Problem Counting

There are too many Als in the Green All Over commenting world.

Right-wing extremist Al asks if I: “don’t think that it’s a serious problem of mass psychology. Most people today think that whenever there’s a problem, it’s the government’s job to “do something” about it?”

Unfortunately Al’s use of the word ‘problem’ is itself a problem, and makes this impossible to answer. Problems come in many shapes and forms, some of which we would not unreasonably expect the government to “do something” about, for example threats to national security, while other problems in life most people would not reasonably expect the government to do anything about.

Where the line of ‘reasonably expect’ is drawn is for individuals to decide, but a little help for those who need it when a natural disaster comes along doesn’t seem unreasonable to me. Romney takes a different view, but then he takes a different view from me on a number of issues.

“It’s easy to cloak heartlessness in phrases like ‘culture of dependency’, but if Medicaid is cut heavily as Romney proposes, struggling hospitals and nursing homes will close, and millions of seniors, children, and the disabled will suffer” – Los Angeles Times

Then there’s Conspiracy Theory Al who apparently hasn’t got a clue about how elections are run in the US. He writes “As Stalin said once, it’s not who votes that count, but who counts the votes. In this case you will find it is republicans who own the companies…”

Who these ‘companies’ are that Al thinks do the vote counting is a mystery. I know there’s a silly story on this subject doing the rounds right now which can be debunked with a quick look at snopes.com, but the United States has a decentralized system for counting votes in national elections. No single government authority oversees the process. Instead, officials at counting facilities in more than 4,000 counties, townships and parishes across the nation tally votes for president, monitored by certified observers from political parties and candidates.

So if conspiracy theories are your thing, Romney looks great value at to win the election at 4.3, but to me, Al’s drowning in a sea of Romney red right now, not red states, just red as in losses, and clutching at straws.

But who cares about politics when there is football? Last night saw a Classic Extended pick, and once again, a 90th minute goal spoiled the party a little as Brest extended their win from 1-0 to 2-0, and the U1.5 at 3.35 became a loser. This game was also a Football Elite bet, (DNB) and a second winner in a row for that service.

And in the NBA, the Lakers just keep on losing. The latest, a home game against the Clippers. Twelve losses in a row - which has to be a record for such a storied franchise, the "Manchester United" of basketball. Love 'em or hate 'em.