Before anyone reads this and says, "What does this have to do with sports!?!?!?" just stop. This has nothing to do with sports. If you don't want to read it, here is your warning, click the back button on your browser now. However, if you're not going to be petrified at the fact an article on something besides sports is on the Foxsports blog (even though this is going in the "other" section) then proceed.
Another thing, I did not write this. You may be surprised at who did: Jay Leno. Yes the man who has entertained us on that little show he has on NBC is giving us his insight on just how lucky we are and how we take it for granted. When I read this, I just thought I had to spread it for others to read, because, at least for me, it really gets you thinking about how much better your life is than you think it is. Without further ado, here it is:
The
other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll
data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true, given the source,
right?
The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans
are unhappy with the direction the country is headed, and 69 percent of
the country is unhappy with the performance of the President. In
essence, 2/3's of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.
So
being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ''What are we so
unhappy about?'' Is it that we have electricity and running water 24
hours a day, 7 days a week?
Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?
Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?
Maybe
it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time, and see
more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?
Maybe
it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic
Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move
through each state?
Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?
I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough.
Or
could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and
provide services to help all, and even send a helicopter to take you to
the hospital.
Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans
who own a home. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate
case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments
and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you,
your family and your belongings.
Or if, while at home watching
one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an
officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend
you and your family against attack or loss.
This all in the
backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and
pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers
own cell phones and computers.
How about the complete religious,
social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in
the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.
Fact
is we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has
ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. , yet has a great
disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed
people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't
have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good
Lord we live here.
I know, I know. What about the President who
took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The President who has a
measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same President who
guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The President that cut
taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy
who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping
all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks?
The
Commander-In Chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending
you and me? Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk
show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you
couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things
and be glad?
Think about it...are you upset at the President
because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the
'Media' told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind
every day.
Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and
Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died
for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They
didn't have to go.
They are able to refuse to go and end up with
either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge
or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days
in the brig.
So why then the flat-out discontentment in the
minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want, but I blame it on
the media. If it bleeds, it leads; and they specialize in bad news.
Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will
watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and
media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells, and
when criticized, try to defend their actions by 'justifying' them in
one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like
O.J. Simpson to write a book about 'how he didn't kill his wife, but if
he did he would have done it this way'...Insane!
Stop buying the
negativism you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn
Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage.
Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is
exponentially more good than bad.
We are among the most blessed
people on Earth, and should thank God several times a day or at least
be thankful and appreciative.
Tyler, great article. It really gets at the heart of the problem. One thing about this article. Most of the items that Leno talks about are material items. We should never forget to be thankful for her health and happiness as well. Keep up the great work.
Simplemindedness is something that should be avoided.
Whether it's a simplemindedness that produces a naively positive view of an issue, or a cynically negative view - neither is worthy of respect.
While well intentioned, I view your blog as teetering on the brink (well, falling over the brink) of the former, all the while decrying the latter.
There's PLENTY on which we need to improve. And plenty of room for concern that we have been backsliding in many aspects of our society. A great society is always looking to improve, and is therefore unafraid to be critical of its directions/decisions. Were we just to sit back and say "well, look how much worse it COULD be", we'd miss many/most of the important opportunities to improve ourselves.
I read your posts with interest, and know that you are a very intelligent thoughtful person. However, my take on this particular post is that it is, indeed, a very simplistic take on the role, value, and actual impact of "the media".
Last edited by Dave_in_Indy on May 28th at 6:13 AM.
... it's not so hard to believe uber wealthy formerly great comedian Jay Leno is simple-minded, or at least publicly adopts simple-minded positions. His whole schtick is to make you feel better about yourself (look over there, THAT'S funny/pathetic).
Dave in Indy- Good point, we should strive to improve upon ourselves. I just thought this article by Jay was showing that we're not that really as bad as most think we are. Of course, you seem to know our position well, I think Jay was speaking to the uninformed society that just thinks we have it horrible.
Of course, with the issues we have it's easy to just complain about them. The hard part is coming up with a solution.
The tone is the article is that we should realize how good we have it but not accept that as the end all be all. You can be happy about your country but still feel the need to work on improving it.
