What Has America Become

[Conservative]

Although one man's opinion it raises some issues here that deserve a lot of thought and makes a lot of sense to me.

What Has America Become?

By Ken Huber | Friday, July 2nd, 2010 at 1:00 am
Has America become the land of the special interest and home of the double standard?

Let’s see: If we lie to the Congress it’s a felony and if the Congress lies to us it’s just politics. If we dislike a black person, we’re racist and if a black person dislikes whites it’s his First Amendment right. The government spends millions to rehabilitate criminals and does almost nothing for the victims. In public schools you can teach that homosexuality is OK but you’d better not use the word “God” in the process. You can kill an unborn child, but it’s wrong to execute a mass murderer.

We don’t burn books in America — we now rewrite them. We got rid of the communist and socialist threat by renaming adherents “progressives.” We are unable to close our border with Mexico, but have no problem protecting the 38th parallel in Korea. If you protest against President Obama’s policies you’re a terrorist, but if you burned an American flag or George Bush in effigy it was your First Amendment right.

http://frontpage.americandaughter.com/?p=4363

 

[tacomancer]

I thought posting chain emails was Navy's thing.

 

[Barbbtx]

Thank You Conservative for posting this. I'm not Crazy! Someone else is wondering the same things I am. What an upside down world we're in.

 

[Conservative]

Megaprogram, does it matter who posts it? How about responding to content? What exactly in this opinion piece is wrong?

 

[tacomancer]

Megaprogram, does it matter who posts it? How about responding to content? What exactly in this opinion piece is wrong?

Its megaprogman

 

[Conservative]

Sorry about that megaprogman, now since you made an issue about posting the opinion piece how about giving us your opinion as to what is wrong in that piece and what you disagree with.

 

[tacomancer]

Sorry about that megaprogman, now since you made an issue about posting the opinion piece how about giving us your opinion as to what is wrong in that piece and what you disagree with.

Aside from the vast overgeneralizations and emotional rhetoric?

 

[Conservative]

Take your best shot and be specific

 

[tacomancer]

Take your best shot and be specific

I can't because what you quoted was not specific. That is why I mentioned overgeneralizations.

 

[Conservative]

In order to have overgeneralizations you have to cite specifics and you haven't. What is it specific in that article that is an overgeneralization as you see it?

 

[tacomancer]

In order to have overgeneralizations you have to cite specifics and you haven't. What is it specific in that article that is an overgeneralization as you see it?

Ahh, thats what you mean.

Well for example this:

We have eliminated all criminals in America — they are now called sick people.

The government spends millions to rehabilitate criminals and does almost nothing for the victims.

If you eliminate all criminals, than you wouldn't have any to rehabilitate. Now both of these statements are probably true in some specific sense or at least based on some real world event, but since they use generalized language and kind of imply that this is always the case, it contradicts itself. It is the problem I have with its over-generalization. Now, of course, the purpose of this over-generalization, as far as I can tell, is to increase the emotional response of the reader, which really does not further debate.

 

[Conservative]

What the article attempted to show is how upside down this country has become and why most people now believe we are headed in the wrong direction. The author expresses the point of view of many in this country today where personal responsibility seems to be lost in today's Democratic Party and in fact both parties who seem more concerned about getting re-elected or campaigning for their next job vs. doing their existing job

 

[tacomancer]

What the article attempted to show is how upside down this country has become and why most people now believe we are headed in the wrong direction. The author expresses the point of view of many in this country today where personal responsibility seems to be lost in today's Democratic Party and in fact both parties who seem more concerned about getting re-elected or campaigning for their next job vs. doing their existing job

Yes exactly. But its using overgeneralization and emotional rhetoric, which, in my opinion only serves to increase the emotionality of a position and not the logic of it.

 

[Barbbtx]

Yes exactly. But its using overgeneralization and emotional rhetoric, which, in my opinion only serves to increase the emotionality of a position and not the logic of it.

Maybe you could rewrite parts of it so I could see what you mean. You know, in a more logical, less emotional, less generalized way.

 

[tacomancer]

Maybe you could rewrite parts of it so I could see what you mean. You know, in a more logical, less emotional, less generalized way.

