Whether you're talking about the elections in Iran, adultery, healthcare, Israel, the auto industry, government, etc., hypocrisy is out of control in America.
Take Republican Senator John Ensign of Nevada, who has been a staunch supporter of the Promise Keepers (an evangelical group with a strong commitment to family), a critical detractor of Bill Clinton (voting to impeach him for his relationship with Monica Lewinski), demanded the resignation of Republican Senator Larry Craig of Idaho who was arrested for improper behavior in a Minneapolis airport men's room, and is against gay marriage. Now, this gentleman has come out admitting to an extramarital affair (a 9 month fling) with a campaign staffer (a married woman whose husband is an aide for Ensign). Is this not the epitome of hypocrisy? How does he uphold the sanctity of marriage (he's anti-marriage for gays) when he's, individually, besmirched the institution? Another element of Sowing and Reaping?
From all appearances, the Iranian election for president was flawed, with the government calling the election shortly after the polls closed. They claimed to have counted the 40 million handwritten votes that had been cast in such little time, that many find the results to be a fraud. The hypocrisy comes from folks like Republican Senator John McCain claiming how President Obama should be speaking out on the events occuring in Iran. We have a history of meddling in the affairs of Iran that has made our relationship with the nation tenuous, at best. Plus the president has to think of the long run as well as the short run. Meddling in another country's affairs will make negotiating about atomic energy very difficult.
Nevertheless, when you think about our presidential elections of 2000 and 2004, with major discrepancies in the voting processes of Florida and Ohio, respectively, who are we, the U.S., to speak on the elections in another country? This country looked more toward expediency in moving government along than ensuring our election process was correct. How do you open your mouth about Iran without fixing your house first? The president is taking the proper steps in not involving himself in THEIR elections. THIS IS TO BE SOLVED BY THE IRANIAN PEOPLE AND THEIR GOVERNMENT. After 8 years of not listening to other countries regarding our behavior, how dare McCain complain about elections in Iran! If the shoe were on the other foot, he would say, MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS! It's time to take his own advice. Just treat others the way you wish to be treated.
When I hear about President Obama leading us into socialism and communism, it makes me wonder what his detractors were doing the last 8 years. After following and supporting Bush policies without a whimper, leading us into the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression, these same people have ignored their responsibility for the predicament we find ourselves. Yet, they can talk so callously about the person who's attempting to rectify what THEY'VE screwed up.
When the financial walls of Jericho were crumbling down on President Bush's and the Republican Party's watch last summer, they did nothing but give another $350 billion to a banking industry, fraught with fraud, corruption, and waste, with no strings attached in a bailout. The auto industry was crumbling and the same gang who knew it all before, did nothing. The last 5 months of the Bush Administration was spent with his team just holding on until President Obama took office. The closest Bush and Republicans came to solving the healthcare problem in this country was to push for Social Security to be invested in the Stock Market. Just think what a fiasco that would have created, for us, if the bill had passed. These were the same folks who came up with an expensive prescription drug plan for the elderly at $750 billion with most of the money going to insurance companies, drug companies and HMO's. And they talk about the money Obama wants to spend!
These are the same folks who are spending trillions of dollars of our money for an unnecessary war in Iraq. Gave billions to the rich each year in tax cuts that we paid for with loans from China. Who are these people who would complain about what has to be spent now to correct their errors?
The complainers tell you, GOVERNMENT DOESN'T CREATE WEALTH, with respect to the stimulus package! Well when was the last time these folks spoke to Haliburton, Blackwater, the banks, the oil companies, drug companies and insurance companies, military industrial complex, etc. that have made mucho cash off of the American people in contracts, tax cuts and bail outs, Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security, etc. All of these folks are making money and living high off the hog (that's us, U.S. citizens).
Irresponsibility and ignorance has folks speaking everything but the truth, with talk radio being the biggest culprit. These shows are preaching fear and hate with little substance regarding how to improve their audience's lives during these tough times. It's all about blaming others for their circumstances, without recognizing `the others' they need to blame, were people THEY supported the last 8 year.
They say, THE GOVERNMENT CHOOSING WHAT KIND OF HEALTHCARE YOU CAN GET IS NOT WHAT YOU WANT. Well isn't that just what administrators, not doctors, do at insurance companies and HMO's - what's the diff? And they do it for a profit, costing us more for healthcare! Republicans and some Democrats are trying to protect these groups(lobbyists for drug, insurance & HMO's), not U.S. citizens.
The pie of corporate America shows a thin line (not even a slice) of those taken over by government, yet the cry of socialism - how dumb! These sheep are crying about President Obama holding down the salaries of the same gentlemen heavily responsible for the financial downfall of this country. It's similar to how Americans tend to protect the rich from paying their fair share, in taxes, to their own detriment. This, while the gap between the rich and the middle class is ever growing. Stupidity?
Now we have the government going after cigarettes as a way to decrease the need for healthcare (saying they lead to health problems), as a way to reduce the cost. One reason given was, IF USED AS INTENDED, THEY'RE DEADLY. Well couldn't we say the same thing about guns? And they're protected by the Constitution! We'll regulate cigarettes but we won't regulate guns. DOES SOMEONE ELSE BESIDES ME SEE THIS AS HYPOCRITICAL?
As of this writing, Obama has been President for less than 5 months and is taking a lot of flack from the left and right about what needs to be done. People forget that you can't get much done in Washington without a coalition of different political groups. He did that to win the Presidency and he's doing it now to bring this economy back to prosperity. He came into office with the economy below sea level and we're starting to rise just to keep from drowning.
The most important thing we can do as individuals is to stay informed, contact our representative and senators regarding our likes and dislikes, and keep searching for the truth. This is one huge mess we're in.
QUESTION EVERYTHING! THAT'S WHERE THE TRUTH RESIDES.
Great post, you've really put it all together here. I'm in complete
agreement with you, with the exception of the cigarettes/guns comparison. I
favor gun control in general, but find their use in hunting legitimate.
Regulating cigarettes... I guess I'm on the fence here. As a non-smoker
myself, I recognize that I have a bias there, but if the government is
going to subsidize our healthcare, don't they have an interest in keeping
down the costs? Don't we all have an interest in that? The funding has to
come from somewhere, so here we are killing two birds with one stone. Now,
taken to its logical conclusion, should the government be taxing or
otherwise discouraging fast food? Forcing us to exercise or denying
coverage if we don't live a healthy lifestyle, however they choose to
define that? Obviously it gets more and more uncomfortable the further the
idea is pushed, which calls into question the basic premise.
John! Thanks for stopping by. Perspective is a crazy thing. You took a
perspective that I was saying we need to regulate guns more, when I was
saying, IF YOU CAN BE FREE & CONSTITUTIONAL ABOUT GUNS, WHY NOT THE FREEDOM
TO SMOKE CIGARETTES! So I don't think we disagree. If I lived in a rural
area of America, I would have a gun. I live in New York City, and with as
many people as we have here living on top of each other, the fewer the guns
the better. And by the way, I don't smoke cigarettes, but I feel people
need to have the freedom to make mistakes as well as take correct action.