Winning The Lottery

Posted: July 22, 2011 in Veterans
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In debates with my friend regarding Health Care and it’s place in American Politics, my status as a Disabled Veteran has come up.

He believes that one should not have to endanger one’s life in the service of this country in order to receive quality Health Care. The phrase “Christian Nation My Ass” has come up, and I have heard tell that it even comes with it’s own hashtag on Twitter.

I have thought about this concept and I guess that it’s like expecting to win the lottery without actually buying a ticket. Not that my disabilities are “wins” by any sense or means, but the care I receive might be viewed that way by some.

What I and so many others get from Uncle Sam isn’t a reward or a bonus. It’s not even in my mind a benefit. It’s an act of gratitude for our service. My back is deep-fried crap from heavy armor, packs, and equipment carried through heat that melted some plastics before your very eyes?

Taken care of. Thank you.

Can’t hear so well anymore because some zealot who probably can’t spell his own name decided you’d look better in “pink mist” form and tried to blow you up with stuff from the local Jihadi Radio Shack?

We can assist you in coping. Thank you.

Suffering from Ocular Hyper-hydration at the merest hint of either the song “Taps” or any form of violent inhumanity?

There’s help when you’re ready. Thank you.

Veterans are “entitled” to these things because they gave so much for everyone else. We were willing to die if necessary just so the rest of America will never have to do or see the things we did.

We didn’t win the lottery by injuring ourselves (or by having someone else do the injuring), we are simply being compensated for damages received while defending this Nation. Call me inhumane, but I guess I don’t see how someone who has done nothing for this country besides vote for an American Idol contestant should receive the same Health Care benefits that I do. I guess I think that we as veterans deserve the benefits we get, and that others shouldn’t use us as a metric for the treatment of everyone else.

Yeah. We ARE special, actually. We did extraordinary things, and because some of us got hurt in the process, we get extraordinary treatment.

I’m sorry that some people get hurt and have nowhere to turn. I’m sorry that cancer is a death sentence to many families. I’m sorry that bankruptcy is a real danger to those with outstanding medical bills.

But those issues have nothing to do with our Disabilities. They’re not our fault, and it’s not the job of Veterans in general to solve the problem.

We get what we get because of what we gave. Others want to get the same treatment without giving up a thing.

Fine. You got me. I don’t agree with that.

Kloppenburg Concedes

Posted: June 1, 2011 in Elections
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I didn’t want to write anything in between my last posts and this event (or something else that would have been relevent to this issue) because I didn’t want to “muddy the waters”, not that anyone would have taken my word as any great source of, well, anything of substance, I guess.

Via the Journal Sentinal:

Madison - Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg on Tuesday conceded the state Supreme Court race to Justice David Prosser, ending a contentious campaign that culminated in a rare statewide recount.

The primary ramification of this event is simple. It means that all the allegations of shady happenings that may have occured within the election or its subsequent recount are false.

If there were any chance of using this matter in any fashion to “kill the Bill“, it would have been done, and since we see that that will not be the case (at least as far as this election was concerned) then we must conclude that nothing illegal happened. Did Ms. Kathy Nickolaus make a huge mistake that called the legitimacy of the whole process into question? Yes, she did. However, since no one is calling seriously (as defined in my last post) for an investigation, and since the deadline for such has now ended officially as of Tuesday, the 31st of May, then it must be concluded that it was a legitimate mistake and not the insidious machinations of the embattled local Republican Party.

Given the enormity of the entire case in Wisconsin, I challenge anyone to propose why either the local Democrats, the national Democratic Party, or the Unions would not use any evidence of wrongdoing to challenge the outcome of the election at this time. Perhaps they would consider their money better spent elsewhere? Perhaps they simply think that they wouldn’t win? Perhaps they view the whole process to be so corrupt that they have adopted a stance of “Why bother?”

Perhaps.

But I don’t think so. The fact is that too much money, prestige, time, energy, blood, sweat, and tears has been spent in this whole Wisconsin matter to simply let any chance go unused or unexploited.

Given the depth of the color blue in Madison, Wisconsin, I don’t think that “Why Bother?” fits into the picture. The only explanation I might be willing to entertain is the one about spending their money somewhere else. However, even this rings very false to me as I don’t believe for one second that if there were any remote outlier of a possibility for an embarassing blow to the local and national Republicans, that it would be ignored and discarded.