This article is exactly what's wrong with Americans: they've been bribed into silence and acceptance of the status quo.
Almost everything Leno cites you can get in any civilized country in the world, and he cherry-picks third-world countries to emphasize his poorly-made point.
This country is a rapidly declining empire. Since this blogosphere is heavily convervative politically and for the free market economically, I don't expect most people here to agree with my statement that the U.S. is in decline, but it's true. Look at the decline at the greatest empires in world history -- and the U.S. is one such nation -- and you will see the U.S. on the same path. Naomi Wolf has written an excellent book detailing this.
I think Jay was speaking to the uninformed society that just thinks we have it horrible.
Leno (and you, and others) has set up a strawman argument by saying that American critics of the U.S. think we have it "horrible." No rational citizen of this country thinks we have it "horrible." Rational thinkers realize that this country went way off track after John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The current and thankfully soon-to-end Bush administration has been the most prominent and most abysmal train wreck in that time.
We could be a much, much better country but we sold it to corporations for gadgets and the status quo. Capitalism and power-mongering have this country circling the drain.
What about the President who took us into war and has no plan to get us out?
Yes, what about him?
The President who has a measly 31 percent approval rating?
Yes, what about him?
Is this the same President who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11?
"Guided"? You mean "allowed to happen"? Or "ignored 30-40 intelligence reports warning of potential terrorist attacks on the White House, Pentagon, and World Trade Center involving hijacked airplanes"?
The President that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession?
Bush brought us out of a recession? Ha! The economy was in good standing when Clinton left office. We had no deficit. When the Bush administration did nothing to prevent 9/11, the economy declined. It eventually regressed to the mean (due to statistical variance, not tax cuts; tax cuts never fix any economic problems ever), and then rapidly sunk when Bush decided to mistakenly go into Iraq in 2003, and it has never recovered.
Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks?
Except for the one that killed 3,000 people in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.?
By the way, although I have never read or coversed with tylerhead24, I fully expect that he will follow suit with most conservative bloggers here and delete my comments. It just wouldn't be a FOX Sports political blog if it's A) not expressing a conservative opinion; and B) not a one-sided echo chamber.
1 - I'm certain that Tyler won't delete your comments. To the contrary, he'll enjoy the debate (for awhile at least) - but that's for Tyler ...
2 - While I won't argue the wisdom of the Bush tax cuts, I'm not sure tax cuts can't have value. I just returned from Ireland, where the change in apparent economic welfare of the general citizenry over the past two decades has been staggering. Dublin, once one of Europes great slums, is now a bustling middle-class city. Industry seems to be booming there, and unemployment has dropped to a "you have to try to be unemployed" level.
The most rational explanation for their success (yes, ... simple-minded at this point) is the radical cutting of taxes imposed on business in that country. They have managed to attract many billions of dollars into that relatively small economy (which they then share in the form of MANY social welfare programs ...). At least that's my perception of the principal cause of Ireland's recent prosperity. Tax cuts. I'm sure you'll let me know where you think that may be incorrect, yes?
UltraMegaOK1988- I don't delete comments unless they're spam, and your opinion certainly isn't spam, so your comments stay.
And I know people who genuinly think we have it horrible. Of course we don't, but they still think they do just because a few things haven't gone right in their life.
But I repeat what I said, easy to find the problem, but the hard part is the solution. If you could manage this country the way you wish to, what would you do? (Not trying to be condescending or anything, genuinely interested.)
The most rational explanation for their success (yes, ... simple-minded at this point) is the radical cutting of taxes imposed on business in that country.
The difference between Ireland and the U.S., though, is:
A) There is less disparity between economic classes (it's awful in the U.S.).
B) You are fairly taxed based on what you earn (key word: fairly).
C) Taxes are still taken. Read this.
But I repeat what I said, easy to find the problem, but the hard part is the solution. If you could manage this country the way you wish to, what would you do?
1. Immediately withdraw all military forces everywhere in the world, send formal apologies to every country we've screwed over (Iraq, Afghanistan; Chile, just to name a few), and have a foreign policy of essential isolationism.
