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2003-10-30 - 9:05 p.m.
Most of my friends are as alarmed about the state of this country of ours as I am.
I, for one, am sickened by the increasingly vicious language coming from the right. People like Bill O'Reilly, and people like this and others who're maybe considered "neocons" think that being insulting, rude, and just plain nasty are somehow cool, or cute, or I don't know what.
They're incapable of reason it seems. Because they'd rather shout "shut up" at you, or call you names, rather than try to have some kind of serious discussion of the issues.
And it's strange, because if we fielded a guy as vicious, mean-spirtied, and rude as a spokesman for the liberal side, he'd be branded a nut and dismissed.
But, this article was very enlightening. And encouraging.
Encouraging, because if the Rockridge Institute is successful, it could mean a real change in politics in this country.
So if you're a liberal, or a "progressive", you should read the article about Lakoff.
"Taxes are what you pay to be an American, to live in a civilized society that is democratic and offers opportunity, and where there's an infrastructure that has been paid for by previous taxpayers. This is a huge infrastructure. The highway system, the Internet, the TV system, the public education system, the power grid, the system for training scientists � vast amounts of infrastructure that we all use, which has to be maintained and paid for. Taxes are your dues � you pay your dues to be an American. In addition, the wealthiest Americans use that infrastructure more than anyone else, and they use parts of it that other people don't. The federal justice system, for example, is nine-tenths devoted to corporate law. The Securities and Exchange Commission and all the apparatus of the Commerce Department are mainly used by the wealthy. And we're all paying for it." - George Lakoff
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So, how do you like them apples?