Well, I would have to contact the author to get the events that he was referring to since I don't know what all of them are. I don't care enough to do that. However, if you are unable to follow the thread, thats fine.

 

[Conservative]

Well, I would have to contact the author to get the events that he was referring to since I don't know what all of them are. I don't care enough to do that. However, if you are unable to follow the thread, thats fine.

It would seem to me that you could go line by line and tell me exactly what you find to be overdramatized, i.e. for example if you lie to Congress it is a felony but Congress lying to you is nothing but politics. That is a fact. Millions are spent on the prison system in this country to rehabilitate a criminal but victims get absolutely nothing and in many cases are in a cemetary somewhere. I could go on with every item there. Try it and get back to us.

 

[tacomancer]

Alright, this is my take on it.

Has America become the land of the special interest and home of the double standard?

This would assume that there was a time that it wasn't. All men are created equal, yet the founders owned slaves. The country started with double standards.

If we lie to the Congress it’s a felony and if the Congress lies to us it’s just politics.

I agree that this is a problem.

If we dislike a black person, we’re racist and if a black person dislikes whites it’s his First Amendment right.

It could be both or neither actually. There are no specifics here, it is a generalization.

The government spends millions to rehabilitate criminals and does almost nothing for the victims.

I see nothing wrong with this statement as it is true and the way things should work.

In public schools you can teach that homosexuality is OK but you’d better not use the word “God” in the process.

Generalization. I know a local public school principal that holds regular prayer meetings during office hours with his staff.

You can kill an unborn child, but it’s wrong to execute a mass murderer.

Generalization. Category:Executed mass murderers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

We don’t burn books in America — we now rewrite them.

Author does not explain an instance of a book being rewritten. Is he referring to the texas educational board or something?

We got rid of the communist and socialist threat by renaming adherents “progressives.”

There are not many progressives who would be happy to live in communist russia. Generalization.

We are unable to close our border with Mexico, but have no problem protecting the 38th parallel in Korea.

We have not tried to close our border so it is unknown if it is possible.

If you protest against President Obama’s policies you’re a terrorist, but if you burned an American flag or George Bush in effigy it was your First Amendment right.

I could be wrong, but I do not believe that anyone has been convicted of terrorism for protesting Obama or his policies.

You can have pornography on TV or the Internet, but you’d better not put a Nativity scene in a public park during Christmas.

Again, it is a generalization. Remind me next christmas and I will show you a snapshot of a navity in a public park in my home town.

We have eliminated all criminals in America — they are now called sick people.

All criminals? A generalization.

We can use a human fetus for medical research, but it’s wrong to use an animal.

Animal testing is not against the law.

We take money from those who work hard for it and give it to those who don’t want to work.

True.

We all support the Constitution, but only when it supports our political ideology.

True of everyone, but it has always been that way. I mean, heck, look at the louisiana purchase or the south succeeding before the civil war.

We still have freedom of speech, but only if we are being politically correct.

Not true, the ACLU defends politically incorrect speech all the time. Howard Stern is not in jail.

Parenting has been replaced with Ritalin and video games.

Generalization. Not all kids take ritalin and not all houses have a video game system (mine doesn't for example)

The land of opportunity is now the land of handouts.

Not true, people go from rags to riches. Look at the guys who invented google.

The similarity between Hurricane Katrina and the gulf oil spill is that neither president did anything to help.

That and one was an engineering problem while the other was a flood. This guy only names one similarity.

And how do we handle a major crisis today? The government appoints a committee to determine who’s at fault, then threatens them, passes a law, raises our taxes, and tells us the problem is solved so incumbents can get back to their reelection campaigns.

How were taxes raised as a result of the gulf spill?

What has happened to the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Open ended and nonspecific question.

Again, the author is taking what are probably specific complaints and complaining about them as if they were standard practice and general principal.

 

[Conservative]

Most are general principles and an example of what this country has become. Thanks for the attempt at a response. Most of them I disagree with but it serves no purpose. It was an opinion piece that was designed to generate discussion and it did that. Sorry that you don't see what "progressives" have done to this country and the direction this Administration is taking us. Much of what was written I agree with and I see NO leadership from this Administration in any area, it is study the issue, create a commission, demonize anyone that disagrees, politicize all issues never letting a crisis go to waste, threaten law suits, and do anything possible to destroy incentive and individual wealth creation.

