DisgruntledCurmudgeon
Do you frequently get the feeling that someone talking on TV or radio is not really the pundit or sage news analyst they purport to be, but a complete moron instead? Watching coverage of the State of the Union address, I did, twice. I was struck by the speakers seeming total inability to count. You know, "One, two, three...".
Poll 30 votes Show Results Which obvious truth is most difficult to argue with morons? War is impoverishing our nation and making foreigners hate Americans. Health care for all, free as a public utility, would improve everyone's life. The Republicans are the party who ran up the national debt, not the Democrats. Illegal aliens could be managed and easily dealt with as desired if we had un-forgeable, electronic, national ID cards. We could have fair, democratic elections if vote counting were not ever subcontracted to private firms with secret vote "counting" software. Lowering rich people's taxes does not create jobs. (Trickle-down economics is crap.) Raising taxes on high-income people does not kill jobs. (A CEO having to drive that Mercedes for a fourth year does not affect you.) Raising taxes on high-income people does not raise taxes on low-income wage slaves. We have plenty of money for health care and other social programs. We don't have enough because most of it is siphoned off by greedy private sector entities. Giving tax credits to any company that exports jobs abroad kills jobs. Allowing foreign-based corporations to do business here as domestic firms, but not pay taxes as one, is a drain on revenue. (Halliburton, et al., should be stripped of all government contracts) Not putting tariffs on foreign goods to equalize labor costs kills jobs and domestic industry. You have to cut defense spending drastically to balance the budget. If we cut Social Security, Medicare, education, national healh care, education and other social programs, we're destroying the country. Sarah Palin is a mentally deficient, lazy, irresponsible sociopath who panders to murderous traitors. She has no place in public life. 30 votes Vote Now! Which obvious truth is most difficult to argue with morons? War is impoverishing our nation and making foreigners hate Americans. 0% 0 votes Health care for all, free as a public utility, would improve everyone's life. 3% 1 vote The Republicans are the party who ran up the national debt, not the Democrats. 5 votes Illegal aliens could be managed and easily dealt with as desired if we had un-forgeable, electronic, national ID cards. 0% 0 votes We could have fair, democratic elections if vote counting were not ever subcontracted to private firms with secret vote "counting" software. 3% 1 vote Lowering rich people's taxes does not create jobs. (Trickle-down economics is crap.) 6 votes Raising taxes on high-income people does not kill jobs. (A CEO having to drive that Mercedes for a fourth year does not affect you.) 3% 1 vote Raising taxes on high-income people does not raise taxes on low-income wage slaves. 3% 1 vote We have plenty of money for health care and other social programs. We don't have enough because most of it is siphoned off by greedy private sector entities. 4 votes Giving tax credits to any company that exports jobs abroad kills jobs. 0% 0 votes Allowing foreign-based corporations to do business here as domestic firms, but not pay taxes as one, is a drain on revenue. (Halliburton, et al., should be stripped of all government contracts) 3% 1 vote Not putting tariffs on foreign goods to equalize labor costs kills jobs and domestic industry. 3% 1 vote You have to cut defense spending drastically to balance the budget. 7% 2 votes If we cut Social Security, Medicare, education, national healh care, education and other social programs, we're destroying the country. 7% 2 votes Sarah Palin is a mentally deficient, lazy, irresponsible sociopath who panders to murderous traitors. She has no place in public life. 5 votes
Get used to it. The downward slide has begun. The solution? Radical social and economic change to effect social and economic democracy. To to barricades, comrades! Don't freak out. Having the epiphany that you're not "middle class", but one of the downtrodden masses is the first step of raising your political consciousness to the point where rational action is possible.
Poll 48 votes Show Results What does it take to piss you off enough to protest? Lose my job. Get sick. Not have health insurance. Not be able to afford education. Lose my home. Family member killed or injured in war. Not being able to earn a living commensurate with education/training/experience. Victim of violent crime. Victim of economic crime (e.g., investment swindle). Kill my pet. Illegal war. Criminalizing benign behavior (e.g., marijuana use, sexuality, artistic expression). Kleptocracy (i.e., government by theft, such as corporate welfare). Other. (Please explain in a comment.) 48 votes Vote Now! What does it take to piss you off enough to protest? Lose my job. 5 votes Get sick. 0% 0 votes Not have health insurance. 2% 1 vote Not be able to afford education. 4% 2 votes Lose my home. 0% 0 votes Family member killed or injured in war. 0% 0 votes Not being able to earn a living commensurate with education/training/experience. 5 votes Victim of violent crime. 4% 2 votes Victim of economic crime (e.g., investment swindle). 6% 3 votes Kill my pet. 7 votes Illegal war. 5 votes Criminalizing benign behavior (e.g., marijuana use, sexuality, artistic expression). 6% 3 votes Kleptocracy (i.e., government by theft, such as corporate welfare). 10 votes Other. (Please explain in a comment.) 5 votes
Sure. It's bad, but you've got to have a plan, right? Everybody does, and everyone's plan is a scheme for how they are going to beat the system.
