Single sentence response to so-called Tea Parties:

[Reader Rabbit]

The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.
—John Kenneth Galbraith

It's a fairly complex sentence, so that might confuse some of the Teabaggers, but then, they would have been confused by clear, rational, independent thought, regardless.

[Hello_Kitty]

1. K and R. eom

[wizstars]

10. Prof. Galbraith also gave us this gem:

which I've treasured

"Liberals sometimes do the wrong thing for the right reason. Conservatives do the wrong thing for no reason at all."

[ihavenobias]

36. Thanks, I've never seen that one before!

PS---You might enjoy this:

[xchrom]

2. recommend

[bjobotts]

45. See the know nothings, hear them mutter.They will not tolerate being told they're wrong

[bjobotts]

46. They close their ears and look for someone else to blame.

[bjobotts]

47. They are not instigating a revolution...but a civil war where wrong is determined by a gun

[Democracyinkind]

3. That's pretty witty. Although these folks don't listen to anyone who actually knows shit.

But yeah, that quote would fuck their thinking up a bit, I guess.

[bullwinkle428]

4. I believe you just gave me a new sigline!!

:thumbsup:

[Faryn Balyncd]

5. Though it is a complex sentence (& though tempted) Donald Duck understood in '43.............K&R.. :

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x296955

[Cha]

75. Jeeze..that is so true. Did one reporter ask

the teabaggers why they didn't want to pay taxes in a time of War that they wanted?!!

[pnorman]

6. No real confusion.

I've been throwing that quote at a particularly obnoxious FAR-Right guy I know. He "got it" the first time he heard it, and became ENRAGED. (He still does! LOL LOL LOL!). I LOVE it!

Recently, I made a refrigerator magnet of it, adding to a nice collection of "DU-friendly" ones. But that one is among my favorites, and never fails to give me a chuckle.

pnorman

[Beam Me Up]

7. Simplification: Conservatives want to justify their own selfishness. n/t

[TahitiNut]

9. (Avoiding the word 'want'...): "Conservatives strive to justify their own selfishness. "

A helpless literalist, I almost always have a visceral reaction to words that imply mind-reading ... claim some knowledge of 'wants,' 'desires,' 'thoughts,' or other non-observable phenomena.

[Beam Me Up]

13. Yes, yours is better. Thanks TN n/t

[Posteritatis]

50. "Struggle," perhaps? (nt)

[DeepBlueC]

41. simpler, but not better

sorry

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

66. The gist - I Got Mine

I got most of yours, too. Sucker!

[lame54]

8. They are wiser than you think - watch this...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=297046&mesg_id=297046

[Pacifist Patriot]

11. Here's my single sentence response.

They're idiots.

[Stinky The Clown]

12. I'm very fond of precise sentences

That's a precise sentence.

It is also precisely correct.

[Autonomy]

14. Conservatism is the moralistic belief

that other people have too much freedom. ~Autonomy

[jazzjunkysue]

15. "moral justification for selfishness", a.k.a. George Bush n/t.

[harun]

16. They want to justify their own selfishness and LOVE people who tell

them how right they are about it: Limblow, Hannity, Beck, etc.

[rfranklin]

17. The thing is that their anger is misdirected....they are screwed by

the wealthy, yet they think they are not getting ahead because of "welfare recipients" or "illegal immigrants." This is perfect for the top one-tenth of one percent. They barely need security because they have mastered the magician's art of misdirection. "Look, look over there, that welfare mom is stealing your tax dollars!" Most of these people at these events barely even pay income tax.

[MisterP]

23. in the US, lower- and middle-class resentment is taken up by the right wing,

rather the left as in the rest of the world: hence the Hard Hats attacking the hippies as anti-worker elitists. This brings promises of tax cuts and "independence" to working stiffs, housewives, Willy Lomans, and miners, and a belief in the rhetoric of "economic freedom," that everyone can Make It and that we shouldn't burden the "middle-class" rich with regulations and taxes. They key to reversing this weirdness is not to pander to this ideology but to educate and unionize.

