I spam because I care
OMG.
It's the frequently-seen beast of Merky's Righteous Politicky Fury. *soapbox*
Dear NBC Bay Area,
I was deeply disappointed in this evening's coverage of Obama's new tax plan. Your choice to ask one wealthy old white dude what he thought about paying more taxes is everything that's wrong with our national dialogue about social assistance programs and progressive fiscal policy.
I'm not just saying it was a lazily done story. I also think it's actively harmful to little old things like the truth. That old white dude's stance on higher taxes is the same lame story we've been hearing since the term "welfare queen" was coined: Lazy stupid people do lazy stupid things and stupidly expect the government to hand out money regardless. Meanwhile, hardworking Americans work hard for the hard-earned money they earn.
The truth tells a slightly different story. Social assistance programs are shrinking. The last significant legislation that addressed the needs of the poor was the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996, and that eroded government aid to the poor rather than supplementing it. America's income gap is growing. The version of reality put forward by the wealthy man you interviewed-- that these days folks just feel so entitled to stuff-- is a seductive myth that allows people with money to feel morally superior about holding onto as much of it as possible.
If you'd like to refute any of this, at least come up with a plausible alternative hypothesis and back it up with facts. (Or start small: even one fact. Google it. Wiki it. I don't want to strain you.) Don't put some old white dude on your show to talk about "how he sees the world."
Because last time I checked, one man's ability to shape all reality was known as solipsism.
*end soapbox*
ODDS THEY SEND ME AN AUTOREPLY???
It's the frequently-seen beast of Merky's Righteous Politicky Fury. *soapbox*
Dear NBC Bay Area,
I was deeply disappointed in this evening's coverage of Obama's new tax plan. Your choice to ask one wealthy old white dude what he thought about paying more taxes is everything that's wrong with our national dialogue about social assistance programs and progressive fiscal policy.
I'm not just saying it was a lazily done story. I also think it's actively harmful to little old things like the truth. That old white dude's stance on higher taxes is the same lame story we've been hearing since the term "welfare queen" was coined: Lazy stupid people do lazy stupid things and stupidly expect the government to hand out money regardless. Meanwhile, hardworking Americans work hard for the hard-earned money they earn.
The truth tells a slightly different story. Social assistance programs are shrinking. The last significant legislation that addressed the needs of the poor was the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996, and that eroded government aid to the poor rather than supplementing it. America's income gap is growing. The version of reality put forward by the wealthy man you interviewed-- that these days folks just feel so entitled to stuff-- is a seductive myth that allows people with money to feel morally superior about holding onto as much of it as possible.
If you'd like to refute any of this, at least come up with a plausible alternative hypothesis and back it up with facts. (Or start small: even one fact. Google it. Wiki it. I don't want to strain you.) Don't put some old white dude on your show to talk about "how he sees the world."
Because last time I checked, one man's ability to shape all reality was known as solipsism.
*end soapbox*
ODDS THEY SEND ME AN AUTOREPLY???