You can have this Administration. By the way, here is what Obama thinks of Louisiana Obama To Louisiana: Drop Dead. Imagine if this was Bush. Hope Obama has a great vacation in Maine after telling everyone to go to the Gulf Coast.

 

[Orion]

I don't think it's fair to only examine the degradation of your country from a conservative perspective while placing the blame on so-called liberal ideologies. That's not very holistic.

I think there are many big, big problems that transcend the liberal/conservative camp values which are a threat to everyone, but as long as divisionalism continues to polarize people's minds, those issues are not going to get full attention.

 

[marduc]

I would actually venture to say that the divisionalism is one of the largest problems to begin with. And yes both sides have let us get to this point while acting similarly to each other and pointing fingers and saying nuh-uh wasn't me, that was you.

 

[Conservative]

Orion, there are certainly problems in both the Democratic and Republican Parties but the one ideology that makes all the sense in the world is the Conservative Ideology which right now is closer to the Republican point of view than the Democratic point of view. It is all about personal responsibility and consequences for choices made, neither is in the Democratic dictionary or vocabulary.

 

[randel]

Orion, there are certainly problems in both the Democratic and Republican Parties but the one ideology that makes all the sense in the world is the Conservative Ideology which right now is closer to the Republican point of view than the Democratic point of view. It is all about personal responsibility and consequences for choices made, neither is in the Democratic dictionary or vocabulary.

todays conservative ideology=help and fawn over the rich, screw the working man/the poor

 

[Barbbtx]

Most are general principles and an example of what this country has become. Thanks for the attempt at a response. Most of them I disagree with but it serves no purpose. It was an opinion piece that was designed to generate discussion and it did that. Sorry that you don't see what "progressives" have done to this country and the direction this Administration is taking us. Much of what was written I agree with and I see NO leadership from this Administration in any area, it is study the issue, create a commission, demonize anyone that disagrees, politicize all issues never letting a crisis go to waste, threaten law suits, and do anything possible to destroy incentive and individual wealth creation.

You can have this Administration. By the way, here is what Obama thinks of Louisiana Obama To Louisiana: Drop Dead. Imagine if this was Bush. Hope Obama has a great vacation in Maine after telling everyone to go to the Gulf Coast.

60,000 more jobs lost if he doesn't lift the ban real soon. He's not a stupid man. He's out to destroy us. How did we allow one man to have this kind of power?

 

[Orion]

Orion, there are certainly problems in both the Democratic and Republican Parties but the one ideology that makes all the sense in the world is the Conservative Ideology which right now is closer to the Republican point of view than the Democratic point of view. It is all about personal responsibility and consequences for choices made, neither is in the Democratic dictionary or vocabulary.

I think you know the GOP talking points well but if you honestly look at what the GOP has become I think you will find that it is far from those values. They might cut back on things like welfare but they increase spending on corporate socialism. And what did the GOP give us? Two simultaneous wars in two nations that are fiscally non-sustainable. Both parties just one-up each other once they get into power. The democrats spend a lot, and then the GOP spends a lot and blames it on the precedent that the democrats set, and vice versa.

I think the GOP is gradually becoming a neo-conservative party that is more focused on hot button social issues than it is on fiscal responsibility. Not that the democrats are that much better.

 

[tacomancer]

Most are general principles and an example of what this country has become. Thanks for the attempt at a response. Most of them I disagree with but it serves no purpose. It was an opinion piece that was designed to generate discussion and it did that. Sorry that you don't see what "progressives" have done to this country and the direction this Administration is taking us. Much of what was written I agree with and I see NO leadership from this Administration in any area, it is study the issue, create a commission, demonize anyone that disagrees, politicize all issues never letting a crisis go to waste, threaten law suits, and do anything possible to destroy incentive and individual wealth creation.

You can have this Administration. By the way, here is what Obama thinks of Louisiana Obama To Louisiana: Drop Dead. Imagine if this was Bush. Hope Obama has a great vacation in Maine after telling everyone to go to the Gulf Coast.

Good, so you don't disagree that it is a bunch of generalizations., especially since you are making some of your owns in bold. I am glad as it supports my point that it does not further debate but only an emotional response, which has no use but to entrench people.