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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

On Nov 5, 2008, at 9:52 AM, Clansgian AT wmconnect.com wrote:

> Obama believes his own schtick as well (and so far, it seems you  
> believe his
> schtick).  The only reason some people are poor is because the rich  
> have too
> much.  If we just took some of that stuff from the rich, there would  
> be plenty
> to give to the poor, the old 'divide up the pie' ploy.   History and  
> reality
> firmly remind us that this is not true.  Once you start sticking  
> your finger in
> to someone else's pie, they stop baking pies.

I am with you on that and I see no indication that Obama is not, also.  
I see him as wanting everyone to have the opportunity to become one of  
the rich. Yes, opportunity will require some government program and,  
yes, it will cost something. We will not know for some time the  
specifics of his programs nor now well they work to their desired end.
> All jibbing aside (for this post only) and being straight for once,  
> set aside
> all the 'yes we can' and 'change the changes' and 'he's a decent  
> man' and all
> that empty rhetoric.  What is Obama going to do?  From what we've  
> seen so far
> it is a rehash of the worst of the New Deal and the Great Society.

I don't know what he will try. I believe he will earnestly and  
honestly try to make all Americans have equal opportunity. Under Bush,  
we have been moving toward a stratified class system, more at the top  
of the pile, fewer in the middle, more at the bottom. I don't think  
you liked that any more than I did.
> That is, by Bush (and ilk) facilitating the worst of the greedy  
> instintcs of
> the American people, he has delivered us an almighty right hand blow  
> with his
> fist of iron.  Now, Obama facilitating all the worst of our  
> dependent and
> slothful instincts, is winding up to give us an almighty left hand  
> blow with his
> fist of steel.

James, you really should be a lyricist. Really. Lovely poetics but  
more romantic than realistic.
> The only bright spot in this is that as the Obama administration  
> undwinds,
> perhaps we sill at long last look up from our punch drunk haze and  
> say with
> bloodied lips, "Enough of this!" and quit this left-right  
> destructive punching
> we've experienced our entire lifetimes.

Yeah, I have hope, too.

Imagine, for one insane moment, what could be accomplished if we had a  
substantial number of statesmen who selflessly served the nation.  
What's it been, two-and-a-half centuries?

I've not seen the count, who knows how many incumbents were thrown out?