obama is at least a nominal Christian, and has been a regular attender at this church for over 20 years. Please pass that along to ANYONE who tries to peddle the "Obama is a Muslim" meme.

That is not to say there are not reasons to NOT vote for Senator Obama. His church is definitely NOT mainstream, and I was unable to find (in a quick search) any idea of their Christology or doctrine of salvation. Their ideas are definitely far off from my own. So, criticize the man for the beliefs he actually holds, not for beliefs others try to place upon him.

And, for the record, no one has yet really given me an idea of why a liberal Muslim would be any worse a leader for our national than a Mormon (Romney), Deist (Washington, Jefferson), or Catholic (Kennedy). Or even a Born-Again Christian (George W. Bush).

Edited 3:11 PM to remove quotes around "Christian" in the title. As Sean showed, it came across differently than I intended.

Editted 4:22 PM. People have brought up the rumors that Obama took his oath on the Koran. NOT TRUE. Obama was sworn in on a Bible. Keith Ellison was the Muslim congressman who was sworn in on a Koran. According to my research, he is the only person to do in history.