Margaret, happy days are here again. The skies above are blue again. It really is just too good to be true. The Republican gains delivered by the Tea Party are almost more than I could hope for. I only wish that lovely Witch in Delaware could have come along for the party as well.
Now let’s see. Where do I begin? Our taxes will soon be about zero percent so let’s start spending today to get this economy back on track. The government will shrink to a size somewhat equal to the size of our military which means Social Security has to go. Those of us who were smart enough to save for a rainy day will be high and dry… for at least a few months. And I got a good check-up from my doctor recently so I don’t need my Medicare… for at least a few months.
Now about that black man in the Oval Office. It will take a few days to get impeachment hearings underway, but until then I hear they are moving him out of the White House and into that little room at the top of the Washington Monument so he can’t cause any more trouble. Oh and Ms. Pelosi is out too. How dare she take on the Health Insurance Industry. Didn’t she realize people own stock in those companies?
Gays are no more. They all left, presumably to join the French Army. And teen pregnancies are a thing of the past. Teens will no longer have sex. Except the Palins. The Palins will abandon teen pregnancies as easily as a camel will pass through the eye of an early pregnancy test stick. No. The Palins will continue to give birth to abstinence only babies. That we know for sure.
Abortion? Well everyone knows that was just a luxury American women really couldn’t afford anyway. And government will now be small enough to actually fit inside a woman’s uterus, so all women with unwanted pregnancies have left, presumably to join the French Army.
Sarah Palin has a clear path to the Presidency in 2012… which means we’ll have another presidential election in 2014 when she quits. No problems though. Michele Bachmann has been talking to God and he assures her that the two years as Vice President will fly by and she will be in the Oval Office before she knows it. Let’s all start a prayer group for her now.
I found it interesting that John Boehner declared that Washington has been put on notice. Considering how long he’s been a part of Washington, I say Politician heal thyself. Yes. Washington has been put on notice indeed. It’s been put on notice that Americans have the attention span of a gnat.
If there is one thing we learned last night, it is not that Americans are mad at their government. It’s not that Americans want lower taxes. It’s not even that Tea Party Americans who voted for McCain don’t like Barack Obama. We knew all that. What we learned last night is something we really should have known all along. Americans want what we don’t have. And once we have it, we no longer want it. 2012 will be here before we know it, and I wonder how we will feel then about what we have now.
No worries Margaret. Nothing changes quickly in Washington. And that is probably the best thing about our system of government. Time is on our side. Eventually Americans realized that slavery was unacceptable. Eventually Americans realized that women should be given the right to vote. Eventually Americans realized that Senior Citizens needed a little help at the end of their lives and those living in poverty needed a little leg up from time to time. Eventually we even realized that healthcare should be available for anyone who needs it…. errr. Well, it takes time. That’s my point.
Now go have some pie and take some time to enjoy your day. I mean it. Really.
The above poster’s name is a link to an x-rated site.
By: Anonymous on November 28, 2011
at 7:39 AM
That is very fascinating, You are a very professional blogger. I’ve joined your rss feed and look ahead to in search of more of your great post. Also, I have shared your web site in my social networks
By: xdating on November 28, 2011
at 12:41 AM
I’m extremely impressed together with your writing talents as neatly as with the format in your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself? Either way stay up the nice high quality writing, it’s uncommon to look a nice weblog like this one these days..
By: Nail Forums on November 25, 2011
at 10:06 AM
Here ya go Auntie jean, I didn’t know if you wanted it posted here as well as the kitchen but jic.
http://www.thetandd.com/news/opinion/article_e699afb2-711a-11e0-959e-001cc4c002e0.html
I love Lions too.
Can you tell i’m watching the draft and Detroit just picked? LOL LOL
Ill chat with you soon around the table.
By: lori on April 29, 2011
at 5:13 PM
The Insane Reality of Delusional Thinking
Americans used to pride themselves upon being a practical people, largely immune to dogmatism. Commonsense and know-how were universally seen as virtues. Crackpot and zealots of the David Coresh, Jim Jones type have abounded, but rarely commanded a mass following.
“It ain’t so much the things we don’t know that us into trouble. It’s the things we know for sure that just ain’t so.” This proverbial expression so perfectly sums up American pragmatism that it been wrongly attributed to upwards of a half-dozen wise men, ranging from Mark Twain and Will Rogers to Yogi Berra. It actually appears to have been the tag line of humorist Josh Billings, a sort of 19th century Jeff Foxworthy.
