A politician is someone who:
1) asks you for a list of everything you want
2) promises to give you everything on the list if you’ll vote for him/her
3) gets your vote
4) forgets you, the list, & his/her promises
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Some Thoughts on Religion
To All:
* Why not replace all religions with- The Golden Rule
- Tolerance
- Kindness
- Individual freedom – limited by its not impinging on the freedom of others
- Peaceful conflict resolution
- Everything else is optional
If you say, “that’s beyond human comprehension”, try
saying that to your wife when she discovers that you
put spoiled milk back into the refrigerator!
* What religion would you now be if you were born in India, China, … ?
* Why is God more likely to exist than other mythic figures?
* How’s your success rate with prayer?
* If you really believe prayer works, why not prayer for world peace and health … until it happens?
To Jews and Christians:
* Why did a loving God condemn all of mankind to suffer?To Christians:
* How would the pope treat Jesus who looks like a hippie, hangs out with low-lifes, and hates clergymen?* How would Jesus treat the pope who is surrounded by idols, demands obedience to man-made laws, has billions of dollars, and lives in a castle?
To Moslems:
* Where’s your tolerance for others’ beliefs? Even those in your own religion, but a different sect?How do you justify Sunnis murdering masses of Shia pilgrims visiting a mosque?
* Oh, and BTW, where’s your sense of humor?
To Mormons:
* How can you possibly believe any of that far-out story? Come to think of it, I have the same question for anyone who believes in the Bible!Wednesday, August 31, 2011
A Sneaky Way of Raising Taxes
A Sneaky Way of Raising Taxes
Reducing the size of a package is a sneaky way of raising the price.
Reducing Gov't services is a sneaky way of raising taxes.
When an individual, a class, or a corporation evades taxes, they shift the tax burden to others. This is another sneaky way of raising taxes on the unprivileged; either they'll pay more in taxes or receive less in services.
Don't be fooled; when politicians talk about shrinking the size of government, they are proposing giving you less services. You'd be paying the same tax for fewer services. Your effective tax rate would increase. When pols propose returning a million dollars to the rich and a hundred dollars to others, they are raising the effective tax rates on the latter.
Consider what actual effect politicians' sneaky proposals will have on your taxes, your quality of life, and your expenses. Not fixing bridges is a bad way to reduce government and taxes.
Reducing the size of a package is a sneaky way of raising the price.
Reducing Gov't services is a sneaky way of raising taxes.
When an individual, a class, or a corporation evades taxes, they shift the tax burden to others. This is another sneaky way of raising taxes on the unprivileged; either they'll pay more in taxes or receive less in services.
Don't be fooled; when politicians talk about shrinking the size of government, they are proposing giving you less services. You'd be paying the same tax for fewer services. Your effective tax rate would increase. When pols propose returning a million dollars to the rich and a hundred dollars to others, they are raising the effective tax rates on the latter.
Consider what actual effect politicians' sneaky proposals will have on your taxes, your quality of life, and your expenses. Not fixing bridges is a bad way to reduce government and taxes.
Being Fair to Israel
Most progressives use different standards to judge Israel & its enemies. That is bias.
Most progressives don't criticize arabs' raining missiles on civilian areas or blowing up buses ... when it's done to Israel. That is #bias.
Criticism of Israel is not bias unless it is unfair. The most obvious kind of unfair criticism that which is false. The other kind is criticism based on different standards for opposing sides. The grossest use of unequal standards is when absolutely no standard is used for the Arabs - there is no criticism at all.
Progressives, who pride themselves on being fair, should be fair to Israel.
Most progressives don't criticize arabs' raining missiles on civilian areas or blowing up buses ... when it's done to Israel. That is #bias.
Criticism of Israel is not bias unless it is unfair. The most obvious kind of unfair criticism that which is false. The other kind is criticism based on different standards for opposing sides. The grossest use of unequal standards is when absolutely no standard is used for the Arabs - there is no criticism at all.
Progressives, who pride themselves on being fair, should be fair to Israel.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Progressive Voices
Progressive Voices
Russ Feingold, former 3 term senator from Wisconsin, is the voice of American progressive politics.
He has demonstrated by his courageous, principled votes that his actions are consistent with his words and his campaign promises.
He is a true statesman who is not owned by corporate money.
The following give articulate and passionate expression to progressive issues:
Keith Oberman,
Dylan Ratigan,
Cent Uygur,
Glenn Greenwald,
Nancy Goodman
Progressives are true to their principles, not their party. So, being anti-Republican is not sufficient to be considered a progressive. Rachel Maddow is an eloquent anti-Republican spokesperson but doesn't criticize Obama sufficiently for his grossly anti progressive policies.
Russ Feingold, former 3 term senator from Wisconsin, is the voice of American progressive politics.
He has demonstrated by his courageous, principled votes that his actions are consistent with his words and his campaign promises.
He is a true statesman who is not owned by corporate money.
The following give articulate and passionate expression to progressive issues:
Keith Oberman,
Dylan Ratigan,
Cent Uygur,
Glenn Greenwald,
Nancy Goodman
Progressives are true to their principles, not their party. So, being anti-Republican is not sufficient to be considered a progressive. Rachel Maddow is an eloquent anti-Republican spokesperson but doesn't criticize Obama sufficiently for his grossly anti progressive policies.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
How do you know what you think?
Some people may simply know what they think. For me, it often takes hearing someone say something that either resonates within me as true or is so obviously wrong that it makes me angry.
These positive or negative reactions of mine not only indicate to me what my beliefs are, they also demonstrate to me how deeply I feel about them.
When I express my agreement or disagreement with others' statements, I then learn from my own expression exactly what the details of my beliefs are.
These positive or negative reactions of mine not only indicate to me what my beliefs are, they also demonstrate to me how deeply I feel about them.
When I express my agreement or disagreement with others' statements, I then learn from my own expression exactly what the details of my beliefs are.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Thinking Alike
Viewing the speech by Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei to a crowd of thousands, I wondered what would happen to a person in the crowd who said, "I don't believe in that Mohammed was a prophet of God". I imagine he or she would be torn limb from limb.
And then I wondered what would happen to a person, who made a comparable statement, in a crowd listening to a hate filled speech by some politician pandering to the religious fears and anger of Americans. Such a person might not immediately by violently attacked, but he or she would be be denounced as worthy of being attacked or killed - as was Dr. George Tiller.
There isn't too much independent thinking going on in a rabid crowd motivated by fear and hate. Let's be frank - the right side of the political spectrum in this country actively courts such crowds of followers.
The left side of the political spectrum is not free from blame either. They could do a lot more to point out the harm that religious prejudice does in political dialogue.
And then I wondered what would happen to a person, who made a comparable statement, in a crowd listening to a hate filled speech by some politician pandering to the religious fears and anger of Americans. Such a person might not immediately by violently attacked, but he or she would be be denounced as worthy of being attacked or killed - as was Dr. George Tiller.
There isn't too much independent thinking going on in a rabid crowd motivated by fear and hate. Let's be frank - the right side of the political spectrum in this country actively courts such crowds of followers.
The left side of the political spectrum is not free from blame either. They could do a lot more to point out the harm that religious prejudice does in political dialogue.
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