The Republican Paradigm Shift

Mitt Romney won the debate last Wednesday not because the substance of his words made sense but because his behavior pleased the public. If you actually listened to his words he didn’t make any sense. His tax numbers changed! His budget proposal not only changed but didn’t add up! Just look at his budget and tax statements.

Wednesday, Romney said he would not take the same $716 million in Medicare savings that were in Ryan’s budget. Romney said taxes on the rich would not increase and he would lower taxes on low and middle income families while at the same time he would increase military spending. When pressed on how he would also fix the deficit Romney said he would eliminate funding to PBS. The funding to PBS doesn’t even come close to offsetting the $716 in Medicare savings he won’t use. How can less revenue and more expenses help the deficit? He’s not a stupid man. What else is he thinking about cutting that he doesn’t want to tell the American public? Ah, but he said his words so aggressively; that means he’s a great leader!

Then, after the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) issued their September unemployment numbers showing the unemployment rate dropped to 7.8%, birthers announced the numbers were fixed. (Birthers is the term given to people who think the State of Hawaii forged Obamas birth certificate.) Conservatives including Jack Welsh, Karl Rove, Rush Limbaugh, Donald Trump all state their BLS conspiracy theories without even an iota of proof. Why don’t we call them what they are: liars! Have we gotten so used to being lied to we think it’s OK?

How can we expect our politicians to enact laws in our best interest when we tell them it’s alright to lie to us? SHOUTING does not make your words truthful; it just makes them louder. Louder words emphasize the screamer’s ability to scream while de-emphasizing the content. In other words, the listener is so busy hearing the scream they don’t hear the mistruths.

I can’t help but wonder why our state will spend $1 million dollars on anti-bullying programs. Children learn more about acceptable behavior from their parents and leaders than from any textbook or scholastic program. It’s easier for children of bullies to become bullies than for children of child abusers becoming abusive parents. According to US Department of Health and Human Services “It is estimated approximately one-third of abused and neglected children will eventually victimize their own children.” It’s easier to pass bullying from one generation to the next because bullying hides itself in many ways. Aggressively lying to get what you want is bullying!

How can we expect our children not to bully when bullying is valued in the work place and political environment? We adults need to change! Let’s not accept the fact that “everybody does it” to justify bad behavior. Let’s stop applauding bad behavior!

Or, if bullying is the best way to get ahead, let’s not waste tax dollars teaching children not to bully when we expect they will need to bully for survival as they get older.