WOW, I step away to have a baby and look where this thread goes….gotta love it. Yes, I now have a beautiful baby girl named Alexandra. I can’t stop staring at her….completely enamored with her.
OK….let’s dig in while her and the wife are sleeping:
1. Disgust with ‘the rich’ - I find it interesting to hear everyone’s disgust of the rich. Yes, I too roll my eyes at the utter excess that I see driving around here in Atlanta or when watching Cribs or other shows of the like. However, I don’t have the resentment that I hear in many people’s opinions. I’m not sure if this stems from jealousy or that sense of entitlement thing that I was preaching about earlier in this thread. Regardless, I think people need to stop and realize that ‘the rich’ are a necessary component of a capitalist society. Our system is arranged around the concept of innovation and determination to obtain wealth. Everything that we do is to make money. Look at what we now have thanks to that search for wealth – railroads, oil wells/refineries, automobiles, computers, pharmaceuticals, radiology, vaccinations, Axiom speakers, Velcro, air travel, mass transit, skyscrapers, television, refrigeration, the Internet, the telephone, the cell phone……The list is never-ending. All of these inventions came about because someone recognized a need in society and made the effort to meet that need, which, in turn resulted in the need being met and their acquisition of wealth. You may want to hate these people, but they are the ones that are responsible for this country being the world power that it is today. You may want to hate the “Robber Barons”, but to do so is irresponsible. Bill Gates may seem like a money-grubbing fiend worthy of hatred, but his contributions to this countries economy are beyond description. Just take a look at what you are typing on right now.
2. Kerry – I’m getting pretty damned tired of hearing about his service in Vietnam. Let me preface that I think that questioning anyone’s service in the armed forces is generally inappropriate unless one has served. That being said, Kerry has opened up the door by using his service as the support structure for his campaign. We are continually pounded by the message the service record of this war hero makes him appropriate to serve as the Commander and Chief of this nation. The problem I find with this comes when you do a little research about Kerry’s actual war record. From what I have read in accounts from swiftboat captains that served with Kerry, the incidents for which he received his awards are definitely questionable, consisting of superficial wounds and exaggerated situations. No matter how much the dems want to paint that group (www.swiftvets.com) as a bunch of partisan henchman, I find it hard to believe a man that takes a video recorder into combat to reenact combat activities and mock interviews over the bulk of his fellow swiftboat captains that dispute his war record and his readiness for the role of President. Kerry did whatever it took, including going over the heads of his superiors, to obtain the necessary medals to guarantee his rapid departure from Vietnam and his future role in politics.
3. Taxes & “Fair Share” – I love it when this comes up. Democrats want the rich to pay their “fair share” of the taxes. They will, however, never acknowledge the well-known statistics that show that the top 5% of wage earners pay over 50% of all taxes….top 50% of wage-earners pay over 95% of all taxes. To do so would have to acknowledge the fact that they are paying the entire tab. Like those merry days of ‘ole, the rich are robbed to pay the poor. At the tip of a gun, the government takes 5 months of your pay to fund it’s racket, which continues to fuel unending beurocratic entitlement programs that were well-intended, but have become a scourge on our society by creating a class of people latched to the nipple of the government.
4. Mark – Great to see another person inspired by John Stossel’s book. What a wonderful book…..really peels back the onion to show you how really screwed up the system is and how truly brainwashed many Americans are.
5. Healthcare positions – Kerry is swinging around the bait to the entitlement crowd promising the same healthcare to all citizens that is enjoyed by the members of Congress. Man, I got cold sweats when I heard that. He finally said it…..he is promoting socialized medicine. Equal healthcare for all. How the hell does he think he is going to fund this…..with the tax-cut roll-backs?…wrong. He’s going to do so by raising taxes on the middle and upper class, which translates to everyone. So, again, my paycheck that I work damned hard for gets scalped to fund the healthcare of those that have made a choice not to pursue their education and the resulting higher paying jobs. Should I get cheaper healthcare than they do?…you’re damn right I should. I work my butt off for my company and they pay a ton of money to the insurance carriers that provide that care to me. As others have said, affordable healthcare is not a guarantee in society. It’s a luxury that is earned by those willing to pull their own weight in society. For everyone else, there are safety nets to provide for them until they decide to move ahead. Man, that sounds cold, but it’s how I feel. People like my own damn Mom think they are owed quality healthcare when they make the choice to piss away their savings and neglect their responsibility to make their own way in society.
