October 15, 2008
Rachel Lucas has met the enemy: stupid people
Rachel Lucas is in high dudgeon, courtesy of two videos exposing what she believes to be the biggest problem facing the nation: the essential stupidity of vast swathes of the electorate -- and of at least one of the candidates.
In the first video, Obama illustrates that stupidity by saying something that makes sense only if the listener is no smarter that a room-temperature glass of tap water -- or if you're a believer in socialism, the engine of economic ruin and enemy of liberty. In the second, Howard Stern does a variation on Jay Leno's man-on-the-street interviews, quizzing random Americans on what they think about Obama.
The first one is via Ace and it’s Obama at a campaign thing, shaking hands and being a politician, when a man asks him about raising his taxes (the back story I read somewhere else says the guy owns a plumbing business that makes over $250K). Obama says:
“It’s not that I wanna punish your success, I just wanna make sure that everybody behind you, that they have a chance at success, too. I think we need to spread the wealth around.“
Of course you do. You’re a socialist asshole who sees nothing wrong with killing the incentive for people to work hard, nothing wrong with taking what I have earned and giving it to someone else so that they can “succeed,” too. And we’re supposed to believe this man is a brilliant thinker.
The second vid is from the Howard Stern show and is a soul-crushing example of why that socialist asshole is probably going to win. Because people are stupid. Stern’s guy goes out in the streets of Harlem and asks people who they’re voting for. Most of them say, without hesitation, “Obama.”
Then Stern’s guy basically says, “okay, what part of his policies do you like the most? Do you like him because he’s pro-life or because he wants to stay in Iraq and finish this war?”
Most of them answer something like “both.” I shit you not. Even though Obama is neither pro-life nor intent on staying in Iraq. You know who is? Mr. John McCain, that’s who.
And the best part is, he then asks them if they like Obama’s pick for VP - “Sarah Palin” - and if they think SARAH PALIN will make a good vice president if Obama wins.
They all answer yes.
I swear, if one more person tells me it’s fascist to require a basic political comprehension test to have the right to vote…
It's a crime for a politician to buy votes, yet campaigning on a redistributionist platform, promising to take money from one group of taxpaying voters and giving it to another group of non-taxpaying voters is, to my keen lawyer's eye, nothing more than buying votes with someone else's money.
Lucas pines for an intelligence test to enter the voting booth; I wonder if it makes more sense to add an economic element to gaining access to the franchise. People who don't pay taxes have no incentive to control government spending and keep taxes low, as they profit personally from programs funded by those members of society who pick up the tab. Things like the "Earned Income Tax Credit," a check that goes to people who aren't paying anything to the IRS are Orwellian double-plus ungood euphemisms for Federal welfare checks -- a direct transfer from your pocket into someone else's.
Conservative columnist John Derbyshire has written in a similar vein, calling for the suspension of voting rights for civil servants, arguing that the payola is even more direct and blatant, candidates saying without shame that they'll raise the salaries of prison guards, cops, firefighters, teachers, judges -- and, yes, prosecutors, too.
Derbyshire argues that this is corruption in its most base form: "I'll give you more money for your vote!"
And yet actually handing the cash to the voter at a rally is a crime.
Chew on that, buddy.
Posted by Mike Lief at October 15, 2008 07:18 AM
| TrackBack
Comments
For the record, Jay Leno stole that man on the street bit from Howard. Although others have done it before Howard, to say he got it from Jay is flat out wrong.
Posted by: Homer at October 15, 2008 12:20 PM
Good post. Very good post. I want to go cry now at the hopelessness of this country. In the future, please try not to screw up when it comes to Howard, okay?
Posted by: Thin Ice, Sr. at October 15, 2008 07:23 PM
I am travelling throughout Europe at the moment and have met people much more educated on the current situation than most people I know back home. It's a sad state of affairs, but also encouraging to know that there are a lot more McCain supporters overseas than I ever would have guessed.
Posted by: Thin Ice, Jr. at October 16, 2008 01:51 PM