Originally posted by What Would Jesus Do?:
Originally posted by Lone Clone:
Funny, but this has a serious side, too. A disturbing number of people actually would support most of those points.
Most reasonable people would, except maybe for the ones that are tongue-in-cheek.
It's disturbing that you seem not to be "reasonable" on these points. Care to argue them - or is this just your usual knee-jerk rejection of all things Michael Moore?
No, most reasonable people wouldn't. And a lot of people wouldn't realize some are intended to be serious and others are not.
I am proud that the thought of Michael Moore triggers an involuntary sneer and gag reflex. It reassures me I'm a reasonable person.
Argue them? They aren't really open to argument. And I actually agree with a few. But I'll explain them to you.
1. A presidential edict mandating all electronic devices use the same charge cord. It would be great if all devices used the same charge cord. A government edict to that effect would be a bad thing, for reasons I hope are obvious even to you, Parser.
2.
Lower the voting age to 16 because an 18-year-old can be sent to war. This old, tired refrain has never passed rational muster. Different levels of intelligence and maturity are required to vote or to obey an order. It didn't make sense even when there was a draft, much less with an all-volunteer force. And 16 wouldn't make sense even under that "rationale."
3.
If there is a call for war, the president should send the children of his political enemies first. Again, from a practical standpoint, if we're going to have a military, we need to select its members based on their skill sets, not on political irrelevances and prejudices. And of course it would be unconstitutional. And it wouldn't lessen the number of wars, anyway.
4. I will make available free HBO for everyone. [/I]Some people may think this was intended as tongue-in-cheek. Whether it was or not, it's pretty close to what some liberals want. Look at what is included as a "right" for advocates of a "living wage," for instance. And we've already done this with cell phones.
5.
Forgive all student debt and provide free college for everyone. The former is clearly unethical and overall it's too expensive. Not to mention contradictory. Is he also going to forgive the debt from those minimal, interest-free loans he's going to make?
6.
Reduce the Pentagon's budget by 75 percent. This is the one that's tongue-in-cheek, but he doesn't realize it. Of all the areas of the budget that should be cut -- which is all of them -- the one that is least appropriate for this kind of approach is the military.
7. All Americans will get the same free health plans that members of Congress have access to. [/I]This is what Obamacare purports to do. I would be in favor of it if it could be afforded, which it cannot.
8.
That universal health plan will include free mental and free dental. If we were to accept the premise of #7, which is that there is a Money Fairy who will wave her wand and pay for free health care, I would agree with adding dental care. Mental is already covered.
9.
The wealthy will pay the same percentage in Social Security tax on their entire income as every middle-class person does. I would agree with this one.....as long as it is understood that it will make the long-term financial problems of SS even worse.
10. We will return to the income-tax rates that existed when that great Republican Gerald Ford was president. [/I] If we returned to the same deductions, exemptions, etc., of that period, I would oppose it because the tax was less fair then. But Moore's claim that this would fund his fantasies is nuts. In constant dollars, the federal income tax brings in more than twice as much money as it did then (in 2009 dollars, it was $1,294.9 billion under Ford, $2,791.2 last year.) The guy is a total fool.
11.
Bullet trains. 'Nuff said, indeed. Where would they run? What would they cost? Where would the money come from?
12.
A ban on high-fructose corn syrup. I don't think Moore realizes that all the diseases he attributes to Nutrasweet actually are caused by fluoride put into the water supply. Seriously, if there is a legitimate scientific reason to ban a substance, it should be banned. Just like it works now.
13. Anyone caught using their mobile device inside a movie theater will be subjected to enhanced "rectal rehydration" [/I]Finally, lucky 13 -- he has a good idea.
14.
When in doubt, do what the Canadians do: If we wanted to do this, we could move to Canada (assuming their borders are as lax as ours). I'm just surprised he didn't suggest doing what Cuba does, not Canada.
15.
All schools will return to teaching civics class. Yes, and it's something that would be legal and appropriate for the White House to champion.
16.
All students shall learn cursive writing. See #15.
17.
We will not back theocracies. Who defines them? Not, God forbid, someone who actually thinks the USA is one. And what happens if one theocracy is on our side against another one that isn't?
18.
All Americans shall have a mandatory four-week paid vacation. I have no problem with a four-week paid vacation. I even had one the last few years I was working. But the government has no business dictating it.
19.
The prison thing. Clearly tongue-in-cheek.
20. As Americans, we will seek to be kind-to each other, to the world, and to ourselves. As the president, I will be the first to set that example. [/I]This is really funny, because it's basically what our current president claimed he was going to do, just before proceeding to do the exactly opposite. And the concept of Michael Moore being kind to anyone except himself is impossible to grasp.
