<<There is something here you don't agree with? >>
Yes, almost everything!!
1.There is a distinct singular American culture - rugged individualism and
self-reliance - which made America
great.
I think rugged individualism and self-reliance are part of the myth of America. It was built on the blood of the Indians and the backs of the slaves, a nation stolen from its original inhabitants which is very violent and quite unhealthy in many ways.
2.The vast majority of the rich in this country did not inherit their wealth; they earned
it. They are the country's
achievers, producers, and job creators.
America is more democratic in this regard than Europe, probably because it is a younger country. However, there is plenty of inherited wealth here as well. Most baby boomers will inherit most of their wealth when their parents die, for example.
3.No nation has ever taxed itself into prosperity.
All of the prosperous first world nations have higher tax rates than America, and offer more of a safety net to their citizens.
4.Evidence refutes liberalism.
This makes no sense at all, across the board. Many "liberal" ideas like family leave policies were fought vigorously by "conservatives", but now that they are the law of the land, they are extremely popular among employees of all political persuasions. Some liberal ideas did not work, and welfare is an example. Many conservative ideas do not work, as well.
5.There is no such thing as a New Democrat.
There are as many kinds of Democrats as there are Republicans. Liberal, moderate, conservative, northern, southern, racist, civil rights advocates, old, new, black, white, brown, red, gay and straight.
6.The Earth's eco-system is not fragile.
That must be why one in six plants is in serious danger of extinction at the moment--it is a phony liberal plot of some sort!
7.Character matters; leadership descends from character.
I totally agree with this one. However, it was not original to Rush Limbaugh, and you can hear Democratic leaders repeating it like a mantra as they try to convince Clinton to leave office. Of course, in all fairness this needs to be applied equally to Newtie, whose behavior towards his wife and children were appalling.
8.The most beautiful thing about a tree is what you do with it after you cut it down.
Oh, yeah, I much prefer a wad of toilet paper to a nice green pine tree swaying in the breeze. This statement is so idiotic it really doesn't deserve serious comment.
9.Ronald Reagan was the greatest president of the twentieth century.
Ronald Reagan was not the worst president of the twentieth century.
I think not enough time has really passed to decide who wins the best president award, however. Getting America through two world wars and a major depression required great leadership, also. Ronald Reagan was more honest than Bill Clinton is, however.
10.The 1980s was not a decade of greed but a decade of prosperity; it was the
longest period of peacetime
growth in American history.
Isn't this the decade when the unions were broken and the standard of living for everyone except the wealthiest Americans stopped growing? Prosperity for who? Now a lot of people are working three part-time jobs with no benefits to support their families, and we lost our industrial base, without offering any effective retraining to get workers ready for the technological revolution.
11.Abstinence prevents sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy - every time it's
tried.
There is nothing wrong with abstinence, and I hope Rush practices it religiously! However, there is a much more pragmatic and worthwhile goal for young people, and that is preventing sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy even for children who do become sexually active, as they tend to do all over the civilized world at the average age of 15.5. The Europeans are much better at this than we are, because the religious zealots have preempted useful sex education in much of America.
12.Condoms only work during the school year.
What on earth does this mean? One of the basic signs of an intelligent being is the ability to write a declarative sentence that most people can understand. Rush fails the test!
13.Poverty is not the root ("rut") cause of crime.
Well, almost all criminals come from poverty, as do almost eighty percent of unwed mothers. I guess he is having a little word play with the "rut", insulting the poor because they have sex like animals, maybe? What a classy guy!
14.There's a simple way to solve the crime problem: obey the law; punish those
who do not.
There is a very reliable way of predicting criminal behavior. It is almost always the result of poverty, neglect, abuse, malnutrition, and head injuries. While criminals need to be punished, society has a vested interest in preventing crime with its social policies, not just throwing away the key. Healthy people do tend to grow up and obey the law. Why not do what we can to ensure that most of our young population is healthy?
15.If you commit a crime, you are guilty.
Yeah, okay, fair enough. That applies just as much to Republicans as Democrats, however. "Liberals" aren't committing any more crimes than "rednecks", I would bet.
16.Women should not be allowed on juries where the accused is a stud.
Rush at his stupidest. JP has already said something about this, so I will go on to something else.
17.The way to improve our schools is not more money, but the reintroduction of
moral and spiritual values, as
well as the four "R's": reading, 'riting, 'rithmatic, and Rush.
