Maddeningly, the only things we have to talk about these days are Rupert Murdoch and the debt ceiling. For me at least, both topics invoke negative thoughts. Nevertheless, putting negative associations aside, I find the debt ceiling and the larger debate about taxes and entitlements to be important. We simply can’t get this wrong.

As part of the Republican campaign to convince the public that tax cuts (not increases) and entitlement cuts are the only way to go, Sen. John Cornyn (R – TX) sent the following email today. I’m not sure how I got on his mailing list.

In it, he falsely claims that the challenge is not the debt ceiling, it’s the debt. Well, I would say that both are the challenge. There is no doubt that we need to get our debt under control. I’ll even concede that some important entitlements may lose funding to better insure the future financial viability of the country. However, to make all of these cuts without more revenue is absurd. That is putting a disproportionate amount of the burden on the folks who can least afford it.

The constant Republican rhetoric about higher taxes killing jobs is garbage. Ronald Reagan raised taxes, and we saw some of the most prosperous times this country has ever experienced. Any government worth it’s salt must have revenue to function. Period.

I suspect this is the Republican’s gambit. They are playing chicken with economic catastrophe in order to make President Obama look bad. It is beyond dishonorable. It’s a dangerous game being played by rich people and their proxies in government. It’s a shame that the majority of the consequences are going to be felt by the people who will be hurt the most.

Congressman Jim Cooper (D – TN) is my United States Representative. I voted for him in the 2010 mid-terms, but his vote on a recent bill regarding election donations has me a little concerned. Check out the report on ThinkProgress, and then read my correspondence below.

Congressman Cooper,

I have been made aware of a vote you made that deeply concerns me. It involves “prohibiting the use of funds to implement any rule, regulation, or executive order regarding the disclosure of political contributions.” According to Think Progress, this vote occurred this past Friday, July 15.

This says to me that you are okay with a lack of transparency. This says to me that you are okay with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC. This is very troubling to me for a variety of reasons. The lack of transparency is one of the biggest problems with our government as I see it. The Republicans in our state, as well as in the rest of the country, have made a concerted effort to hide the origins of their funding. To me, this is because they have something to hide.

Do you have something to hide, Congressman Cooper? If not, why would you vote for a bill that pushes the deeds of politicians further into the dark? I voted for you, thinking that you stood for my ideals. Your vote in this matter tells me that I must rethink my vote in 2012.

I want to believe in you. As an American, I want to believe in someone. However, I will not give my vote to someone who does not represent the American interests I believe in. In regards to this issue, that interest would be complete transparency in government. How do you respond to this? I would appreciate a full explanation of your vote in this matter.

Respectfully,

Jonathan Sanders

Nashville, TN

Updated 7/25/11:

I have not heard from Congressman Cooper as yet. When he does, I’ll add it to a new post.

We’ve all made jokes about the lunacy of suing a McDonald’s over hot coffee. After all, isn’t that the point of coffee?! Nonetheless, I think we can all agree that understanding every side of a story makes us better informed individuals. With one story, I must admit, I did not seek to understand the other side of the story. I will cop to judging the McDonald’s hot coffee lady. I owe Stella Liebeck an apology.

In case you were unaware, Stella Liebeck was the woman who (in)famously sued McDonald’s for coffee that was too hot. Many of us just assumed she was driving while drinking coffee, and had the unpleasant experience of spilling some on herself. Most of us just thought it was a chance for someone to get rich quick. However, did you know that she was not driving that day? Did you know that she experienced horrific burns to her legs that impeded her ability to move around for the rest of her life? Did you know that McDonald’s had received over 700 complaints about the temperature of their coffee before Ms. Liebeck’s case?

I didn’t until I saw the HBO documentary Hot Coffee. The documentary shows what Ms. Liebeck went through, and what the consequences of her case were for all of us. Big business has spent millions slowly chipping away at our rights to sue for damages. They convinced us that silly lawsuits, like the hot coffee lawsuit, were going to kill jobs, and keep American businesses from prospering.

At the nudging of big business lobbying, damage award caps have taken the teeth out of the only leverage the average consumer had against corporate America. The reality is we have voted away our ability to keep businesses accountable for their actions. Do you think Erin Brokovich’s smackdown of PG&E would happen now? Probably not.

So, this whole story has been another reminder to get the whole story before I pass judgement. Because, honestly, my judgement may affect how I react. In the case of the hot coffee story, that reaction may be to allow someone to take away my rights.

My wife and I saw U2 make a long awaited return to Nashville (30 years, in fact) last night. They did not disappoint. Rather than simply promoting their latest release, they went through a career spanning best of that featured several hits, and some forgotten gems that only your hard core U2 fans would likely know.

Among the hits were Where The Streets Have No Name, With or Without You and Mysterious Ways. It would be hard to name a favorite, but (Rep. Gabrielle Gifford’s husband) Astronaut Mark Kelly’s recitation of the bridge from Beautiful Day was a memorable highlight. It was recorded while he was still in space on the shuttle Endeavor’s last mission.

On the forgotten gems side, they performed The Wanderer, an end of album track from Zooropa that originally featured Johnny Cash. Bono ably imitated Cash’s famous baritone. They also performed a mid-’90′s song from the Batman Forever soundtrack, Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me. It really was a great show, and I can’t imagine anyone being disappointed. Below is some video I shot during the show.