[ejpoeta]

58. and the rich and the politicians that represent them know that as long as

these folks think this and fight with the rest of us... they win. look at the riots in france. people take to the streets over there. the government is afraid of the people over there. but here, all they have to do is throw up a few wedge issues and watch us fight with each other. leading us all around by the nose. they do it because it works.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[20score]

19. Love that quote. K&R

[onestepforward]

20. So true. Great quote!

[EverHopeful]

21. Bob Dylan's Only A Pawn in Their Game

has been running through my head ever since the White-Power Rallies of the McCain/Palin campaign and now the teabaggers have convinced me that they don't realize they're being used to protect the oligarchy.

The Quiet Coup by Simon Johnson, The Atlantic, May 2009

Teabaggers don't seem to realize they're the "Them" in "Let Them Eat Cake." I'm actually starting to feel sorry for them. They're trying so hard to protect their oppressors.

Here's a link to Bob Dylan singing Only A Pawn in Their Game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUvQzgxTxmE

Edited to say: I should change my DU name to EverHopeLESS

YouTube link didn't work--trying again

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[omega minimo]

30. Thanks for that. My recent Bob earworm has been "Everything's Broken"

Car radio today played Blowin' In The Wind and it sounded GOOD.

Saw Dylan play in Oct 2001 -- the enigmatic master's songs are always timely and spot on.

Dont lose hope. Check out Eckhart Tolle.

[judesedit]

22. The nuts whole heartedly protest against their own self interests

When will these, mainly right wing, nuts realize they are being hoodwinked by these lying, greedy fakes, who care about their constituents about as much as they care for a roach? And I thought I was gullible.... I'd love to see one of these herd animals refuse their unemployment or social security checks. Living proof of the "dumbing down of America". Absolutely pitiful.

[grahamhgreen]

24. Modern Conservativism is an excuse for Selfishness (simple version)

[RoccoR5955]

25. My response to teabaggers...

...Go Cheney yourself! You already got a tax break from OBAMA! You want lower taxes, stop electing Republics. Each and every member of the Republic party is a water carrier for the rich bassturds who keep their assets offshore, and pay NO taxes, thereby making it so that YOU have to pay more!

[Roland99]

27. Ayn Rand would respond thusly:

*shrug*

[Prophet 451]

55. Yeah but she was batshit n/t

[Gman]

28. The 30% has a pity party

[omega minimo]

29. AKA "Greed Is Good"

[unpossibles]

31. not one sentence, but worth a read

They concede they did not publicly object as the federal budget deficit soared during the Bush administration.

"President Bush kept me safe," Wilder said as an explanation.
...
She said she retired on disability from M&T Bank three years ago after undergoing knee replacement and back surgeries. She lives on her Social Security and disability benefits. Last year, she petitioned the bankruptcy court for protection from creditors.

She said she did not have to pay federal income taxes last year because her income was too low.

"I don't want to see this country turn into a welfare, nanny state, where we stand in line for groceries, and we're in welfare lines, and in socialized medicine lines," Wilder said.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/antitax_tea_party_could_draw_c.html

WTF?

[bevoette]

32. i responded with one sentence today...

and it was:

"why on earth would i go to one of those protests for - my paycheck was $200 higher this month thanks to a TAX CUT!"

:)

[pitchforksandtorches]

33. Yes and they don't like the black guy in the white house

the stupid fuckers

[Martin Eden]

34. Selfishness, like greed, is good.

Galbraith's sentence, even if comprehended, still has no impact on the Gordon Gekko's of this world.

They have a point, up to a point. Working hard to get ahead and earn a profit is human nature and what fuels the economy. But today's "conservatives" take it well beyond any reasonable or moral point, to the point of investing $millions in "think tanks" to spread disinformation to brainwash a bunch of morans into voting against their own economic interests, the health of our planet, and the well-being of our representative democracy.

[Liberal In Texas]

35. I paid my taxes so the rich don't have to.

(As heard on Malloy last night.)

[LooseWilly]

37. "Can we write all this tea off on our taxes next year?"

-- LooseWilly

[alfredo]

38. My response: One lump or two?

[neuvocat]

39. Its ok to waste money in Iraq but not on domestic spending.

That's the message of the teabaggers.

[AspenRose]

53. They can withhold help for brown people over here (and others)

and keep killing brown people over there.

