okhela's Page

As flawed as the Constitution was when written, one must grant the genius
of the founders with the tripartite concept of governance. Although peopled
with individuals with the same biases and prejudices as generally held by the
founders, the judicial branch of government has slowly, and continues to
evolve, as the protector of innate rights never assumed by the founders.
Every so often, the spirit of the words of the Declaration of Independence,
rather than the political document, the Constituti… Continue

I have no legal training but it seems to me the current AIG mess reveals
an informative resolution of a clash of values. All of the discussion about
a contract to pay executives regardless of performance has never mentioned
the interests of stock holders. Individuals who invest in companies do so
for a return on their investment. When there are profits, they expect a return
on their investment. If a company fails to return a profit, or loses money, it
seems to me that it is theft to reward those… Continue

I watched some of the discussion of the NGA on the state of
healthcare and what must be done. I was immediately reminded
of a conversation I had with my primary care physician nearly 20
years ago. He was an excellent doctor and one of the few I've had
in my life I actually listened to. Of course, part of the reason for that
was he took the time to listen to me. But, we talked about his
frustration with the direction of his profession and the financial
pressures he was experiencing.
A few years e… Continue

The Wall Street Journal has an editorial worth noting for those who support Senator Obama. One need not hold the Journal's political or economic biases to recognize some of the wisdom inherent in it's cautions.
Hopefully, Democrats will recall from their own experience in the past and the more recent experience of the Republican Party how easily those in power can be corrupted by electoral power. Protecting members of one's party who abuse the trust of the people destroys the legitimacy of the P… Continue

I've been aware of Mr. Gergen for a while as a Republican operative. I was surprised when he was offered and accepted a position in the Clinton administration. Although not a fan of Bill Clinton, I am becoming more impressed with his decision to have Mr. Gergen as an adviser. Mr. Gergen has been tapped as a political commentator on CNN. I share his cautious view of the immediate future of America's political scene. He may not say it as I would, but the extremely fragile social fabric of America… Continue