Poll 14 votes Show Results How do we get the stupid to "get their heads right"? Buy their votes. Only run attractive people as candidates. Advertise more than the Republicans. Teach Marxist dialect in all public schools. Only quote Jesus in political debates. Tell them that Republicans will eat their babies. Other (as explained in a comment). 14 votes Vote Now! How do we get the stupid to "get their heads right"? Buy their votes. 7% 1 vote Only run attractive people as candidates. 0% 0 votes Advertise more than the Republicans. 7% 1 vote Teach Marxist dialect in all public schools. 2 votes Only quote Jesus in political debates. 2 votes Tell them that Republicans will eat their babies. 7 votes Other (as explained in a comment). 7% 1 vote
I can't believe what's happening in this election.
Poll 16 votes Show Results So, what are we going to do after the election? Shit. Go blind. Something else. (Please explain in a comment.) 16 votes Vote Now! So, what are we going to do after the election? Shit. 10 votes Go blind. 3 votes Something else. (Please explain in a comment.) 3 votes
I couldn't figure out what I had just done until I framed it in this manner. Otherwise, it didn't make much sense. I had alienated someone I like, as a matter of conviction, because of something they said. Why would I do that?
Poll 27 votes Show Results When is head smacking appropriate? Whenever yer thinkin' ain't right, sparky! Whenever I feel it's the only way to get through to you. Only when you're unable to retaliate. Only when the consensus is that you deserve it. Never. 27 votes Vote Now! When is head smacking appropriate? Whenever yer thinkin' ain't right, sparky! 5 votes Whenever I feel it's the only way to get through to you. 7% 2 votes Only when you're unable to retaliate. 4% 1 vote Only when the consensus is that you deserve it. 7% 2 votes Never. 17 votes
How's that for a mixed metaphor? Levity aside, it looks as if putting the squeeze on Senate Democrats who won't come out strongly for public option health insurance is beginning to show some results! Get on the bandwagon in your state. We're talking numbers today, and what those numbers mean in my state.
Poll 42 votes Show Results What's the senatorial score in your state for public option? Two Republican senators. 'Nuff said. One Republican and one Democrat who doesn't support a public option. One Republican and one Democrat who supports a public option. Two Democrats who don't support a public option. Two Democratic senators, one who supports a public option, and one who does not. Two Democratic senators, both supporting a public option. I'm Canadian and am shaking my head. I pity you silly Americans. I'm a national of another country besides the U.S. or Canada and want to know why you Americans are insane. How can you let people die in the street when you are so rich? 42 votes Vote Now! What's the senatorial score in your state for public option? Two Republican senators. 'Nuff said. 7 votes One Republican and one Democrat who doesn't support a public option. 7% 3 votes One Republican and one Democrat who supports a public option. 8 votes Two Democrats who don't support a public option. 0% 0 votes Two Democratic senators, one who supports a public option, and one who does not. 2% 1 vote Two Democratic senators, both supporting a public option. 17 votes I'm Canadian and am shaking my head. I pity you silly Americans. 5% 2 votes I'm a national of another country besides the U.S. or Canada and want to know why you Americans are insane. How can you let people die in the street when you are so rich? 4 votes
I've got this one figured out. Everyone but me is asking why Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid won't push through health care reform now. I know why. It's a painful truth that smacks of prejudice, but it's not a smear against Senator Reid or the group to which he belongs and about which I am going to generalize. It's just the way he is, because...
