The Fat Lady has sung, but Republicanns didn't hear her!

[nradisic]

Some things will never cease to amaze me....but today I learned something. I had a heated political discussion this morning with my Republican father-in-law, regarding politics and the utter failure and moral bankruptcy of the GOP.To preface this, my in-laws are well educated, polite, very generous, very loving people. On the other hand, my father-in-law made me realize something...every time I made a valid argument, his answer would be, yeah whatever, or it was Clinton's fault and still is. I know the friends of my in-laws very well and get a chance to talk to them often. They are for the most part, rather well off, having worked hard for it all of their lives and yes, most of them are Republican. They hate anyone, for any reason getting anything from the government for free. It's like an illness, they can't cure. It seems to me that a majority of them including my in-laws are of the "I'll never vote Democrat, no matter how bad the GOP gets, because too many people on wellfare take advantage of the system".

Here's an example - We started discussing Katrina and my father-in-laws beef was that so many "people" don't have any accountability for their own well being - why didn't those people from NO decided to leave sooner rather than be trapped in the city, why do they have to depend on the government?...I said OK, if it is about accountability, why does the Republican party or any of ite leadership have any accountability? He changes the subject or brushes my argument aside, unable to give me a logical argument, its always...well, but...we started talking about the mess in the middle east and it all boiled down to - in his view - things that Bill Clinton did not do right 6, 8 or 10 years ago. He is delusional and completely unbale to see the whole picture"

It is the "Conservative mindset" - If you've got your head all the way up your ass, how the hell are you supposed to see where you are going?"

I love my in-laws, but they are part of the 30% or os of Americans who for whatever reason are totally blind to what the GOP really stand for or they are OK with it. Granted, that blindness is mostly based on ignorance. You can have a colledge degree, make $500,000 per year, be succesful and still be ignorant. It is the GOP base. They will never vote Democrat no matter how right the Democrats are and how wrong the Republicans are.

They are miopic, unable to see what direction the country is going and what the people's choice really is - nor do they seem to care - just like the majority of Republicans in office now - they have not heard the fat lady sing. She has sung folks. Most Americans that are open minded and can have their views changed, have already done so...The rest will wake up on Wednesday, November 8th, 2006 and say "Whoa! Holy shit! What the hell happened in this election?

[acmavm]

1. They're against anyone getting anything from the government that

they didn't earn? And you say they are relatively well off?

Ask them why people like you and me are paying their taxes.

[nradisic]

2. With all due respect....

My father-in-law, survived Polio, put himself through school and retired as the President of a large company and I'm sure paid his dues when it comes to his share of taxes.

[Mountainman]

4. Look if the taxes don't go for social programs they go to daddy war

bucks companies like Hiliburton. Why should we give money to corporations that did not earn it? We don't need to send billions to Iraq while people at home have no health care. Make an argument he will understand. Gas prices are out of sight while oil companies make unheard of profits.

[acmavm]

6. With all due respect, my mother is a polio survivor who was never

supposed to get out of her iron lung. I was 18 months old. She was walking a year and a half after her diagnosis. I put myself through school (only a two year degree but graduated with honors and worked the whole damn time) and I can't find a job in the field I studied for. I have always paid my fair share, if not more than, taxes and worked hard. Your arguments do not make any headway with me.

But he is of the class that is taking advantage of the current corruption in Washington, and they can somehow justify their getting the tax breaks because 'they worked hard' and don't find any problem with denying poor children proper nutrition and medical care.

Why did you bother to post if you don't like the response? If you don't want anyone to comment on their hypocrisy? Are they pillars in their church? Then I wonder why they so dislike the poor and the disadvantaged?

Never post something that you don't want to hear honest feed back on.

[leesa]

11. Then THEY are the welfare recipients they speak of. THEY are the Cadillac

Queens. The vast bulk of our tax perks goes to corporate welfare and the tax breaks they enjoy are what produces the large increases in state and local taxes and fees we have to pay.

It's THEIR (as the corporate wealthy) sucking on the public teat that is the problem. Polio has nothing to do with it.

[iwannadem]

14. Plus they are religious fundamentalist hate-filled bigots.

[patricia92243]

3. They are just typical "compassionate" conservatives. If they were in a m

mess, they would want the government to give them a helping hand. Lack of empathy is one of the many Republican "values."

