joeprogressive (1000+ posts) Sun Jun-19-11 01:02 PM
Original message
To my father on Father’s day who said I should move to Europe if I love socialism so much.
Dad, as you may or may not remember, I was born in a non-profit Catholic Hospital that pays no taxes because it provides a large amount of charity care to people that couldn't ordinarily afford health care services. While at the hospital, I was vaccinated by immunizations safeguarded by the government run FDA. I was driven home on public, not private roads paid for by tax dollars that originated at the federal level and handed out to the states.
I grew up in suburban bliss because we lived in a subdivision that shared a common pool, tennis courts, playground and clubhouse. Everyone paid the same inexpensive annual dues in order to enjoy those amenities regardless of their level of utilization. I attended elementary, junior high, and high school in an excellent public school system that was funded by property tax dollars paid by property owners that may or may not have had kids in the school district. I graduated from a state funded university that subsidized my education with state taxes paid by a lot of people that could never afford to send their children to college.
I made a living for several years as a paramedic in a system that was expected to show up at the scene of the sick and injured regardless of their financial station in life. They called and we came, treated and transported, period, no questions about whether they could pay or not.
So now I ponder your statement about how socialism is the root of all evil. I ponder this at the very instant that you are receiving social security, medicare and medicare part D that is paid for with taxes coming from my paycheck. You now live off of retirement savings provided by an oil company that has received billions of dollars of tax breaks over the years while turning ridiculous profits.
I wonder if you realize that your wife’s father worked his whole life for a socialistic entity called the post office that enabled him to put food on the table for his family and leave a nice financial legacy behind to you and mom when he passed away. I wonder if you realize our very freedom in this country is in large part owed to the U.S. military, a service that is socialism to the core; and didn’t your father buy the home you were raised in with subsidies from GI Bill benefits?
So I bid you a Happy Father’s day and wanted you to know that I have decided to give you this gift of moving to a socialized country. Fortunately, I am already there.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1327816#1328333I am so sick and tired of these idiots saying that, because we live in a country that provides some government services, we already live under de facto Socialism, and further that it's hypocritical to decry Socialism while availing yourself of those services.
Get it through your thick, numb skulls DU imbeciles: Conservative does
not equal Anarchist. We fully recognize that government has an important role to play in civilization. It is A MATTER OF DEGREE.
Public schools (with voucher options) and roads = okay
Government making all my healthcare decisions = not okay
Police and fire department = okay
Cradle-to-grave welfare for anyone who wants it = not okay
Military defense = okay
Taking my money and redistributing it in the name of "fairness = not okay
FDA and OSHA (in limited roles) = okay
Creating burdensome and unnecessary laws and red tape to self-perpetuate bureaucracies = not okay
Are you starting to get the picture now, you drug-addled cretins?
Dad, as you may or may not remember, I was born in a non-profit Catholic Hospital that pays no taxes because it provides a large amount of charity care to people that couldn't ordinarily afford health care services.
Yes, it was a private organization and God bless them. But no one was forced to go there, and it wasn't some faceless, liberal government pogue making the decisions.
While at the hospital, I was vaccinated by immunizations safeguarded by the government run FDA. I was driven home on public, not private roads paid for by tax dollars that originated at the federal level and handed out to the states.
See above on the roads and FDA. But why did the tax dollars have to originate with the federal government? Why couldn't the states keep the money to begin with and cut out the inefficient, wasteful middleman?
I grew up in suburban bliss because we lived in a subdivision that shared a common pool, tennis courts, playground and clubhouse. Everyone paid the same inexpensive annual dues in order to enjoy those amenities regardless of their level of utilization.
That was
voluntary. V-O-L-U-N-T-A-R-Y, stupid. You didn't have to participate in that community if you didn't want to. You could simply choose to live somewhere else. Ther is no place you can move to in the U.S. to escape taxes.
