Ok, so, where do we find 535 people like you and me, how do we convince them that they even want to be elected, and how do we get them elected?
----
It occurrs to me that a tactically interesting filibuster could be performed by simply reading these bills out loud before they get voted on. Anyone voting to shut down the filibuster would be in effect signalling that not only do they not know what's in the bills, they don't even want to know what's in the bills.
Sounds good. But I remember the PATRIOT Act was voted on while there was only a single copy, read by perhaps two people including the proof-reader, and I suspect the same or equivalent of so-called Obamacare. Different cases, perhaps, one a physical threat the other a political opportunity, but still...
Damn, Perl. That needs to be in the tea party plarform. I'd vote 4 u just on the strength of your comments on this site. KB as well; that could have gone without saying.
"True, many are dependent on those entitlements, but " many of us are nonetheless disgusted with numerous aspects of the handling of them, and of the "financing" of them.
Kevin, even thought it was well said, it was too short! :)
"but the rest of us understand who is responsible for paying for all of this, and we understand that no one in the political class is listening to us."
As soon as you disabuse yourself of quaint notions about "self governance" and the will of the people being paramount in political power, you too can hop aboard the slip-n-slide to the standard form of government: the few controlling the many. This time, though, they are going to do it right, since the right people are in power. Just have finishing burying the ghost of the US Constitution and we'll herald in a new era of peace, freedom and prosperity for the working man!
Your point about the Patriot Act (anything but) is true, but the case wasn't different, it was decidedly the same; legislation that was overblown with waste, excess, and with imprecise language that was passed as a knee-jerk reaction to a catastrophe, real or imagined.
Government being government, and as noted here, we are sick of that.
The Nuge's latest rant titled "It is US" pretty well nails it for me. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jul/30/it-is-us/
The left has become emboldened. Those closet 'way left' folks are now either in power, in the media, teaching or openly working to bring about their idea of utopia and they are close to having the majority depending on them for handouts. Those in office openly ignore the laws and mock those that disagree with them all the while passing bills that the majority oppose.
Until we decide to take the gloves off and become so vocal and so involved that we cannot be ignored and so active that the truly fear for their jobs, we are doomed to fight a delaying battle. Forget gaining ground. Those of us that actually, you know, produce stuff, are treated more like a resource to be tapped and bled whenever someone's "need" isn't fufilled rather than the source of all that is possible in this country.
Personally I think it will take a major league SHTF incident to change anything. I'm active and voting, but I expect it to get way worse before it gets better (if it ever does)
Your future is not restricted by your past.
What struck me significantly is that the main, sailent feature of Left-Progressives' use of Identity Politics, is exactly just such "regulatory capture" of a voting-stream. It is precisely by identifying and restricting the Future for the Past, and maintianing (and controlling) the historic association (narrative) of class, status, power, and race. For one thing, that is the Race Card in a nutshell and how it is played.
Short version of emerging threat: How about the fact that there is a nonzero chance that the next election will pit Barack du Bourbon and Nootpoleon Bonaparte?
Note:
All avatars and any images or other media embedded in comments were hosted on the JS-Kit website and have been lost;
references to haloscan comments have been partially automatically remapped, but accuracy is not guaranteed and corrections are solicited.
If you notice any problems with this page or wish to have your home page link updated, please contact John Hardin <jhardin@impsec.org>
JS-Kit/Echo comments for article at http://smallestminority.blogspot.com/2010/08/500-words.html (12 comments)
Tentative mapping of comments to original article, corrections solicited.
Ok, so, where do we find 535 people like you and me, how do we convince them that they even want to be elected, and how do we get them elected?
----
It occurrs to me that a tactically interesting filibuster could be performed by simply reading these bills out loud before they get voted on. Anyone voting to shut down the filibuster would be in effect signalling that not only do they not know what's in the bills, they don't even want to know what's in the bills.
Sounds good. But I remember the PATRIOT Act was voted on while there was only a single copy, read by perhaps two people including the proof-reader, and I suspect the same or equivalent of so-called Obamacare. Different cases, perhaps, one a physical threat the other a political opportunity, but still...
Damn, Perl. That needs to be in the tea party plarform. I'd vote 4 u just on the strength of your comments on this site. KB as well; that could have gone without saying.
"True, many are dependent on those entitlements, but " many of us are nonetheless disgusted with numerous aspects of the handling of them, and of the "financing" of them.
Kevin, even thought it was well said, it was too short! :)
"but the rest of us understand who is responsible for paying for all of this, and we understand that no one in the political class is listening to us."
As soon as you disabuse yourself of quaint notions about "self governance" and the will of the people being paramount in political power, you too can hop aboard the slip-n-slide to the standard form of government: the few controlling the many. This time, though, they are going to do it right, since the right people are in power. Just have finishing burying the ghost of the US Constitution and we'll herald in a new era of peace, freedom and prosperity for the working man!
Teqjack,
Your point about the Patriot Act (anything but) is true, but the case wasn't different, it was decidedly the same; legislation that was overblown with waste, excess, and with imprecise language that was passed as a knee-jerk reaction to a catastrophe, real or imagined.
Government being government, and as noted here, we are sick of that.
The Nuge's latest rant titled "It is US" pretty well nails it for me. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jul/30/it-is-us/
The left has become emboldened. Those closet 'way left' folks are now either in power, in the media, teaching or openly working to bring about their idea of utopia and they are close to having the majority depending on them for handouts. Those in office openly ignore the laws and mock those that disagree with them all the while passing bills that the majority oppose.
Until we decide to take the gloves off and become so vocal and so involved that we cannot be ignored and so active that the truly fear for their jobs, we are doomed to fight a delaying battle. Forget gaining ground. Those of us that actually, you know, produce stuff, are treated more like a resource to be tapped and bled whenever someone's "need" isn't fufilled rather than the source of all that is possible in this country.
Personally I think it will take a major league SHTF incident to change anything. I'm active and voting, but I expect it to get way worse before it gets better (if it ever does)
Happy Monday.
I suspect (and I hope I'm wrong) that it won't take fear of losing their jobs, but fear of losing their lives.
Sorry Dave, it's going to take the most dire of consequences to make people wake up, and their own lives may be all that there is left.
Your future is not restricted by your past.
What struck me significantly is that the main, sailent feature of Left-Progressives' use of Identity Politics, is exactly just such "regulatory capture" of a voting-stream. It is precisely by identifying and restricting the Future for the Past, and maintianing (and controlling) the historic association (narrative) of class, status, power, and race. For one thing, that is the Race Card in a nutshell and how it is played.
So, Kevin, what you're saying then is that you hate black people? That's what I heard from David Letterman, and he should know.
Short version of emerging threat: How about the fact that there is a nonzero chance that the next election will pit Barack du Bourbon and Nootpoleon Bonaparte?
Note: All avatars and any images or other media embedded in comments were hosted on the JS-Kit website and have been lost; references to haloscan comments have been partially automatically remapped, but accuracy is not guaranteed and corrections are solicited.
If you notice any problems with this page or wish to have your home page link updated, please contact John Hardin <jhardin@impsec.org>