My good God. What is wrong with this country? Our current domestic policy seems to be, “You can’t afford basic things like food, housing, healthcare? You have a disability or other issues that make it difficult to work or take care of yourself or your loved ones? Well. Sucks to be you, doesn’t it?”

I watch public television at least three hours of public television cartoons every day.

You heard me.

Anyway, right now they are running announcements asking viewers to contact their local politicians and voice their displeasure about the plan to cut all funding to programs. I mean think about that. No, it’s not healthcare or some of the larger issues politicians are hot to decimate as of late. I know. But where would we be without Sesame Street? Mister Rogers Neighborhood? Can you imagine if our government contributed nothing at all to the arts? How sad. To see this society devolve into an obsession with dollars and cents. No heart, no compassion. But mainly no sense of the bigger picture. No sense of perspective. No sense of the long game.

We will come out of this period of financial recession. That’s how it works. That’s how it always works. But what sort of country will we be when we do reach the other side?

I feel like politicians are currently playing some sort of pissing match as to who can look like more of a heartless bastard. When did we stop caring about our own people? When did we forget that there are bigger issues in this country than whether or not we have to pay more taxes. I don’t get it.

And I never will. I’m still highly puzzled as to why anyone who isn’t in the upper 20 percent of wage earners in this country is a Republican. Because I think it’s rather clear that the party as a whole really doesn’t care about you. Maybe your vote. But that’s it. They’d rather give huge tax breaks to corporations under the false pretense that these companies will pass on the increased profits to the economy and to their employees.

Right. If anyone actually believes that, I have this bridge in Brooklyn you might be interested in.

Aha. Speaking of being the Master of Segues, just got back from Brooklyn. Long weekend. One of my cousins got married and so most of the family trekked out to the East Coast to attend.

Good trip. A little longer and less hectic than my last visit, and I got to see more of the city. Plus I got to spend time with my cousins—some of which I don’t see more than once every few years. All of which I adore.

And it was a good wedding. Smallish, but with a ton of food and a beautiful setting. At one point during the reception, one of my cousins sat down next to me and said, “I don’t know what’s more surprising—the fact that the ceremony was officiated by a state Supreme Court Justice or that she’s over there dancing to Madonna.”

But the aweomest part (well, not awesomest, just… awesome) was that our hotel window was right across from Brooklyn Central Booking. Not the front door, sadly. But the back garage door where cars went in and out. So no real good drama or stories. Still.