Do you?

This chapter is over. Although we have seen mistakes made (Nickolaus, we’re looking at you), no actual intentional fraud occured. I fear still that in another decade or so, long past the time when the facts are plain enough for any to see and evaluate, the quiet whispers of bitter Leftists will begin to haunt the matter with mutterings of that which has been said so many times of so many losses:

“The truth is, we really won, but ‘They’ stole it from us…”

Care to disagree?

Why Prosser and Kloppenburg DO Matter

Posted: May 22, 2011 in Uncategorized
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Last night I wrote a post here in which I pointed out the deafening silence that surrounds the recount of the Wisconsin Supreme Court Election between David Prosser and JoAnne Kloppenburg.

Tonight, I’ll elucidate why I feel that this is important, and specifically why I think that silence on this issue is ultimately damaging.

This election and it’s resulting recount are important because this was the next big step in the ongoing Wisconsin Public Union Saga that began with Governor Walker trying to pass a law that would remove collective bargaining rights from Public Employee Unions in that state.

As you all probably know, the next step was when all the Democratic State Senators left the state to forestall the vote on the measure followed by the bill’s eventual passage without the State Democratic Senators’ return, followed by the return of the State Senators, followed by the bill going to court, followed by the bill being suspended but enacted anyway, followed by the State Appeals Court sending the bill on up to the State Supreme Court, followed by the Chief Justice of that august body (Prosser) coming up for re-election, followed by the election itself which initially resulted in a win for Kloppenburg, followed by several votes being found miraculously at the last second that changed the winner to Prosser, followed by a recount, followed by yesterday’s results of said recount in which Prosser was found to in fact be the winner, followed by the afore-mentioned deafening silence.

Followed by my post in which I cranked the snark to 11 and probably (Yeah. I did that. In hindsight, I’m not too proud of it) went over the line of good taste in comparing Judge Kloppenburg’s appearance to a TV character called The Chicken Lady from The Kids In The Hall. I won’t erase anything I wrote because I hate the solution of the “Memory Hole” and I stand by my words right or wrong.

I wrote them, I own them.

However…

This silence is going to be damaging to all involved because as I pointed out last night in the comments, it is the perfect passive-aggressive means of insuring that this issue will never go away and/or be resolved satisfactorily. This will insure that in about 10 years or so, it will be “Common Knowledge” that the GOP “stole” Wisconsin.

I wanted an investigation into the very suspect and “Things-That-Make-You-Go-Hmm” circumstances that allowed for Prosser’s victory. I hope that Rob from last night’s comments can return and confirm that I did in fact sit in his living room and say the same thing the day that all those extra votes were found. He will probably even recall why I wanted an investigation:

To keep what is now happening from happening.

If we won, I want everyone to say, “The GOP won.” If we lost, I want everyone to say, “The GOP lost.” I don’t want the twin spectres of implied guilt and opacity to hover forever over this very important issue.

I want a transparent win or loss. I want everyone to acknowledge the same and then get on with life. I want that most elusive and ethereal of all Political Beasts:

The Clean Win.

I don’t think I’m going to get it though.

You see, with this matter, I now question whether or not an investigation is even necessary.

Wait…what?

Well…with the silence and the quiet acceptance and the non-making of waves over the recount’s conclusion, I wonder if everything didn’t in fact happen exactly as it was said to, improbable as that may be.

But here’s something that’s even more improbable:

That a recount conducted in a crucial election in which several Unions have a lot at stake, in which the Democratic Party has invested a lot of time, energy, and money, in which a lot of prestige and precedence is there to be won or lost, in which many Democrats were indubitably sitting in on, and presiding over, and certifying, and watching, and waiting, and observing with fine-toothed combs (to mix my metaphors) was somehow a giant sham and therefore not a valid recount.

Without any observable opposition to the conclusion of Prosser’s victory found last night on Daily Kos, a progressive and strongly Leftist website, should I conclude that there was anything amiss? If Hot Air or Big Government or Ace of Spades HQ were to report, however quietly, that we lost a major and important election, should I then conclude that they are in fact the paid-in-full servants of the Democratic Party?

Other than the Brad Blog, a site that looks to find the ultimate guilt of every major modern crime and offense to humanity exclusively in the Right Wing of American Politics, most other sites are either reporting that Prosser won or they’re ignoring the issue outright (Fire Dog Lake AND Think Progress as of last night).

