SPIN, LIES, LEADERSHIP? AND IGNORANCE (OURS)
Jul 14, 2011 Political
Spin
More misuse of our language (an addition to Fictionary July 10 post). The oft-used word invest. When it is uttered by a politician, you can be sure it has nothing to do with what we typically attribute it to. Their invest is a red herring for a big government program that is (probably) a repeat of an already instituted, failed and wasteful spending program that didn’t work the other times, is now repackaged and renamed for the same negative results from the same dumb premise. (I know, a long description, but oh so true.) Perk up your ears when they say invest; is government investing our money? Au contraire!
Where in our country are housing prices still rising, and where is there no unemployment problem? You guessed it! These staffers are in our world? And, this is the place from which often emanates that all-too-common D.C.-ism: We must invest in our children’s education. Really? Is the American public still falling for that worn out mantra?
News flash! You can’t fix a social problem by throwing money at it. Other countries have more students per classroom and a whole lot less money spent per child and get much better results. Their children are there to learn! Their parents demand it…their culture demands it…their teachers and administrators demand it. We (taxpayers) can feed kids breakfast and lunch and send them to the best school in their vicinity. But, if these same kids go home to an unfit guardian or adults who are terrible character examples, our money that our government spent is wasted. You can’t make life fair for some kids by feeding them, bussing them to a good school and sending them back home to non-parenting. That waste is multiplied when that unproductive, untamed and disrespectful child is an adult on welfare or in prison.
As long as we have no expectations of our children, guess what we get?
Give ’em the two “L’s” — love and limits. Yes, the limits are just as important as the love!
Lies (just two blatant examples)
Your government’s definition of transparent, independent and accountable by Secretary Sebelius, at the 5th bullet point. Do you believe her?
Your government’s Department of Homeland Security and another whopper from Janet Napolitano. Do you believe her? Did you believe her when she said our borders are safer than ever?
Leadership?
The Obama administration and many economists have warned of economic catastrophe if the United States does not raise the amount it is legally allowed to borrow by August 2. The last time we believed scare tactics by the Drama Queens they bailed out the big banks and corporations and then, to add insult to injury, they stimulated our debt and unemployment with our money on a credit card!
Ignorance
Apparently we Americans don’t know much about America. Pitiful! But, then who hasn’t seen those incredible Jay Walking bits? (This video: Your reward for reading this far!) Maybe we got where we are today because we don’t know what, when and how this country became so great. We don’t know our own American History! Maybe we ought to start getting smart, paying attention, and becoming responsible citizens. No point in waiting for or expecting those in charge to change their ways!
My Personal Desire – time to get back to the basics. More reading and learning for me. It really is quite easy today with answers to everything literally and figuratively at my fingertips! What excuse do I have?
If you would understand anything, observe its beginning and its development.
– Aristotle
Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
– Winston S. Churchill
A country without a memory is a country of madmen.
– George Santayana
Some historians hold that history is just one damned thing after another.
– Arnold Toynbee
CoolCat
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Tags: Commentary, history, housing prices, Jay Walking, leadership, lies, spin
Fictionary
Jul 10, 2011 Political
Today’s word definitions and misnomers, in no particular order.
Our current state of affairs and use of language often cause me to ponder. Most recently, maybe we’re all pondering the criminal justice system. Maybe the lesson of the Orlando jury’s verdict is that we are too used to being lied to?
For example:
Raise the debt ceiling – What ceiling? It’s always being raised. It’s not like the glass ceiling that you couldn’t break. This one is flexible. Government makes its own rules. Let’s try that at home, folks. When we’re in debt, we’ll raise our credit line. That will work!
Rich is defined today as evil and highly taxable. I’ve even heard the rich called lucky and lazy—Wrong! Do you remember when rich was a worthwhile goal, the American dream, something positive that benefited everyone–not just the person getting rich?
Secretary of the Treasury – No, he can’t be! He wants to fix a spending problem by giving the spenders more money….to spend. He seems to have no clue that high tax rates destroy the economy or that big government (he) is the problem.
Undocumented worker – A euphemism for an illegal immigrant who is illegally hired by an unlawful employer.
Immigration – Currently this term is used by the media to represent everyone that is here from another country, completely ignoring the status of the immigrant. We continuously hear the word immigration when the talking heads are really speaking about illegal immigration. Illegals are not American citizens – they cost American citizens billions of dollars.
Which conjures up another term:
Homeland Security – At the same time that we citizens (including 95-yr old Grannie) are being abused, humiliated and “felt-up” in airports by TSA employees, we like to think no radical terrorists are slipping in our porous border on the south along with that stream of illegals.
Green jobs – Where are they, again? GE sure got some green – zero tax liability. Consumers and taxpayers will lose lots of green over green jobs.
Environmental Protection Agency – Extort Peoples’ Assets (When Al Gore pitches a tent and rides a bike, we shall consider that he is correct.)
Employee Free Choice Act – Complete irony for coercion to vote “yes” for the unions = no free choice.
Stimulus Package – This incredibly obvious misnomer is actually very apropos–it stimulated government waste and the national debt.
Economist – Where is the administration official who has any business experience and has ‘economist’ on his resume? An economist ought to know how business works, not how government works. Oh, sorry, I forgot…government does not work. Unlike business, government can spend ad nauseum, print more money and still stay “in business.”
The Federal Reserve – We are learning to suspect anything labeled “federal” and sure don’t think we have a “reserve.” A supposed smart economist says, “We don’t have a precise read on why this slower pace of growth is persisting.” Here’s just one clue why (or, the reality I see): We’ve become a socialistic society and economy with leadership that encourages class warfare and insists that government can fix everything…with more spending! We are becoming Greece and France where double digit unemployment, out of control national debt and misery are common stagnations. This slow pace is not recovery; it is socialistic stagnation.
Affirmative Action – One example of what this really meant: Your government would get to decide who gets into medical school based on race quotas. Do you want your doctor to be someone who was a good Black student or one of the smartest in his/her class…regardless of race? That really is reverse discrimination. Forget about someone’s intelligence, grade average, potential and credentials; let’s make sure the race percentages are right! Life needs to be fair! And, your government will provide the rules and regulations to make it fair!
National Education Association – Does the NEA represent education or does it represent teachers’ benefits? They’re a union, so that pretty much answers the question. Behold the huge Atlanta scandal. Can the state of California afford to pay their current teachers while they honor the previous union contracts for retired teachers’ pension and health insurance benefits? Nope! Seems NYC has same huge issues with United Federation of Teachers “Union.” Each year we hear we need to spend more on education and the school dropout rate goes up! Hello!
Here’s an individual responsibility thought to mull over: Make the parents/guardians accountable for their kids that are using our public education system: late for school twice in one month: fine the parents; no homework done twice in one class in one week: fine the parents; lack of respect for the teacher/administrator/staff member—by disrupting the class or foul language: fine the parents. Taxpayers don’t need to pay for students that don’t show up, don’t participate and behave badly!
Remember the definition of insanity. We sure have to change our ways if we expect anything to change…for the better!
CoolCat
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Tags: Commentary, debt ceiling, fictionary, illegal aliens, individual responsibility, lies, NEA, rich