Shouldn't Liberals be Embarrassed At This? Oh, I Forgot...They're Liberals

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This was just too good to not post. Enjoy!

From the Thursday, Dec 13th Nealz Nuze:

SHOULDN’T LIBERALS BE EMBARRASSED AT THIS?  OH, I FORGOT...THEY'RE LIBERALS

Barbra Streisand, the left wing’s Socialist songbird, has a new Christmas album out. It was finished just before Sept. 11. So … here comes USA Today to do a little puff piece interview.  Here we find Babs relating her new album to the terrorist attacks.

"I can't explain it, but I had a feeling something was coming," Streisand said by phone from her home in Malibu, Calif. "And then, oh, my God, it's here, this nightmare, this horror. I was overwhelmed."

In her heart, though, this multi-millionaire is still a confirmed leftist full of disdain for people who become wealthy in a field other than entertainment.

Though stung by last year's Republican victory, Streisand has faith in the Democratic Party ''and its ideals to support working people over big business. It's hard to read about an economic stimulus package that gives billions in tax rebates to corporations that don't need them. We bail out the airlines, but the workers they fired got nothing.''

Now let me get this straight. Corporate CEO’s are maligned because of all the money they make, even though their success means the creation of jobs. And if a CEO has a home in Malibu it is a decadent show of excess. Meanwhile, Streisand’s Malibu home is merely the reward for her wonderful vocal abilities? And what about the idea that rich CEO’s are selfish and are out of touch with the average American, especially in these times of layoffs? Well check this excerpt:

As Streisand groped for equilibrium after Sept. 11, her shock turned to uncertainty in matters both grave and trivial. She relates, ''One day I tell myself, 'Screw everything, I'm getting a Carl's Jr. hamburger and eating fried chicken three nights in a row. I don't care about my weight.' The next day, my optimistic side takes over and I think, 'Wait a minute, life goes on, people will get wiser, justice will prevail. Maybe I should watch my diet.' I'm still in that state of confusion.''

Yes, I can see the compassion. She’s obviously relating to the average worker who has been laid off from her job as a waitress and doesn’t know how she’ll continue to pay for her Malibu home. As the article says, Barbra continues "to speak out on the importance of speaking out."

''First and foremost, I am an American citizen,'' she declares. ''And every American citizen has the right to voice opinions. It's dangerous when someone says, 'Watch what you say.' We're fighting a war in order to preserve our right to express ourselves freely. That's why the presidential election was so horrific. Every vote is supposed to count.''

(Actually, Babs … we’re only supposed to count the legal votes.)

She's determined to fight the myth that ''government is bad'' by reminding voters that the system ''fights our battles, provides safety on airlines, buys smallpox vaccines, builds highways and parks, and ensures clean air and water.''

We have many listeners in the Los Angeles area. Would one of you please email me the next time you see Barbra Streisand in a government park eating her Carl Jr. Hamburgers and fried chicken. Oh, one last show of support for the common man:

I still find myself obsessed with things like designing the right cabinet for the new TV. It could take me several days to figure out how to frame this turn-of-the-century embroidered flag my son found on eBay.''

Damn, this is just too easy...I almost feel guilty...almost.

Copywrite 2001 by Neal Boortz



-- Okie Dan (okiedab@oklahoma.net), December 13, 2001

Answers

Funny, I thought Babs was first and formost Jewish.

-- Ephiney (ephiney@yahoo.com), December 13, 2001.

Well chew on this. Suppose that you are to be, or you already are laid off. You need help, as in financial help. But under Bush's version of the stimulus package, you won't get the money. Instead, that money is sent to your boss WHO IS IN NO WAY OBLIGATED TO HIRE YOU BACK! If your boss was a nice guy, he may bring you back. But it could very well be that your boss would be a jerk, stick the money in back pocket, and leave you to wallow in your newfound poverty. More likely, you'll will be hired back, albeit with less pay, fewer benefits, no insurance, etc....

PS: Streisand does indeed make far too much money, but at least she appears to have a modicum of sympathy for the rest of us unlike many of the multi-billionaire CEO's" Also, remember that Streisand only makes millions. The really big CEO's, by comparison, make BILLIONS!

A typical dialogue with a worker and a Consevative tends to follow this caricature.

Worker: "I can't make enough money. My family is going hungry. I need help."

Conservative: "So why don't you go find yourself a *JOB* you lazy whining bum!?!"

Worker: "I already have 3 jobs and work about 80 hours a week already!"

Conservative: "Then go get yourself ANOTHER job!"

-- Nexar (Icant@tellyou.com), December 13, 2001.


Nexar, do you not realise that I now work 84 hours a week? A Permanent Reel Tender got his hand caught in a machine and lost a couple of fingers. So now I, a temp. material handler, with no insurince, (only permanent people get insureance) and making about 2 dollars an hour less to do his job while he is out. Twelve hours a day. Seven day a week. And because of the taxes used to help people I clear LESS each week than if I had just worked 6 days! Taxes hurt people more than anything. Give me my money. And them theirs. You yours. Everybody.

