The Book Blogs - Broken Government

I've completed reading the 2nd chapter, all about how the Executive Branch is broken and in need of repair. Though Dean clearly has a justifiable disdain for Republican governance, it's clear his disdain and disapproval increases, and is passed on to the reader, towards Dick Cheney.

To briefly summarize this chapter, Dean's argument mainly consisted of a theory...a theory that the president should be exercising more power than he has the right to. If this theory is enacted, then political corruption is the clear result. When our government was established over 2 centuries ago, our founding fathers made it clear that they didn't want their government resembling the monarchy they tried to declare independence against. The president would not be a dictator, and the power of the government would not be concentrated in one lone entity. Rather, they implemented a system of checks and balances. Remember that term from Political Science 101? It's a system that makes sure all 3 branches of government - legislative (Senate and House of Representatives), executive (president and vice president), and judicial (Supreme Court Justices) - would ensure that neither of the other branches would ever embrace any form of corruption. They'd ensure that no branch was acting autonomously. Each branch should ideally work together to create and uphold laws and resolutions that would serve to *benefit* the people, aka, the citizens of the United States of America.

But...

In Dick Cheney's mind, the president is entitled to virtually unlimited power, and should run the government that way. Doing so makes it inevitable for checks and balances preventing corruption to become essentially nullified. What does that do as a result? It can, over time, change the way a country is run. And for 8 years our "misunderestimated" president turned a country founded on beliefs of democracy to become an almost fascist nation, in which corporations and the wealthiest of the wealthy were, in effect, running the country: a plutonomy.

*sigh* 

Reading this chapter of the book angered me to the point where I nearly stopped reading. I was so pissed off! I felt so disgusted and betrayed! I didn't even vote for that asshole! But before I'd let my anger and resentment take hold of me, I was able to take a step back and remember that our country is now run by someone who knows how to pronounce "nuclear." And then I was able to calm down again.

It's not the first time a book has upset me because what I'm reading in it hurts me as I recall events passed during W's reign. However, if I haven't finished the book (which I haven't, otherwise I would've said that already), it's mostly because it's gotten difficult to read. Though it discusses events that are in our past, and our country is now headed in a better (*I* believe) direction, it all too frequently makes me reminisce of what was among our darkest years in our country.

The next chapter I have to read is all about the judicial branch, and the final and 4th chapter will discuss what "repairs" are needed to bring this country back to its greater glory.

Given how busy - and tired! - I am after school and how lazy I am on the weekends, I don't know when I'll finish the book. I hope to have it finished before school's over. It's barely mid-April, and the last day of school is June 3rd. We'll see.

As for my love of reading, it's still about the same as it has always been. I don't know if it's the subject matter of Broken Government that is keeping me from falling in love with reading. If I was in love, I wouldn't go days without reading like I do now. I'm still dealing with the fact that when I have time to read, I still elect to do other things with my time. The discipline isn't there at all. A part of me won't keep reading because the book upsets me. Another part of me doesn't read because I haven't disciplined myself to pick it up and do it.

Maybe I should pick a more light-hearted book. *shrugs* I don't know.

Okay, I'm off to bed now. That shrug was accompanied by a yawn.

The Book Blogs - Broken Government and The Art of Happiness

I've been very bad about reading the book. I'm almost through with the 2nd chapter, though. Its last section discusses the so-called evils of Dick Cheney. The next chapter will discuss the Judicial Branch as the chapter I'm currently on is discussing the Executive Branch (and the preceding chapter focused on the Legislative).

I remember when I started blogging about this book, I made it clear that more than anything, I was hoping my blogging would chronicle and reflect a change in my perception of reading; that I'd fall in love with it. I can say that definitely hasn't happened yet. Over the last few weeks, if I ever have a chance to read, I end up electing to do something else with my time. I'll get on Facebook, watch YouTube videos, clean the house, watch a DVD I've seen a million times (like Glee), whatever. Reading a book for leisure still hasn't become an active practice.

On the other hand...

This past Christmas, my wonderful Frank gave me an audio book. It's the first time I've even ever received one! It's a book co-authored by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and a psychiatrist, Howard Cutler, M.D. entitled "The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World". The audio book took me a few months to finish listening to it as it contained 14 hours on 11 CDs. Also, I had to discipline myself to listen to it over my iPod or the radio where I could enjoy hearing Taylor Swift sing about how some (super cute) guy belongs with her. Nevertheless, the book was FASCINATING! I learned so much about life, perceptions, emotions, the human condition, etc. The book is FILLED with information that I'm convinced can benefit multitudes of people. It'd take several blogs to even summarize it justly. The subject matter is honestly so complex, one really has to sit and listen to the entire book (or just read it) to fully grasp its message.

So since I've finished that book, let me say I HIGHLY recommend it. The Dalai Lama's tremendous depth of wisdom and insight, coupled with social and scientific research reviews make for a fascinating and enlightening read, to say the *least*.

*sigh*

I hope to blog again soon. Now that it's post-Spring Break at school, it's gonna be a whirlwind until Summer arrives! Got a house to maintain, a 52-member choir to direct for 5th grade graduation, and lots of work to prepare for Kodály Level III this July.

*looks up* Hey, Jesus, if you could resurrect yourself in 3 days, help me get through the next 60.

Amen.

- Posted from my iPhone