Open Thread: Nothing New Under the Sun

Freeloaders Redux (0.00 / 0)

Yesterday, one of the DailyKos diarists came to the, for him, startling conclusion that, for the most part, the red or conservative-leaning states are freeloaders in the sense that they routinely collect more from the public purse than they pay in.  One can tell that the author was startled from his use of capital letters in his title.  The use of all caps on the internet signals shouting or astonishment.

I laughed out lout when I read the title; not out of surprise, but because I've been using that word to describe conservatives for at least fifteen months now (I checked the Hannah archives) and it's fun to see it catching on.

The blog search function tell me there are seven prior posts on Hannah Blog making a connection between freeloaders and such disparate interests as legal slavery and the good china.  I don't think the posts are mean-spirited.  Rather, the object is to make the point that some people are into taking and not very good about giving back.  They may not be able to help it, especially if their ability to even recognize other people is impaired.  It's not possible to serve, if needs cannot be identified.  

That's a criterion citizens should take into account when they engage in the hiring process.  Being vociferously against things is not a sign that people are aware of what they or anyone else wants.

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by: hannah @ Tue Nov 16, 2010 at 05:58:06 AM CST

The Fear Brokers (0.00 / 0)

How is this book overall?  In general, I tend to assume that books of this age on this sort of topic are outdated, but the excerpt above seems to prove me wrong.  Aside from being surprisingly pertinent and providing a glimpse into a person on whom there is little information online, is it a good read and worth digging around to find?

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by: FrankLloydMike @ Tue Nov 16, 2010 at 06:06:41 AM CST

I haven't read it straight through (0.00 / 0)

but instead have poured over various sections.

Normally a book like this I think would be fairly dated, but the Ronnie Reagan et al astroturfing of the New Right in the Carter years, with the subsequent purge of its targets, is highly reminiscent of the Kocsh and Armey and the Tea Party "movement".

birch, finch, beech

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by: Dean Barker @ Tue Nov 16, 2010 at 19:29:10 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Outstanding (0.00 / 0)

Granted, there's some trace of Sen. McIntyre's frustration (it was written during his campaign against Gordon Humphrey), but it is a great read. The parallel that Dean cited is hardly the only one. . . .

As this fine man said after the John Birch Society named him the Worst Senator in America: "I must be doing something right!"

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by: Dartmouth Dem @ Wed Nov 17, 2010 at 11:05:24 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Caveat Emptor (4.00 / 2)

A conservative Maryland physician elected to Congress on an anti-Obamacare platform surprised fellow freshmen at a Monday orientation session by demanding to know why his government-subsidized health care plan takes a month to kick in.

Republican Andy Harris, an anesthesiologist who defeated freshman Democrat Frank Kratovil on Maryland's Eastern Shore, reacted incredulously when informed that federal law mandated that his government-subsidized health care policy would take effect on Feb. 1 - 28 days after his Jan. 3rd swearing-in.

Happy ending:

Under COBRA law, Harris can pay a premium to extend his current health insurance an additional month.

Thank a Democrat, Mr. Harris. :v)


Whack-a-mole, anyone?

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Tue Nov 16, 2010 at 14:07:10 PM CST

I don't know how the Patriot Act party is all of a sudden in favor of digital privacy, (4.00 / 1)

But I'll take it.

--
No tea; no decaf.

@DougLindner

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Tue Nov 16, 2010 at 15:45:09 PM CST

(Sigh) (0.00 / 0)

As you put it earlier, Doug, they do make it hard. If a Democratic rep had gone after General Electric in 2001 for being "too close to George Bush" because of Jack Welch, that person would have been hushed down.

I support a look at Google. But it would be nice if they acted out of principle.

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by: JimC @ Tue Nov 16, 2010 at 16:59:24 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Google is the Obama of Silicon Valley (0.00 / 0)

Plenty to like, but if only they'd put their infinite resources where there mouth is...

--
No tea; no decaf.

@DougLindner

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Tue Nov 16, 2010 at 21:02:25 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Another Steele challenger (0.00 / 0)

... may emerge.

Ready for some reckless, irresponsible speculation? Here goes.

I am watching the Steele debate because my pet theory is that there is something close to a party split in the national GOP.

One faction desperately wants to get rid of Steele but is hoping the other faction will do it, and the other faction (the Tea Party, more or less) feels empowered to get rid of Steele but hopes the other faction won't pin it entirely on them. They're tired of being called racists (some are -- but most aren't) and would prefer to offer no further evidence.

So through the beauty of inertia, Steele may last a little longer. But he's going to go before 2012 really kicks in. I expect four or five challengers, with a consensus candidate emerging.

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by: JimC @ Tue Nov 16, 2010 at 16:53:36 PM CST