My wife absolutely hates this joke, but I'm going to tell it anyway:A guy is trying unsuccessfully to get a stubborn mule to move. He tries coaxing it with a carrot, he tries kicking it, he even lights a fire under it, but the stubborn mule doesn’t budge.House speaker John Boehner often touts what he believes is the will of “The American People”. In Conservative minds this translates into the ideology of less government, specifically less government spending. So after the tax status for the richest 2% of the wealthiest Americans was secured, we set about the business of cutting back on those expensive “entitlement” programs… you know, the ones that represent about 14% of our national budget. (The hugely expensive wars in the Middle-east oddly appear nowhere in the equatinon.)
However the man’s friend comes by convincing the mule her can get the mule to move. “Okay, go head and try” the mule owner says. The friend picks up a 2 x 4 and smacks the mule in the head right between the eyes, stunning the mule.
“You didn’t get him to move", the mule owner decries. But his friend says, “Maybe not... but I got his attention.”
Now many of us laughed at the dolt in the town hall meeting back during the 2008 campaign who yelled he wanted the Government to keep your Government hands off his Medicare. Most just thought he was just an eccentric nut - but it turns out that there are huge percentages of Americans who have NO CLUE that they benefit DIRECTLY from their government!
Recently discovered: 44% of Social Security recipients don't think they are receiving any "Government" help. Likewise, 39% of Medicare recipients, 43% of Unemployment benefit recipients, 42% of Veterans… the list goes on.1There is an old Chinese curse that goes something like “I hope you get what you wish for”. So I am personally rooting for Congress to pull off the government shut down! I want millions of Tea Baggers and less-government morons to NOT get their Social Security checks, disability payments, VA benefits...2
Maybe... just MAYBE, it will get their attention.
~~~
1. “Keep Your Government Hands Off My Government Programs!” - NY Times, Febuary 11, 2011 2. Sadly, in actuality, the government we love-to-hate will nevertheless refrain from smacking our most intellectually limited citizens in the face with a 2 x 4 and send out SS and other benefit checks anyway, thereby further cementing their mental disconnect. See, ya just can't depend on that gol-dang gov-n-ment to do anything right.
22 comments:
Yes, we have been watching remarks and comments of people who do not know they are actually asking for their benefits to be removed. I am on social security and I understand that if the government shuts down I will not see the social security deposit into my account.
Fact check: Social security checks will continued to be processed, according to press accounts, along with the paychecks of our less than esteemed legislators.
does the percentage of people receiving social security and thinking they don't receive government help match the percentage of people thinking sarah palin is qualified to lead the free world?
I've asked on my blog if the Tea Party folks think their Social Security and Medicare is brought by the tooth fairy. Didn't they pay attention in Government class?
I suspect these are the people who called me names because I did my homework, studied and got 'As' and the teachers liked me even when I argued with them. Some things don't change.
Yes, it sadly takes the in-your-backyard effect to make people understand. Local government will take much more heat for not filling potholes and being slow on the snowplowing than for laying off teachers or closing libraries. Then they will wonder why their children cannot get jobs.
I am appalled at how uninformed the American public is. Totally and completely appalled. Sigh.
This reminded me of another old Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times".
P.S. Sadly, ignorance is not bliss.
I can't find it now, but there is a pretty funny joke where this person is listing all these government-funded services they use on their way to go and complain about how the government never does anything for them. :P People are dumb.
That photo pretty much says it all, doesn't it?
I so agree - I'm a public employee who has to listen to hate from our Republicans and Tea Party members here in Idaho about how entitled we are - and how there's "too much government." As if they haven't benefitted from any government programs at all. It's purposeful denial and stupidity.
The level of ignorance in this country is astounding. Keep the government out of our lives??!!! I wonder how many of those tea-party blowhards want to go back to a horse-drawn cart on a mud track, and a bucket-brigade when their house catches on fire....
But aren't some of the states running out of money for state benefits now? And won't that cause problems too? Sorry of ignorant of such things, being in the UK, but I always used to feel grateful for our safety net until that too began to shrink.
Well I hope they go out. The ones who will be hurt are new applicants for that and Veteran's Benefits. There are so many folks who just live check to check that it would be devastating to them. If they close it down though, nobody better be planning on visiting any National Parks... That will irritate more than a few people and not just from our country.
A. I think your new blog decor is the ultimate in classy!
B. Maybe we'll have the opportunity to rename the Government shutdown strategy as The Gingrich-Boehner Strategy.
I'm not sure the Teabaggers have brains to stun.
Loving the labels for this post!
Wow. My dad used to tell that joke. He had about six of them, lifetime, which he repeated, and he always started by saying "my father used to have a joke..." which means it's totally an antique joke. Civil-war era. (My dad was old.)
America, in large part, runs on ignorance. Witness the federal government !
Bliss and ignorance are not useful when it comes to aiding one's survival. How sad that there are not really many educatioal media sites to help the uninformed.
terrific blog...
and fat chance of anything getting the right attention...
The title of this post is eerie since you have had a major medical event near that post! Damn!! You need to get well s I can comment on those posts of yours. Hope Kara lets you read posts and comments on some netbook or iphone or blackberry!! Do get well fast.
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