What you get, when I get tired of working at the dining room table during an ice storm
We are more and more, individually and collectively, self-indulgent, coupled with an inability or unwillingness to address our problems.
I want, you want, we want and we are not sufficiently concerned with the effect getting our wants has on society.
Reduce taxes, create better health care, leave social security and defense spending alone. Talk about the contradiction and be shouted down.
We've become an instant society. Give me my happy meal. Now! Elect a President. No instant, magical results? Reverse the representation in Congress. When that, predictably doesn't work, go to Plan C. Repeat as necessary.
3 comments:
Y'all be in danger of gettin' cabin fever down there if the snow actually sticks to the ground, I reckon.
Did I say that right?
As for the substance -- I agree. I blame it on electronics. Instant on. Solid state. The fax machine. Email.
On the other hand... the EXTENT of the contradiction lies, if there is a contradiction at all, in the details.
We have too many "big picture" people and not enough people willing to slog through the details.
Quick example: I've been aggravated with commercials on TV here for "Safelink" -- a government supported free cell phone with up to 250 minutes a month. Every time I look at my office or home cell phone bill and think about "Safelink" I see red.
But... looking into the details, as I did recently thinking about putting up a post, I find that it's not even a new program -- even though I never heard of it until recently. Google it: You'll see all sorts of caustic references to the "Obamaphone." BUT it turns out that Safelink is a the current manifestation of a program begun under Reagan and expanded under the regime of George II. And it's not exactly taxpayer supported in the sense that the G writes the check; rather, this program is apparently funded from one of the governmentally mandated fees that is larded on to your phone bills. That's still a tax -- but not exactly in the sense that, at least in theory, the program could be discontinued without saving dollar one for the Treasury.
By the time you explain all this, everyone's dozed off.
Leave defense spending alone? Well, money COULD be saved just by reducing the numbers of general officers. Not all weapons programs are necessarily vital -- maybe not even helpful -- to the national defense. Not every inquiry into defense spending is from someone demanding neo-isolationish.
The devil is in the details.
And, we have to talk, and listen to the talk, about the details to get anywhere.
We don't talk, we shout. We only listen to the shouting to try to get one-up on the guy shouting.
And, I'll have you know there are about five inches of snow and ice on my car. More on the way with the temp not getting above freezing until Friday. I made it to the convenience store for coffee for the morning. If the power doesn't go out, I'm fine for work and food. God bless Al Gore.
Hey, it's the American Way!! Actually, it seems to be the way almost everywhere so-called free elections are held... the one thing that is static is the proportion of folks with the big bucks to the people who scuffle about for the remaining crumbs.
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