Works for them!

[VPStoltz]

40. I've had that bit of wisdom on the corkboard over my PC for years.

It always reminds me that there is a simple and pointed argument for the ongoing efforts to bury the right wing.

[Penerple]

42. Nothing complex at all

The sentence is so simple that I do not see why you think it is so complex. No moral justification is needed. First of all, is it selfish to want to keep what you earned after working a 70 hour work week? If the government was not taking so much of my money by force and giving it to undeserving parasites, then maybe I could afford to pay down the 30 year mortgage I have on my small house. Instead, ingrates who dropped out of school and decided to have kids when they have no way to pay for their child's upbringing, shout that they need more money from the government to support their irresponsible life choices. Answer these questions for me. Is it ok for you to give someone money out of your pocket to help them out? Is it okay for you to ask me to give someone money out of my pocket? Now is it ok for you to pull a gun on me and force me, with penalty of death, to give someone money out of my pocket? Now if it is not ok for you to pull a gun on me, then why is it ok for you to tell the government to do that. The problem that I have with your belief of entitlement is that that entitlement means you have a right to a portion of another person's life. If you have simply made irresponsible choices in your life, then why do you have a right to 25% of every year of my working life. In other words I worked a total of 70 hours. Why do you feel you have the right to 16 hours worth of my labor for that week, because you are the only one responsible for your life. Keep in mind, I am an electronic technician so I do not make a lot of money. No smart mouth answers please. I honestly am looking for an thoughtful answer. Keep in mind that 47% of the population pay no taxes at all. I could care less if the rich get richer because it is not a zero sum game. If someone makes a dollar then that does not mean that someone lost a dollar.

[populistdriven]

43. Enjoy your brief stay here Ms Tombstone and a comment 4 u

I take it you have no issue paying for private jets for the welfare CEO's at the war corporations of America?

GW Bush with a GOP controlled house and senate borrowed more in 4 years than the total of all previous presidents combined and why? Because of his tax cuts for the rich. We had a balanced budget with a surplus from our Democratic President and a healthy economy. Under Bush incomes for middle class Americans actually decreased over 8 years due to inflation and dismal raises if any for our workers. Then Bush destroys banking by allowing the derivatives bubble to explode to 700 Trillion, a number that is 20 times more than the value of all US real estate. Bush was warned for at least 18 months to do something. When the state Democratic governors tried to do something Bush dragged out a law from the 1800's to block them so wall street could continue with its orgy of self inflating greed. When it popped you know who it hurt? Every business with a line of credit for payroll etc was frozen out, it deflated so badly that there was no money left in the system for ANYBODY and then Bush HAD to bail them out. His federal reserve handed out 7 Trillion without congressional approval. And now you complain about Obama giving you, the middle class the largest tax cuts in history? The fact is you have never paid your "fair share" as you would say. The rich in this country do pay more and for good reason - because if they didn't we would look more like Somalia than the USA. We have always had a progressive tax code and it has served us well. These rich you want to sob over paid more in taxes by FAR under Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, Bush Sr then they currently do and their share of the wealth has doubled while your savings and wages went to shit. And to fix all of this you know how much Obama wants to raise the taxes of the rich? A paltry 3%. A number that puts us squarely back where we were before your Idiot-In-Chief took over. So get over your loss in the election. Be happy the war hero gnome didnt win because you know what he would have done to fix an economy devastated by 500 Trillion going *POOF* because of banking deregulation? He wanted to continue deregulating. He actually gave a policy speech near the end stating that is how he would "revitalize and "kick-start" the economy. It is long over due for the return of REAL conservatives who value something more than money for money's sake. Real conservative CONSERVE. They conserve the land, they maintain and expand infrastructure, they value jobs for highly educated American workers, they jealously protected industry and the business that built this country. Today's GOP only values power and money and making a short term profit by shipping everything overseas that real conservatives used to value.