-- Tator (you@cant.resist), December 14, 2001.

Conservitive: Lets tax those in the middle and give to the rich!

Liberal: Lets tax those in the middle and give to the lazy!

Average Joe: I make too much Gross to get help sending my kids to collage but after taxes I cant afford the books let alone tuition!

Libertarian: Let people have their money. If they make good decitions with it, good. If the make bad ones, tough shit! Make Collages compete for buisness. Compititions drives down prices while increasing quality! Better education at a lower price!

-- Tator (you@cant.resist), December 14, 2001.


I realize that Libertarians are quite different from Conservatives. Now I tell what Neo-Liberals are.

Neo-Liberals are those whose policies are very liberal, toward the SUPER RICH. Both the Dems and the Repubs fall under this umbrella.

With the Republicans, they make no bones about it, they take your money and give it to your boss, who is not obligated to pass it along back to you.

The Democrats are bit sneakier, as they'll throw you a bone or two to give you the illusion of them being on your side, however, the Lion's Share of your tax money still goes to your boss, who is still not obligated to pass that money back to you.

Libertarians do seem similar to anarchists in wanting to do away with the government and many of its functions. The ones I'm for though are the ones with enough brains in their head to realize that Power can come in forms other than Military and Political.

The true threats to freedom are the Multi-Nationals. Their vast Economic Power is almost already enough to trump the Military and Political Power of our government (some say they have some time ago, and I wouldn't doubt it). Plus that vast power is totally private and UNACCOUNTABLE. Try to vote out a GE executive sometime. Unless you are a major stockholder on the Board of Directors (thus you're super rich yourself), you CAN'T!

The current situation is that our goverment has been turned into a device for the purpose of draining our economic power (through taxes) and giving to those villains I mentioned above.

Here's where I differ from most Libertarians. Simply doing way with Big Government without putting a check on the growing power of the Multi-Nationals may simply set the stage for the Multi-Nationals to take DIRECT control.

Simply killing the Attack Dog (the Government) is not going to affect the Master (the Multi-Nationals) that much at all. Kill the Master's Attack Dog and the Master will simply buy himself a bigger, meaner Attack Dog to take its place (installing a Government of their own that is much more repressive and oppressive that our current one.)

-- Nexar (Icant@tellyou.com), December 14, 2001.



PS: I think unrestrained competition without any rules whatsoever is a VERY Bad Idea. Such a system, by default, automatically favors the Strong and the Ruthless (but not neccessarily the Honest and the Hard- Working).

The Economic Law of the Jungle may suit you just fine if you're a big strapping Tiger. But if you're the tiny little mouse that has to scurry and hide in order to survive, you might see things very differently.

-- Nexar (Icant@tellyou.com), December 14, 2001.


One more things. Yes, you could have more money if you didn't have to pay taxes, but you COULD have much more if your company simply paid you more. The regulations that are left are elminated and your company no longer feels any pressure to provide you a decent wage. You could find your wages dropping from $2.00 per hour to $.50 per hour, much like the infamous maquiladoras in Mexico. In the end, you would end up with LESS money despite getting to keep what you would have paid in taxes.

Of course, the ideal situation is one where you get paid more and are NOT requied to pay taxes. Like that's gonna ever happen.....

-- Nexar (Icant@tellyou.com), December 14, 2001.


Tator, you said, "If they make bad ones, tough shit!" Can I paraphrase this please? How about, "if they make bad ones, tough shit for them, tough shit to their kids, and tough shit for society," who will pay one way or another for their bad decisions (like having them turn into burglars or muggers, for instance.

You also make the claim that "And because of the taxes used to help people I clear LESS each week than if I had just worked 6 days" NOT. This is an urban legend, and simply is not true. We have a graduated income tax. Do you prepare your own tax return? Look at the tax schedules. Figure it both ways. You're wrong. So sorry. I like you anyway.

Good points all the way around, Nexar. I dont' personally have a problem with taxes if they are used the way I want them to be used. Nobody asks me, though!

-- joj (jump@off.c), December 14, 2001.


Tator?

-- joj (jump@off.c), December 21, 2001.

If I work 7 days it puts me in a higher Tax Bracket. It may not be lower but its only about 30 of 40 bucks higher.

And lets say that you became a crach head 30 years ago. And are one today. Uneducated. No job. Should I raise your kids for you? (I know theyre grown. Pretend theyre not for sake of argument.)

-- Tator (you@cant.resist), December 21, 2001.



Well, it's hardly, if ever, the KIDS' fault that their Mom or Dad happens to turn into a crackhead!

Why should they be punished or denied aid for something they didn't do?

The crackheads themselves on the other hand....

-- Nexar (Icant@tellyou.com), December 23, 2001.


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