What tells me that there really is nothing in the way of wrong-doing here other than the gross mishandling of votes by a former aide of Prosser, namely Ms. Kathy Nickolaus, is the fact that although whole channels of content can and have been created on YouTube to contain the sheer amount of video documentation regarding this issue from it’s beginnings to the present, although the Unions spent massive gobs of cash on defending their (up until recently) rights to collectively bargain with the State Government, although a lot of prestige and political eggs were put into the basket that is Madison, Wisconsin, NO ONE IS SERIOUSLY CALLING FOR AN INVESTIGATION!!!!!

By “No One”, I mean someone involved directly with this matter like Kloppenburg or the local Democratic Party, or the Public Employee Unions. And by “Seriously”, I mean filing complaint, appealing, or otherwise continuing the due process of finding justice within the system set up to do just that.

A search on Google for “Wisconsin Recount Supreme Court” found only one article that post-dates by one the day of the recount findings (May 20th), and it included these passages:

The major issue here is not the election of JoAnn Kloppengurg to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. That is clearly a done deal for the incumbent, David Prosser. The real issue is the collective bargaining issue in Scott Walker’s so-called budget repair bill…Walker’s bill clearly diminishes the power of the public service unions who are presently the only shining star in the union firmament. If Walker succeeds in pulling their teeth, other states are poised to follow Wisconsin’s lead, potentially creating a domino effect across the nation. Since these unions are stalwart Democrat supporters, there is clearly much at stake for many players. I believe this is the real issue in the Kloppenburg election affair…The original concept was to bounce Prosser and replace him with a Dane County liberal, thus shifting the present 4-3 conservative tilt on the Supreme Court to liberal. The budget repair bill issue will likely end up before the Supreme Court, especially subsequent to a decision unfriendly to the Walker camp…

No kidding…

So with all that is at stake, there is nothing in the way of a forthcoming investigation? No in-depth look into the discovery of the miracle ballots? No vocal and public questions to be asked? Just a sullen silence that will only further serve to poison the National Dialogue?

Great. I hope there’s one on Monday…

I just wish that with all the emperical and circumstantial evidence that points to a legitimate win for Prosser and no as-yet presented evidence what-so-ever that points to anything else (if so, where is it and why is no one making it a matter of very public record?) that everyone could publically acknowledge the wins and losses here and get on with things rather than simply go for the passive-aggressive Death-By-Silence route that we are apparently going to travel down.

Oh, and by the way. To any and all who say, “Why should we investigate? We know who did what. No one will take it seriously anyway. The GOP/Koch Brothers would just buy that out too, so what’s the point?”:

Shame on you.

Just go ahead and go to this website and make a big fat donation then. Do it! If it’s all just pointless and justice is that worthless to you, than just give up.

Sweet Lord in Heaven.

Fight for what you believe in or shut the hell up, but don’t just sit there and quietly plan on whispering to your children and your children’s children about these evil horrors of societal degeneration called “Republicans” who once upon a time “stole” the rights of a whole nation out from under us.

Because if you do that, then when those same children ask if you were in the “War”, you’ll have to avoid their eyes, say “No”, and admit that you cowered under the nearest eco-sustainable compost pile.

The results get certified on Monday, May the 23rd and then Kloppenburg will get 5 days to appeal.

I guess we’ll see then how much the Left really believes that this is a faulty, flawed, and/or felonious recount effort…

Update:

From Sierra Nolan Dely via Twitter:

State &fed investigations have been requested: according to Rep. Baldwin & AG Holder offices investigation requests will not be addressed until Klopp. legal time frame to file court challenge expired (5 days after GAB certifies recount winner)

“Rob” in the comments sends along this link from Daily Kos. It covers, as he says, a lot of what could/will happen next. 

My thanks to everyone who’s been so helpful in fleshing out this story! Any other updates of worth will be posted and promoted on Twitter as usual.

Prosser Wins Again! (Not that it matters…)

Posted: May 21, 2011 in Uncategorized
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So…

From Madison, Wisconsin via the AP and WLUK-TV:

Prosser: 752,697

Kloppenburg: 745,691

That’s a difference of 7,006.

I guess the evil Republican Party of Wisconsin and their Cat’s Paw/Stooge Kathy Nickolaus weren’t quite as crooked and/or obviously the Spawn of the Underworld that we’d been previously led to believe.