"The sentence is so simple that I do not see why you think it is so complex. No moral justification is needed. First of all, is it selfish to want to keep what you earned after working a 70 hour work week? If the government was not taking so much of my money by force and giving it to undeserving parasites, then maybe I could afford to pay down the 30 year mortgage I have on my small house. Instead, ingrates who dropped out of school and decided to have kids when they have no way to pay for their child's upbringing, shout that they need more money from the government to support their irresponsible life choices. Answer these questions for me. Is it ok for you to give someone money out of your pocket to help them out? Is it okay for you to ask me to give someone money out of my pocket? Now is it ok for you to pull a gun on me and force me, with penalty of death, to give someone money out of my pocket? Now if it is not ok for you to pull a gun on me, then why is it ok for you to tell the government to do that. The problem that I have with your belief of entitlement is that that entitlement means you have a right to a portion of another person's life. If you have simply made irresponsible choices in your life, then why do you have a right to 25% of every year of my working life. In other words I worked a total of 70 hours. Why do you feel you have the right to 16 hours worth of my labor for that week, because you are the only one responsible for your life. Keep in mind, I am an electronic technician so I do not make a lot of money. No smart mouth answers please. I honestly am looking for an thoughtful answer. Keep in mind that 47% of the population pay no taxes at all. I could care less if the rich get richer because it is not a zero sum game. If someone makes a dollar then that does not mean that someone lost a dollar."

did you copy this wall of text from a youtube comment?

[Penerple]

76. response to you friend

In response to your first sentence. Bush did do that but I think it was in his total 8 years. However, Obama is raising taxes and is going to have the same stat. He will have borrowed more money than the total of all previous presidents combined including GW Bush. His tax cuts were not just for the rich they were across the board. Also, revenue to the government increased over his presidency. The problem is that the stupid republicans in office then, did not follow conservative values and spent money on pork and wasted it just like every other politician. As for the balanced budget of the 90's, credit has to go to both Clinton and the republican congress in power at the time that forced the issue. Also, do not forget that in 2006 Bush did try to increase regulation on wall street but was stopped cold by Chris Dodd and Maxine Waters. I will try to find the audio of the debate if you like. Also in regard to fair share of taxes, please check the IRS website. The top 1% of income earners earn 19% of the wealth and pay 40% of the total tax bill. The top 10% of earners pay 67% of the bill. The top 50% pay 98% of the bill. So I am sorry, but I do pay my fair share if not more. Also, Obama has not given me the biggest tax cut in history. He says he gave a tax cut to 95% of Americans. How can he do that when 47% do not pay taxes. The answer is that he calls an increase in welfare a taxcut. Also, the reason I am not a fan of the progressive tax system is that it is punitive and required for a government to move to socialism or communism. I prefer the FairTax mainly because of the increase in wealth it brings to everyone. As for McCain, he sponsered a bill about 4 years ago to prevent this from happening. He even wrote a comment on the bill that describes exactly what happened. I will agree with you on this as well. You will be hard pressed to find a handful of conservatives in D.C. The government stopped following the constitution a long time ago, and that is my main problem. By the by, I did not copy and paste that. I was just bored last night and typed that out.

[populistdriven]

77. thanks for the thoughtful reply but im too sleepy to get to now, will reply later

[Sunnyshine]

52. "If someone makes a dollar then that does not mean that someone lost a dollar."

So, why can't that be true for our government?

Why not be more enraged by Trillion dollar wars and billions upon billions of fraud which happened to benefit mostly foreign investors? Do you consider investing in America's people and restoring our infrastructure to be wasteful?

No, I don't understand because no one wants to "take" anything from anyone else.
We simply want the load to be "shared" equally because it benefits people as a whole.
It keeps everyone engaged and forges a unique bond amongst us Americans.

Expand your required reading list. It will benefit you greatly. You repeated many false assertions.

Socialized private wealth (Free Lunch - David Cay Johnston)has become concentrated and powerful,
because it has been granted by many of our public officials for decades. In broad day light.

Funny you mention irresponsible choices- as they have a higher rate of occurrence in many conservative states.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/article396496.ece

Republicans still can't balance a national budget. When was the last time that happened?

They have yet to do so in modern times.