[mnhtnbb]

9. Bingo! Lack of empathy is a major Republican value

They are completely unable to put themselves in someone else's shoes. They see no need for social justice. "Love your neighbor as yourself" is just something they hear on Sunday and then turn around and say, "We're all sinners" when they're called to be accountable for practicing their Christian faith.

Believe me, I know. My parents were life-long Republicans and my mother
was one of the most unempathic people I've ever encountered.

[pooja]

5. Send them to my house. I have the coveted college degree.

I am young. I work 56hrs a week for a measly $26,000 a year, with no benefits job. These aren't the good times where hard work deserves rewards. We work harder in America for nothing. There are less benefits. We don't build anything but debt. There are no longer pensions. I can barely manage my bills every month, and yes I do come from a middle class family with the house, the dogs, and two parents. If I can barely manage, how the hell do they think someone who grew up with absolutely no resources is going to fair in the United States?

If they would like to walk in the shoes that they have created... Gladly, I'll give them mine... they come with such luxuries as a jeep from 1995 (its almost 07), flip flops, a 2 bedroom apt. with neighbors from hell, and normally a budget of about $5.00 left at the end of the day. Oh, by the way I am a white, educated woman... maybe my fault here is being a woman.. I know how much respect they demand from republicans. But if he'd like to donate to my income, I would gladly take the luxury of staying at home and raising my own children.

[hashibabba]

8. Pooja, at $26,000 a year you would probably qualify for

housing assistance in your area. Oh, that's right, Bush is cutting that program in half this year. Programs usually have a three year waiting period, but last year our housing authority stopped accepting applications. It just gets better and better.

The so-called *compassionate* conservatives are the least compassionate people I've ever met.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

7. How come they don't mind when rich

people get things free from the government?

I am sure some of them got big tax rebates, did they turn them back?

[acmavm]

10. You know what, you really pissed me off with your snippy retort. The

more I think about it the madder I get. You post about these two supporters of the most criminal administration in this country's history and you get snippy when someone points out what a couple of hypocrites they are. And you use the justification that they've paid their fair share of taxes in their time. Two questions for you:

1. You don't think people like me haven't paid our fair share? I've never been on public assistance but there were a couple of times I sure needed help but didn't get it. I am having to deal with the ramifacations of the last catastrophe to this day (from the day I had TWO strokes in Jan '05.) I was back at work one week, SEVEN DAYS MY FRIEND, from the date I missed my first day of work. I didn't get to do rehab or therapy. I didn't get a dime of help on my medical bills, and I didn't get a dimes help in any other way either. So don't sing the blues to me about shit like that.

2. Those people support an administration who wants to outright STEAL money I've paid into the government for decades. My social security is constantly under threat from these people. Or do these nimrods think that social security is an government give-away as well?

3. They support an administration/party who is so oblivious to reality that they find a private sexual act by two consenting adults (which is not the American public's business) to be more disgraceful and wrong than the wholesale slaughter of tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians?

Whatever. I think I'll go outside for a while. Your post just confuses me to hell. What did you want? Sympathy? A shoulder to cry on? What?????????

[nradisic]

12. Re: Honest feedback

I have nothing against honest feedback, just personal attacks. I do not agree with or comprehend the GOP way of thinking. That does not mean that everyone who thinks that way is inherently total scum (although many Republicans seem to be utter scum).

I know my in-laws are at heart good people. I just don't get how some of their thinking is so twisted. I am curious as to where it comes from - it is not something that happens overnight - and unfortunately I believe that most of the folks who have the "Welfare is a free ride" or "Those people" attitude, come from the old school, they cannot come right out and say it, but there is an undertone of racism involved.

[badgerpup]

13. Possible TMI alert, but is this an example of 'these people'?

I worked for 23 years as CNA and PCA. Damn good at it, too.
Yeah, thought that was too damn low-paying, even if I was holding two jobs (P-P or P-F) so went back to college as non-traditional student. Ran out of funding...not much you can do with a psych/bio bachelors degree that you can do without one.
Paid taxes, but income bracket was so low got full fed refund nearly every year...paid state taxes, however.
Never married. No kids.
Oh, did I mention that I was trying to manage an undiagnosed mental illness for much of that time? Probably why I was unable to 'get ahead'.
Car accident left me disabled, unable to continue working...living on SSDI.
So...am I a 'welfare queen?' One of 'these people'?
Because I assure you, I busted my ass when I WAS working.