How do I know this? Glad you asked!

A quick jaunt through the Democratic Underground shows that their Site Search is down (and not just on this subject, but even on a search of the name “Obama”). However, in tiny font hidden discreetly on the sidebar there is a link to this sad and depressing little excuse of a webpage:

Skippy The Bush Kangaroo

16 Word Post, 0 Comments. Go ahead and send them some love, would ya? Looks like they might need it.

Fire Dog Lake has this from April 22, 2011 as the last post on this subject. Not really that important in hindsight, ya know.

My personal favorite bastion of sanity and stabilized cognition, Daily Kos shows this page when I searched “Wisconsin Recount”.

The top two entries for the date of May 20, 2011, the date of the official recount findings, are:

Coming Attractions: The Badger State which features this little Cough-In-The-Hand-”Oh-And-By-The-Way” (and surprisingly honest) addition near the bottom of the page:

After the uproar over the collective bargaining bill and the ensuing judicial election between JoAnne Kloppenburg (D) and David Prosser (R), it’s pretty tough to say where Wisconsin stands politically. The protests in Madison seemed to indicate a backlash against Republican overreach, but the judicial election was at times touted as a referendum on this alleged overreach, and Prosser won^. Admittedly, Madison is much more liberal than the rest of the state, so there were more liberals with short commutes to the protests than there were conservatives. On the other hand, however, Prosser won the non-partisan primary over Kloppenburg by a margin of 55% – 25%, while the actual election was decided by 7,000 votes out of 1.5 million cast, a margin of victory of 0.5% for Prosser.

…and…

Some kind of Stat Page 

Yep. This was obviously a serious blow to the Rethuglican Party’s Fake Vote Mass Production Agenda Machine Thingy™.

Nothing to see here. Move along now.

There’s a Zombie Apocalypse Armageddon we gotta try and pin to all the Conservative Christian Yokels. I mean, you just KNOW that all those dumb Bible Thumpers and Bitter Clingers are secretly packing their bags (What idiots! You don’t need bags to go to heaven! The Rapture is a spiritual journey you stupid backwoods hicks!)!

Oh! And Newt’s a goofball with no chance of winning anything except perhaps a game of Bingo. (This I really do believe.)

And Breitbart’s TOAST!!!!!!!!!11!!!1!!!!eleventy!!!!!!1!1!

I love it when we win. The silence is deafening. And pleasant, too!

P.S. Kloppenburg has always reminded me of the Chicken Lady character from The Kids In The Hall:

Chicken Lady from The Kids In The Hall

 And Kloppenburg:

I just LOVE the 11 second pause at around 1:40 for the Gathering of Enlightenment that culminates in the ultimate example of Liberal thinking as applied to any contest:

“I feel that I have been a winner in any number of ways…”

Of course you do. Don’t we all. Well, except for us Conservatives, of course. We lose everything all the time, even when we win…

UPDATE:

Soon after posting this (and I’m really quite sure because of no efforts on my part. Yes, really.), Democratic Underground did in fact put up another post linking to the Brad Blog seen above. It of course claims that the recount is fake and we stole the election, etc.

Fornication with Common Yardbird is frowned upon here, but continue if you must…

How NOT To Respond To A Protest

Posted: May 14, 2011 in Abortion, Assault and Battery, Facepalm, Liberals, Moral Equivalence, Protest, Rebuttal, Violence
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Okay…

I’m going to show my moderation here…again…but I saw this post on HotAir and had to write something in support of the idea that turn-about-is-NOT-fair-play.

Here’s the video in question:

See that?

If that guy were a Right-wing Christian attempting to protest outside of an abortion clinic, or if he was trying to voice his displeasure with the Democratic State Representatives in Madison, Wisconsin, or if he was simply holding a counter-protest sign at some Leftist rally, that video would enrage all of us. His 1st Amendment rights are in fact being trampled here.

Yes.

Yes, they are so.

I would also put forth that he is being technically assaulted and battered. Yep. You see, most States define assault as the raising of one’s fist or weapon against another, while battery is the actual contact made from such an action. Following these definitions, simply grabbing someone’s arm can get you an Assault and Battery charge if the attending Officer feels that you need the lesson in Common Civility.

Throwing balloons filled with an undetermined substance (nope, you can’t say for absolute certain what’s in them things, now can you?) is in fact a chargeable offense.

