Spoiled brats...
I read an article today that pissed me off.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53028
It is the perfect example of why the priveliged in this country are so out of touch with the rest of us and it makes me mad. Apparently a ring-ding named Craig R. Smith thinks that I'm a spoiled brat for being unhappy with the direction that our country is headed and unhappy with the performance of Dubbyuh. He then begins to tell me why I'm ungrateful for all of these apparent joys that I have simply by being from the USA. If you give his article a general, broad read you may agree with him. But if you start to really pick it apart, it's got more holes than a block of Wisconsin-made Swiss cheese. Let's begin...
"Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?"
The storm drains in our culdesac flooded two weeks ago and we were out of water for a couple of days. We pay $232 a month for power. Ask the Iraqis if they'd pay half as much for the stuff and I bet they'll happily use their candles and generators out of choice. Sure, 95.4% of us have jobs, but how many of us have had our wages go up at least as much as the rate of inflation in the last four years? I make the same amount as I did three years ago doing the same job. And what about Darfur? What exactly have we done to fix THAT genocide? If we held their situation to the same standard as we did the Iraqis before the Iraq War, or even now, we would have 150,000 troops in Africa saving human lives and keeping the peace.
"Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. Whether you are rich or poor they treat your wounds and even, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital."
The reasons why we don't have to show identification to travel across state lines is because 1) we have created laws allowing us to do so; 2) we beat the bastards that occupied our land who might have created such restrictions in a war 230 years ago; 3) no politician would ever be elected if he or she supported interstate checkpoints. And if motels are so safe, why do the doors automatically lock when you close them? Iraq and most other large countries have thousands of restaurants too. The difference is ours are more expensive so that the shareholders and CEO's can reach quarterly profit goals (see wages reference above). And the health care bit about car wrecks and helicopters? At what cost do we pay for that? Most other developed countries (and some non-developed countries) provide the same service for free. And don't think there isn't a hidden deductable for that helicopter ride at the same cost for those poor and those rich. That is, assuming they both have health insurance, which is also the same price for both.
"Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home, you may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of having a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes; an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers."
We don't own the house we live in because we can barely afford the rent! Most countries have firemen. There are roughly 500,000 residential fires each year in the US and over 126 million houses and almost as many apartments. That's a .2% chance you're going to call the Anytown FD when you forget to water your Christmas tree this winter and your lights start getting warm. I'd like a reference to the cost of homeowners insurance in this country. One of my many flat-screen tv's? Who is this guy? It took us six months to pay for our regular tv. I've tried to find data on how many breaking and entering charges have been filed for crimes committed between 7:00am and 9:00pm while the residents were home. I bet it's less than 10%. And who is dropping the bombs and "raping and pillaging" the people of Iraq? Maybe Craig didn't read the headline from this past February of an Army sergeant raping an Iraqi girl and killing her family (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17247852/). And our daughter will not own a cell phone or have her own computer. That's a parenting problem, not a luxury."
How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy."
You can't be serious, Craig. "Complete religious, social and political freedoms" ??? We are promoting religious and racial profiling in our law enforcement as well as promoting and legislating socially conservative and religious viewpoints such as abortion, the death penalty and prayer in schools while condemning the athiests and agnostics. Not to mention the demonizing of people and opinions contrary to those of the current president and his administration. Take Craig's article, for example.
"Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here."
I won't touch the religious references, but to call us all "spoiled" is to live in a box where everyone is well-off and the same in this country. The fact is that there is a divide between those who believe that everything in America is hunkey-dorey and those who think we have an agressive, controlling, self-serving nature that needs to focus more on our own problems and needy people than those that exist thousands of miles away of which our need for their attention is debateable.
- Iraq will be more stable and Americans will be safer if we pull out 100,000 troops by next Spring... debateable.
-47 million Americans have no health insurance and cannot afford basic health needs such as dental care and routine doctor visits... fact.
That is the problem, Craig. That is why I am unhappy with our current direction and that is why I am unhappy with the performance (or lack thereof) of Dubbyuh. This country has been supporting the priveliged and wealthy for too long at the expense of those of us who can barely afford our basic needs while trying to have a quality of life worthy of that job that we apparently should be so greatful for. It might be worthy to note that craigrsmith.com lists the author as CEO of the Swiss America Trading Corporation and is clearly a wealthy man (not to mention the fact that he disputes that oil is a fossil fuel and a finite resource).
I don't expect Mr. Smith to understand the majority of America. He is rich, we are not and that brings some fundamental differences to our viewpoints. It's just a shame that the loaded CEO is calling me and my wife "spoiled brats."
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53028
It is the perfect example of why the priveliged in this country are so out of touch with the rest of us and it makes me mad. Apparently a ring-ding named Craig R. Smith thinks that I'm a spoiled brat for being unhappy with the direction that our country is headed and unhappy with the performance of Dubbyuh. He then begins to tell me why I'm ungrateful for all of these apparent joys that I have simply by being from the USA. If you give his article a general, broad read you may agree with him. But if you start to really pick it apart, it's got more holes than a block of Wisconsin-made Swiss cheese. Let's begin...
"Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?"
The storm drains in our culdesac flooded two weeks ago and we were out of water for a couple of days. We pay $232 a month for power. Ask the Iraqis if they'd pay half as much for the stuff and I bet they'll happily use their candles and generators out of choice. Sure, 95.4% of us have jobs, but how many of us have had our wages go up at least as much as the rate of inflation in the last four years? I make the same amount as I did three years ago doing the same job. And what about Darfur? What exactly have we done to fix THAT genocide? If we held their situation to the same standard as we did the Iraqis before the Iraq War, or even now, we would have 150,000 troops in Africa saving human lives and keeping the peace.
"Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. Whether you are rich or poor they treat your wounds and even, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital."
The reasons why we don't have to show identification to travel across state lines is because 1) we have created laws allowing us to do so; 2) we beat the bastards that occupied our land who might have created such restrictions in a war 230 years ago; 3) no politician would ever be elected if he or she supported interstate checkpoints. And if motels are so safe, why do the doors automatically lock when you close them? Iraq and most other large countries have thousands of restaurants too. The difference is ours are more expensive so that the shareholders and CEO's can reach quarterly profit goals (see wages reference above). And the health care bit about car wrecks and helicopters? At what cost do we pay for that? Most other developed countries (and some non-developed countries) provide the same service for free. And don't think there isn't a hidden deductable for that helicopter ride at the same cost for those poor and those rich. That is, assuming they both have health insurance, which is also the same price for both.
"Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home, you may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of having a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes; an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers."
We don't own the house we live in because we can barely afford the rent! Most countries have firemen. There are roughly 500,000 residential fires each year in the US and over 126 million houses and almost as many apartments. That's a .2% chance you're going to call the Anytown FD when you forget to water your Christmas tree this winter and your lights start getting warm. I'd like a reference to the cost of homeowners insurance in this country. One of my many flat-screen tv's? Who is this guy? It took us six months to pay for our regular tv. I've tried to find data on how many breaking and entering charges have been filed for crimes committed between 7:00am and 9:00pm while the residents were home. I bet it's less than 10%. And who is dropping the bombs and "raping and pillaging" the people of Iraq? Maybe Craig didn't read the headline from this past February of an Army sergeant raping an Iraqi girl and killing her family (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17247852/). And our daughter will not own a cell phone or have her own computer. That's a parenting problem, not a luxury."
How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy."
You can't be serious, Craig. "Complete religious, social and political freedoms" ??? We are promoting religious and racial profiling in our law enforcement as well as promoting and legislating socially conservative and religious viewpoints such as abortion, the death penalty and prayer in schools while condemning the athiests and agnostics. Not to mention the demonizing of people and opinions contrary to those of the current president and his administration. Take Craig's article, for example.
"Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here."
I won't touch the religious references, but to call us all "spoiled" is to live in a box where everyone is well-off and the same in this country. The fact is that there is a divide between those who believe that everything in America is hunkey-dorey and those who think we have an agressive, controlling, self-serving nature that needs to focus more on our own problems and needy people than those that exist thousands of miles away of which our need for their attention is debateable.
- Iraq will be more stable and Americans will be safer if we pull out 100,000 troops by next Spring... debateable.
-47 million Americans have no health insurance and cannot afford basic health needs such as dental care and routine doctor visits... fact.
That is the problem, Craig. That is why I am unhappy with our current direction and that is why I am unhappy with the performance (or lack thereof) of Dubbyuh. This country has been supporting the priveliged and wealthy for too long at the expense of those of us who can barely afford our basic needs while trying to have a quality of life worthy of that job that we apparently should be so greatful for. It might be worthy to note that craigrsmith.com lists the author as CEO of the Swiss America Trading Corporation and is clearly a wealthy man (not to mention the fact that he disputes that oil is a fossil fuel and a finite resource).
I don't expect Mr. Smith to understand the majority of America. He is rich, we are not and that brings some fundamental differences to our viewpoints. It's just a shame that the loaded CEO is calling me and my wife "spoiled brats."
