Now's the Time For Saying 'No'
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The liberals are becoming quite predictable in their efforts to thwart the storm of dissatisfied voters as we head toward Election Day. First is the head-shaking smirk they place in front of the cameras when the opposition is speaking. It's their not-so-subtle smile of denial.
Then, of course, is the constant accusation that it is all Bush's fault. No matter that their typical tax-and-spend tactics have plunged us into a debt load we may never escape, while accomplishing nothing to offset a deepening recession with dark unemployment and no relief in the housing crisis.
Calling it Bush's fault is a convenient side step. Their most prominent tactic is to call conservatives "the party of 'no'." Conservatives, to hear the liberals tell it, offer no solutions; they simply say no to the great bills proposed by the current administration and Congress. They accuse us of wanting to return to those terrible days of the Bush presidency. They warn us that this would be a catastrophic step backward.
These might be clever ploys if they were not so kneejerk. They are used in lieu of logic and reason and good old-fashioned debate. But let's be fair. John Boehner's chronic sour expression does give impact to the "no" accusation. If he becomes speaker of the House soon, he would help the cause if he lightened up.
Nor do I think George W. Bush was our finest president. He was, however, far from our worst. Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama are viable candidates for that honor. No, we don't long to return to Bush times, but Ronald Reagan looks better every week.
It is true that we say no a lot, but there are good reasons for nay-saying when you look at bills like that highly touted health care law. It isn't that conservatives are opposed to doing something about our health crisis; it's just that this bill doesn't begin to cut it. Everyone is in agreement that part of the cost of health care lies in the cost of malpractice insurance, yet nowhere does the bill mention tort reform. Liberals just love those trial lawyer lobbyists.
Nor does it address Medicare fraud, which is openly rampant. Medicare was conceived to help provide health care for those over 65; it was never designed to line the pockets of scooter manufacturers. The health bill overlooks that one, too. Another tip-off can be found in the vast array of commercials by drug manufacturers, lawyers and people seeking to tap the Medicare till. They are pushing federal health care into bankruptcy. The bill ignores this.
The Democrats profess to be for the "little guy," but have you ever known bigger elitists than Nancy Pelosi, with her big jet (paid for by us taxpayers) used to tote her and her associates back and forth to San Francisco, or the Obamas, with $2,500 per night rooms in Spain and multiple expensive vacations? We can hardly wait to get to the polls and say no to those two.
There is no sin to great wealth, and no one should be penalized for being rich. I have never been even remotely wealthy, but in my roller-coaster career, I did have some good years. I also know what it means to be poor and out of work; I remember those days well. That's when we learned how to stick a table knife into the piggy bank for enough quarters to buy groceries. That's when we learned to take a "beneath you" job to pay the rent. No government bailed me out in those dark days, but our family survived nonetheless. We had to learn to pay for our own bad decisions. We had to learn to say no. It's a lesson everyone should learn: Saying no is not a sin.
Fifty-one days to saying, not no - but hell, no - at the polls.
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Comments
kiki 2 years, 8 months ago
I find it somewhat comical to watch or listen the party that isn't in majority spout the same arguments in each election. This has happened for many years whether the Dems or Reps have been in "power". It is also somewhat comical to watch or listen to the party in the majority and the standard blame tactics - previous president, etc.
When are "we the people" going to stop worrying about our politcal affilliation and start working together to continue to make our country, state, county, or town the best it can be.
My opinion (not a fact, so don't ask for refernces LOL) this country needs contrary opinions. It is structured to allow for debate from opposing thoughts. Name calling at all levels, national to local, accomplishes nothing. Dismissing others with a contrary opinion or "fact" is hurtful to our growth as a country. Many of us have been burned or hurt or angered by the petty, egotistical rants by others from national politicians to posters on this site. How can we create a fruitful dialog to solve our issues? There are enough intelligent people around to "solve" any problem that comes up. Group think will not do it! "My way or the highway" will not do it . . . look where we are!
Again opinion . . . no references . . . I feel the worst political enviroment we can have is the Executive branch, the Legislative branch (congress and the senate), and even the Judicial branch to all be controlled by one party. My dream . . . I'm a dreamer . . . it probably will never happen . . . is to have the branches of our government with an ever changing mix of majorities where one party is never in complete control. This will create new thought, new solutions, and new approaches to issues that arise.
