Watching Congressional hearings

Recently I have found myself checking out Congressional hearings when bored. They have been enlightening, disappointing and, today, engrossing. I was disappointed in their lack of even basic good manners in February. At times the Speaker or leader of that portion of Congress was pounding with his gavel trying to get the members to be quiet during another member's speech. I was amazed by the disrespect exhibited by the members towards each other. There was so much conversation going on at such a volume that it made understanding all that was said difficult. Watching on TV I struggled to hear what was being said because the background noise was so loud. I never want to be in a movie theater with the members of Congress.
I've learned a great deal about who cares about what. It was obvious after watching for several days that members did not care to learn anything new or to keep  an open mind for new or different views of facts. I listened to both those I agreed with and those I didn't. I may not have changed my mind but I did learn more about their beliefs and motivations.
I can discuss thing with anyone. Notice I don't say argue. I look for the things we both believe and talk those things as well as the things we don't. We may never agree on the bulk of our beliefs but I find our common ground and show them how we are similar. People focus so much on our differences that they miss our similarities. It takes work to listen with an open mind to opinions you don't believe. It appears our members of Congress are missing that ability. It sounded like an elementary school cafeteria during the presentations. I don't get how they could vote on things they didn't bother listening to. I saw it happen multiple times in the last few months. This could be how things are  done but it is still wrong. It doesn't matter who is presenting or what their party is, members should be listening not acting like they are at a cocktail party.
I've had conversations with people who are opposite me on most other well educated but with completely functioning brains? things but still found a middle ground where we believed the same. I'm a person with permanent brain damage, if I can do this why can't educated people with fully functioning brains.

Why I write

Many may think my choices for my blog signal that everything will be light and airy but the reverse is true. My background is light and airy because my musings are anything but.
I guess I should tell you a bit about my background and why of this blog. I grew up in a political family. My father's family has been active on both sides. My great-uncle was a state assemblyman, his son was the Commissoner of Voters for our county for years. My grandfather was active because my grandmother could not be elected in those days. That did not lessen her local power though. When my dog went missing when I was in second grade she called the mayor and got the pound opened for me on a Sunday morning. My dog wasn't there he came home exhausted without a collar but well cared for two weeks later. The first campaign quarters I recall being at was my great-uncle's. He died when I was only 6 or 7 so at 53  I have seen, heard and been involved for close to a half century. My grandmother's family was Republican, my grandfather's Democrat. I got exposed to both sides because of this. I really was not happy about getting to stuff mailboxes both with election materials and later monthly letters from the elected as a pre-teen and young teenager but I did it.. I read and listen to things on both sides, I research to find the truth and use it to form opinions. One big thing though I Do Not listen to proven liars. I know all politicians lie to a certain extent but there is a difference "read my lips no more taxes" spoken by a candidate who had to eat his worlds when he raised taxes and "Everyone will get health coverage and it will be cheaper" by a sitting president. Seems all the stuff I was hoping was a  he will try to follow through on WAs a lie but everything I assumed had to be a lie he will try to do. I grew up with a parent who was a pathological liar so I am real good at spotting lies.

I am a permanently disabled person who fits into many of the groups often discriminated against I have many personal things that lead to opinions, I have also have close family who lived to 80 90 and above. I see first hand what they need. I trained as a teacher of elementary and special education students. Prior to my final head injury I have worked retail, factory, office, and educational jobs. I lived in San Francisco's Tenderloin as a grad student. I observed, volunteered and did student teaching in both public and private inner city schools, residential camps, parochial schools, department stores  that are both lower and higher priced, I worked with elderly and saw the things effecting them firsthand. My opinions so not come from a vacuum of knowledge I've seen or been affected first hand.