In societies which are more socially homogenous and have great respect for learning and for teachers, and where children are cared for at home and not left to their own devices, and don't watch so much tv, it is true that spending more money necessarily produces better students. However, in America we can look at situations like California and see that student performance has declined with per pupil spending. Certainly, backed up toilets, broken windows, crumbling plaster, leaking ceilings and rooms with no heat or air conditioning send a strong message about how unimportant most Americans consider children.
On a more intellectual note, the brains of children develop better when they are exposed to music and art, and they learn more effectively when they get lots of sunshine and exercise. Spiritual teaching is the responsibility of communities and families, not public schools.
18.I am not arrogant.
I'm not sure about this one, but I know that his positions paint him as quite ignorant.
19.My first 35 Undeniable Truths are still undeniably true.
Does anyone have a source for these? If this thirty-five are so false, I'd love to see the originals.
20.There is a God.
This is a personal belief, nothing more. There is absolutely no scientific proof of God's existence, and many of us lead happy, healthy lives without one.
21.There is something wrong when critics say the problem with America is too
much religion.
I think everyone has the right to their own religious beliefs, as long as they are not trying to control the way I live my life. At that point there is too much religion, and not enough tolerance or freedom.
There needs to be freedom from religion to the same extent that there is freedom of religion.
22.Morality is not defined by individual choice.
Morality IS defined by individual choice. I think people who discriminate against homosexuals in jobs and housing are acting immorally. They believe that homosexuals are acting immorally. Morality is a matter of opinion, really.
23.The only way liberals win national elections is by pretending they're not liberals.
Well, Clinton ran as a centrist, and has pretty consistently remained one. He is not nearly liberal enough in his policies about needle exchanges or gays in the military to suit me, for example, or real liberals, either.
24.Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women easier access to the
mainstream of society.
This is another one which shows just what a pig Rush Limbaugh really is.
25.Follow the money. When somebody says, "It's not the money," it's always the
money.
Some people are really driven by principle, not money. This is gross generality that cannot always be subtantiated.
26.Liberals attempt through judicial activism what they cannot win at the ballot box.
So do conservatives and moderates. The judiciary is one third of our American system of government. Does Rush have a point here? Big deal.
27.Using federal dollars as a measure, our cities have not been neglected, but
poisoned with welfare dependency
funds.
The inner cities have been pretty much abandoned by politicians from both parties. Welfare is just about over. It's too bad all those neighborhoods were "redlined" by conservative Republican banks who would not lend money for busineses or houses. It's also too bad the black middle class left the inner cities as soon as they could. There are so many complicated factors involved here, that Rush's slogan is very simplistic.
28.Progress is not striving for economic justice or fairness, but economic growth.
Really? Economic growth without economic justice or fairness will eventually lead to social instability and then revolution. It doesn't seem like Rush knows much about history.
29.Liberals measure compassion by how many people are given welfare.
Conservatives measure compassion by
how many people no longer need it.
Some people in any society will not be able to fully care for themselves, because they are too mentally or physically ill, or emotionally damaged. Compassionate societies help these people survive, and ruthless and/or barbaric ones do not. A greater compassion would be fully funding HeadStart, feeding all school children who go hungry, and providing the same quality of instruction for poor as well as rich and middle class children.
30.Compassion is no substitute for justice.
When the playing field is more level, then justice will be fairer.
31.The culture war is between the winners and those who think they're losers who
want to become winners. The
losers think the only way they can become winners is by banding together all the
losers and then empowering
a leader of the losers to make things right for them.
Does Rush do drugs or something? He seems incoherent here.
32.The Los Angeles riots were not caused by the Rodney King verdict. The Los
Angeles riots were caused by
rioters.
There is plenty of blame to go around here. Certainly, these particular riots would not have happened if the police had not tried to beat Rodney King to death. However, there is so much pain and anger in the inner cities that it doesn't take much to get a riot going. How about some good schools and job training and drug treatment to get some of these angry people feeling like they matter, and can be productive? Adults do need to be held accountable for their own behavior, however.
33.You could afford your house without your government - if it weren't for your
government.
The government gives huge tax breaks to homeowners because they pay mortgage interest. My taxes would be much lower if this were not the case. It's hard to tell what this statement is really about, but certainly the government has the right to assess taxes on property.
34.Words mean things.
Well, if you are articulate, that is true. In Rush's case, it seems like kind of a stretch.
35.Too many Americans can't laugh at themselves anymore.
I don't think people like Rush are really very funny. They foment ignorance and bigotry among the populace. This is humorous?
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