bmetzler's Journal: George Bush, The Man.

The latest from a sound-thinking Canadian (not an oxymoron after all!)

By David Warren
The Ottawa Citizen Sunday, September 11, 2005.

There's plenty wrong with America, since you asked. I'm tempted to say that the only difference from Canada is that they have a few things right. That would be unfair, of course I am often pleased to discover things we still get right.

But one of them would not be disaster preparation. If something happened up here, on the scale of Katrina, we wouldn't even have the resources to arrive late. We would be waiting for the Americans to come save us, the same way the government in Louisiana just waved and pointed at Washington, D.C. The theory being that, when you're in real trouble, that's where the adults live.

Hmm, the adults are in Washington DC? It's an interesting article. Go read the whole thing yourself.

Little Problem

[Allen Zadr]

From Article:

For the world divides into "the mouths" and "the wallets".

Certainly David Warren believes it, but...
Do you see it as that simple, really? This author immediately loses a great deal of credibility, in my view, the moment he makes such a broad statement.

Then -- if this is really the case -- would this not also immediately explain the age-old question, why are there so few poor Republicans?

While, I think the essay foolish in many ways, there is a cold hearted point that I "get". I mean,

Re:Little Problem

[jlanthripp]

I make more than 50k a year, and I actually don't think I'm "rich enough" to be a Republican.

I make about $14,500 a year at my full-time job (40 hours a week at $7.00/hour, no benefits at all) plus maybe $2k-$3k a year from side jobs. And I am primarily a Republican.

Let me explain - to Both of you...

[Allen Zadr]

When I lived in Florida, I went to a meet and greet event with this Republican [house.gov]. I wore my best clothes, and was on my best behavior. I was seventeen at the time, and I was definately not made to feel welcome. My mother's crappy Nissan Sentra sat in the parking lot among expensive cars - and I was stared at. My jacket was from J.C. Penny, and didn't exactly match my slacks... I was glared at. When I met Mr. Shaw, he winced a little, recoverd quickly, and shook my hand (without making eye contact).

It wa

Re:Little Problem

[ncc74656]

I make more than 50k a year, and I actually don't think I'm "rich enough" to be a Republican.

In my mind, Democrats tend to fall into two camps: (1) lower-income people ("welfare queens," union agitators, and such) who think society owes them everything and (2) zillionaires ("Hollyweirdos," "trustafarians," and such) who've already gotten their money and couldn't care less if you or I have the opportunity to get ahead. I make a fairly comfortable living now and came from what was eventually a solid midd

I haven't read the rest of the article

[Marxist Hacker 42]

But I don't consider "the wallets" to be adults. Real adults have no money- because they've actually been living up to their obligations in creating and feeding the next generation. People with money are either not living up to their obligations, or have dishonored their ancestors by failing to reproduce and provide the same or better standard of living to their children that they received from their parents. Quite often that's because there is a level of providing for your chidren beyond which they simp

Re:I haven't read the rest of the article

[blinder]

Real adults have no money

um maybe in *your* world. but in reality... you are completely wrong.

real adults HAVE money, because they know how to meet their obligations AND manage their resources.

Re:I haven't read the rest of the article

[Marxist Hacker 42]

um maybe in *your* world. but in reality... you are completely wrong.

real adults HAVE money, because they know how to meet their obligations AND manage their resources.

Somebody is allowed to keep resources without forming a limited liability corporation? Or having banks and other governmental forces (yes, the banking system is a part of government) come to take those resources away?

For instance, I supposedly own my house- but in reality I have to make payments to the bank monthly and the county yearl

Re:I haven't read the rest of the article

[Timex]

I hope that you understand that there are plenty of people in the US who own a home and have paid off their mortgage on it. Now I understand that you might be jealous, but that doesn't mean that home ownership is a "fraud" in the US.

I'm assuming you own your home and have paid off the mortgage on it. If you haven't, then let's pretend you have.

Would you still have to pay taxes on it? Yes, you would-- even though (technically) it's yours. What would happen if you refused to pay those taxes? Chances are,

Re:I haven't read the rest of the article

[Marxist Hacker 42]

Wait, how do the banks take my resources away?

2 ways in general. Both were at one time deemed usury. The first is by depriving you quick and ready access to your own money. Only 1/10th of the money supply is physical- you have no real way to get your hands on it in the case of a run on the bank; this is partially saved through federally insured accounts up to $100,000, but if you've ever REALLY been in that situation, you know it can take 6 months or more to see the payment, if ever. They make money o

After reading the full article

[Marxist Hacker 42]

He's got a few of his facts wrong- but it's nice to know that he was impressed. I'm sure by the standards of ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD- the rescue was amazing. But American taxpayers, both left and right, who have criticized the local & federal government response aren't the rest of the world. We know our own constitution; we know it's guarantees, we know what it promises in return for the rather heavy handed taxation and control we put up with. And as impressive as our disaster response is to

Re:After reading the full article

[eglamkowski]

MH42 considers disaster response to fall under providing for national defense.

How one defends against a hurricane I'm not sure, but that's his theory.

Re:After reading the full article

[Marxist Hacker 42]

MH42 considers disaster response to fall under providing for national defense.

And there's a large amount of case and legislative law on the subject that led me to that conclusion.

How one defends against a hurricane I'm not sure, but that's his theory.

Shields Up Captain! Ok, so bad sci-fi cliche, but in the case of defending against any form of weather, up to and including a hurricane, that's the first point. The second point is flight- and being able to take flight. I guess with all the rebuilding

Re:After reading the full article

[Marxist Hacker 42]

What in the world!? What constitional right, guarantees, and promises were broken after Hurricane Katrina? I guess it must be something that they fail to teach in Public School.

Not broken- but certainly severely bent with deadly consequences.

They teach it if you take the college prep courses. In 1803, Congress decided that recovering from "Acts of God" were a part of the common defense. The Supreme Court upheld the rebuilding of a small New Hampshire town a few years later.

That's the entire constituti

Re:After reading the full article

[Marxist Hacker 42]

Oh, TRUST me, the federal government will do plenty of rebuilding in New Orleans.

I'm sure they will- but I don't like my tax money paying for scenes of dead people on TV, and a federal agent when asked about those scenes saying "What people at the convention center?". Sloppy at best.

Is that common defense, or "immediate" response that you are expecting? It was the "immediate" response that people are complaining about, something that you even didn't mention as having a constitional foundation.

When at