2009-10-15 14:53:00
JJ:
My heart goes out to Ron Barker. He sounds like a very nice person. Sometimes we tend to go through life thinking we are immune disasters that befall others, but it is important to be brought back to reality by letters like these. Sometimes the main good that comes out of a misfortune like this is it may help others to become more aware and avoid it for themselves.
I'm curious how Ron is doing now and hope he recovers completely.
JJ:
Good letter by Jim Hollingsworth. It is difficult indeed to understand the Left's approach to energy which is basically this:
One just has to ask is, "Are these guys just a little slow in the thinking department or do they have an ulterior motive such as -- the destruction of the free market to make way for a glorious new order?"
Actually, I think the mindset is a little of both.
JJ:
Matthew is correct that we need to watch each others' backs, but we need to do it so each others' back's are really covered. What good does it do to say "I got your back" when your gun is full of blanks? Your buddy would die feeling betrayed.
The whole meltdown was triggered by the housing collapse which in turn was triggered through the collapse of overextended loans encouraged by past regulation, not prevented by them. Lenders were encouraged by regulators to lend over 100% the value of homes. I knew we were in trouble when a friend received 105% financing on a house and he hadn't had a job in 20 years.
Have we learned our lesson? Hardly. Creative legislators have dreamed up legislation that creates all kinds of new restrictive and annoying useless regulation while still allowing lenders to lend at over 100% value.
In other words, we are told our back is covered while all the new regulations shoot blanks.
"Rustyiverson" wrote:
"Yes I must agree. Might we add a few more FACTS that the left surely aren't smart enough to know like: creationism is a valid science."
JJ:
Good try.
I think the earth is billions of years old myself. There are several problems with your point. First 25% of fundamentalists Christians are Democrats so you can't pin standard creation-type thinking exclusively on the Right.
Secondly, I think a higher percentage of the Right accept proven science and are skeptical of the unproven. The Left only accept the proven that agrees with their dogma and accepts wholeheartedly the unproven that agrees with them. They also embrace the practiced from the Middle Ages of suppressing data with which they disagree.
"Rust":
(Continuing what he thinks the Right does.)
"Nicotine does not cause cancer."
JJ:
I do not know anyone on either side who thinks cigarette smoking does not contribute to cancer.
I see part two of my last post disappeared. Since it didn't break any rules I am posting it again. Looks like the Left is attempting to stifle free speech again.
"Rust":
"Library cards are for socialist idiots."
JJ:
I love libraries. I use my library card all the time. Again, where do you get such a distorted view of the Right?
"Rust":
"The Clean Water Act takes away revenues from bottled water companies."
JJ:
It is mostly the Left that drink bottled water. Haven't seen this belief you mention on the Right.
"Rust":
"Gold mines never fouled the rivers of Idaho and Nevada."
JJ:
Whatever the science reveals here is accepted by the Right as far as I know.
How about creating another list without just making stuff up this time?
JJ:
The Left is acting like this resistance to the President speaking to schoolchildren is something new, but the Democratic leaders of Congress were in a tizzy over the first President Bush speaking to the kids.
See:
http://www.tonysrants.com/national/perspective-dems-
slammed-george-h-w-bush-for-address-to-schools/
And imagine if "W" had wanted to speak to our children. Do you think there would have been an uproar from the Left? It would have made the protest over the Obama speech seem like a whimper. The Left needs to get off their high horse of moral superiority on this issue and realize that this resistance we see is not one-sided, but neither side trusts the other.
Obama did the right thing in making his speech fairly non political, but many will always wonder if there was another speech that was altered when the critics surfaced. They wonder what the original may have said.
JJ:
As I said I think the final speech that Obama delivered was fine and both sides need to chill out a bit on the more harmless stuff.
Anything delivered by a president to our kids does need to be completely non political or the other side is justified in being nervous.
The idea of giving kids an assignment to write what they can do to help Obama was a very bad one. Help him do what? Pass Democratic legislation?