[olegramps]

69. Don't be late for your Tea Bag rally.

Your rant is little more than a juvenile exercise in specious reasoning. It is a totally fallacious argument that is in reality nothing more than your contempt for those who are less fortunate than yourself. I hope that you will never be forced to collect Social Security disability benefits. I hope that your family will not be deprived of their major bread winner and have to accept surviors' benefits. You know those benefits that help support kids so the can continue to go to school. Of course you don't take advantage of all those programs sponsored by Democrats and despised by Republicans such as the FHA, GI Bill, Social Security, Work Place Safety, Child Labor Laws, SEC, FDIA, right to Unionize, Safe water, laws against polluting, etc. I think your Republican task master is calling, so run along you are one the wrong board.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

70. "I honestly am looking for an thoughtful answer."

No you're not.

[Sunnyshine]

44. Right on!

:kick: & R

[Left Coast2020]

48. If you ask a repug to define "socialism"..........

......they can't do it because they equate it with Communisism. Socialism is defined as the government "owning" both power and the means of production. Last time I checked, we are the government.

[Sunnyshine]

51. We don't own the means of production anymore. Heck, they even sell/lease tax built infrastructure.

We are the governments mule is more like it. http://www.wired.com/cars/coolwheels/news/2009/03/infrastructure0323?currentPage=1

[stevedeshazer]

49. Glad to know ya

Excellent post.

:)

[B Calm]

54. I just say. PAWNS for the rich are having a tea party!

[riona]

56. Which companies are profiting from the tea sales?

This protest is brought to you by ????????

[RobertSeattle]

57. Cut to the chase...

The modern teabagger is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.

[pattmarty]

59. You all MAY be making a big mistake here laughing this off.....................

...............I attended a "tea party" in my small (12,000) Arkansas town and stayed for approx 1/2 hr (all I could stand). In my town there were around 1000 people in attendance and you can't DISCOUNT that. I believe what the left has to do is convince MOST of these people that the Dems are better for them than the Republicans. Seems like that should be easy, but with Fox and MOST of the rest of the media it's an uphill battle. Believe me that the large majority of the people I saw WERE NOT well off financially.

[redqueen]

65. Even people on their own side of the aisle can't convince them.

Writing in Fortune magazine, conservative policy analyst Bruce Bartlett, who has a long anti-tax history, says: "The irony of these protests is that federal revenues as a share of the gross domestic product will be lower this year than any year since 1950. ... The truth is that the U.S. is a relatively low-tax country no matter how you slice the data."

The Tea Party movement, more than anything else, is a rather garish display of a Republican right that seems to have lost not only the national elections but also any semblance of political bearings. Staying on this course, the GOP risks -- in the words of one pundit -- becoming "the Talk Radio Republican Party."
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-cooper15-2009apr15,0,3158535.story

Did you try educating anyone there about this issue? If so, how did that go?

[pattmarty]

73. No. I just went to observe. Some of those people are crazy so I just watched.

[urgk]

60. I'm waiting for a progressive to write "Atlas Gorged."

To shut up all the Ayn Rand-ers out there.

[Enthusiast]

61. Too complicated for the modern

conservative to understand.

[hangman86]

62. Tea-Bagger Response

"DURRRRRRR?!":silly: :dunce:

[liberal N proud]

63. Nails it

[WCGreen]

64. Much ado about nothing.

[kathy88]

67. I am NOT A REPUBLICAN!!!

I am an independent- I went to a tea party in Ohio. The cops said 3,500- 4,000 were there.

4,000 in Cincinnati. Why??? Big crowd in Cleveland, huge one in Dayton Why????

It looks to me like this an AMERICAN issue. No one wanted to hear from politicians- I personally think they are all lying. Along with all of the media.

The republicans were not well liked at this gathering- neither were the dems.

It was about SPENDING OUR FUTURE starting with GEORGE BUSH and now OBAMA>


Don't you see it?????

THey want the parties focused on FIGHTING EACH other, so we will not pay attention!!!!

[sampsonblk]

68. Word! (nt)

[Orsino]

71. "Enjoy your Obama tax cuts!"

"He's black, you know."
"You're welcome."

[cascadiance]

72. needs an "or stupidity" or "or hate" added to the end...

to include the vast number of dumb f'ks that don't realize that what they are chanting for (even if they are selfish) won't actually get them anything back but only will benefit those that are manipulating them.

[Cha]

74. Bravo Reader Rabbit!

Worth memorizing.