2. Legalize all drugs, which creates both a short- and long-term boom to the economy from A) taxing drugs like marijuana as we do cigarettes and alcohol; B) not spending billions of dollars of arresting, battling in court, and maintaining in the prison system otherwise peaceful drug users; and C) the money earned and subsequently spent by more people in the work force (that's economic stimulation, not those meaningless $300-600 checks Bush sent you).
3. Heavily raise taxes on all wealthy businesses; reduce taxes on citizens of the middle class and below.
4. Gradually wean this country off of foreign oil dependence.
5. Prosecute the criminals in the Bush administration and the cronies they worked for (like Halliburton) in a global court of law; if that doesn't work, then we go national.
Anyway, I apologize for lumping you in with some other bloggers I've talked politics with. It's rare to find any non-liberals that are willing to tolerate a liberal point of view in this blogosphere.
Also, I'd have a frivolity: I'd strengthen legislation separating church and state that way there's no chance of any future President ever repealing Roe v. Wade or legalizing school prayer.
Great topic. Ultra, do you feel that the members of Congress and the Senate also are just as responsible for most of the problems we have in our country? Ultra, I meant to add that I, too, would love to see your #3 happen, but I don't think it will. In my hometown, Chattanooga, it is the total opposite.
Personally I for one would like to see more accountability from the elected officials that there are. But that'd be asking for the impossible now wouldn't it ?
tylerhead'
You've still a lot to learn but keep up the good work as you may see it.
ramp, that was what I was asking Ultra. Does he feel that there should be accountability from ALL elected officials and not just the President. It is you, I think, ramp, that says you think the President is just a figurehead and nothing more. Am I correct? I am not trying to argue with anyone either. I'm just asking questions to gain knowledge of your thoughts. I find this entire blog and all comments to be very interesting. I am neither Democrat nor Republican. I am an Independent voter. Ultra, I think you have said you don't vote? Maybe that was ramp. Anyway, just trying to get ideas here. With respect to all, vol I even respect DaveinIndy!LOL
Ultra...if you raise taxes on all wealthy businesses, why would anyone open a business?
How would you define wealthy business? Gross profits, or gross profit margins?
Why do you think the govt should be involved in private businesses? Is it the fine job that govt does in running their public schools, the V.A. hospitals, NASA, or the postal service? All would be cheaper and mor efficient if ran through private enterprise.
Hanahan, what I thought he meant, maybe I'm way off base here, was a business like CBL. It is a multi-million dollar business and owns malls throughout the states. That company wanted to tax our citizens more for the right to shop at Hamilton Place Mall so they could add on to the property. The company wanted to go above and beyond the sales tax and add a 'shopping privilege' tax on the shoppers. Also, Saturn and Toyota have considered our city, but our local leaders want to give them an 'almost' no-tax deal and then raise property taxes on the citizens. Maybe I'm too small minded about all of this. That is why I am asking questions.
Ultra, do you feel that the members of Congress and the Senate also are just as responsible for most of the problems we have in our country?
I cited Bush a lot, but Congress -- including the relatively new Democratic-majority Congress -- is also largely responsible, yes.
With politicians, I put a lot of the blame on the American people who have been willfully squelched. You're right, I did say I don't vote (setting my watch to the first "you have no right to complain" comment where I will then have to prove the exact opposite). There hasn't been a Presidential candidate worth voting for in a long, long time, ignoring the fact that I refuse to vote for a Democrat or a Republican as both parties are bought and paid for by corporations.
Ultra...if you raise taxes on all wealthy businesses, why would anyone open a business?
You're not a wealthy business when you start one up. Obviously, my criteria to fall under certain tax brackets would be very precise. Generally, the longer you're in business with a positive trend in profits that places the business among the wealthy, the more you're taxed.
How would you define wealthy business? Gross profits, or gross profit margins?
The profit margin is a bad metric for anyone other than a business' bookkeeper; you can't really compare one profit margin with another.
Why do you think the govt should be involved in private businesses?
Business owners generally can't be trusted to act in the best interest of the community in which they do business. When one's chief motivation is to maximize
When one's chief motivation is to maximize profit, both the consumer and the community lose.
Is it the fine job that govt does in running their public schools, the V.A. hospitals, NASA, or the postal service?
