Intermarkets' Privacy Policy Support
Donate to Ace of Spades HQ! Recent Entries
Quick Hits
Recycled Garbage: The Leftwing Identity-Politics Media Claims That Biden Never Said You Were Garbage and If He Did, That's Because You Are Tim Walz: I Competely Support Late Third-Term Abortions Of Course: The Democrat Lunatic Who Shouted "Alluha Akbar" As He Shot a Jewish Man on the Way to Synogogue Is a, Get This, Illegal Alien Allowed Into the Country in the Past 18 Months by Harris-Biden Supreme Court Overturns Hawaiian Judge's Insane Ruling -- Sought by the DOJ -- To Force Virginia to Put Illegal Alien Illegal Voters BACK on the Voting Rolls "The Only Garbage I See Floating Out There Are His Supporters:" Biden Goes Even Further Than "Deplorables" Wednesday Morning Rant Mid-Morning Art Thread The Morning Report 10/30/24 Daily Tech News 30 October Absent Friends
Bandersnatch 2024
GnuBreed 2024 Captain Hate 2023 moon_over_vermont 2023 westminsterdogshow 2023 Ann Wilson(Empire1) 2022 Dave In Texas 2022 Jesse in D.C. 2022 OregonMuse 2022 redc1c4 2021 Tami 2021 Chavez the Hugo 2020 Ibguy 2020 Rickl 2019 Joffen 2014 AoSHQ Writers Group
A site for members of the Horde to post their stories seeking beta readers, editing help, brainstorming, and story ideas. Also to share links to potential publishing outlets, writing help sites, and videos posting tips to get published.
Contact OrangeEnt for info:
maildrop62 at proton dot me Cutting The Cord And Email Security
Moron Meet-Ups
|
« CBS Hits Obama, Weakly, on Shady Fundraising |
Main
| 250K, 200K... »
October 27, 2008
84% Don't Have A Clue? (Kat-Mo)Volokh Conspiracy, David Bernstein talks about Obama's "re distributive changes" theories and has this little section of interest. It's true that most Americans, when asked by pollsters, think that it's emphatically not the government's job to redistribute wealth. But are people so stupid as to not recognize that when politicians talk about a "right to health care," or "equalizing educational opportunities," or "making the rich pay a fair share of taxes," or "ensuring that all Americans have the means to go to college," and so forth and so on, that they are advocating the redistribution of wealth? Is it okay for a politician to talk about the redistribution of wealth only so long as you don't actually use phrases such as "redistribution" or "spreading the wealth," in which case he suddenly becomes "socialist"? If so, then American political discourse, which I never thought to be especially elevated, is in even a worse state than I thought. Why, yes, the American Public is strangely schizophrenic on this topic and many others. Why else can you talk to any average American and have them complain about an inefficient and wasteful government just to have them turn around and (by the polls anyway) support a candidate who boldly proclaims his intentions to expand government and government spending? Secondly, ever talk to average people about their pay checks and have them complaining about how much taxes are taken out? Yet, again, we apparently have an incredible number of people who are willing to support a candidate who is promising to let Bush's tax cuts expire (a tax cut that was across the board for all economic classes) that will essentially raise taxes on everyone while giving back "tax credits" that not everyone will be able to take advantage of (or will know to do so without having someone else do their taxes) and when the tax cuts actually do expire will be an aggregate net loss, raise the taxes on small businesses and on investments, etc, etc, etc. Let's be realistic. Most Americans see the government as "the government", as if it was some monolithic, self-propelled machine. They see the people that they elect as "steering" the machine, but largely unable to control it. Except the president. Whoever is president is considered "at the helm" so, if the machine goes off course or does something funky, it's not about courts or congress, it's the machine and the helmsman. The "machine" of government is totally separate from the people. It must be, because, if the people actually felt like they had a say in running it, surely it wouldn't be so inefficient and costly. Just ask any American. They could tell you at least one government department they could recommend changes to. Like the DMV or the IRS. Why else can people be extremely angry about the bailout and yet see the Democrat congress as the people that pulled our financial stones out of the fire when it was the Democrats in congress who helped set it up for the fall? It wasn't these people, it was "the government." On that same note, while they recognize that the government has "taken their money" to give to the "Wall Street Fat Cats", they either believe that the money being given to themselves is money the government created or they believe they have paid in so much money personally that the government "owes" them. Or, just as badly, they believe that government "legal plunder" is being given out to everyone else so they might as well get "their share". On the other hand, actually calling it what it is, redistribution, does have certain connotations of Communism and Socialism, which the people (particularly the older variety that experienced any part of the nasty part of the Cold War) still comprehend is "bad". So, even if what is happening with protectionist tariffs, the destruction of free trade agreements, tax welfare, minimum wages and all the other "benefits" of socialism, they just can't bring themselves to say it. Which is also why the people complain endlessly about crooked politicians, earmarks and lobbyists and still elect the same group of thieves. Largely because they don't consider their own elected politicians as members of the "thieves den", but champions protecting the constituents interests by getting their fair share or some part of their own money back. Everybody else's politicians are thieves. So, is the American political discourse worse than Bernstein thought? Well, I don't want to point this out, but where, exactly, has Bernstein been all these decades? We are talking about the creators of the "Great Society" with Medicare, Medicaid and Welfare who went on to demonize and defeat the Soviet Union and Communism while decrying socialist leanings of Europe. But, let's be honest. The issue here isn't just that there is some redistributionist tendencies in the government, but that people do have a certain line they don't want to cross. The one they think will tip the US from being a Democratic Republic to a Socialist Democracy. They don't think we've crossed that line already or, more likely, keep moving the goals further out as the nation becomes more wealthy and they think that "the government" can afford more and more "benefits" without actually turning "socialist". So, the truth is, yes, the American political discourse is worse than Bernstein thought, but that's just because he gave it too much credence in the first place. | Recent Comments
Decaf:
"Reminds of a story my brother, a historian, told m ..."
