Monday, June 23, 2008

Ideas

One of my biggest problems I've noticed while patrolling the various blogs, both liberal and conservative, is mindless and annoying vitriol. Either I hear it from the wingnuts (raghead terrorist uber-bitch, Barrack Hussein Obama) or I hear it from the moonbats (evil lying sack of shit oilman murderer George W Bitch). Or I have to endure an endless tirade about how the other party is full of angry, hateful people who want to ruin America. I can say that I have, in the past, been guilty of this.

But here's why it's really pissing me off now. It comes down to drilling for oil and the FairTax. There are people who oppose these ideas for purely ideological reasons, with only excuses why we shouldn't do it and reasons why it would never work anyway. They work overtime to find every fault, every defect; they spend all their energy running the idea down.

Then I ask them what we should do. Their answer?


....[silence]....


If you have a good reason to oppose a solution to a problem, then I assume it's because you have a better idea to solve the same problem. Instead, I am met with demagoguery unending.

Here's my most profound thoughts on this subject, which I'm sure have been uttered before by Ronald Reagan (but I'm too lazy to look up): We learn and persuade by building up, not tearing down. By building bridges, not digging divides. By finding solutions, not bitching about problems.

And it's the partisan bitch mentality that means I have to spend $40.00 to fill my tank (it's a small tank) and I have to wait for the government to give me a check after churning my money around for a year. I have to drive 40 miles to babysitter, work, and back 5 days a week. I have to drive 20 miles 3 times a week for therapy for that lovely autistic son of mine (he got his picture in the paper covering said therapy (Yay!)). I have no way at this time to make that amount of driving go down. And last year it cost me half as much. Meanwhile, incalculable money flows into Washington so that people whose primary job is to get reelected get to decide how to spend it: solving problems or buying votes.

So before you go on another pointless tirade on how Bush and/or McCain or Obama is going to butt surf the US of A, maybe you should figure out what your candidate of choice should be doing to solve the shit sandwiches left us from that less-than-sensible la-la-land that is Washington. And then maybe, if you focus on solutions rather than the sand in your varying cracks and orifices, you can convince other people to follow.

11 comments:

Beth said...

Patrick, I hear ya, but in some ways I think all we really an do is bitch about it, because even if we out here in cyberspace came up with a brilliant plan to solve these problems, it's not like it's ever going to get done.

Then again, you never know.

I bet your son got a kick out of being in the paper!

Patrick M said...

I'm not saying we'll come up with the ideas ourselves, but there's things we can talk about, promote, and get people talking about.

The FairTax is a perfect example of this. It's n absolutely magicifent solution. However, I've seen entire posts dedicated to attacking it. With the same refuted arguments. With nothing new to suggest.

The oil situation is the same. The newest idea is a bacteria that produces oil. Sounds good to me. But I'm sure there will be someone that will come along and figure out a way this is bad for us. But they won't ever say 'this is what we should do'.

And just assuming things won't get done is what allows the status quo to be maintained. That's why we're paying an assload for gas. That's why nothing changes.

I'm talking about real change, not Obamachange. It's as simple as deciding to do the impossible and doing it. We've done it before, we can do it again.

As for my son, I think he looked at the pic. His sister was excited about it though.

Toad734 said...

The Fair Tax is an easy target. No one knows for sure how much money would really be raised by it and most feel that for it to really be revenue neutral, the rate would have to be a lot higher. There are several issues they never even considered.

That being said, those people are A. in a position to make real change seeing as how they had a Presidential candidate in their camp and B. I think they actually have experience in Tax Law and some may actually be former employees in the field.
It's their job to come up with the policies, it’s my job to say if I agree or not. Although my father was a tax man for 30 years, that doesn't make me an expert on tax code. No one cares about what I think, even if I did come up with a solution, no one would listen, no one would care so why put forth the effort? It’s all Monday morning quarterbacking anyway. No one really knows for sure what may happen, all we know is what has and hasn't worked in the past or like with the Fair Tax, get a calculator and do the math. If it adds up great, if it doesn't, all I can do is point out the flaws and maybe they are flexible enough to make adjustments.

Now, I can look at a situation such as Iraq and come up with a plan but again, I am a nobody and no one cares. I do know this; it’s a civil war waiting to happen whether we leave tomorrow or 50 years from now. Our marines can't get killed if they are sitting here guarding our border instead of patrolling Sadr City.

As far as taxes go, yes the current tax code is very complicated and rewards millions of people who don't deserve it or don't need it...just like the Fair Tax would do. When I get an accounting degree and work for the IRS for few years and get a masters in tax law, I will be happy to try to work towards a solution.

Listening to a bunch of rich guys tell a bunch of poor guys what’s wrong with the current tax code isn't solving any problems either.

said...

Sane political discourse, Santa Claus, Batman and other fairy tales.

Now HERE (@ YouTube) is what 'tis, 'twas and t'will be the facts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LubuSAgB5s


.

Toad734 said...

Oh and by the way, the "refuted arguments" weren't that well refuted. That’s why people keep bringing them up. If they could squash these concerns that would be one thing but they haven't.

Even when they defend the 30% vs. 23%, in the midst of the rebuttal they admit that it is really 30% but through a gimmick they are able to call it 23% and get a way with it. I would hardly say that counts as a knock out.

The other major problem with the Fair Tax is that revenue neutral isn't good enough. The federal government is operating at its biggest deficit in history. It's clear that either more taxes have to be collected or the Whitehouse needs to stop giving no bid contracts to Halliburton and Blackwater and stop invading other countries.

Dave Miller said...

Patrick, I think Tor got a little extra something in his morning ovaltine!

Patrick M said...

Toad: The reason no one listens is because you tend to tear down more than you build up. You have illustrated that as usual.

Try building and see what happens.

tor: Perhaps you need serious help. I tried to read your blog and it sounds like me when I talk to me about things. And I answer. Late at night. After a pound bag of m&m's and tugging one out to interspecies erotica.

But keep up the videos. I might have to snag one one day.

Dave: It ain't the Ovaltine. I wonder if Tor would share his shmoke with us. It would be plaid.

Toad734 said...

Build up what? Like a national health care plan? I can do that, I have. I actually found a way to fund almost 3/4 of a National Healthcare plan but did anyone listen or care? What’s the point? Until someone does listen, I will stick to pointing out the fallacies of other peoples logic and views and continue to expose their hypocrisy.

Patrick M said...

Toad: I listen. Even if I disagree (and with nationalizing health care, I probably would), sometimes any idea can spark others.

If you have done a post on it, go ahead and post a link, and I'll encourage my other readers to check it out.

Everybody else: If Toad posts a link below, go ahead and read up.

Toad734 said...

http://toadthoughts.blogspot.com/2007/07/fox-news-fair-and-balanced-take-on.html

NO one read it then, no one will read it now. THats why i shit of everyone elses ideas instead of coming up with my own.

Patrick M said...

That just means you get to reprint rather than have to produce original material.