Some ideas, originating from the Left, that might seem a bit 'absurd' to the uninitiated:1) Tobacco products are terrible. They should be banned, and their manufacturers ought to be fined out of existence. "Pot", on the other hand, is quite harmless, and heroin should be legalized (except in Communist countries, where users and dealers ought to be summarily executed. In the name of the people, of course)
2) Women ought to be encouraged to raise their children without fathers. These males, and corporate institutions, should be compelled to pay a 'support fee' to some organization, run by Leftists, that would then decide on how much of this cash should be forwarded on to the mother and child(ren). These Leftist ought to be well paid for this service.
3) The U.S. should unilaterally disarm their military forces, in particular their nuclear weapons. They ought not to react to any crisis anywhere in the world, unless it threatens a Communist state, in which of course they should send aid wholeheartedly to fight the 'fascist aggressors'. Any resulting genocides are the responsibility of faulty U.S. policy, of course.
4) Predatory animals should be released near residential areas. Laws should be enacted to respond to any locals who might object to this, and attempt to harm said creatures. This is to be done to 'preserve ecological balance' or somesuch. Firebreaks are not to be cut in heavily forested areas, because this 'disturbs the natural balance'.
5) Only approved Left-wing advocates may be allowed to teach in the public schools. No testing or other means are to be used to deduce the qualifications of said advocates. No alternate system will be allowed to exist that might make use of public funding, under any circumstances. Instruction based on factual data, or that involve the hard sciences, are exploitative plots arranged by highly placed capitalists, and are to be strictly curtailed - in favor of condom training, ecology pseudoscience, the benevolence of the Left, etc. Time from school might be used to assist the local teacher's union, during strikes or protests, as a form of 'field instruction' or 'public service'.
And so on. And so forth.
Am I rude? Strange. And what would the above be called ... Benevolent activism? Democracy in action? Hope for the future?
I remember talking to a student teacher about how bad the unions were. He was even more strident than I in his views, especially once he started teaching at one of their inner-city 'institutions'. Then, he got tenure in the system. He started to avoid me, or change the subject whenever I brought up the old issues. Soon, he was driving a brand new BMW, and was engaged to a slim blonde. I met him at a party once after that; he was very well dressed, and decidedly cold.
Johnathan Kozol lamented the Texas school system, where children in middle class neighborhoods received $4,000 per student, and poor children only a mere $2,000. This was in 1993-1994. In the same period, schools were receiving $6,000 per student in the capitol of my state. The buildings were in terrible shape, the students had no books, no supplies - and yet, the teachers were up in arms when the city tried to cut their medical plan down. Meanwhile, the local private school charged $1,000 a year in tuition, and received nothing from the state. Their graduates were substantially better educated than those in the public school system.
And so on. And so forth.
The local system for processing runaways, children from broken homes (almost all from 'single parent' households) became a mecca for prostitution. The 'residents', when not seeing a counseller or somesuch, would bring their own 'clients' in for servicing. A guard had to be posted to chase them off. The person I knew who had this job quit, after he was beaten by three drug dealers, who ran a thriving business in the facility. Meanwhile, a similar program, run by a local church group, got their kids apartments and jobs. Needless to say, they received no funding from the federal or state government. I am urged by local activists to support expanding the former, and to be against the latter.
And so on. And so forth.
The local state government is run almost exclusively by the Democrats. Many of the people at the highest levels are involved in all sorts of shady deals. Buildings burn down mysteriously, funds disappear - at one point, the banks were closed by the governor, with only influential Democratic politicians able to remove their funds beforehand. And no, I'm not from Arkansas. Yet, all sorts of laws are in place, sponsored by these selfsame people (of course) to ensure that the old state of affairs goes on unchecked. 'In the name of the people', no doubt.
And so on. And so forth.
Meanwhile, I am told to abstain from fast foods from McDonald's. I wonder - if an 'approved' fast food institution, run by representatives from Hanoi, were to set up shop in my town, would there be the same level of 'insightful and concerned inquiry' conducted against them?
Don't mind me, Karen. I'm just being 'rude'. Back to sleep.
"Doc" Cruel