But what do I know…

The reason why I facepalm over crap like this is that in the ever-expanding universe of Moral Equivalence, this is used to explain/excuse/justify any repugnant and/or violent action by the Left. When one of us is assaulted in a likewise manner, or even manages to get their limbs broken, etc, now the Lefties can puff up with pride and exclaim that we have no call to complain as “we” have done a similar action.

Yep. This would be that “similar” action of which I speak. Doesn’t matter how violent or horrific the Leftist example is, this would be its rebuttal.

Go ahead. Tell me I’m wrong.

I’ll wait…

Osama bin Laden’s Burial and Gloating

Posted: May 4, 2011 in Osama bin Laden, The Lord our God
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I’m sure that you have already read a whole lot of details regarding Osama bin Laden’s death on Sunday night, so I won’t rehash anything that you probably already know…

…but there is an argument going on over at HotAir about the burial rites given to Osama bin Laden.

I guess that after the initial thrill of hearing the news of his death wore off, I was just…exhausted. For all the man deserved everything that he got Sunday night, the rest of us are still human beings and we have a duty to ourselves and to our children’s’ moral educations to not dance and sing about this event. I am happy that justice was served, don’t get me wrong; I whooped and hollered with the best of them and even bought my siblings a round of drinks that very night. But it occurs to me now that which is best said by a commenter at the above linked controversial post:

I didn’t say we shouldn’t have killed him. I’m saying it shouldn’t be a joyous thing that anyone die without God’s salvation.

Plus this quote my wife remind me of when she got home: “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him.” Proverbs 24:17

We still have a lot more sl-Qaida to kill, let’s not give them a breather.

Living4Him5534 on May 2, 2011 at 8:30 PM

Emphasis mine.

My father hinted at this over lunch the next day, and I am now sure that he is correct.

We can be happy that many are indubitably safer now that Osama has been removed from the world’s picture. We can rejoice that lives lost in Afghanistan were not in vain. We can even have hope for the further collapse and elimination of al-Qaeda made possible by the “Mother Lode” of intelligence we gathered from the $1MUSD mansion that bin Laden was holed up in.

But no, we really shouldn’t “dance on the grave”, so to speak.

No one ever said that doing the right thing would be easy…

Campaign Metrics

Posted: April 30, 2011 in Abortion, Donald Trump, Facepalm, Gun Rights, Jobs, Leadership, Obama, Political Acid Test, Presidential Campaign, Presidential Candidate, Primaries, Republican
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As we approach the beginnings of the 2012 Presidential Primaries (Republican Edition), I would like to point out some platform points that I feel best serve as indicators of a candidate’s future leadership style. Political Acid Tests, if you will ( in no particular order):

  1. Gun Rights: This one is all about trust. How much does the candidate in question trust your average Joe Schmoe? Do they believe that everyone should have the right to defend themselves? How about the right to purchase and/or carry a defensive tool with a sensible background check program? It basically boils down to the issue of trusting a perfect stranger with a potentially deadly weapon provided that they can prove that they are not a criminal (and can hit the broad side of a barn). It also demonstrates their willingness to allow the average citizen to live their own lives without major and invasive supervision. This one is big with me, and one of the first things I look into.
  2. Job Creation: Specifically, how to do it, or even better: who does it best. If I hear a lot of talk about giving businesses more choices and expanding their capabilities by cutting regulations (though not in terms of safety or ethics), I will be better predisposed towards that candidate. I believe that allowing for a bigger pie (profits) makes the smaller slice (taxes) bigger than trying to take a huge chunk out of a small pastry. The reliance on government to create or provide jobs only lays a larger tax burden on everyone else (i.e. private sector workers) and inflates unnecessarily the bureaucratic labor pool, which in turn lowers efficiency. Government can help create jobs, but only if it allows the businesses who need them the opportunity to expand and flourish.
  3. Abortion: You may not agree with me on this one, but I would love to hear a serious contender give a coherent and lucid statement that is not along the lines of “All-or-Nothing”. In other words, mistakes happen, rape is a reality, and yes, it might in fact be a mercy to abort a fetus that is not going to go full term, or be born with serious and ultimately fatal complications. This is important because it allows you to see whether or not the candidate is capable of conveying sensibly the idea that social issues are inherently “gray-scale” in nature. During the Health Care Debate, I grew weary beyond belief that there were apparently only two choices, two extremes in a spectrum, and I wanted desperately to hear someone offer something in between that would satisfy MOST of the people. You know, like a compromise or something ridiculous like that.
  4. Leadership: Anyone, and I mean ANYONE can wax poetic about what it takes to lead, but I want to see demonstrated proof that a candidate has actually practiced to a successful conclusion what they purport to be leadership principles. I want to see a prosperous business, or a thriving state, or even just some intestinal fortitude in the face of an entrenched status quo. I demand proof positive that the presidential hopeful in question is ready for the biggest leadership role in the history of the world.
  5. Integrity: That most elusive and difficult to detect of all political traits. This was defined to me in the Marine Corps as: “Doing the right thing even when no one is watching”. This is what makes someone who sounds good in an interview act well in a bad situation. It’s what separates the sound bite from the historic act. It means that when push comes to shove, that person will act upon their beliefs, even if it means political suicide.

