Blurt Excl: James McMurtry Speaks Out

Latest installment of his Blurt blog "Wasteland Bait & Tackle" addresses the health care debate and debacle, the quality of life in America as we know it, and, oh yeah, all that shit about socialism.

By Fred Mills

"Last year, 2008, balls out free market capitalism stepped on its dick and fell on its ass. We had lived a fantasy for nearly thirty years." That's rocker and songwriter James McMurtry, writing in his Blurt blog, about where we are and how we got here - this sorry mess, that is, where capitalism collides with notions of socialism, where free market enterprise impacts real-life health issues, and more. Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush II, Obama, African American moms, illegal aliens... red states, blue states, welfare states... whew, the man pretty much covers it all in one free-ranging, free-thinking essay.

Concludes McMurtry, "If we'd let President Truman have his way, and implemented universal health care sixty years ago, when the rest of the free world did it, we'd probably have our system worked out by now." Sadly, our system is totally fucked, and only just now are we realizing it. But there's still time to pick up on the dialogue, and McMurtry's definitely got something to say. Read his blog HERE.

Meanwhile, we'd be totally remiss if we didn't mention that our favorite Texan also has a new live CD/DVD due out Oct. 13 via Lightning Rod. Titled Live in Europe, it's got JM and his band plus Iam McLagan on keys and fellow TX legend Jon Dee Graham guesting. And it kicks ass, too - we're listening to it this very moment.