Tim "Born to Kill" Walz: "Trump is Micheal Myers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ..." Xipe Totec: "The most pathetic Ford evah! The ALL NEW, Piece of ..." ...: "I think it has helped them quite a bit, for decade ..." People's Hippo Voice : "Why do people act like betting markets have some s ..." whig: "337 Why do people act like betting markets have so ..." ShainS -- In Trump's America, Garbage Throws YOU Out! [/b][/i][/s][/u] : "In hindsight it seems obvious. Yes, many people wa ..." gKWVE: "[i]how did they identify male Orthodox Jews, and h ..." Xipe Totec: "Babylon Bee: Millions of garbage bags seen lining ..." ChrisW: "It's like when the media told us that football cro ..." 18-1: "[i]In the 80s and 90s he was going off on Japan. C ..." Obligatory Seinfeld reference : ">>>An all white fiesta? What the hell is that? ..." Recent Entries
Quick Hits
Recycled Garbage: The Leftwing Identity-Politics Media Claims That Biden Never Said You Were Garbage and If He Did, That's Because You Are Tim Walz: I Competely Support Late Third-Term Abortions Of Course: The Democrat Lunatic Who Shouted "Alluha Akbar" As He Shot a Jewish Man on the Way to Synogogue Is a, Get This, Illegal Alien Allowed Into the Country in the Past 18 Months by Harris-Biden Supreme Court Overturns Hawaiian Judge's Insane Ruling -- Sought by the DOJ -- To Force Virginia to Put Illegal Alien Illegal Voters BACK on the Voting Rolls "The Only Garbage I See Floating Out There Are His Supporters:" Biden Goes Even Further Than "Deplorables" Wednesday Morning Rant Mid-Morning Art Thread The Morning Report 10/30/24 Daily Tech News 30 October Search
Polls! Polls! Polls!
Frequently Asked Questions
The (Almost) Complete Paul Anka Integrity Kick
Primary Document: The Audio
Paul Anka Haiku Contest Announcement Integrity SAT's: Entrance Exam for Paul Anka's Band AllahPundit's Paul Anka 45's Collection AnkaPundit: Paul Anka Takes Over the Site for a Weekend (Continues through to Monday's postings) George Bush Slices Don Rumsfeld Like an F*ckin' Hammer Top Top Tens
Democratic Forays into Erotica New Shows On Gore's DNC/MTV Network Nicknames for Potatoes, By People Who Really Hate Potatoes Star Wars Euphemisms for Self-Abuse Signs You're at an Iraqi "Wedding Party" Signs Your Clown Has Gone Bad Signs That You, Geroge Michael, Should Probably Just Give It Up Signs of Hip-Hop Influence on John Kerry NYT Headlines Spinning Bush's Jobs Boom Things People Are More Likely to Say Than "Did You Hear What Al Franken Said Yesterday?" Signs that Paul Krugman Has Lost His Frickin' Mind All-Time Best NBA Players, According to Senator Robert Byrd Other Bad Things About the Jews, According to the Koran Signs That David Letterman Just Doesn't Care Anymore Examples of Bob Kerrey's Insufferable Racial Jackassery Signs Andy Rooney Is Going Senile Other Judgments Dick Clarke Made About Condi Rice Based on Her Appearance Collective Names for Groups of People John Kerry's Other Vietnam Super-Pets Cool Things About the XM8 Assault Rifle Media-Approved Facts About the Democrat Spy Changes to Make Christianity More "Inclusive" Secret John Kerry Senatorial Accomplishments John Edwards Campaign Excuses John Kerry Pick-Up Lines Changes Liberal Senator George Michell Will Make at Disney Torments in Dog-Hell Greatest Hitjobs
The Ace of Spades HQ Sex-for-Money Skankathon A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates Margaret Cho: Just Not Funny More Margaret Cho Abuse Margaret Cho: Still Not Funny Iraqi Prisoner Claims He Was Raped... By Woman Wonkette Announces "Morning Zoo" Format John Kerry's "Plan" Causes Surrender of Moqtada al-Sadr's Militia World Muslim Leaders Apologize for Nick Berg's Beheading Michael Moore Goes on Lunchtime Manhattan Death-Spree Milestone: Oliver Willis Posts 400th "Fake News Article" Referencing Britney Spears Liberal Economists Rue a "New Decade of Greed" Artificial Insouciance: Maureen Dowd's Word Processor Revolts Against Her Numbing Imbecility Intelligence Officials Eye Blogs for Tips They Done Found Us Out, Cletus: Intrepid Internet Detective Figures Out Our Master Plan Shock: Josh Marshall Almost Mentions Sarin Discovery in Iraq Leather-Clad Biker Freaks Terrorize Australian Town When Clinton Was President, Torture Was Cool What Wonkette Means When She Explains What Tina Brown Means Wonkette's Stand-Up Act Wankette HQ Gay-Rumors Du Jour Here's What's Bugging Me: Goose and Slider My Own Micah Wright Style Confession of Dishonesty Outraged "Conservatives" React to the FMA An On-Line Impression of Dennis Miller Having Sex with a Kodiak Bear The Story the Rightwing Media Refuses to Report! Our Lunch with David "Glengarry Glen Ross" Mamet The House of Love: Paul Krugman A Michael Moore Mystery (TM) The Dowd-O-Matic! Liberal Consistency and Other Myths Kepler's Laws of Liberal Media Bias John Kerry-- The Splunge! Candidate "Divisive" Politics & "Attacks on Patriotism" (very long) The Donkey ("The Raven" parody) |