House of Eratosthenes

I’ve got a current-friend-and-former-colleague who’s openly wondering on the Hello Kitty of Blogging how anyone can “in good conscience argue” against President Obama’s plans to get money out of politics. I went ahead and fielded it by giving the picture from my perspective, although I’m sure the conversation will become very confusing since he’s got so many friends and relatives who’ve blocked me in both directions.

See that’s what is confusing. He doesn’t block, and neither do I, because we’re, like, y’know, grown-ups & so forth.

On another front, I find myself embroiled yet again in conflict with someone regarding a personal matter, who believes very strongly in preserving poverty. There’s no advantage involved in going into details, but it has become clear she’s not alone in idolizing weakness, I’m not alone in aspiring toward strength, and I’m very far from alone in having this sort of conflict with people who treat weakness as if it’s strength. (And ya know, the way our social safety nets are set up these days, with handicaps fast becoming the preferred coin of the realm, people like that do kinda have a point.) Also, I can say it’s not my first time, and it really leaves a mark on you. Which may go a long way toward answering my friend’s question.

We do have an ideological split along those lines. And it isn’t too clear that there’s any redistribution of power necessary to give the “weakness is strength” people an adequate voice in our elections. We’re managing to get plenty enough politicians elected who haven’t built anything or done anything to actually help anybody, who believe in equalizing misery. In fact, come to think of it, they can somehow bring plenty enough “big money” of their own into politics, they show no signs of stopping, even with their repeated efforts to “keep big money out of politics.”

These days you really have to live in a cave, or something, in order not to see it. The conflict isn’t between right-wingers and left-wingers arguing about how they should sit in the French Parliament relative to King Louis XVI. The argument is, and has been for awhile, about who should have a greater influence on the direction in which the country is taken: Those who believe next year should yield more bountiful rewards than this year did, or those who don’t believe in that and want everything “equal,” which really means, miserable.

I guess my counter-question would have to be something like: How can anyone pay attention these days, and not see all this?

Do the rich pay their fair share?
No, they pay MORE than that. It’s just that they still have MORE left over.
Now, let’s have a look at the expenses that what that “share” covers.
Gub’mint, sure seems to run up a lot of legal bills, “grants” ending in bankruptcy,
and…um…foreign “aid” that seems to “lose” %50+ …um….in transit…or something.
Is there any “Cash for woodburning stoves” now that EPA has decided they’re illegal?
Wonder how much of the “Cash for clunkers” progrom led to mandatory purchase of
“certain” company’s (now recalled-class action) cars. It sure put a lot of (expert IMHO) Cuban/Dominican auto body folks at a disadvantage.
Recalls sure didn’t do much for the (savvy) resale market either.
Gee, maybe an Italian Fiat Chrysler Jeep (does that come in dark green?) next year. Do the Greeks make cars? Venezuelans?
Can all the currently vacant residential and commercial property be subjected to a “public good” milkweed planting program….for the butterflys….and “administered” by SEIU folks?
- CaptDMO | 02/17/2015 @ 13:46
Crap, currently vacant…in Detroit.
- CaptDMO | 02/17/2015 @ 13:47
Have I been deceived ? I did not realize I ever saw anything from President Obama about getting the money out of politics (Poli meaning many, and tics meaning blood sucking insects). All I ever saw was a group of proposals which would have gotten money away from his opposition. Since President Obama’s team raised more money that his opposition did, I’m a bit confused how these proposals will solve the idea of money in politics.
- Theo | 02/18/2015 @ 10:28

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Recent

Items of Interest

Monthly Archives

What They Say

Links

The Top Ten Percent Pay More Than Their Fair ShareTuesday, February 17th, 2015

The Top Ten Percent Pay More Than Their Fair Share
Tuesday, February 17th, 2015