Eavesdropper: First off, you need to post more. Not only because you generally agree with me, but because you represent an intelligent, fairly middle-of-the-road voice, and that offers balance to the Left versus Right jousting that these threads usually descend into.[/quote]
Allan, I recently returned to school on a fulltime basis, and, at my advanced age, have to devote about three times the recommended amount to studying. Pigg’s is my guilty pleasure, one in which I will sometimes indulge at week’s end, when I take a bit of a break. I have to be careful: there’s always so much of interest going on here, and, before I know it, I’m in panic mode cramming for an exam because I stayed too long on the site.
But I’m a hopeless Pigg’s addict, and not planning on entering detox anytime soon.
[quote=Allan from Fallbrook]
That said and ceteris paribus, [/quote]
See, this is part of the problem. I mentioned in an earlier post that, since I started Pigg’surfing, my cocktail party conversation abilities have become quite impressive due to the superior vocabulary skills demonstrated by Pigg’s habitues. I can’t help myself: I’m a sucker for linguistic porn.
[quote=Allan from Fallbrook]
… we also need to get our shit together: Individually, collectively and as a nation. We’ve turned into a bunch of hand-wringing, ineffective, frightened children who are now conditioned to turn to our Big Mommy/Daddy Gubment to fix all woes, whether its the “War on Terror” (don’t get me started), or this bungled and bungling Gulf crisis. If the latter does nothing else, it should dispel the notion that corporations have a heart and are capable and that Big Government is not the easy answer when things go wrong.[/quote]
I concur. I’ve gone through some rough times in my life, and also had my share of good times. Right now, I’m fortunate enough to be experiencing the latter, but life has taught me that this could change in a second. And why not? So far as I know, no one that has ever walked this earth was born on a bed of roses with a lifelong warranty. Bad shit happens. Even to really good people. And when the shit hits the fan, it’s not necessarily evenly distributed – ergo, life isn’t f**king fair.
There is a serious overabundance of “tough talk” these days. In reality, it’s plain and simple rudeness by people who are frustrated with the perceived shortcomings of their lives, and are looking for someone – anyone but themselves – to blame. They extoll the virtues of our founding fathers, utilizing quotes that said fathers never uttered. They complain bitterly about the tyrannical government who is violating their constitutional rights, but can’t name a single one. They boast of their independent spirit, but listen breathlessly to talk radio as they drive their Ford Super-Duty dually trucks to the bank to cash their Social Security Disability Income checks. And call me an America-hating coward and traitor when I dare to question one of their statements or correct their “facts”.
I fervently hope that you are correct about us getting our heads out of our asses. Aside from the fact that the phrase engenders a truly disturbing and unpleasant mental picture, doing so is essential to our future as a nation. But I don’t have your hope and optimism. After all, we have a huge number of citizens who apparently lack the critical thinking skills necessary to see that taking advantage of the entitlement programs that are part of massive government debt they are protesting is at odds with the political philosophy they are espousing. Despite their protests, they don’t seem to realize that the freedom our nation enjoys is a rare and precious gift, paid for with the blood of our ancestors, who despite their individual philosophies and concerns, managed to pull together long enough to fight off the true threats to that freedom.
In the meantime, these people need to stop writing checks with their mouths that their asses can’t cash. If they think that the government is too big, too into their business, too restrictive, and tyrannical to boot, they SHOULD go ahead and denounce them. In the meantime, however, they should give up their Social Security, give up their disability, forego their government-sponsored health care, take in their elderly relatives, and pay for their kids’ education. And if any of their loved ones get sick, they can have them treated to the extent of their abilities and bankbooks, and accept the inevitable if the treatment is not successful. It can be done. Yes, it will be tough. But tough is what these rebels are all about, right?