I attended elementary, junior high, and high school in an excellent public school system that was funded by property tax dollars paid by property owners that may or may not have had kids in the school district. I graduated from a state funded university that subsidized my education with state taxes paid by a lot of people that could never afford to send their children to college.
See above on education, too. But why can't we have more freedom through the use of vouchers? You guys are all about "choice", right? As an aside, in your case, it's apparent the taxpayers money was totally wasted.
I made a living for several years as a paramedic in a system that was expected to show up at the scene of the sick and injured regardless of their financial station in life. They called and we came, treated and transported, period, no questions about whether they could pay or not.
Yeah, so? Do you see conservatives arguing against EMS? That's not capital "S" Socialism. Besides, the one time I was picked up by a county meatwagon after wiping out on my bike, I received a bill in the mail shortly thereafter.
So now I ponder your statement about how socialism is the root of all evil. I ponder this at the very instant that you are receiving social security, medicare and medicare part D that is paid for with taxes coming from my paycheck. You now live off of retirement savings provided by an oil company that has received billions of dollars of tax breaks over the years while turning ridiculous profits.
I'll gladly opt out of SS, pal. Just refund my money with interest and stop future withholding and we'll call it quits, m'kay? And what does the oil company's tax breaks have to do with your dad's retirement savings?
I wonder if you realize that your wife’s father worked his whole life for a socialistic entity called the post office that enabled him to put food on the table for his family and leave a nice financial legacy behind to you and mom when he passed away. I wonder if you realize our very freedom in this country is in large part owed to the U.S. military, a service that is socialism to the core; and didn’t your father buy the home you were raised in with subsidies from GI Bill benefits?
What's socialistic about the Postal Service? From what I understand, they're pretty much self-supporting from the delivery fees they collect, aren't they? Of course, they haven't done as well as in past years due to competition from PRIVATE companies like UPS and FedEx. I wonder why that is. Oh, and the only people arguing against the necessity of the military are on
your side, buddy-boy, so it's strange you should bring that up. IIRC, it's also your side that argues against those GI Bill bennies. Those military benefits are what our underpaid servicepeople get in lieu of the higher pay their civilian counterparts. It's part of the whole compensetion package for doing a dangerous, dirty job. It's not a freebie to a bunch of deadbeats, asshole.
So I bid you a Happy Father’s day and wanted you to know that I have decided to give you this gift of moving to a socialized country. Fortunately, I am already there.
Socialized vs. Socialist. Learn the difference, DUmbass.
joeprogressive (1000+ posts) Sun Jun-19-11 01:15 PM
Response to Reply #1
5. I am putting it in his card today when I see him. n/t
I'm sure he'll be moved.
The Doctor. (1000+ posts) Sun Jun-19-11 01:20 PM
Response to Reply #5
7. Oh please do get back to us on this.
The gift of revelation on father's day would be something indeed.
Yeah, thanks for the "revelation". I'm sure dad was completely unaware of any of the talking points in your sophomoric little missive.
tabasco (1000+ posts) Sun Jun-19-11 01:24 PM
Response to Original message
8. Move to Europe!?!?!? The horror!!!!!
You father is an idiot.
You know, I've never really gotten along with my father. But if some stranger called him an idiot to my face, he'd be drinking through a straw for a while.
joeprogressive (1000+ posts) Sun Jun-19-11 03:21 PM
Response to Reply #10
20. No, it's okay. My father is an idiot.
Fortunately he was not able to brainwash me like he has other members of the family. I inherited my mother's brains, thus a liberal mind.
Yes, agree with him you weak-kneed little waste.
joeprogressive (1000+ posts) Sun Jun-19-11 03:23 PM
Response to Reply #9
22. Not slamming him, educating him and letting him know that
because we live in the land of socialism he won't have to cross the big pond to see his grandchildren.
Yeah, you're going to "educate" your father, who's probably forgotten more important lessons in life than you'll ever learn, with your trite little Leftist talking points. You arrogant little glob of snot.