I'll take those inevitable problems over what we have now. Ideally, I'd turn the U.S. economy from a free market into a mixed, but socialist-leaning economy similar to Sweden's.
All would be cheaper and mor efficient if ran through private enterprise.
volfan69
The President a figurehead ? Now that's an interesting point to raise ? In the case of this current incumbent I'd rather not post my thoughts on him as it'd probably infuriate a great many people. Suffice to say once he's departed from the White House the better off we may well be.
And as far as accountability goes for anyone in Congress isn't that asking the likes of Sad*aam Hussein, John Demanjuk , Rudolf He*ss , Ali Omar al Bashir to attest for their sins ? You know full well that there's not a chance in hell that'd ever happen ! They're all too often just a pious bunch bloodsu*cking miscreants !
ultra...You're probably going to have to move to Swdeden to find something close to your version of utopia. You do know that their gasoline prices are higher than in the U.S., where the govt lets supply and demand determine prices?
We know the U.S. isn't perfect, and it is already past the point of saving. First the unions, now political correctness have effectively destroyed this country.
Unions ruined the country? Political correctness ruined the country? ... Supply and demand determines gas prices?
I always enjoy your writing. But we significantly disagree on this stuff. How can people with a similar appreciation for Coen Brothers movies be so far apart with regard to these issues?
First, thank all of you for your honest and kind responses. I, again, enjoy topics such as this. I also am very interested in ALL opinions. Ultra, I feel you have every right to complain whether you vote or not. You'll get no criticism from me on that one. ramp/Al, you are a person whose opinion I trust and respect and you know that already. Hanahan, I think you are a very wise man also and I always enjoy reading what you write. Dave, my friend, there were times in my life I WAS on that ledge, but I have backed away. I'm not kissing arse here, I just want honest views and I appreciate that all of you were willing to give them to me. THANKS.
You have certainly uped the bar on posting in politics.
Ultra made some good points and some bad ones ( legalize drugs and socialism).
The greatest part of the whole thing is we all have the right to post our ideas with out fear of opression or prosecution.
What is wrong with America? Too much apathy from its citizens. We are being sold down the proverbial river and don't care to make a change.
The new world order and Humanist organizations are really enjoying the friuts of their labors over the last few deades. Guess what? They will never have to fire a shot to rule the U.S.A. in the future.
As a matter of fact, with their long range plans, they envision on rulling the world ecconomically, spiritually, and morally as a one world order with one leader. In other words, a dictator more powerfull than even Nebuchadnezzar, Ceaser,Alexander, Stalin, ####, or Hussen from ancient history to recent history.
You as well as your generation will have to be the flag bearers to change the decline of the American empire to a stronger empire. Your generation must not fail. Do not be misslead by forked tongue orators.
Dave...that's one thing still great about America, me, you, and ultra all have our own beliefs. We can all agree to have a civil disagreement and move on, as no one is going to change anyone's mind anyway.
One last thing from me, and I'll let you have the last word. Yes! Supply and demand sets gas prices here. If 50% of our traffic parked tomorrow for a month, you don't think the price would go down in just a few days?
Some are already doing just that. I parked my fuel efficient cars and the wife and I are using electric powered bikes that I built to get around locally.
Saved over $150.00 the last month in gas. Only problem if it rains, you get very wet.
You all might want to click on Ultra's link about 1/2 way up regarding Ireland's taxation system. Seems to be way more simple than ours - - would be interesting to see actuarial projections regarding the net impact on US Gov't Revenues - I'm guessing it would be significantly LESS per capita, but then again they don't have to spend a gazillion to fund a giant military/industrial complex, a giant prison system, etc.
WTF am I doing talking about Ireland?
Focus, Dave, ... focus.
Oh, ... Hanahan, S & D are powerful forces. But if the gov't stopped their MASSIVE subsidy of oil/gas prices, you'd see the real cost of gas.
So, you'd prefer that there not be a minimum wage and the inevitable creation of an essential slave class? Or there would be no limits as to how much a business can force one to work without a pay bonus? Or that businesses wouldn't have to offer their employees health and dental insurance?
A capitalist economy without unions, that's a great recipe for disaster.
now political correctness have effectively destroyed this country
I dislike political correctness as much as the next guy, but how did it "destroy this country"? It's simply the use of euphemisms.