Poll 76 votes Show Results How do you feel about our chances for health care reform? Reform? Why? We have the best health care system in the world! I'm waiting for the Republicans to regain control and let the magic of the free market solve all our problems. We're all screwed. Republicans don't want it and 36 of 59 Democratics have been bought off. Don't worry! Reid is "playing chess" and will finesse this thing in the end! Reid will drag his feet until he has the votes, then flip to our side. Screw Reid and the Blue Dogs. Let's replace them all with real Democrats. I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore! (...best movie line ever!) 76 votes Vote Now! How do you feel about our chances for health care reform? Reform? Why? We have the best health care system in the world! 8% 6 votes I'm waiting for the Republicans to regain control and let the magic of the free market solve all our problems. 7% 5 votes We're all screwed. Republicans don't want it and 36 of 59 Democratics have been bought off. 27 votes Don't worry! Reid is "playing chess" and will finesse this thing in the end! 5% 4 votes Reid will drag his feet until he has the votes, then flip to our side. 5% 4 votes Screw Reid and the Blue Dogs. Let's replace them all with real Democrats. 22 votes I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore! (...best movie line ever!) 8 votes
"Let's meet the corporate power structure head-on and go toe-to-toe with them in the marketplace!" At least that's what more of you think will get rid of insurance companies faster than anything else. I'm not so sure.
Republicans hate free clinics. They get angry when you discuss them. The idea of someone getting something of value and not paying for it clearly just makes them crazy. We may have something here. We've heard that there's no free lunch, but what about food banks, soup kitchens and even the Hare Krishna handout? What's next? Free love?
Good ideas are plentiful, but no one seems to know how to put them into motion. Seriously now, how are we going to get health care? The answer may not lie in making little steps in the right direction. It may take something totally unexpected and radical to upset the status quo.
We all know what a perfect solution is; it's the scheme that delivers a completely satisfying result, ties up all loose ends, punishes the guilty, rewards the virtuous and leaves everyone wondering, "Why didn't we think of that before?"
Poll 19 votes Show Results How do we get rid of health insurance companies? The government buys them and fires all managers. The remaining staff are retrained as government bureaucrats. The government forbids them to write health care policies, i.e., "Change your line of business or die." The government seizes the companies, and all their assets, shutting them down. Providers bill the government as they are forbidden to charge for medical services. The people boycott health insurance, negotiating fee for service with providers and enrolling in medical clinic subscription schemes administered directly by health care providers. The government opens the doors of all U.S. Public Health Service facilities as free clinics, expanding the program as Congressional appropriations permit. (It's the Microsoft model for Internet Explorer that killed Netscape Navigator: Why pay for what you Compete with private insurance using a public option that does not exclude pre-existing conditions, does not limit or rescind and guarantees never to cancel. All checkups and preventive procedures have no copayment. Instruct police and the military to not interfere with angry mobs looting, burning and razing the corporate offices of health insurance companies. A little rough-housing is OK, but no killing or maiming. (This is the fascist option.) Seize the assets of anyone who has ever been compensated more than $1 million dollars for a year's work for a health insurance company and cap individual annual compensation at $500,000. Forbid the medical loss ratio to drop below 95%. (This is close to t Other. (Please explain in a comment.) 19 votes Vote Now! How do we get rid of health insurance companies? The government buys them and fires all managers. The remaining staff are retrained as government bureaucrats. 5% 1 vote The government forbids them to write health care policies, i.e., "Change your line of business or die." 5% 1 vote The government seizes the companies, and all their assets, shutting them down. Providers bill the government as they are forbidden to charge for medical services. 0% 0 votes The people boycott health insurance, negotiating fee for service with providers and enrolling in medical clinic subscription schemes administered directly by health care providers. 3 votes The government opens the doors of all U.S. Public Health Service facilities as free clinics, expanding the program as Congressional appropriations permit. (It's the Microsoft model for Internet Explorer that killed Netscape Navigator: Why pay for what you 4 votes Compete with private insurance using a public option that does not exclude pre-existing conditions, does not limit or rescind and guarantees never to cancel. All checkups and preventive procedures have no copayment. 6 votes Instruct police and the military to not interfere with angry mobs looting, burning and razing the corporate offices of health insurance companies. A little rough-housing is OK, but no killing or maiming. (This is the fascist option.) 0% 0 votes Seize the assets of anyone who has ever been compensated more than $1 million dollars for a year's work for a health insurance company and cap individual annual compensation at $500,000. Forbid the medical loss ratio to drop below 95%. (This is close to t 0% 0 votes Other. (Please explain in a comment.) 4 votes
Most of the people I try to discuss politics with are pretty slow. Regardless of whether they are enthusiastic Obama supporters before I was, or brain-dead, die-hard Republican zombies, they share a common failing: They cannot process information and synthesize a coherent philosophy. You have to deal with these people differently than you would with rational human beings.
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