When I hear politicians tell me what "The American People Want," I can't help but come to the conclusion that they somehow think they are something different than the rest of us. As if we are owned or surviving at their whim or at their mercy. Needless to say, it makes my blood boil when I hear it. Early in this election cycle, it was almost exclusivley used by Tea Baggers and ultra right wing republicans. (The republicans being most likely to claim ownership or stewarship over the rest of us!) But now, the phrase has been co-opted by liberals, centrists and people who clean bathrooms in State and Federal buildings. It's insulting. It's condescending. And unfortunately, people buy it.

First of all, it presupposes that the person saying it assumes there is a singleminded view on all topics, that all of "The American People" share the same position on all issues, and that the speaker somehow knows exactly what those views and positions are. When someone from the "other side' uses the phrase, the pure lunacy of saying it becomes obvious. "We the People" was never meant to mean we the people who are here to be counted and unheard. Nobody speaks for all people on all issues. Nobody should allow anyone to make it appear as if they do. Without commenting on my agreement or disagreement with Tea Party or Rebuplican members, I am amazed at the singleminded responses they have for all issues. No descent. No straying from the party line. Absolutley no novel or individual thought from anyone. The very idea that republicans are determined to block ANY legislation proposed by the current administration, and that virutally all cases not even one of them has a different opinion on any of these subjects defies logic and reason. And what is worse, it demonstrates that these people are not there to govern or to work for the very people they purport to reresent. Instead, they approach every issue with the same obstruction. All with the stated intent of doing what "The American People" want. Well guess what. That's NOT what The American People want.

The American People want legislators who want to find the common ground on issues that face us daily. We want jobs. We want to make sure that what is left of our investments and IRA's and real estate is protected from powerful lobbies and special interests. We want our kids to be educated and for our government to make sure our teachers are given the tools and supplies they need to make sure they are. We want our elderly, our sick and our innocents to be provided with guaranteed universal health care. We don't want to continute to be ripped off by insurance companies, pharmas, doctors and other medical supply/care facilities. We don't want our government to cave in to religious fanatics who somehow think the first amendment does not apply to THEIR religion. We do not want to be ruled by a theocracy, and we don't want religion to creep into our law. We want people who love eachother to have the right to do so, regardless of their "orientation" to do so. We want our brave troops to have the right to serve their country proudly without having to lie about who they are. We want a congress that will stop pursuing petty issues like the birthpace of our President and focus instead on the issues I've already mentioned and the myriad of others I have not. We want our government to respond to our needs and in our best interests. Not the artificial interests created by corporate structure. And finally, we want our government to know that we are all individuals who have different needs and concerns that need to be addressed and considered. The government needs to know that when we elect an official...a senator, a representative or a President...we have spoken. And no opposing group has the right to "take the country back" from us. Becasue each and every one of us can and should claim that it is our country. And we all should assert that fact that NOBODY can take it away from us. Least of all elected officials who are there to protect and serve the union. Not their special interests.

So the next time Sharon Angle or John Boehner or Nancy Pelosi claim that they speak for the American People, they should read what I just posted here and listen to what the REAL American People are saying. They must hear what we all say, what we all feel and what we all need. Not what they think we all need. After they do this, then, and only then, will they have the right to say they speak for The American People.

etudiant wrote: ↑Sun Oct 17, 2010 9:00 am

Taylor wrote:I think its agreeable to say that at least the national news media, be it broadcast or cable
has't fallen into the habit of producing blatant lies yet. Which ever program one chooses to watch,
it is still vital to be able to separate the editorializing from facts presented. The problem with todays
news media is not enough facts, or simply their attempt to cover stories that aren't really there.
Sometimes it should be called the No News News.

