"Gubmint kain't do nothin' right . . ."

[AndyS]

Yeah, maybe YOUR government can't but let me tell you what MY government has done.

My government eradicated one deadly disease from the face of the Earth. Small pox exists in only one place in the world, Camp Detrick in Maryland in a test tube stored in liquid Nitrogen.

My government stopped Polio, Measles, Mumps and Rubella from infecting millions of children every year and would do more if it weren't for people like YOU.

My government built the greatest highway system in the world, linking every major city north to south and east to west.

My government overhauled the entire economy after the great depression, feeding millions, employing millions and creating the greatest middle class the world has ever seen.

My government created a alliance of countries to defeat the greatest collection of Fascists the world has ever seen and did it when they had a decade head start.

My government then re-built the world destroyed by war by out innovating, out creating, out engineering and out producing the rest of that crumbled world.

My government sent man into space, not because it was easy but because it was HARD and created another whole new economy built on technology doing it.

My government is in the process of doing it all over again as I type this.

Sorry to hear about YOUR government. Maybe if you hired people that believed in government you'd have better luck.

[PatSeg]

1. That is excellent

[overleft]

3. I agree. Totally!

[PatSeg]

8. I've saved it

I'm sure it will come in handy. I also posted it on Facebook with credit to AndyS.

[CrispyQ]

2. Excellent commentary!

Your last sentence says it all. I never understood people who vote for candidates who hate government. That's like hiring someone who hates your company.

[Traildogbob]

7. RIGHT

Who would hire a doctor that hates science, Health care is anti Vaxer, don’t believe in pharmaceuticals, and think churches should replace all hospitals and hates sick people? Oh.......a Jesus republican.

[world wide wally]

4. AND...

That government is based on the premise of "Of the people, by the people, and FOR the people" it governs.
I don't need no fucking Trump.
I don't want no fucking Trump.

[Probatim]

5. It's amazing what a government not clogged up by assholes can accomplish

[Ferrets are Cool]

6. K and R

[niyad]

9. Most excellent.

When I encounter christofascists and their hate-filled deity, I say, "My Goddess is love and joy and compassion. So sorry about the psychopath you worship."

[AndyS]

10. 🤣

[Collimator]

24. +++

One of the reasons that I left my Bible-beliefs behind was that my compassion kept getting to me. Sure, there was the nagging voice of science questioning the supernatural claims. But things like the 22nd chapter of Deuteronomy couldn't be set aside in my mind any longer.

For those unfamiliar, this chapter deals with the--shall we say?--pragmatic issues of rape, without actually specifically condemning rape. One verse declares that a young woman raped in the city, who didn't "cry out" is basically on the hook for fornication. Because an omniscient deity is somehow unaware that rapists sometimes cover their victims' mouths.

[niyad]

25. Or render them unconscious. .I basically never got past the sexism and the ridiculous concepts

of original sin and eternal damnation. Part of the reason that I was ex-commed.

[marble falls]

11. I thought we buried Ronnie Reagan.

[billh58]

12. Hear! Hear! n/t

[Bluethroughu]

13. I love this!!!

And we'll get it all done again!

[Aristus]

14. I'd argue that Germany has the greatest highway system in the world.

But since Germany is about the size of Washington and Oregon combined, the linking of the immense United States by road systems stands as the higher achievement.

[AndyS]

15. 'Twoud be nice if we just maintained it . . .

[Aristus]

16. And that's the problem right there.

The German people view taxes as the necessary inconvenience for paying for their autobahns, along with every other social service Germany offers. So, even if they complain about their taxes, they pay them.

We just complain, complain, and complain, and then vote for charlatans who promise to lower our taxes.

