O Canada
I was going to beging this with "Hello, Ohioans," but I realized that wouldnt have been fair. After all, there are obviously some sane people living in Ohio, and it wouldn't have come down to one state if the rest of the country hadn't let it.
So: Hello, Bush voters.
Congratulations. You have reelected the worst President since Hoover--we can but hope that Bush's second term won't end in a second Depression. I've heard a number of different reasons for your lunacy, and I thought I'd address a few of them.
Moral Issues
Moral issues? Moral issues? I beg your pardon?! Aren't you the perople who claim to want smaller, less intrusive government? I would be most pleased if you could explain precisely how that goal is achieved by voting on the basis that the government can't yet see far enough into our bedrooms. Or perhaps we might consider that, rhetoric to the contrary, the Republicans show no signs of actually trying to do anything about such issues as abortion and gay marriage. After all, if they did that, the one-issue voters might get a chance to vote about other issues, on which other parties have better records.
The War in Iraq
Well, I don't know. Leaving aside all the "Bush went AWOL" and "Kerry is a traitor" rhetoric, let's look at two facts no one disputes: Kerry served in combat, while Bush didn't. Seems to me that, when choosing the Commander in Chief, the man who served in combat has a bit of an edge, but that may be my liberal bias talking.
The Economy
Anyone here remember how much a gallon of gas cost when Bill Clinton left office? I confess I don't recall exactly, but in Pittsburgh at least it was well under a dollar. Now, in the same city, it's just under two dollars. Plus, there's Bush's wholehearted embrace of his father's rightly infamous 'trickle-down economics': the idea that if you give rich people more money they'll use it to make the lives of less-rich people better, kind of as a side effect. Which sounds great, but it doesn't work. Give the very rich more money, and they use it to get even richer. Bush has systematically cut taxes to the people who can best afford to pay them, and seems mystified that the government is running out of money.
My Personal Favorite: His Own Mess
This one just makes me shake my head with wonder. There's a man who voted for Bush on the basis that the President "needs to clean up his own mess." 'Scuse me? What on earth makes you think he's capable of it, even if he were inclined to? Remember that this is a man who can't think of a single mistake he's made...
So, all in all, I really hope you're pleased. Whether Bush is really the Good Ol' Boy he tries to seem or not, his presidency has been bad for this country, and it's only going to get worse. Remember this, when someday the US is invaded because a Coalition of other countries decided that we were a clear danger to world peace, people. Remember it when the middle class quietly vanishes. Remember it when your child tells you that they're gay, and your first thought is that you have to make sure no one finds out...so that they don't get beaten to death in an alley.
Remember: you did this. The rest of us tried to warn you.
So: Hello, Bush voters.
Congratulations. You have reelected the worst President since Hoover--we can but hope that Bush's second term won't end in a second Depression. I've heard a number of different reasons for your lunacy, and I thought I'd address a few of them.
Moral Issues
Moral issues? Moral issues? I beg your pardon?! Aren't you the perople who claim to want smaller, less intrusive government? I would be most pleased if you could explain precisely how that goal is achieved by voting on the basis that the government can't yet see far enough into our bedrooms. Or perhaps we might consider that, rhetoric to the contrary, the Republicans show no signs of actually trying to do anything about such issues as abortion and gay marriage. After all, if they did that, the one-issue voters might get a chance to vote about other issues, on which other parties have better records.
The War in Iraq
Well, I don't know. Leaving aside all the "Bush went AWOL" and "Kerry is a traitor" rhetoric, let's look at two facts no one disputes: Kerry served in combat, while Bush didn't. Seems to me that, when choosing the Commander in Chief, the man who served in combat has a bit of an edge, but that may be my liberal bias talking.
The Economy
Anyone here remember how much a gallon of gas cost when Bill Clinton left office? I confess I don't recall exactly, but in Pittsburgh at least it was well under a dollar. Now, in the same city, it's just under two dollars. Plus, there's Bush's wholehearted embrace of his father's rightly infamous 'trickle-down economics': the idea that if you give rich people more money they'll use it to make the lives of less-rich people better, kind of as a side effect. Which sounds great, but it doesn't work. Give the very rich more money, and they use it to get even richer. Bush has systematically cut taxes to the people who can best afford to pay them, and seems mystified that the government is running out of money.
My Personal Favorite: His Own Mess
This one just makes me shake my head with wonder. There's a man who voted for Bush on the basis that the President "needs to clean up his own mess." 'Scuse me? What on earth makes you think he's capable of it, even if he were inclined to? Remember that this is a man who can't think of a single mistake he's made...
So, all in all, I really hope you're pleased. Whether Bush is really the Good Ol' Boy he tries to seem or not, his presidency has been bad for this country, and it's only going to get worse. Remember this, when someday the US is invaded because a Coalition of other countries decided that we were a clear danger to world peace, people. Remember it when the middle class quietly vanishes. Remember it when your child tells you that they're gay, and your first thought is that you have to make sure no one finds out...so that they don't get beaten to death in an alley.
Remember: you did this. The rest of us tried to warn you.