Today Billings would be scorned as an elitist and chastised for incivilty . Unfortunately, when it comes to politics, a sizeable proportion of our fellow Americans have abandoned reason for demonic conspiracy theories, magical thinking and miracle cures.
Increasingly, one of our two great political parties appears to be governed by what Charles P. Pierce called the “There Great Premises” of talk radio. “First Great Premise. Any theory is valid if it moves units Second Great Premise. Anything can be true if someone says it loudly enough. Third Great Premise. Fact is that which enough people believe. Truth is measured by how fervently they believe it.”
Maybe its hard times, and maybe its an African-American president with an odd name, but several leading contenders for the 2012 GOP nomination express ideas that might lead to involuntary hospitalization anywhere outside a tea party rally or a TV studio.
After all it’d be one thing for me to believe I was secretly married to Juiette Ginche, quite another to fly to Paris to seek her out.
Consider Donald Trump. This preposterous self-promoter has been nearly ubiquitous , expressing Looney Toons notions about President Obama previously confined to emailers who write in all caps “WHEN ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO GET AWAY FROM THE KOOL-AID LONG ENOUGH TO START LOOKING INTO THIS MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE?”
Confronted with Obama’s certified birth certificate by ABC’s George Staphanopoulos, even noted flake Michelle Bachmann abandoning the conspiracy theory of the president’s origins. (I’m betting she already regrets this lapse into temporary sanity” Leading Republicans such as Karl Rove and Arizona Gov. Jan brewer have argued that the “birthism” makes sensible voters think of the GOP as the Nut Party.
So naturally Trump’s emerged as one of the favorites to win the Republican nomination assuming he seeks it. (Trump release his income tax records? I don’t think so.The man bankrupted several casinos.) So while I don’ think he believes she nonsense he spouts,what”s he up to? Alas, the simplest explaination is that he’s running.
Prediction: Releasing Obama’s “long-form” birth certificate will change few minds. You can’t argue with crazy.
Alas, that’s merely the tip of the proverbial iceberg where GOP delusional thinking is concerned. Judging by my inbox, a large proportion of angry white men also believe that the burst housing bubble and financial meltdown of 2007-2008 were cause by-wait for it- President Jimmy Carter. Syndicated columnist Thomas Sowell has popularized a version of the poisonous myth.
Carter, see signed the Community Reinvestment act, supposedly requiring banks to make real estate loans to improvident ghetto dwellers who couldn’t repay them. President Clinton, Janet Reno, and ACORN then threatened lawsuits, forcing banks to make bad loans, selling them off to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and bankrupting the US Treasury.
I sometimes challenge True Believers. Never mind that no law ever encouraged bad loans, I say. Shouldn’t Presidents Reagan, Bush 1 or Bush 11 have done something?” Rep Barney Frank comes the response prevented a vigilant George W Bush from acting.
And how did a minority congressman do that? Frank would resent being called a “minority” one guy answered Un-oh, I think we’ve touched bottom. There’s no ;point mentioning W’s advocacy of sub-prime lending to somebody with no clue how the US government works.
Also contrary to Republican mythology, the infamous Bush tax cuts did nothing but increase revenue, as tax cuts never do. As Fiscal Times columnist Bruce Bartltt shows, federal revenues dropped from 20>6 percent of GDP in 2000 to 18.5 percent in 2007. The 2008 recession dropped them to 14.9 percent where they linger today–the proximate cause of current huge budget deficits.
Ah,but here’s the tricky part. BOP delusional thinking’s not merely impervious to reality.Its also not confined to the Republican Party. Every public opinion poll extant snows that large majorities of voters want no reduction to Medicare,Medicaid and Social Security. Oh, and no new taxes.
By a 2 to 1 majority, Americans also think that Conress should refuse to increase the National Debt limit, a madly irredponsible act.
People wouldn’t say that if they understood the consequences. Alas, the things you don’t know can also hurt you.
There it is, Jean. When will he discuss the delusional thinking of the left?
Here is another commentary of equal worth.
“I believe its all coming to an end
Oh well, we’re gonna pretend
Gone, gone, its all gone
There’s no one on the corner
There’s nobody home
It was cool cool, just all cool
Now, its over for me
and its over for you.
