All too predictable…

I’d like to take a few moments to write a full response to a comment on my facebook.  I recently changed my status to TSG “for one, welcomes our new socialst overlord!”  I wondered how long it would be until someone I knew made a snide comment.  The time finally came, and I’d now like to tear that comment apart.

Here’s the comment:

“Spoken like a person who knows nothing about nothing. You should try reading a book. Preferably a history book.”

First, I’d like to be pedantic and point out the double-negative of knowing nothing about nothing.  I know it’s possible to know nothing about something, and it’s even possible (although extremely unlikely) to know nothing about anything.  I wonder, however, if it’s possible to know anything about nothing.  If it’s nothing, then is there actually anything to know?  In any case, my guess is that the commenter means to say “Spoken like a person who knows nothing about anything.”  I should try reading a book??  Ok, I’ll start with one on grammar.

Now, I know the commenter is an Obama supporter.  I don’t know how liberal this individual is, but I know it’s more than I am.  What I find most amusing is how this individual never asked why I consider Obama a Socialist.  She just went straight to trying to insult me.  I wish this was surprising, but it’s all too typical of the left.  You see, if someone disagrees with a Liberal, it doesn’t matter why, that person must have some sort of mental deficiency.  Liberals have this attitude that if you don’t agree with them, clearly you don’t have any knowledge of the subject at hand.  This inherent arrogance is simulaneously amusing and infuriating.  Now, I realize there’s a bit of hypocrisy in that statement, because I unabashedly claim on this blog, to be smarter than most of the readers.  The difference is that I claim to be smarter than most of you in jest, and to elicit a response.  This commenter genuinely believes that because I disagree with her, that I must be uneducated. 

For the record, she and I both graduated from Western Washington University.  If I’m uneducated, and they allowed me to graduate, what’s that say about either my degree in Economics or hers, in Music Performance?  I’ll even go so far as to suggest that one of these two degrees implies a greater level of general education than the other.  ”I know how world economies operate.”  “I know how to sing!”  “Oh, my mistake.  You win.”  I don’t mean to sound elitist, but I’m also not the one who suggested someone was completely uneducated.

Read a history book??  How about we look at what Socialism has done to pretty much any country in which it’s been tried?!  You want to talk about history??  Really??  The political left is the group that thinks the US will be able to buck the trend of history when we do the same things that have failed elsewhere, and you’re suggesting that I know nothing about history??  I can’t even continue with this train of thought, as it will only end up with me beating my head against a wall to try tp figure out in what world this comment makes any sense at all.

What is it with people and this election??  I get supporting a candidate – in fact, I applaud it!  You should get involved in the political machinations of our nation.  What I don’t understand is that almost religious following Barack Obama has.  The kind of fanatacism that a comment like the one I’m discussing illustrates is far more common in religious disagreements than in political ones, and so it’s concerning to me to see people that are so devoted to their candidate that they refuse to accept that any contrary position could possibly be valid!  Listen folks, you don’t have to agree with me for my opinion to be valid.  Likewise, your opinion is valid, whether I agree with you or not!  And we’re back to the difference between Liberals and Conservatives.

I’m conservative, therefore I must be completely ignorant of the issues, because I if knew anything at all about the issues, I’d support Barack Obama, right?  

I don’t think that someone is clueless if they support Obama — I think they’re wrong.  There’s a huge difference there.

By the way, if I can understand Economics, analyze data in my job, drive a car, write a website, or cook dinner, I obviously know some things about some things.  To suggest I know nothing, merely because I disagree is just patently ridiculous, and it’s indicative that at least some supporters of our President-elect have no real argument to present, resulting in the pitiful ad hominem jab that this individual decided to throw.  Frankly, I expected more from a fellow Western alum.

^Z

Whether we like it or not…

Whether we like it or not, Barack Obama is the next President of the United States.  Am I happy about it?  Not at all.

I don’t like the idea of a man leading this country who wants to take money someone earns, and give it to someone else, based solely on the fact that one earns more than the other.  And this incredibly UNfair practice is all done in the name of fairness.

I don’t like the idea of a man leading this country who thinks it’s acceptable to deny care and protection to a child who was born alive after a failed abortion.  Nor do I like the idea of a man leading this country who accepts the notion that killing a child part-way through the delivery process is acceptable.  The notion that 10 seconds before a child is born it’s not alive, and is therefore eligible for killing is quite frankly abhorrent, and it dismays me that a man who holds such beliefs is our President-elect.

I don’t like the idea of a man leading this country who voluntarily associates with known domestic terrorists, racists, and other radicals.  Bill Ayers’ past was common knowledge at the time he and Obama associated with each other, and yet Obama willingly associated with this man.  Compare this to Sarah Palin, who quit her six-figure job at the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission due to corruption.  Either Barack Obama has been completely ignorant time and time again when deciding who to associate with, or he knows full well who he’s been associating with — to be honest, I’m not sure which scenario is more concerning.

I don’t like the idea of a man leading this country who doesn’t seem to place value on history.  Nationalized health care has been abysmal everywhere it has been tried, yet President-elect Obama thinks we can make it work here.  Between 1980 and 1982, the top marginal tax rate was lowered from 70% to 50%.  By 1988, it was down to 28%.  This contributed to our emergence from high unemployment, high interest rates, and high inflation.  In the middle of an economic downturn (not a recession…at least not yet), raising taxes, even on the “wealthy” is not a good idea.  And how the definition of wealthy has gone from 250k, to 200k, to 250k to 120k?  I wish I was surprised.  Finally, socialism has been a failure, or at the very least has dramatically curbed the freedoms of the populace everywhere it’s been tried, yet Barack Obama thinks we can make it work here in the US?  Is he naive, or does he think he really CAN perform miracles?

Now, having said all that, Barack Obama is still the President-elect of the United States.  As much as I dislike his views, he is still my future President.  I’m not going to go down the immature road of saying things like “Not My President” (I’m looking at you, liberals).  The fact is, I am an American, and my fellow Americans elected Barack Obama, so whether I like it or not, as of January 20, 2009, he is my President.  I will support him when I think he’s doing the right thing, and I will oppose him when I think he’s doing the wrong thing, just as I would if McCain or anyone else had been elected.

I may not like his views, but I will not pretend that he’s not my President, and that’s the bottom line.

^Z

So, this is what it looks like to see your country stumble and fall…

Get ready for socialism, higher taxes, higher unemplyment, higher cost of living and decreased national security, folks, because that’s what Obama brings to the table.  I’m truly disappointed in how blind so many Americans are.  You may not like McCain’s stance on Iraq, and you may think the Republicans spent too much under Bush, but over the next 4 years, the Obama Administration will make Bush’s expenditures look like pocket change, and he’s going to take that money from you and me.  Anyone know of a good country to defect to?  I’m pretty sure people fleeing socialist nations can apply for asylum…

Gotta go, Obama’s “truth squads” are knocking on my door, no doubt to start investigating me for having a less than favorable opinion of our new supreme leader president.

^Z

Washington State Initiative 985

Tomorrow, voters in my home state of Washington will decide whether to enact Initiative 985 into law.  From the Washington Secretary of State’s office, “This measure would open high-occupancy vehicle lanes to all traffic during specified hours, require traffic light synchronization, increase roadside assistance funding, and dedicate certain taxes, fines, tolls and other revenues to traffic-flow purposes.”[wei.secstate.wa.gov]

The full text of the initiative can be found in PDF format here.

To put it bluntly, the initiative is a bad idea.  More after the jump.