Lies don’t need to be blatant to be effective, that’s the problem. Investigating whether Obama was born in the US, when the facts are known, is a form of lie. Referring to the Tea Party as a groundswell, grass roots movement, when it is financed and orchestrated by billionaire industrialists, who have the most to gain from extreme libertarian policies, is also a form of a lie. Accepting the absurd pronouncements of Sarah Palin, or her colleagues, in interviews, without following up and disputing at least the most blatant distortions is also another form of lie. I’m sure other posters here can add to this list.

Ad men and spin-doctors know about this. So do psychologists. Journalists should, but some today probably don’t, such is the state of the profession. Unfortunately many in the general public will look at well groomed, intelligent looking men and women in suits on the news outlets, seriously discussing these things, and make the assumption that they are all completely credible and professional. They should be, but they are not. They are presenting a false and distorted worldview. Those on the far right are the most blatant- Fox and the enraged radio talk show inciters, followed by the mainstream media, and trailing behind are the so called liberal outlets, still understanding professionalism, but afraid to step too far out of line, for risk of being labeled unpatriotic, or some such equal slur.

We do indeed need to separate fact from editorial, because for many in the profession, the line between the two has been completely erased.

Going way back:
Let us return to the year 2010—if only the previous 4 pages had any effect, Sarah Palin!?
My how the world has progressed.
Let us remember discussions from days gone by shall we?
The focus then seemed to be on media bias and fabrication of what constituted priority.
What a fucking joke—am I right?.
It is abundantly clear that the conversation about the failure of the then media has come to fruition. How did we fail to stop it from happening? What happened in the past 14 years?. I’ll tell you:).
Libertarianism is what happened. Back then I was not confident in my ability and thought. Today I am up the challenge. Whom amongst you “Heavy Hitters from days of yore are prepared to handle your creation?. I’m prepared to make you even more legendary, or to condemn you to an eternity of amusement as you push that bolder up that long hill.
Way back when; I was a neophyte who struggled with the book. I was told to read the book. Since then I have read many books— covering many topics. My pony has more than one trick.
Mine is not a rehearsed soliloquy but an advent of years of pursuit. I just wanted to know what is real.
See— you really don’t know these things. It takes a dedicated mind to parse the wheat from the chaff. Thanks to the heavy hitters I’ve managed to gain an aptitude for logic.
An ability to follow the logic of my own thoughts. To follow to the end my thinking.
Thinking about what I think about usually gets me there. I certainly don’t think that I am
emphatically correct but, thanks to you heavyweights I can and do except my limitations. I then can excel following those mental losses.
Oh how the media has let us down.
My challenge is to say, my own ignorance placed me in a position of defense. I was entrenched by my own stupidity, as we all are.
Narrow mindedness blindsides us all. Who were we to trust/judge media then. We all bought into their narrative. Are we still doing it today?— you bet your asses that we are!
You know how I know—it’s because we are not all yet— preppers.
I suspect that there is a couple things happening.
Lack of participation here demonstrates that much of the original content has run its course.
The zombie apocalypse has become more than a fiction.
One trick ponies are just that.
Materially there’s nothing new under the sun.
Prepping is all consuming—such consumption.
My time is better spent when I’m not diluting myself with the dead end thoughts of some half wit begging to differ on thoughts of logos—that universal truth is only Devine and natural.
The wasteland preamble of consciousness, from that moment doomed the barbarians hence to a lifetime besotted by the great guessers. Mass media the false gods of the now.
Appropriate 14 years ago and certainly applicable today.
Good job, how’s your bunker coming along?.

Just realized that the previous post is gibberish.
Could be too much prepping.
But then again it could be influences of Joyce, who perfected gibberish.
Ever read “ Finnegans Wake”?
Read between the lines is my best advice. Same goes for Ulysses.

The intellectual movement is now “Substack” pay walled tripe. A new generation of guessers. Anti Woke depressants.
Yammering on, the virtues of libertarian skepticism. As though they are the cognizente.
Oh indeed we’ve generated into the society that is, but dreams of ought. Thing is that ought is no longer permanent, it is in fact now ephemeral.
Mama’s got a squeeze box.
Daddy never sleeps at night.