This is by no means a definitive list, and I’m sure that some of you out there have other points that are important to you. Heck, you might even disagree with me on mine, but it is important to have a set group of core values that are not to be compromised. 

I guess that I look more at a candidate’s principles and “what lies between the lines” than what their platform stances are. Not that platform stances aren’t important (because they are), but I understand that unexpected and surprising issues confront the presidency all the time, and usually at the worst possible moments. I want to see a glimpse of how that person would react to those moments of chaos, pandemonium, and general disarray that eventually end up defining a presidency.

Above all else, I want a presidency that doesn’t induce this, because of this or this.

Violence in Syria

Posted: April 24, 2011 in Liberty, Pray, Syria, Tyranny, Violence
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I don’t usually do this; write more than about one post a week, but then I saw this video.

WARNING: DO NOT VIEW IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO SEE GRAPHIC VIOLENCE!!!

I post this link above only because in our insulated and self-imposed media isolation, we don’t realize what violence means. It is an abstract concept that belongs safely locked away in our DVD collections and video game consoles. It doesn’t erupt in our streets or invade our homes on a regular basis. We laugh about it and jokingly refer to “killing” someone over stupid and insignificant crap.

It is important to look at these images and realize what the word means. To know what tyranny really looks like. What horrors are visited upon entire nations by the cruel few in the name of retaining power.

This is what a fight for Liberty looks like.

There are no Starbuck’s windows to smash, no faceless and ethereal corporations to picket, no drum circles, and no costumes.

There is only the very real and terrifying monstrosity of vile men doing the bidding of those who claim to lead. It is bloody, it is disgusting, and it leaves only the sharp pangs of sorrow and frustration for everyone who wants to help but can’t.

Pray for these people. Pray for them and their families. They need it.

And we pretend that we have “problems”…

Who’re You Gonna Believe?

Posted: April 24, 2011 in Chart Fu, Defense Spending, Entitlement Spending, Fiscal Year, Liberals, Lies, Tax Expenditures, Taxes
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Today while lurking on Democratic Underground, I saw a chart (scroll to comment #26) that fairly well sums up the Liberal perception of expenditures in American government:

Note the description at the bottom for "other"

Boy! National Defense spending is teh crazy, right? I mean, holy deficits, that’s a huge portion of our tax expenditure! And the “Other” is described as including “Energy, Commerce and Housing Credit, Community and Regional Development, General Government, Allowances, and the Administration of Social Security and Medicare”? Sweet Jumping Jews for Jesus, we only spend less than 5% of all tax revenues on Social Security and Medicare?

No, we do not.

According to the White House Office of Management and Budget (see table 15.4) the FY 2009 expenditures (page 347 in the pdf) for Defense and Social Security/Medicare were:

Defense- $698.6 Billion USD

SS/Medicare- $1,174.6 Billion USD

Wait…What?

We only spent less than 5% on Social Security and Medicare. The chart from National Priorities Project, Inc. said so.

Oh…

They said the ADMINISTRATION of Social Security and Medicare. Not the actual expense of paying out on entitlements, just the expense of paying the folks who process the paperwork and stare at computer screens all day.

That’s a pretty big difference, isn’t it?

Yeah. I thought so too.

Lying scumbags.

