I guess it's always been this way but I have to bring up a subject that is glaringly obvious in the last few years. With our two party system, it never ceases to amaze me how incredibly wide the political gap is here in America.
The wild part about that to me is people of both sides are mostly intelligent, caring and thoughtful people who would make wonderful neighbors but how to run and handle our country, they might as well be from Mars on one side and Jupiter on the other, as far as the extremes on both sides act.
Let's sum up the two extremes if I can.
The extreme left side only cares for the poor and the hell with the rich. They're rich for Christ sake, why in the hell should we concern ourselves about people who sure in the hell don't need our help, especially about money. The only things that matter are how can we as a concerned, loving people help the less fortunate among us? How can we raise the standard of living for them to at least livable standards? They would very much love to see some kind of world government, where everyone is equal, with equal rights for all. Also, they welcome everyone from all the poor countries to move to America and receive everything we have here freely. They don't seem to care if they speak english or even work. We should just take care of them out of human compassion. We should pay them welfare and take care of all their medical needs free.
They see a nation where the rich just keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer, with the middle class slowly disappearing until there are just a few super rich living up on the hill and the rest of the super poor living in the gutters and eating from the dumps, like most third world countries now seem to be. They see big business and the rich as the enemies of caring, regular people, with a main focus on greed as their moving force.
Now the extreme right thinks business is everything and can do no wrong. They think we should just leave them completely alone and they will not only take care of themselves but in the process provide our economy with everything it needs and deserves. Never, ever raise taxes on business or impede it in any way. The basic idea was business would never hurt itself so leave it alone. The same thing would apply to all rich people. They got where they are by their own initiative, blood, sweat and tears and deserve everything they earned the hard way.
They think all those "poor people" should just go out and get a job and pull themselves up by the boot straps or they deserve to just starve to death.
Government does not owe anyone anything and should not have to pay one cent to help anyone who doesn't help themselves. All the people asking for our government to help out are communist, socialist pigs and can just go to hell as far as they are concerned. They also espouse a philosophy right now that we are at the end of the road in America and probably will just fail completely, including some kind of civil war to bring the country back to where it belongs. They are staking up supplies, guns and Ammo for just such a scenario. In fact, I think it's safe to say they welcome this with open arms.
I tried to put my limited ideas about both EXTREMES purposely exaggerated here and am probably not portraying them very accurately or fairly at all. The thing that I do notice though in normal intelligent, thoughtful people I meet in my life, is most people by far fall somewhere in the middle of all that garbage and very scary philosophies. They do care for the less fortunate people and do try and help sometimes in ways they can but definitely don't think anyone should just be handed anything on a silver platter. They have to show some desire to help themselves. They realise that the best and probably only real way to help would be to teach them to help themselves.
They also know that business is the backbone and reality behind our financial system here in America but also realize that business has lately turned the whole purpose from one of Pride, Quality and Honor to something that has slipped into pretty much just plain greed. Knowing this truth, they see the need to go back to some rules of the road that our government needs to set up and enforce to keep business on a straight, level and logical path. A path that would at least take into account the needs of regular working, responsible folks. I think it's pretty plain to most regular, intelligent folks that greed by all of us has brought our country TEMPORARILY to it's knees right now.
They also know without a doubt that this whole thing will pass and we will be just fine in the long run, just as we have survived all the other recessions and even the Great Depression of so long ago. They face whatever comes with strength and resolve and above all else a large helping of hope for the future and wish nothing but the best for our new president with all the inherited problems he faces. Most people of the world face the truth that this economic mess is not in any way the new American president's fault. It is a world wide problem, with the entire worlds leaders and economic experts trying their best to solve anyway they can. It's unprecedented nature obviously calls for completely unprecedented fixes and same as our president, they are all trying everything they can, to at least slow the burn before it takes the financial world to a place that is unrecoverable. The nut-case ideas that we need to do nothing is irresponsible to the extreme and no intelligent economist in the world believes that insane philosophy has any place in this new unprecedented financial failure we find ourselves in.
The thing about all this extreme divisiveness is it does nothing whatsoever to help us in any way. It's about as far away from real answers to our many problems as can be. In fact, I would say it is like a cancer eating away at our collective democratic thinking.
These extremist on both sides need to stop watching the extremist news and listening to all the nut-case radio crazies and get a life. These talking heads only react to news in negitive ways and offer nothing whatsoever as far as any real answers. They are all just getting rich off of the extremist philosopies and laughing all the way to the bank for sure. There is far more to life than politics. It is important for sure but it is but a very small portion of what should be important to normal people.
Another important conclusion I've came to lately after listening to all the crap is all of our individual thoughts about all this is plain bullshit. We all have these ideas we think are the truth and it's just opinions folks, not some kind of grand reality. I include all my lofty ideas in that same bullshit soup. Right or wrong, most nations and countries of the world hire or vote in people they believe are capable of handling all the issues. At that point, we all need to trust in whatever system we voted in and let them do their jobs to the best of their ability. When we think their not doing that to our liking, then it's time to fire or vote them out, during the next election.
So play with your children, plant a garden, read books (plural!), fix your home, talk to your mate, take a trip, talk to your neighbors, take dance lessons, volunteer at some good cause, go out to eat, join a club, find something to laugh at. Doctors have made it clear that laughter is good for you and stress could not be worse for you. Stay in the moment, because most of our moments when we're not blabbing about political bullshit could not be more perfect. Beautiful weather, great place to live and love.
I know for sure that I'm going to get a bunch of "Paul, paul, you're living in a dream world". Well, you know what? I choose that willingly and I'll take that dream world with me to my dying days with pride and a healthy helping of happiness it gives me, while all the doom and gloom crowd run around like a bunch of old grumpy nuts, holding a sign that says "The end is near!" as normal folks walk on the other side of the street and protect their children from the nuts.
LET ME MAKE THIS PERFECTLY CLEAR......I'll take my dream world over the Doom and Gloomer's dream world gladly, any day.
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1 comment:
Hey Paul, as you know, I like your style. You speak from the heart, rare in this era of PC'ness. Half of my friends are right wing nut jobs,(in my opinion we ought to put them in prison for their misguided beliefs) but then the only people I would have to talk to are my left wing nut job friends that on any given day make me just as crazy. Tell me oh great one what should I do? Tom W.
P.S. I do think Rush Limbaugh should be shot...Or at the very least have excrement forced up his fat nose.
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