I believe the world is burning to the ground
Oh well, I guess were gonna find out
Lets see how far we’ve come.”
Rob Thomas and Matchbox 20
By: James on April 29, 2011
at 1:50 PM
Hi Congenial Gang,
Help, help, help, – again! Gene Lyons has done it once more with his column on the current political scene. A biting, beautiful summary entitled “the insane reality of delusional thinking.” Could one of you please track it down and put it up here for me? One of these days, I’m gonna learn how to do it myself but as most of you know, I’m a slow learner.
BTW Cynthia, your excellent piece on Apr. 27, 2011 at 1:29PM in the Kitchen is a perfect example of “if it works, break it!” Especially as a conservative thinker, if you can make a fast buck off it and then mess it up. e.g. Medicare, Medicaid, Wall Street and all kinds of “privatization” and “de-regulation.”
Aloha!
Namaste. Shalom.
Auntie Jean
By: Jean on April 28, 2011
at 9:25 PM
You are the funniest person ever. I wish you were in office.
By: Gail on January 14, 2011
at 12:33 PM
Thank you, thank you for all your posts, Helen. I wish you were on TV so I could watch you everyday.
By: Musings on December 1, 2010
at 3:26 AM
This post reminds me of a favorite quip from Winston Churchill: “Americans can be counted on to do the right thing …. after they’ve exhausted all the other possibilities.”
By: Peggy D on November 12, 2010
at 11:50 AM
No ones’ puppet, the Constitution forbids cruel and unusual punishment. Liver and onions is cruel and unusual punishment.
I don’t know if I would choose death or not in prison, since I have never been there. Nebraska prisons have criminals trying very hard to beat the death penalty. One, I think even published a book of poetry. An adaptable person can get used to almost anything.
I have heard that state sponsored murder is more expensive than life time warehousing. There should be some way of making them share whatever resources they have with their victims.
Thanks for the link PFessor.
By: James on November 10, 2010
at 7:54 AM
Margaret & Helen, you are priceless.
After reading a few of the comments left here it has become painfully obvious that MANY people need to get a life.
By: Michael Crawford on November 10, 2010
at 7:13 AM
re: death penalty. Jean, vengeance is absolutely one reason – and one always recognized when the death penalty is debated in the Statehouses. To deny that vengeance plays a part is to deny one of the realities of humanity.
Also, yes you give up deterrence, but you gain permanence. Nobody who has suffered the death penalty has ever committed another crime. Not one.
Having said that, I am opposed to it personally, but like many things, there are two sides.
On a lighter note: for aviatiors and wannabes – if you are fed up with the childish bickering and posturing here, I have discovered a really great blog for adults:
http://flightlevel390.blogspot.com/
I hope when this captain retires he publishes his musings.
By: PFesser53 on November 10, 2010
at 5:53 AM
No one’s puppet, I loved the liver & onions comment.
By: delurkergurl on November 10, 2010
at 4:24 AM
A strange mix … Politics … Capital Punishment … And then the bible.
BCO
By: ldsrr91 on November 10, 2010
at 3:48 AM
“Bible thumping redneck.” LOL. Good one. You ought to read it sometime. Better yet, try to live it. Camp out in Matthew 5,6, and 7. Then get back to me.
By: inyereye on November 9, 2010
at 11:49 PM
Without a doubt I would chose death over life in prison.
By: Noah on November 9, 2010
at 11:28 PM
Obviously everyone here has thought about capital punishment, I’d like you to entertain the thought, for a moment, that you are person charged and found guilty. Which would you prefer, a humane death or a sentence of life without parole? Everyone, I’ve ever had that discussion with, has preferred death, including me. Prison without any hope of being released seems like a living Hell and when you think of the constant angst it would cause your friends and family….
I’ve heard, and Donna could tell us for sure, that a trial and the many appeals involved with capital punishment actually costs the taxpayers far more (assuming the defendant can’t afford an attorney) than life in prison. So it would seem that capital punishment is more about a visceral reaction than practicality. Personally, I’d lock a murder up without any intellectual or emotional stimulation and feed them liver and onions everyday.
By: no one's puppet on November 9, 2010
at 11:22 PM
Noah..I understand…calling names is schoolyard
But play nice.
Read,try to understand and rebuke.
Adios..Off to Pelosiland
By: Gregorio on November 9, 2010
at 9:36 PM