Oh yeah, and before anyone gets too smugly inflated with questions about the lumping together of Social Security and Medicare, I have this to say:

A. In the White House’s own report linked above, they lump them together. Talk to Obama.

B. “Defense Spending” is an amalgam of many different expenses itself. You have 5 branches of military, several intelligence apparatuses, DARPA, and many more secret (unknown to the general public but voted in by House and Senate Committee Members) programs.

In other words, if they want to get all “lumpy” with at least 7 different (demonstrated above) items and call it “Defense Spending”, I’ll go ahead and put two items together and call them “Entitlement Spending”. By the way, I didn’t even bother to include the column marked “Other” that is also found under “Federal Payments for Individuals” seen on the same page in the linked pdf:

“Other”- $917.9 Billion USD (FY 2009)

Fair enough?

Good.

Glad we cleared that up…

We’re All Racists Now

Posted: April 22, 2011 in Birtherism, Donald Trump, Obama, Racism
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It was recently proposed to me by a friend that the on-going interest in Obama’s citizenship, specifically doubts thereof, was a sign of racism. He told me that were Obama white, this would not be an issue. Furthermore, he said that many criticisms of Obama’s official performance and the questions surrounding his background (Columbia transcripts, college thesis, etc.) were also indicators of latent racism.

Well, of course it is.

No one could possibly have any questions about Obama without being motivated by discrimination based solely on race, right?

Now, I don’t believe that Obama was born in Kenya or Indonesia or anywhere other than Hawaii, but I don’t view those that question the issue as racist. Are some of those people racist? Probably. All or even most of them? No, I don’t think so. I also believe that the Donald of Trump is simply playing this card to gin up interest in his run for the Presidency, and unfortunately, he’s found traction with it. Numerous polls have shown evidence that wide swaths of the American public question or flat-out don’t believe that Obama was born in this country.

These polls (scroll to the bottom at the link) are interesting from a sociological point of view, but I believe the point to be moot. Obama is our president, and that is that.

What irks me is the automatic assumption that any disbelief regarding Obama’s legitimacy or criticisms of his job in the Oval Office are best (or only) explained by racism. In my mind this is at best a deflection to keep from answering hard questions concerning Obama’s performance, and at worst, is simply a means of dismissing whole arguments outright, while simultaneously painting half the country as bigoted ignoramuses with a very broad brush.

Saying that “were Obama white, this wouldn’t happen” is an empty statement as that is not the case, and any conjecture on those grounds is pure speculation. This is kinda-sorta similar to my favorite fallacy of logic that I call the Hypothetical Justification. If you can imagine the other guy doing something (i.e. Fox News broadcasting a story on Obama being a Muslim), then you can do the opposing equivalent (i.e. MSNBC broadcasting a story on BusHitler being a demonic alien from an alternate dimension). The assumption is made and accepted quite quickly that if Obama’s skin color were a few shades lighter, and he had a “normal American name”, then these issues and allegations would be non-existant because the Right is, you know, racist. They are making accusations based on hypothetical and wholly non-existant circumstances. They are calling us racist because they can imagine that we wouldn’t be so concerned about Obama’s place of birth, his college years, or his so-far stint in the White House if he were white.

That sure is convenient, isn’t it?

Of course, the only effective counter to this line of supposed reasoning is to point out the gaping flaw in it’s premise; namely the unrealistic idea that in an alternate universe, complete with a white Obama (whose name would be Barry Hugh O’Bannigan), the Right would be more accepting of the man and would never dream in a thousand years of questioning his record.

Good luck with that, by the way. I’m thinking that you’ll need it.

And let’s not forget the Tea Party. Racist bigots, the lot of them! Every one of those flag-waving imbeciles is a dyed-in-the-wool racist and they have simply traded in their white hoods for a broader color scheme that now includes blue and red.

“Where were they when BusHitler was running up huge deficits?”

The same place the Anti-War Left is now: Quietly grousing amongst themselves about their guy in office.

RACISM!

“Why do they insist on demanding policies that are against their own “best” interests?”

Depends on how you view “best interests”. Why do the Rich Leftists demand more taxation that is against their own “best” interests?

RACISM!

Of course none of this would be happening if we had Barry Hugh O’Bannigan in the Oval Office, because then these racist and politically marginalized goobers wouldn’t feel so threatened by Socialism were a blindingly white man selling it.

Right?

Yup.

Whatever you say, man…

Just another way to avoid discussing the fact that somewhere around half the country isn’t taking to Obama as much as they should.

Silly, stupid racists.

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