Comments on: Things We Read Today: Holy Prophets Edition

By: Stefan

Stefan — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 01:03:09 +0000

I do feel though that that first sentence of the FDR quote is a bit misleading. Dictatorships grow from evil people. They’ve grown from extraordinarily strong governments (i.e. Nero) and completely devastated governments (i.e. our favorite villain Mr. Hitler). Granted he’s tooting his own horn because he’s a president, but I just can’t let that one go.

Also, he says “we are a rich Nation.” That’s kind of ironic because at the time of these words, the Federal Deficit was at record levels and at the highest percentage of the GDP it’s pretty much ever been. I guess if my daughter has a credit with no limit and I have a credit card with a $10,000 limit, she’s richer than I am in some weird way.

By: Stefan

Stefan — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:49:58 +0000

Good point about the Tea Partiers in regards to the Patriot Act. I really think the country was completely blown away by 9/11 though and it was sort of the perfect storm. I’m very, very conservative (also live in the NYC region) and I blew it with the Patriot Act. I was all for protection (after all, according to the Constitution, that is the main job of the government) because we just got messed up big time. Your head isn’t read when something like that happens.

However, in regards to health care reform, there was no big calamity to cloud our minds. I could see clearly it was the wrong way to go. I just wish I had had that clarity back in the days of the Patriot Act.

By: Shaun P.

Shaun P. — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:45:51 +0000

And, for the record, I don’t know about the Tea Partiers, but I was a critic of the health care reform bill too, and I knew what was in it. I took time to read various sections that interested me and I paid attention to reporters (Ezra Klein and Jon Chait among others) who were studying this bill day and night for months.

It wasn’t that hard to know what was in the bill.

By: Shaun P.

Shaun P. — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:44:49 +0000

Where have these Tea Partiers been for the last ten years?

“Many PATRIOT ACT critics were irate that they did not know what was in this bill before it was passed.”

“Many were irate that a HUGE TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY bill . . . was passed . . . by the use of legislative shenanigans.”

And so on and so forth . . .

By: David in Cal

David in Cal — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:23:49 +0000

Very interesting quote. I think the Tea Partiers would be struck by the phrase “a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over its government.” A possible defintion of the Tea Parties is that they represent people who are concerned that they’re losing sovereign control over our government.

Many health reform critics were irate that they did not know what was in this bill before it was passed. Many were irate that a bill so unpopular with the public was passed on a party line vote by the use of legislative shenanigans. The use of thousands of earmarks to reward friend of those those in power disturbs Tea Partiers. It will be interesting to see whether their efforts eventually lead to citizens gaining greater control over the government.