6. Stem Cell Research – People need to get over this notion that people will start terminating pregnancy for this research. That termination will happen no matter what. The question is whether or not the idea of offending the beliefs of one group is worth the greater good of humanity….the potential medical breakthrough that could drastically affect the health of millions of people worldwide.
7. Gay Marriage – Man, I got scared for this thread when this topic came up. This issue above many will often fuel argument and polarization. My personal view is in line with a few of you that have discussed the idea of separation of legal unions and the religious concept of marriage. This is hard for many religious people to accept, but marriage is a legal union in the eyes of the law, one that guarantees a set of rights and responsibilities. In this context, to deny this right to gay couple is discrimination, pure and simple…as much as past laws denying interracial marriage. It’s another example of religion infringing into the function of law and the state and our country is so damn homophobic that they won’t listen to reason and accept their culpability in this injustice.
8. Homosexuality – First of all, I find it so frustrating to hear people refer to homosexuality as a matter of choice. Does anyone honestly think that anyone in their right mind would choose to be gay?….choose to be the target of such animosity and discrimination?…choose to be shunned in the eyes of so many people? It makes absolutely no sense. There are too many stories of people growing up in the same environment, yet maintaining different sexual dispositions. The problem is that many refuse to acknowledge this because it would mean that their religious beliefs and teaching might be flawed.
9. Homosexuals and Adoption – Let’s get something straight, us straight people haven’t really proven our mastery of the act of raising children and maintaining healthy households….at least not enough to caste stones at gay couples. We continue to watch and sometimes celebrate the birth of babies to ignorant 17 year olds and welfare families that can’t understand the concept of birth control, yet we want to deny a family of two loving people willing to adopt and raise a child that may otherwise grow up in foster care, etc.
10. Infringing on established traditions – Man, I get tired of this argument. It’s been used throughout history to justify discrimination, injustice, and intolerance. Down here in Georgia, the Flaggots (Neil Bortz’s catch-phrase) come out in droves every time the issue of the confederate flag comes up. They chant the usual cries of tradition and are unwilling to admit that the flag is disrespectful to the incredibly large population of African-Americans here in Georgia. They mask their racist intent under the disguise of concern for tradition….too bad the flag was only adopted in the last 50 or so years as a protest to the federal desegregation movement.
11. Infringing on Liberties – I think that we as a people have forgotten that the purpose of government is to protect the life and liberty of its people. When you apply that tenet to many of these issues, you have to admit that government power is abused to deny the rights and liberties of others. Gay marriage does not affect anyone’s liberties except those that you would deny that right. Everyone else is simply using government power to oppress others. Some reading this will roll their eyes saying that I’m one of those ‘legalize pot libertarians’. Before you do so, please tell me how someone’s use of marijuana affects your liberty? It doesn’t. Any issues concerning driving, workplace, etc are legal issues just like DUI. The act that infringes on the rights of others is what should be illegal, not the one that doesn’t. Otherwise, alcohol should be illegal. These types of infractions are all over the place. We have become so government-happy that we have allowed it to be used to infringe on the rights and liberties that it is supposed to protect.
12. Flat Tax – Great Idea!!! Our tax structure is in dire need of an overhaul. Plus, we could really get everyone paying their “fair share”.
I’m sure that I’ve pissed a few people off by now….sorry, sleep deprivation has washed away all the sugarcoating.
OK….off to bed. The baby is asleep for now, so need to catch what little sleep I can.
