Here in Kansas City on Monday we had our first ground level ozone alert of the year, but it was merely an orange warning, only “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” Nothing of any consequence.

After all, we could be living in some theocratic police state like Iran. What's a little air pollution when compared to teenagers being murdered on the street of Tehran. We can all survive some bad air in America … or only a little health care … or a couple of endless wars … possible war crimes and....

It's also the disconnect in the United States that is so fascinating to listen to and to watch. As events have unfolded in Iran the Republican politicians—as expected—are criticizing Obama for not being “bold” enough. As if these characters knew what to do about anything of importance.

And we all know of course that the U.S. has such a positive record when it comes to meddling in Iranian affairs. Dear Republicans, don't involve yourselves in serious matters. Stick to the ten commandments, gun nut paranoia, and secession. You haven't been a serious political party for a good while.

As I watched the Basij, the pro-government militia, those semi-literate, besotted religious zealots race through the streets of Tehran shooting people and beating up women, well, I did think about some of our own Christian zealots in this country. I wondered if they would choose motorcycles as well if given the opportunity.

Ah, but it's the Democrats that need to be watched more closely. Bill Maher on his show Real Time last Friday accused the Democratic politicians in Congress of having become the “new” Republicans.

Leave it up to our satirists today to succinctly point out the actual problems. I am at the moment specifically thinking about our unfolding health care debate.

Diane Feinstein, the senior Democratic senator from California, recently offered the belief that the public option is probably off the table—too expensive. The Congressional Budget Office apparently terrified some of these poor Democrats, when the CBO estimated health care proposals to be more than $1 trillion dollars.

It matters not a wit to some of these frightened little Democrats that these cost estimates are over a ten year period, the U.S. government already spends $3 trillion dollars per year, and the private health care system in America is a genuine, expensive sick joke.

Yes we need public financing of political campaigns and we need more of these comfortable Democrats challenged in primaries, but we need to think about something else.

We might actually start considering that the people in the streets of Tehran just may have something to teach us about corruption, dealing with an unresponsive elite, and forcing change.