They actually think we’re stupid.
I try not to be overly political here, but this really isn’t about one side vs. the other. Both sides do this. I’m not sure when it started, but it’s highly annoying. I guess it’s our fault, really. We get the government we deserve. And we’ve become a society that never actually reads anything beyond the headlines. So why would anyone bother to read a 1000+ page bill.
The older I get the more this man becomes my political hero:
The most annoying thing is, on the rare occasion that someone actually reads and thus opposes a bill, the other side will say “You don’t support [misleading name of bill]!”
I used to wonder how political disagreements could cause people to be so far apart from each other on actual facts. Surely one side must be right and the other side must be wrong. I don’t think it’s quite that simple, though.
Most reasonable people agree on the problems (the big ones, anyway). Nobody thinks pollution or poverty are good things. They disagree on the solutions and how much one solution might actually help solve the problem - and what unintended consequences it might cause.
Government solving problems is a conflict of interest, though. It’s kind of like taking your car to a shady mechanic. If they actually fix everything and it’s running fine, how do they make any money? So they might fix one major, blatant problem, and cause a hundred smaller ones that they can come back and fix later.
Mostly because they know you won’t pay attention. You assume they have your best interests at heart. They assume you’re stupid. Or at best, just too caught up in your own problems that you don’t have time to check on them. So they throw you a bone here… give you a little money back on your taxes for one thing there… blame all of your problems on their opponents… rinse and repeat.
Of course, the biggest problem is that the government is in any way a money-making business. It’s unfathomable how the US is so far in debt. And yet politicians who enter “service” as middle-class and earn a relatively mediocre salary end up as millionaires after a few years. Why do we never talk about that? I guess it’s just a mystery for the ages.
So what’s my point here? Don’t be a sheep. If a politician tells you something, start with the assumption that they’re lying to you - because they probably are. Even if they’re from your own tribe… especially if they’re from your own tribe.
Ok, let’s get that political junk out of our heads with a gnome riding a skunk…
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Have a great week!
-Brad