Most of us have been through those management retreats that "prove" that a team of people with opposing ideas can solve a problem - usually involving an acid pit and a rope. How can we get a team approach to solving our country's issues? By team, I don't mean a team of Democrats or a team of Republicans. I mean a team of Americans focused on working together regardless of political perspectives, religious affiliations, or ancestry.
Your thoughts?
dustyrhoades 2 years, 8 months ago
Mr, Jefferys insists that calling Republicans the "party of no" is wrong "becuase it's knee-jerk", then proceeds in his next few paragraphs to prove the very point he sets out to refute: offering no solutions of his own, but instead talking repeal (that isn't going to happen) and obstruction.
Classic.
kiki 2 years, 8 months ago
Prometheus,
Maybe I need to narrow the spectrum. Too many ideas may be just as bad as only one.
If we had 2-3 QUALITY political parties that were willing to debate in a disciplined manner without name calling and self serving agendas we would get more done. Not likely with the current leadership in either main party . . .
If there was only one idea that would be a theocracy or monarchy and we have fought wars to avoid that scenario.
It may be more how we express our ideas rather than how many ideas we have. Can we discuss them in a civilized manner using critical reasoning and actual data, data that has integrity not stylized to prove a point?
jef 2 years, 8 months ago
Didn't we learn anything from 9/11 - that we are one country? What could we accomplish as a country if we could find areas of agreement and start there? This ongoing political football game is getting us nowhere. Not the way to build a strong country.
JER 2 years, 8 months ago
Mr. Jefferys, speaking of liberals, states that it's their "head-shaking smirk they place in front of the cameras when the opposition is speaking". He evidently has never watched any of the Faux News folks interview anyone that doesn't share their views. I think Laura Ingraham is one of the best at doing it.
OldPilot 2 years, 8 months ago
Returning to the policies that created the difficult circumstances that the country faces in the first place is hardly a viable solution, just insanely repeating the same mistakes with the expectation of a different result.
teufelhunden 2 years, 8 months ago
THAT is hilarious!
fugitiveguy 2 years, 8 months ago
I flip over to MSNBC rather frequently just for the heck of it. My take is that Fox has far more liberals on than does MSNBC has conservatives. I've never understood why the libs are so greedy. They have ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC compared to Fox which obviously is conservative leaning on its opinion shows but I think it calls it right down the middle in its newscasts. Of course it doesn't seem fair and balanced to the liberals, their compass has been altered for years.
Ross 2 years, 8 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
Ross 2 years, 8 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
Ross 2 years, 8 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
nothingspecial 2 years, 8 months ago
Allan speaks strong words. They come from anger over drastic actions passed/threatened, including the healthcare, financial regulation and cap and trade bills, that are keeping us in recession and that history and current events show are too much for any exisiting government and country to sustain.
KIKI is so right, one party shouldn't be in complete power. If that means gridlock as it has via both parties, then that means the same tired ideas from both parties need a change.
Ross 2 years, 8 months ago
mauiman - the lame pilot staff keeps removing my posts. i am wondering if all my glowing words about you are the reason.
stephen 2 years, 8 months ago
If the mainstream media would do their JOB and RESPONSIBILITY of reporting the news, instead of (admittedly) trying to shape or influence public policy, this entire country would be better served. The mainstream media is a shrill voice, usually supporting one party over another. This is wrong. They privately can support one side more than the other (it's normal since they're human) but they must be objective in REPORTING the news. Not creating it. Not shaping it. Not skewing it. Not hiding some of it. Not creating mountains out of molehills. In my opinion, the mainstream media do us all a great disservice with what they constantly do on a daily basis. They are hurting America. They are hurting our politics. They are hurting me and they are hurting you, no matter what your political leanings are. Shame on the mainstream media and shame on us for allowing it to get like this. The politicians have a lot on their plate for which they're responsible and they've done a poor job of handling it. If we had an actual media that reported instead of crafted their news reports, our politicians would probably work for us instead of us fearing them. Thanks media!! You've hurt this country far more than most people you gossip about.
MikeNC 2 years, 8 months ago
You hit the Bullseye with that Mr. Jeffery's
intrepidreader 2 years, 8 months ago
How right you are, stephen. I'm still angry about an NBC News promo that ran a few months ago showing a shirt-sleeved Brian Williams telling us how tough his job was, how he and NBC had to go out and find the news and then EXPLAIN it to us.
No, Brian, your job isn't to explain the news, it's to read it.