Ultra made some good points and some bad ones ( legalize drugs and socialism).
There is no argument that can be made for keeping drugs legal unless you are getting paid by pharmaceutical industry lobbyists, as almost all of our Congresspeople are.
The anti-legalization always cites some dystopian nightmare where crack addicts roam the streets and heroin junkies are walking like zombies with syringes trying to get everyone else high.
The government has absolutely no right to tell you what you can and cannot put in your body as long as you're not infringing on the rights of others. It's that simple. There is no argument against it.
You legalize drugs, put them in the hands of vendors with valid licenses, and you tax it just like you do with cigarettes and alcohol. I mentioned how much money will be saved and generated as a result of simply decriminalizing drug use. How is that a bad thing?
Allow drug use in the private sector and prosecute those who operate
...vehicles under the influence, just like with alcohol.
What most people don't realize is that the legal stuff -- cigarettes, alcohol, pharmaceuticals -- are exponentially less safe both for the individual and for the people around the user. But they're legal because there are multi-billion dollar industries behind them. If a wealthy corporation with a load of political power ever backs marijuana, it will be legalized in the snap of your fingers.
Supply and demand sets gas prices here.
Incorrect. I noticed this, and if you don't believe me, camp out at a couple gas stations and see it with your own eyes: I went to Wawa, which, if you're not familiar with it, is a great convenience store with a gas station. I went there around 6 PM one evening a few weeks ago and it was around 3.75. When I went back out with some friends a few hours later, we drove by the exact same Wawa and it went up to 3.79. And it's not just Wawa, I've noticed it at Shells, Exxons, BPs, etc.
If 50% of our traffic parked tomorrow for a month, you don't think the price would go down in just a few days?
The thing is that it's not practical for Americans to cut off oil use for a month. Most people around my area (Philly suburbs, 3 minutes from an I-95 ramp) take I-95 to commute, and it would take hours to walk or to bike anywhere. Public transportation around here is awful as well. I recently went to a Phillies game and it took me 25 minutes to get to Citizens Bank Park. Beforehand, I was thinking about taking public transportation and they wanted me to get on a bus, a trolley,
...and a subway. I'd get on the bus at roughly 2 PM and I'd be at the stadium at roughly 4:30 PM. 2 and a half hours for public transportation; 25 minutes for a car.
It's insulting to see Congress ask the oil execs to come to Washington to explain the reasons behind high gas prices. Speculators and demand dictate the fluctuations more than anything else. But nowhere is there any common sense being shown on their part.
Wouldn't it be now in their best interests to rescind this policy whereby they're allowing the tax incentives that are given at their largesse to these corporations ? Yet these pompous as*sholes continue along their merry way asking the execs asinine questions ! For the billions of dollars they make each fiscal year we're allowing them even more in terms of the incentives given. And what does the consumer get in return ?
Oil execs seated and waiting interrogation or should one say questioning ? The House Energy & Commerce Committee presides over this sham !
rampant' aka tophatal ......
Last edited by rampantfanatic on May 29th at 10:02 AM.
Ultra...Yes the unions. I would prefer for the people who work and make smart life choices to get ahead. You actually think that employers are GIVING their employees insurance? Employers have a profit margin they have to make to stay in business. Every dollar they give out in insurance is one less dollar they give out in salary.
What I mean by political correctness is the dumbing down of our govt. school system. Social promotions and the child's self esteem are more important than educating the child so we can compete with the rest of the world.
BFD, you saw the price of gas go up. That IS supply and demand. If enough people refuse to pay it, guess what. It will go back down.
Demand for gas is already down. The prices aren't going to go down anytime soon. The prices are rising because of speculation and because of the increasing worthlessness of the dollar.
Hello, I'm Tyler Head. I live in Utica, NY and currently attend Ilion Jr. Sr. High School. I'm a senior this year (woot! haha), and I'm persuing a career in Computer Hardware design, or Journalism... I guess I'm undecided, lol. I enjoy a lot of sports, with my favorite being NASCAR. My favorite driver is Jeff Gordon, I even made a fansite. As much as I enjoy NASCAR, I also like Baseball, Football, and College Basketball.
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