[halfulglas]

27. Also, unfortunately for us, Germany believes in building it better.

The road bed for the German highways extends much deeper in construction than ours. Ours crack much more easily from weather and get damaged by heavy vehicles because they depth prevents water from getting under the construction so that when it freezes the expansion of the ice cracks the concrete. We also don't have heavy enough penalties for corrupt contractors or officials who don't follow what specifications we do have. Unfortunately it's deemed a "white collar crime" and even companies that do have officers convicted of corrupt practices are still allowed to bid on new contracts. It would be nice if "Build back better" would signal we tighten the standards so that our public facilities last longer and have more severe penalties to those who violate them.

[Chili Pepper]

35. I've driven the autobahn a few times and wondered why their roads are so well maintained and

relatively free of cracks, holes, and defects in general.

Your explanation provides a solid reason for the differences between our highways and theirs.

Thanks!

[CTyankee]

17. to those so-called "small government" Republicans I say:

a small government did not win WW2

a small government did not put a man on the moon.

think about it

[AndyS]

18. "The government that governs least governs best"? Sounds like Somalia to me . . .

[summer_in_TX]

30. Love it.

The damage done to the country by the "no new taxes" crown who wanted to shrink the size of government to the point where they could drown it in a bathtub – who does that? Who except saboteurs or fools, imo.

[calimary]

19. I'm saving this one.

Probably gonna print it out and keep a copy with me.

This is SUPERB!

[multigraincracker]

20. You want small government that stays out of your way...

...move to Somalia, it's a real Libertarian heaven.

[Jon King]

21. Reagan was an absolute demon....

He started this government can only be bad crap to get elected, he popularized the us vs them politics, he started the downfall of unions and wages and workers rights and safety regulations and consumer protections.

Amazing the guy Repugs tout as their greatest President was nothing but a POS fraud.

[colsohlibgal]

26. Amen!

He also drastically cut the top marginal tax rats on the Richie Riches, to low rates not seen since Herbert Hoover.....which led to the Great Depression.

[CaptainTruth]

22. Damn that's good!!!

[LaMouffette]

23. I think there's a difference between low-income Republican voters who hate the government,

high-income Republican voters who hate the government, and Republican politicians who hate the government:

Low-income Republican voters hate the government because their lives are precarious. They're living paycheck-to-paycheck at best, and they're witnessing the extinction of good-paying jobs with benefits that do not require a post–high school education. They don't see government helping them much, but they see people worse off than themselves getting assistance, which makes them angry and resentful. They also see people in Congress who don't appear to be doing much of anything, but who seem to have it made: a nice salary, excellent health benefits, a generous pension, and all of this being paid for with voters' hard-earned tax dollars!

High-income Republican voters hate the government because although their lives are not as precarious, they are intent on safeguarding what they have. Their motto is "I've got mine, you get yours, but you better keep your grubby hands off mine!" So they hate government because they see it as taking away—through high taxes and through social programs for the poor—what they have rightly earned through dint of their hard work.

Republican politicians share the views of high-income Republican voters, as far as resenting taxes and social programs for the poor. But they also hate government because of government regulations and government watch dogs who stand in their way of making obscene amounts of money for themselves and for their donors.

I think Joe Biden's actions in the first 100 days of his presidency should go far in winning over the lower-income Republicans if they would just take off their Fox News–colored glasses and realize how much good he and his administration are doing.

I think the high-income Republicans could also be won over, as long as they see higher taxes and increased funding of social programs as being implemented fairly.

However, the last group of Republicans, the politicians, are a lost cause. They will forever be motivated by nothing more than making a shit-ton of money.

[ybbor]

28. "But what have the Romans ever done for us!?"

[kairos12]

29. Whenever I hear a rant about how the government doesn't work I always reply:

who do you want in charge, Enron?

[The Blue Flower]

31. "What about the aqueduct and the roads?"

Life of Brian hat tip. An excellent post, many thanks.

[AverageOldGuy]

32. Something else my government did:

My government established the GI Bill with which hundreds of thousands (millions ?) of veterans have obtained college degrees and technical school education that they likely would never have been able to afford.

[bronxiteforever]

33. Kick and recommend. This is just brilliant.

[Blue Owl]

34. K&R