Sometimes the People We are Trying to Help are Our Own Worst Enemies

[louis c]

Here I go again.

Every holiday, I'm the enemy, politically speaking.

Every one of my relatives, or their spouse at our annual Christmas party has a government or quasi-government job, except me and mine.

Yet, I'm the only liberal.

Each one, including my brother, gets paid from the government or works for a non-profit that relies on government funds, both state and federal. The others have various school department jobs funded by local taxes.

Each one has a very good health care plan through their government jobs or retired government jobs, including my Aunt and elderly mother. God bless them all, they deserve it, as far as I'm concerned.

Yet they all think they are Republicans, (excluding my mom)

They talk down Obama and Patrick. They don't want "government run health care". They say it's for illegals.

Naturally, I've heard enough, so I step up on my soap box and let 'er rip.

"Every one of you has government run heath-care. Every one of you has a government job. I'm out there arguing against the same assholes that you support in an effort to protect your jobs, and you're working against me. The only one in this room with a private sector job, with no connection to the Government is me, and you support the assholes who want to cut government spending. When they say they want 'charter schools' and private school vouchers, who do you think will be out of work? When they want to privatize the custodial staff and replace it with 'cleaning crews' who loses? When the taxpayers who don't work for the government, want you to pick up the same proportion of your health care premiums that most of them do (50%) who is out there defending you? Those people who want to cut government subsidies for the poor that under wrights the non-profit programs that employ you, it's the AFL-CIO that puts up the fight in the state legislature or Congress to fight to keep those subsidies in. I wouldn't mind if you folks were all small business owners or worked in the financial Industry. I would disagree with your positions, but at least I'd know that you were protecting 'you own turf'. But the people that are defending you are the ones you vilify. Be careful, you just might win and find out you're all out of a job"

Needless to say, I usually end up making them think but I'm still the least popular guy in the room.

[dkf]

1. The only good employer is Government.

That's the way to get good benefits when you are working and when you retire. Private industry can't afford it after the CEOs take their cut.

[louis c]

2. Exactly.

and too many of the ones who benefit think they are "Reagan Democrats".

I work every day in the private sector (racetrack). I get a small stipend to serve as the union president of a small union and volunteer for political assignment for the AFL-CIO (at no additional pay).

The battles I fight are on behalf of everyone in that room. And they're fighting against me.

It does get frustrating at times.

[dkf]

3. Private sector people have to be a lot more responsible than Govt

Employees. They don't have to worry about having a pension that will allow them to survive. They can live guaranteed paycheck to guaranteed paycheck. Really I kind of regret not going that route. I could have had early retirement, and gotten medical. Now even if I have a decent nest egg, I'll have to work to medicare age to get health insurance. Its not fair.

[malletgirl02]

4. Also

Government pensions are much more reliable. In the private sector most people have 401Ks instead of penisions. 401Ks are very volatile as we seen the past few years. Also government workers don't have to worry about their pensions going up in smoke as what happen to the people who worked for Enron.

[CTyankee]

9. former coworker on food stamps and her kids benefitted til age 18 from SSI disability payments to

help support them when their father became disabled. thisformer coworker (I'm now retired) has declared herself a "conservative democrat." Hell, at this point shemay have moved all the way into the puke party. She doesn't like Obama (race thing) and never did.

She works, but for a nonprofit that can't pay health care. I'm sure she's against this hcr bill but not because she wants it more liberal.

Once in a while, when I run into her we have a chat and I remind her that the benefits she has had were due to DEMOCRATIC adminisrations. It makes her uncomfortable and I'm glad. She NEEDS to feel uncomfortable.

Oh, she also hates "illegals."

So I understand your frustration...

[Hydra]

5. Kudos on calling them out

Often, the people we care about most speak up in support of the things that are not in their interest. Baffling and frightening, really.

[louis c]

6. I was hoping that my family is an aberration

but I fear they are quite representative when I look at the polls.

[malletgirl02]

7. Seconded

I agree good for the OP for calling them out. My mom said the people at my mom's office was doing the same thing at my mom's office. the Thing is she works for a government contractor. The company depends on the government spending large amounts of money on contracts to keep the company in business.

[Greyhound]

8. It is just flat-out frightening how ignorant we are.

Keep up your good cheer

and
:toast:

[Laelth]

10. Thanks for fighting the good fight. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth