My perspective: Time to look at ourselves

bailey bud wrote: clarifying my thoughts ----

Magnifiers - the groups who tend to be critiquing someone other than ourselves.
(politicians, activists, columnists, commentators)

I think OWS and the Tea Party movement both fit into this group. Both tend to look for external problems. Oddly, both movements are inherently self-serving. The Tea Party would like to hold on to what they have --- while OWS feels entitled to something - even if they have nothing to offer.

Mirrors - the group that after (perhaps "through") critical self-reflection - does something to change their state of affairs.
(readers of Backwoods Home seem to fall into this category)

I'm kind of tired of the pointless and fruitless accusations, analysis, and advocacy seen with the extremes. The dysfunctional extremes are bound to lead to paralysis and inaction (might be a good thing!).

The red tie cult can go on babbling as much as they like - I'm moving closer each day to the mirror side of things. I've played around with the magnifier, and it doesn't really work for me.

Well said. Take over for me. We share the same mirror. I've got to hit the sack. It's late leaving me only 6 hours of sleep before work begins.

Rockdoc Franz wrote:

chickaree wrote: The message I get from the OWS movement (disclosure: daughter and SIL are active participants AND employed) is that they object to a small percentage controlling the direction of our country-government and economy both. I can't argue with that. They are outraged that the very people who caused our economic crisis continue to benefit from it. I can't argue with that either. I also believe that if you want to make a difference you need to get out there and make it. For that reason I tend to admire everyone who actively protests whether I agree with their message or not.

I certainly don't debate that a small percentage controls the direction of our country-government and economy. Where I differ is that OSW supporter perceive they have no role in this. Aren't we the ones buying all the products and electing the officials to do political battle? It's not just them. And what does the protest hope to accomplish? If you are so powerless do you really believe, this will actually bring about significant change? Perhaps you do, I don't. I think the protests are akin to a fly on a horse's a**, an annoyance to be swated away with the swish of a tail. If you want to really deal with things, you will need to take an active stand and simply clean house. When realization dawns that the protest are flies and stronger measures are contemplated, then we will see some serius and lasting change. Then is when I will be there as well.

What do you mean by this? Armed militia groups? Middle East style violence? No thank you. Turning our home into a war zone is not as romantic as the fringe would want us to believe. Everyone advocates clean sweeps, but continues to vote for their guy. No one is willing to admit that THEY are the problem.

Ayn Rand is routinely dismissed, smeared and vilified by the left because of her ideology. Still her book "Atlas Shrugged" written in 1957 has sold over 6 million copies and is still selling.


http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/what-cau ... s-to-soar/

"The boom in sales of Atlas Shrugged really took off in mid-January, after Steve Moore’s essay ”‘Atlas Shrugged’: From Fiction to Fact in 52 Years” appeared in the Journal on January 9. Steve wrote:

Many of us who know Rand’s work have noticed that with each passing week, and with each successive bailout plan and economic-stimulus scheme out of Washington, our current politicians are committing the very acts of economic lunacy that “Atlas Shrugged” parodied in 1957….

For the uninitiated, the moral of the story is simply this: Politicians invariably respond to crises — that in most cases they themselves created — by spawning new government programs, laws and regulations. These, in turn, generate more havoc and poverty, which inspires the politicians to create more programs . . . and the downward spiral repeats itself until the productive sectors of the economy collapse under the collective weight of taxes and other burdens imposed in the name of fairness, equality and do-goodism….

David Kelley, the president of the Atlas Society, which is dedicated to promoting Rand’s ideas, explains that “the older the book gets, the more timely its message.”

If your post was directed at me, then be aware I do not even know who Ayn Rand is, nor do I care. One has to be totally blind not to see the evolution of entitlement feeling in our society. The opinions expressed by me are my own. I'm always up for enlightenment.

Perhaps you may want to care about who Ayn Rand is- because she warned everyone about corrupt ideology- and everything she warned about has become reality big time.

50 years ago- she could see this coming. Rockdoc- reading her books will re-enforce the kind of correct thinking I see in your posts- and solidify in your own mind the fact that the way you are thinking is correct. You don't have to buy into the socialist mindset that is creeping it's way into the heart of America's culture. Greed is not what the left says it is- Greed is the wanting of things that you do NOT deserve- not what you have earned for yourself.

The ultimate irony is the looters calling the producers greedy. They have managed to get many of us to believe that it is the earners and producers who are greedy and not the entitlement philosophy who is actually the definition of greed. It is the left who exactly match the description of greed- demanding that those who earn their money give it to them or to those who don't produce or earn it.

Here's a great book written by a great American who knew what Socialism was all about - because she grew up in it and lived it.

Read it for free......
http://voluntarysociety.org/conditioning/atlasshrugged.pdf

The ultimate "take a look at ourselves".

neptunechimney wrote: Ayn Rand is routinely dismissed, smeared and vilified by the left because of her ideology. Still her book "Atlas Shrugged" written in 1957 has sold over 6 million copies and is still selling.

Funny thing, but Hitler's "Mein Kampf" has also been studied as a work on political theory. .... By the end of the war, about 10 million copies of the book had been sold, and it's still selling.... So, what's your point? Number of copies somehow equals "truth"?... I don't think so.

I love blanket statements that "the 1% all earned their wealth." In point of fact, something close to 10% of it is inherited, and then you have people like Paris Hilton, who haven't inherited ALL of it yet, but are living off of it... Spare me.

Like I said. Routinely.

LadyJazzer wrote:

neptunechimney wrote: Ayn Rand is routinely dismissed, smeared and vilified by the left because of her ideology. Still her book "Atlas Shrugged" written in 1957 has sold over 6 million copies and is still selling.

Funny thing, but Hitler's "Mein Kampf" has also been studied as a work on political theory. .... By the end of the war, about 10 million copies of the book had been sold, and it's still selling.... So, what's your point? Number of copies somehow equals "truth"?... I don't think so.

I love blanket statements that "the 1% all earned their wealth." In point of fact, something close to 10% of it is inherited, and then you have people like Paris Hilton, who haven't inherited ALL of it yet, but are living off of it... Spare me.

"There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves Orcs."
--John Rogers

LadyJazzer wrote:

neptunechimney wrote: Ayn Rand is routinely dismissed, smeared and vilified by the left because of her ideology. Still her book "Atlas Shrugged" written in 1957 has sold over 6 million copies and is still selling.

Funny thing, but Hitler's "Mein Kampf" has also been studied as a work on political theory. .... By the end of the war, about 10 million copies of the book had been sold, and it's still selling.... So, what's your point? Number of copies somehow equals "truth"?... I don't think so.

I love blanket statements that "the 1% all earned their wealth." In point of fact, something close to 10% of it is inherited, and then you have people like Paris Hilton, who haven't inherited ALL of it yet, but are living off of it... Spare me.

But that means 90% do earn their wealth. And if you look at rags to riches stories like lottery and NFL millionaires, many of them wind up back being poor a few years later. And even some of the 1%'rs have bounced back and forth between rich and poor a couple times in thier lives.

And even most of the 99%'rs have bounced back and forth between rich and poor a couple times in their lives. This neo-con fantasy that everyone who ISN'T a 1%'er is somehow a "lazy, shiftless, slug who bought more than they could afford" is just the usual Rightie b.s.

LadyJazzer wrote: Well, at least we've moved from "federated government" to: "general government"... Is that November's "New Words of the Day" from the Sovereign Citizen newsletter? The usual application of the "standard theory" grows tiresome.

Here...I'll make your eyes glaze over:

general government
general government
general government
general government
general government
general government

There... Feel better?

Not to worry LJ, you just keep on adhering to that good old Saul Alinsky Rules for Radicals playbook of taking out after the individual instead of addressing their points and all will be well. We know you won't address the issue of the general government being the modern day general store that's digging us all further and further into debt with each 16 hours of labor we expend.