I Stepped In A Bag Of Tea Today At Job Club

[Kennah]

I'd just heard Bill Press, filling in for Thom Hartmann, announce the President would be addressing jobs in a joint session of Congress on the 7th.

Told of this jobs news when I got to Job Club, and a guy there started in with a list of canned hot button words that was something like, "Well, since Obama is a socialist Kenyan colonialist" and I interjected, "You forgot secret muslim." He continued how it would just be more government spending and that only takes away from the private sector.

Uh-oh. No longer Kansas. I tossed on the secret muslim comment because it sounded like he was speaking in sarcasm a la the President's RW critics. I was mistaken. This guy was a RW critic, and apparently very taken with Tea Bagger catchphrases.

I recovered quickly and responded, "No." He repeated my answer as a question, "No?" I added, "Infrastructure. Government builds infrastructure, not the private sector." He started in with "Well, uh ..." and I interrupted.

I talked a bit about ASCE's report card on failing infrastructure. Then I leapt onto, without remembering the name, of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Saw a program, I believe on Planet Green, about the Delta's vulnerability and how 23 million Californians rely upon water from it.

Guess I'll print these links and bring 'em next week. Should be fun.

http://www.asce.org/reportcard/
http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-06-02/news/21653541_1_american-rivers-upper-delaware-river-water-supply
http://www.americanrivers.org/newsroom/press-releases/2010/sacramento-most-endangered-rivers-2010-6-2-2010.html

[Bigmack]

1. Job club..?

Is that like Fight club..?

No.. seriously... a guy with that teabaggery bullshit is looking for a job?

He's a Republi-bagger?

I wouldn't hire that dumb bastard to shovel out my pig pen.

[Kennah]

3. The first rule of Job Club is you do not talk about Job Club

Yeah, I was taken aback. At Job Club, people don't delve into the ugly details of by how many fingernails they are hanging on and separated from homelessness. However, couple of things I've heard, and this guy sounds like he closer to it than most. Over at WorkSource, is usually where I encounter the ones who really are homeless.

I would have thought that hanging over the edge of the precipice of middle class, awaiting a fall into the Have Not world of poor/homelessness, one would probably realize that Tea Baggery doesn't lead to prosperity. I was mistaken.

[Bigmack]

5. I got into a thing on FB with a former student...

He has a small business doing video and audio production, and thinks everybody who isn't employed is lazy. He has all the Republican talking points down pat. "Job creators".. "..regulations killing jobs...", etc. Guy actually said that the homeless should bathe in streams to get themselves cleaned up for job interviews. (I know you don't believe he really said that, so I'll quote him..."Homeless persons can bathe in rivers, streams, gas station bathrooms, public parks....The place and opportunity to do so is not lacking. Just the will."

Fucker was born in an affluent suburb... good schools... the whole 9 yards. Born on third base and he thinks he's hit a home run.

I can't be so awful as to hope his little bubble bursts, but I'm damned close! He needs a little reality therapy.

I hope you find the best job in the world!

[Kennah]

6. You don't have to convince me. I believe you. Twits like that just boggle my mind.

The divide today is Haves/Have Nots.

If it persists, revolution could ensue--either bloody or bloodless.

If it's the former, the divide could become Lives and Live Nots.

If I joined the Haves, through a winning lotto ticket and that's about the only way, I'd be scared to death of a revolution and doing everything I could to avoid becoming one of those Live Nots.

[abq e streeter]

2. Uh oh, I think I see a snag in this plan...Using facts and logic vs. a repub...

But God/Goddess bless you for trying. It's something we should all keep doing, but I'm ashamed to admit that I have completely given up on trying to talk sense to any of 'em.

[Kennah]

4. I guess I was wrong in the first place to assume ...

... but now that I know he's a Bagger I'm having difficulty letting go without putting another shiv into him in the discussion.

I must have sounded incoherent and babbling because I couldn't come up with the name--Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta--but now I have it and have something to drop in his lap.

One of the other guys, who is an out of work engineer, latched onto the discussion about infrastructure. He was offering up helpful info to prod my memory, but it didn't take. I had to get in front of a computer and search.

He also didn't lean in one way or the other about the Baggery from the first guy. Maybe he didn't hear it. I'll bring two copies of the stuff I print and strike up a conversation with the engineer. See if the Bagger takes interest or stands back.

[abq e streeter]

7. Understandable, and commendable, to not want to let the guy get away with his bullshit

I really meant it about being ashamed to admit that I don't do that except on rare occasions anymore. They need to be stood up to, and I guess I'm just getting old, but also I have seen how they either don't care about facts and logic, or increasingly, see them as proof of the liberal plot against them. Also understandable to have assumed he was being sarcastic at first. When you hear that kind of BS, it's hard to comprehend that allegedly fully (?) functioning adults could possibly believe what they do. It's mind boggling, isn't it? Sock it to that guy next time and you have my admiration for doing so, and I hope he's one of the rare ones that's actually persuadable when confronted with documented facts.

[mitchtv]

8. Sacramento is the #1 city in the US

most in danger of disastrous flooding because of levee failure. we need to do something there fast.