I'm glad that was tanked.
"Camerafan":
"You obviously haven't read many of my posts which are intellectual and reasonable. Do like me. If you don't like my posts don't read them."
JJ:
I enjoy reading unreasonable posts like yours. They are entertaining. Those you agree with you pat on the back and if you disagree you lash out with name-calling. Where is the intelligence and reasoning there? Oh, I forgot. This is what intelligence is through Lefty eyes.
"TWall":
"What if the assignment was to write what they can do to help our country?"
JJ:
If I were a kid I would think it was a dumb assignment and write a comic piece on the subject. The main thing we want of our third graders is to learn the basics, not to run for Congress.
"Camerafan":
"P.S Joseph, me sorry for me not being very smart. Me know me is only one who make not very nice things. My friend, Kelvin, said Camerafan, you used to be very smart and charming. What happened? I say Joseph and other guys turned you into the blubbering idiot you have become just like them. Oh...."
JJ:
You're sounding better. Keep it up -- you'll get there.
"TWall":
"And people wonder why our education system is in shambles Joseph. Attitudes like yours is a major reason. I don't care how 'stupid' or 'silly' the assignment is, you should always do your best work. But it is nice to see your still living the dream of being the clown."
JJ:
Your assignment sounds more like something we received in church rather than school when I was a kid and when assignments didn't make sense we didn't take them seriously and found a way to have a good laugh at them. I worry that our kids now are being turned into robots with no ability to challenge mediocrity.
JJ:
Wow, I could write a book on the illusion in the letters today but will have to restrain myself.
Let's start With Gary Bennett, who I have not seen published for a while. I wouldn't be surprised if he was on this forum.
Gary creates the false argument that all Republicans are against any type of socialized sharing, which they are not. Almost all Republicans believe in government run fire departments, police, the military, some education, social security, etc. If a person does not want the government running everything, or even health care, this does not mean he is against the government running some things -- things it can do for us that is difficult for private industry to handle.
Why he brings Rush into the argument is strange. He says: "Why should the dittoheads have access to such extravagant health care? Who do they think they are -- socialists?"
I listen to Rush and I do not even want access to any extravagant health care. For the past 40 years I have diagnosed and treated myself through natural means for a few penny's a month.
Ms Swain says her husband's medication costs over a million for a two-month's supply and her insurance is covering it? She'd better pray Obamacare does not get passed or it will lead to that insurance company going out of business and then a death panel will have to decide if the State can afford that pricey medicine.
Other writers are in the illusion that if we pass Obamacare that our healthcare costs will go down to European levels of around $3000 a year. 46% of our country is already on socialized medicine costing over $9000 per person. It makes no sense that if we do more of this system that suddenly costs will drop by two thirds.
It would make more sense to first cut our costs from $9000 to $3000. Why do more of something broken and unaffordable?
"Claret" wrote:
"So Joe, how much did that last pap smear cost you? Your mammogram and colonoscopy were done by boy scouts for merit badges, so how much was the yeast infection?"
JJ:
Mammogram? Typical false reasoning on your part.
I can test myself for any part of my body using acupressure techniques. It only takes a few seconds, is accurate, and I don't need to take expensive tests.
For many who have even a small knowledge of natural healing spending thousands on all the testing is like going back to the Middle Ages. Spending a fortune on prescription drugs is also Middle Ages thinking. Very seldom will any prescription drug accomplish more than an herb or a change in diet. People get addicted to the drugs and then they need more drugs to counter the negative effects of the first drugs. Just listen to the warnings at the end of each drug ad. It's pathetic that people still take them when for pennies a natural ingredient will do better over 90% of the time.
"Larnewoman":
"Please don't tell us you are one of those who actually believe in homeopathy."
JJ:
I don't use this method but many who do claim positive results and at worst it is harmless and inexpensive (prescription drugs are not).
"Larn":
"Grapeseed extract."
JJ:
I cook with grapeseed oil, which is one of the best you can use.
"Larn":
"Chiropractics."
JJ:
You are against chiropractics? That's pretty extreme. I had an accident a while back and could barely move my right arm. After about a minute of chiropractic treatment I was relieved of pain and could move my arm again. Have that happen once and you will be thankful forever that there are good chiropractors around.
"Larn":
"Magnets."
JJ:
No, do not use these. Methods I use work in the real world and cost close to nothing. The last thing I want to do is give many thousands to a system that does more harm than good.
"Badnana":
"The majority rules, the majority is in control. Get over it. If you don't like what is happening, get to the voting booth."
JJ:
Dream on.
Those representing the majority will are not in charge.
The majority disapprove of Obama.
The majority do not want his health care plan.
The majority feel it will cost too much.
The majority are angry that they tried to ram a 1000 page bill down our throats without reading it.
The majority want lower taxes, no earmarks and less waste.
The Left is going against the majority and the tea party people are riding the wave of the majority. They will ride it to real change in 2010 and 2012.
JJ:
Proof of my points which were ridiculed by the Left. Read them and weep.
52% disapprove of his handling of health care.
See:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090909/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_ap_poll_health_care
Rasmussen tells is that 4% more of the people strongly disapprove than strongly approve of his performance. The August average approval rating was only 49% with a low of 45% but it did bounce to 51% after his big speech.
See:
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/
obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll
53% oppose his plan and only 26% think the plan will improve healthcare.
See:
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_
events/healthcare/august_2009/support_for_congressional_health_care_reform_
falls_to_new_low
Only 23% believe that costs will go down if the bill is passed and by a margin of 50% to 25% they believe quality will go down.
See:
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_
events/healthcare/july_2009/just_23_believe_health_care_costs_
will_go_down_if_reform_passes_congress
Needs no defense.
Rasmussen says 54% say tax cuts are more important than health care. I think it is obvious that most want less waste and earmarks.
As I said, the Left is going against the majority and the tea party people are riding the wave of the majority. They will ride it to real change in 2010 and 2012.
JJ:
I agree with Gary that the violent offenders need to be dealt with swiftly and harshly. It is ridiculous that because of our corrupt legal system it costs more to put a person to death than it does to keep him in jail for life. It should only cost a few cents rather than millions to execute a person.
Besides, it is a cruel and unusual punishment to keep a person in jail for forty years or so. It is much kinder to just send him to his Maker. If you believe in a loving God he will then be dealt with fairly but for an atheist he will have the peace of oblivion and be as if he never was. Either way death is kinder than 40 years in prison.
On the other hand, I think that non-violent offenders need to be given a chance to pay off their debt through money or labor rather than prison. This will help repay victims and relieve the financial burden of too many prisoners.
"CalvinJones":
"Better yet lets divert wayward youth before they become criminals. The number one predictor of criminality is a person's ability to read at grade level by the third grade."
JJ:
Then you must support vouchers which would improve education.
"CalvinJones":
"Now Joe your defense of capital punishment easily translates to a defense of abortion."
JJ:
So are you saying that fetuses go around murdering people and need to be executed? Typical Leftist reasoning.
"CalvinJones":
"It could be argued that abortion saves money."
JJ:
You were a fetus once. Are you saying the world would have saved a lot of money if you were aborted? You may be right on this.
"CalvinJones":
"And if you believe in talking snakes, floating zoos and virgin births those impacted will be welcomed with open arms by the invisible sky god."
JJ:
You may be right again:
Talking snakes = Leftists calling names
Floating zoo = Congress
Sky god = Obama
I believe! I believe!
-- End Of Part One --
[Compiler's Note: The "Local Posts" series of articles found here in "The Archives" are a collection of exchanges between JJ Dewey and others participating on a local online newspaper blog which can be read online at Idaho Statesman Letters To The Editor. These exchanges were subsequently re-posted by JJ Dewey to The Keys Of Knowledge discussion group prior to being archived here.]
Go to:
Local Posts #41, Part Two
Copyright © 2009 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved