There is a video on Youtube called "Why I'm voting Republican." It is a satire hit piece that basically shows how elitist Liberals label Conservatives as being uneducated warmonging racist hayseeds who want to destroy the environment and allow evil big corporations to make profits. Why don't I act suprised? In the video "Arnold Jones" says he's voting Republican because "all other countries are inferior to us." His wife, "Trudy Jones" adds, "and we should start as many wars as we need to keep it that way." There is a soldier in Iraq who says that he's voting Republican so that he can stay in Iraq. A young boy points a gun at the camera and says, "So I can go to Iran." Gee, I can feel the drool running out of both sides of my mouth. I guess that means the the floor in my house is level. Where is my banjo?
Townhall.com columnist Ben Shapiro penned a response piece titled "Why I'm voting Democrat. Here are some excerpts from that piece along with some additional reasons from others that added comments. I've added a few of my own at the end. This about sums it up. Thanks Ben!
"I am voting Democrat because:
The best strategy in war is defeat
I believe that if I don't have enough money, the solution is for the government to take more of my money. Who needs money when gas is $5 per gallon?
our enemies on the battlefield deserve comfy hotel rooms, Pay-Per-View, prostitutes and all the benefits of American citizenship
I believe we need other countries' permission for me to turn down my thermostat
I care about the real victims of crime -- criminals
because the real cure for racism includes preferential policies based on race
because everyone deserves crappy healthcare
because I believe in minority rights (except in Muslim countries), free speech (with regard to pornography but not conservative talk radio), environmentalism (unless we're talking about Al Gore's house) and diplomacy (but never backed by the threat of military force)
because I believe that America's founders were rich, white [racist], greedy xenophobes, and that America's founding principles are hogwash requiring periodic editing from an unelected group of liberal judges."
Here are some additional ones that were posted in the comment section:
"I'm voting Democrat:
because despite 10 years of lower temperatures amid increasing CO2 levels, I've suddenly realized that humans are warming Gaia Mother Earth Goddess. Also, because I believe the only way to prevent the catastrophe predicted by highly reliable and unbiased computer models is to create a guaranteed economic and social catastrophe by cutting our CO2 emissions by 70%, thereby destroying our modern industrial economy and our civilization
because I believe the government should be able to take my property and give it to some one else that promises to pay more taxes than I do
because we should lock up all of our oil and never drill for any over here because it will ruin the environment and cause even more global warming. Besides we can always get more from our enemies
because we don't pay enough in taxes. Everyone should give everything they earn to the government so they can redistribute it equitably to everyone
because we need more illegal aliens in this country to help support Social Security (OK, the Republicans are just as guilty on this one. Credit where credit is due)
because I prefer to have everything handed to me, rather than actually working for it
because I want to see the United States tethered to the Oil Cartels of the Middle East
because no one should be allowed to make a profit
because I hate rich people, well, rich people that aren't democrats. Well, for that matter, I hate the poor that aren't democrats too
because I am a convicted felon, an illegal alien, or because I am dead... and I vote
because I want to see a mushroom cloud over an American city. We deserve it
because I want to pay $10 for a gallon of gas and $300 a month for electricity
because the only hate speech I approve of is against white people [espcially white males]
because I think any person should be able to walk or swim into America and be allowed to stay and get Welfare
because I want to see this country spend itself into oblivion (Bush is just as guilty on this one)
because I want to see China as the next superpower
because I want young Americans to be brainwashed instead of learning dumb stuff like math and English
because I am a proud and dedicated Communist in the Democrat party and I hate America
because of their emotional arguments that have no basis in truth (or a kernel of truth attached to a bunch of lies. I think it's called Communist propaganda)
because it surely must be nice to be able to give every deadbeat dad, every lazy bum and ho too lazy to work, and the dictators of 3rd world countries other people's money. I want to feel that glow associated with the redistribution of wealth Obama is promising us. Oh, and of course, I don't plan on turning down MY thermostat or stop driving - that is for the idiot taxpayers who make it all happen
because I want to be friends with everybody in the world, especially those fanatical Islamic nutters who follow Bin Laden
because I like the Democratic idea of withdrawing troops from Iraq immediately so that we can invade Pakistan (or station them in Okinawa as John Murtha wants)
because I wish I didn't have so much money to spend on drugs [I'm hoping] voting Democrat will severely diminish my income
because I can't stand McCain [because] he's a patriot. I prefer a leader who is condescending to the hoards of 'gun totin' hillbillies who avidly cling to their religion
because I like the idea of being led by a student of Rev. Wright. His knowledge of racial harmony knows no bounds
because I think he would look highly fashionable in a duck outfit, because he walks like one and he looks like one (how about quacks like one too)
because I believe that the institution of marriage should be expanded to include not just people of the same sex, but multiple partners and animals as well
because I believe that we should cut back on our CO2 emissions by going back to 19th Century living styles to save our planet (that is, YOU are going back to 19th Century living styles, not me)
mainly because I'm stupid (I like that one)"
Here are a few of my own.
I'm voting Democratic because:
I'm lazy and I want the government to take care of me. I want to spend my life playing and having a good time. I don't want to have to take any responsibility for myself. I am such a victim. I'm being opressed by "The Man." Life is so hard. Why can't we be like Europe? They can smoke pot in the coffee houses in Amsterdam
I have an advanced degree paid for by Daddy, andI live a very comfortable upper middle class lifestyle in a big home with every creature comfort known to mankind. Consequently, I feel guilty about it. I won't have to change anything, but since I believe in the right things, it alleviates my feelings of guilt. Of course, I can always drive a Prius and shop at Whole Foods too to show that I care...not that it will reduce my electric bill due to the energy used heating my indoor pool
I'm a good world citizen. I want an illegal alien to mow my lawn, another one to be my kid's nanny, another one to do my laundry and clean my McMansion, while I go shopping for argula at Whole Foods in my hybrid, and then fly to a global warming conference in my private jet
Because of my income level (which I feel guilty about....well, not really), I'll be able to invest in all the new "green" investment opportunites coming down the pike bankrolled by federal grants due to higher taxes.The fact that these funds will have minimum investments of $10,000, $20,000, $50,000 or up to $1million makes them even more attractive.The little people can't afford them. That way I can use the dividends from these investments to offset the tax increases I will have to deal with. This will put more of a tax burden on the average working person and small businesses. But come on, those people are just stupid idiots anyway. They don't deserve to have anything
Because I am an elitist snob who believes that I am entitled to control you for your own good. If I get wealthy in the process from the confiscation of your assests in order to fund my programs, so be it. I'm entitled to what you earn, because I'm better, smarter, more educated, and believe in the right things. If I get wealthy from my green investments funded with grants paid for with your, not my tax dollars, so be it too. I promise that I will throw a few crumbs to the poor, which you will be too once I'm done with you. Most of yours will now be mine. I own you. Welcome to my plantation.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Amtrak Funding
I just read an article that says that the House just passed a veto proof Amtrak subsidy bill, and that the Senate version is also veto proof. The White House says it will veto it anyway, because it doesn't hold Amtrak accountable for costs. Ok, fair enough. Amtrak should do everything in its power to minimize costs and be as efficient as possible, but let's look at the big picture here. We need to expand passenger rail service in this country. Gasoline is over $4 per gallon, and air travel is going to get very expensive due to fuel costs. It's time to bring back the trains. The problem is, Amtrak is expensive, and that's because I personally don't think that the subsidies are sufficient. If they were, Amtrak would be an affordable alternative to air travel. It's not. I would like to see Amtrak increase service, and would also like to see the states encourage and develop their own inter city and inter urban rail systems to feed into the Amtrak network.
I'm not sure how many passengers can fit in a typical rail car, but if you have 10 or 12 car trains, you can move a lot of people. With electric engines, that means a lot of people being moved without the accompanying exaust from the same amount of people driving their own cars. One of the things Amtrak needs to do, however is to make long distance travel affordable. Right now you can ride a coach seat for the duration of a cross country trip, or you can get a roomette that converts into a first class priced bedroom. Bring back the old fashioned sleeper car where the berths pull down and the seats become beds with privacy curtains for a reasonable additional cost above the price of a coach seat. The shower can be down the hall.
In addition, it's also time for the cities and the suburbs to get away from expanding bus oriented public transportation unless there is no other reasonable alternative, and bring back the street cars and inter urbans of days yore. All urban and suburban public transportation services in our major metropolitan areas need to run 24/7 too.
I can hear some of my conservative friends saying now: "Chip, you can't be serious. As a conservative you are supporting the expansion of publicly funded public transportation systems?" Yes I am. It just makes too much sense. Gasoline is getting to the point where transportation costs are affecting the economy. When costs become too expensive, businesses suffer from loss of business, people lose jobs, and people end up on unemployment, which costs the rest of us money. Worse yet, the working poor, who make low wages because they lack skills and education, find that it is not worth it to work. Transportation costs are too much of an overhead. Therefore, they stay home and collect welfare. It's cheaper. What we don't need is a society where we have more people on welfare. There are too many collecting welfare now.
No public transportation system, short distance or long distance, can be affordable and convenient without massive public funding. It's a no brainer. Here in the DC area we have a halfway decent system called Metro. It's clean, it's relatively safe, and it's confortable most of the time. It has it's problems though. It's not all that cheap, and it's not all that convenient, unless you are living in the city. Expansion of service is slow due to not enough funding for expansion. This needs to be addressed. Build the lines and then encourage economic development along the lines, rather than doing it the other way around with busses.
There was a time when you had inter urban rail systems and trolley cars in the cities and close lying suburbs. Many cities are bringing them back, and the economic growth in those cities is tremendous. Expansion of bus service does not bring the same level of economic development as expansion of rail based public transportation. San Diego and Portland, Oregon proved this. Why? Because, rail travel is fun, and bus travel, for the most part, isn't. While I have nothing against busses and believe that they serve a very useful purpose, the middle class people that live in the suburbs and commute into the cities for work, would love not having to drive if they go back into the city at night for entertainment. They like trains and trolleys. They are fun. Riding a bus with 75 people, many of whom are standing for an hour on your way to work is no fun. With a trolley or light rail, you can add additional cars as needed to alleviate crowding.
Now comes the $50,000 question. How do you fund this? The federal gasoline tax is 18.4 cents per gallon. The average state gasoline tax is 28.6 cents per gallon, and in some areas, there are also county and municipal taxes. With fuel hitting over $4 per gallon, it would be stupid to increase fuel taxes. Most of the interstate highway system in this country is free, with only a small portion being toll roads. increase the amount of the system that is toll operated. That will allow less tax money that is used for expansion and maintenance of the highway system to be used. That money that used to be used for highways should be put into a lock box and used only for funding public transportion systems. You give generous tax breaks to offset the cost of tolls to trucking companies, bus companies, and individuals who need vehicles as part of their line of work. In addition, the actual activity of paying a toll makes people aware of the cost of transportation, rather than just slapping a higher amount on the gas tax and then have them temporarily grumble as they drive out of the gas station and get onto the open road.
Finally, in the high density urban areas, having major league traffic jams at toll booths will encourage people to get out of their cars and take the trolley or train. If they are going to be that stubborn and insist on driving, let them stew in their juices while the rest of us go zipping by in a nice air conditioned light rail, trolley, or train at 70 MPH. We are not taking away their right to drive. If they want to, that's fine. They can deal with the traffic and pay the toll. It's called freedom of choice.
I applaud Congress and the Senate for finally doing something right this term. Up until now they have been batting 1000 in screw ups. Let's use our brains to develop a viable transportation infrastructure for the future to get us off of oil that is sold to our wonderful oil companies (yea I know, you liberals hate them, but I love them) at extortion prices that fund tin pot dictators and terrorists. It will also take the wind out of the financial sail of power hungry billionaire Socialist commodities speculators and hedge fund managers. These anti-American messianic Monopolistic Capitalist Marxists, as opposed to Free Market Capitalists, are hedging against the dollar and artificially driving the price of oil sky high for their benefit and our detriment. These high dollar folks are trying to collapse the US economy for their financial benefit and to panic the American people into electing a Socialist government this coming November.
Most importantly too, this will relieve some of the pressure on our oil companies who are running their refineries at full tilt capacity. It will give them some wiggle room as far as meeting our fuel needs, which will decrease their operating costs and increase their profits. Yea I know that's a bad word...oil company profits. If you do some research, you will find that billions of dollars of oil company profits are being poured back into finding new sources of oil and the development of alternative energy sources. Last year Chevron alone spent over $40 billion in research and development of alternative energy sources...much more than the federal government did.
Yes, bringing back the trains makes too much sense to this conserative.
I'm not sure how many passengers can fit in a typical rail car, but if you have 10 or 12 car trains, you can move a lot of people. With electric engines, that means a lot of people being moved without the accompanying exaust from the same amount of people driving their own cars. One of the things Amtrak needs to do, however is to make long distance travel affordable. Right now you can ride a coach seat for the duration of a cross country trip, or you can get a roomette that converts into a first class priced bedroom. Bring back the old fashioned sleeper car where the berths pull down and the seats become beds with privacy curtains for a reasonable additional cost above the price of a coach seat. The shower can be down the hall.
In addition, it's also time for the cities and the suburbs to get away from expanding bus oriented public transportation unless there is no other reasonable alternative, and bring back the street cars and inter urbans of days yore. All urban and suburban public transportation services in our major metropolitan areas need to run 24/7 too.
I can hear some of my conservative friends saying now: "Chip, you can't be serious. As a conservative you are supporting the expansion of publicly funded public transportation systems?" Yes I am. It just makes too much sense. Gasoline is getting to the point where transportation costs are affecting the economy. When costs become too expensive, businesses suffer from loss of business, people lose jobs, and people end up on unemployment, which costs the rest of us money. Worse yet, the working poor, who make low wages because they lack skills and education, find that it is not worth it to work. Transportation costs are too much of an overhead. Therefore, they stay home and collect welfare. It's cheaper. What we don't need is a society where we have more people on welfare. There are too many collecting welfare now.
No public transportation system, short distance or long distance, can be affordable and convenient without massive public funding. It's a no brainer. Here in the DC area we have a halfway decent system called Metro. It's clean, it's relatively safe, and it's confortable most of the time. It has it's problems though. It's not all that cheap, and it's not all that convenient, unless you are living in the city. Expansion of service is slow due to not enough funding for expansion. This needs to be addressed. Build the lines and then encourage economic development along the lines, rather than doing it the other way around with busses.
There was a time when you had inter urban rail systems and trolley cars in the cities and close lying suburbs. Many cities are bringing them back, and the economic growth in those cities is tremendous. Expansion of bus service does not bring the same level of economic development as expansion of rail based public transportation. San Diego and Portland, Oregon proved this. Why? Because, rail travel is fun, and bus travel, for the most part, isn't. While I have nothing against busses and believe that they serve a very useful purpose, the middle class people that live in the suburbs and commute into the cities for work, would love not having to drive if they go back into the city at night for entertainment. They like trains and trolleys. They are fun. Riding a bus with 75 people, many of whom are standing for an hour on your way to work is no fun. With a trolley or light rail, you can add additional cars as needed to alleviate crowding.
Now comes the $50,000 question. How do you fund this? The federal gasoline tax is 18.4 cents per gallon. The average state gasoline tax is 28.6 cents per gallon, and in some areas, there are also county and municipal taxes. With fuel hitting over $4 per gallon, it would be stupid to increase fuel taxes. Most of the interstate highway system in this country is free, with only a small portion being toll roads. increase the amount of the system that is toll operated. That will allow less tax money that is used for expansion and maintenance of the highway system to be used. That money that used to be used for highways should be put into a lock box and used only for funding public transportion systems. You give generous tax breaks to offset the cost of tolls to trucking companies, bus companies, and individuals who need vehicles as part of their line of work. In addition, the actual activity of paying a toll makes people aware of the cost of transportation, rather than just slapping a higher amount on the gas tax and then have them temporarily grumble as they drive out of the gas station and get onto the open road.
Finally, in the high density urban areas, having major league traffic jams at toll booths will encourage people to get out of their cars and take the trolley or train. If they are going to be that stubborn and insist on driving, let them stew in their juices while the rest of us go zipping by in a nice air conditioned light rail, trolley, or train at 70 MPH. We are not taking away their right to drive. If they want to, that's fine. They can deal with the traffic and pay the toll. It's called freedom of choice.
I applaud Congress and the Senate for finally doing something right this term. Up until now they have been batting 1000 in screw ups. Let's use our brains to develop a viable transportation infrastructure for the future to get us off of oil that is sold to our wonderful oil companies (yea I know, you liberals hate them, but I love them) at extortion prices that fund tin pot dictators and terrorists. It will also take the wind out of the financial sail of power hungry billionaire Socialist commodities speculators and hedge fund managers. These anti-American messianic Monopolistic Capitalist Marxists, as opposed to Free Market Capitalists, are hedging against the dollar and artificially driving the price of oil sky high for their benefit and our detriment. These high dollar folks are trying to collapse the US economy for their financial benefit and to panic the American people into electing a Socialist government this coming November.
Most importantly too, this will relieve some of the pressure on our oil companies who are running their refineries at full tilt capacity. It will give them some wiggle room as far as meeting our fuel needs, which will decrease their operating costs and increase their profits. Yea I know that's a bad word...oil company profits. If you do some research, you will find that billions of dollars of oil company profits are being poured back into finding new sources of oil and the development of alternative energy sources. Last year Chevron alone spent over $40 billion in research and development of alternative energy sources...much more than the federal government did.
Yes, bringing back the trains makes too much sense to this conserative.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)