It’s late and I’m watching the Ken Burns documentary from the 90s on the Civil War. I’ve never seen the full thing but I will eventually. Watching it however made me think of how the vitriol in the political discourse sounds a lot like today’s. President can do nothing right. Government is invading our lives too much. Etc.
Then I realize it’s been like that since before the Civil War. The whole thing was essentially fought on a States Rights Feds Rights platform. Slavery is pointed to but that was simply a large plank in the platform. After that it was reconstruction, then Isolationism, then Prohibition, Socialism/Communism.
But really it all comes back to the individual’s rights against the larger group’s rights. But no one wants to talk about that. They’d rather talk about how W sounds like a moron or how
Obama always uses a TelePrompTer. So what?
Those topics aren’t germane to politics. They’re ad hominem attacks for no real purpose. To call them an idiot is to ignore the topic at hand.
Whenever I hear the ultra-cons around my desk talk politics I put in my headphones. Because I know how the conversation goes. It follows a very narrow line of thought over a well-worn path with the same handful of words used. But it never touches an issue, only complaints about the President.
Then there’s the laughable hypocrisy of listening to them complain about big government and then complain about impending cuts in our budget or benefits. Which is it guys? Big government or not?
That which affects me is bad. That which affects someone else is okay. That which affects someone I don’t like is awesome.
Yay for dumb trains of thought.
Okay time to stop getting pissed off and go to sleep.
