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Election day is almost here, and it can't come fast enough for me. Among other things, it means the end of my (physical) mailbox and answering machine being filled with Republican lies. "John Kerry will raise your taxes"? Nope, not unless you make at least $200,000 a year. (And if you do, were your taxes really that bad under Clinton? Cause that's what they'll go back to under Kerry.) "John Kerry supports a 50 cent gas tax hike"? Nope, a decade ago he mentioned that it might be necessary, that's all; he didn't even vote for it, though Dick Cheney did. Oh yeah, and that thing about Kerry voting 98 times to raise taxes? Cheney voted 148 times to raise taxes. Cheney must be really liberal. The good thing is that the Republicans seem to think our suburb is a lock for them, so they're encouraging us to vote; we're not likely to face polling-place challenges as we cast our votes for Kerry. I should probably update my driver's license with my current address just in case though.
Then there's that issue that the Republicans keep dismissing as ludicrous: the draft. Everyone else looks at Bush's plan to "stay on the offensive", and wonders where he'll get the manpower to keep invading more countries, considering we're already overextended -- keeping people longer than they signed up for ("stop-loss"), and calling back people whose terms of service were over. Turns out that the Selective Service System has already recommended a draft plan that includes drafting men and women with specialized skills (medical professionals, computer specialists, linguists) up to age 34 -- possibly up to age 44 for medical professionals. The counter-argument here is that the SSS's job is to plan for a draft, but that still doesn't answer the question of where Bush will get all the troops to stay on the offensive. (Those words out of Bush's mouth send chills down my spine.)
Then there's that issue that the Republicans keep dismissing as ludicrous: the draft. Everyone else looks at Bush's plan to "stay on the offensive", and wonders where he'll get the manpower to keep invading more countries, considering we're already overextended -- keeping people longer than they signed up for ("stop-loss"), and calling back people whose terms of service were over. Turns out that the Selective Service System has already recommended a draft plan that includes drafting men and women with specialized skills (medical professionals, computer specialists, linguists) up to age 34 -- possibly up to age 44 for medical professionals. The counter-argument here is that the SSS's job is to plan for a draft, but that still doesn't answer the question of where Bush will get all the troops to stay on the offensive. (Those words out of Bush's mouth send chills down my spine.)
optimistic
(no subject)
Just like the stuff the Dem's say. Not lies, half-truths. :)
The whole thing amuses me. I suspect that I'll be facing challenges at my polling-place. Probably one from the Dems and one from the Reps. I don't think anyone likes our district. We're too low-class to vote Bush, but too Christian to vote Kerry.
Sucks to be us.
And Issue 1 is going to light up the "yes" votes in my neighborhood.
lies and half-truths
But you're right, both sides traffic in half-truths. I'm constantly amazed when people actually believe what one side says about the other without doing their own research. Don't believe any of the ads!
Re: lies and half-truths
You might be surprised, but I'd mark $250,000/year as "upper-middle class". At least, that's the highest I could go. But that's about what it takes to buy a house in an upper-middle class neighborhood in Chicago's suburbs (my parents are fortunate to have purchased before it got that expensive to purchase a house there, because they don't make nearly that much money). The middle class there ranges at least from $50,000 to $150,000, but nearly 9% of the people still make over $200,000.
By that argument, it could be argued that Kerry's looking to raise taxes for the middle class. If you think about what people who generally vote Republican make, and where they see themselves, they might be calling "middle class" higher than I am, though how you could go over a quarter million dollars is beyond me.
*shrugs*
As for the gas tax, are they saying "supports" or "supported", because tense is very important there. Besides, they can pull a quote from 10 years ago out their asses and not date it, and they'll get an impressive return. It's like saying "After the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, John Kerry voted to slash the intelligence budget." Masterful propaganda, in my opinion, because honestly, who remembers the first attack? People, if they even notice the word "first" are probably going to get some weird idea that they mean that he voted that way in the 17 minutes between planes hitting the towers.
*grins* Kill your TV. It's the basis of all our lies.
You should fire my sigil.
Re: lies and half-truths
Everyone wants to claim to be in the "middle class". But if you're making $200,000 a year, that's getting up there. House prices are not equivalent to salaries; from what I've seen most people buy houses that cost two or three times their annual salary. (I'm sure the bank loan people have a formula, and I'm sure it's not 1:1.)
What's that about your sigil?
Re: lies and half-truths
As for the middle-class thing, I mean you have to make that much to purchase a house there. My parent's house, originally purchased at (I think) $260,000 nine years ago, is worth over $500,000 now. New houses in their area are worth more than that, and the people who live there consider themselves "upper-middle class".
But you're right. Definitely not 1:1. If anything, it's closer to 4:1, and it depends on your debt-income ratio at the time, too.
As for the sigil, I can't exactly tell you what it's for, but if you look at it closely in reference to current events, you might be able to figure it out. But trying to figure it out would partially dismantle it's ability to work.
It is, by far, the most simple sigil I've ever created, but possibly the most effective.