280 Million Americas
By Peter and Helen Evans (08/09/04)
The recent Democratic Convention reminds us of an old joke, which goes like this: "There are two kinds of people; those who believe that there are two kinds of people, and those who don't." This would still be just "an old joke" except that the Dem's nominees John & John seem to take it seriously.
The John with the jury-winning smile indicated which of the "Two Americas" he belongs to when he said, "We can strengthen and lift up your families." When he uses that anointed "we" he is, of course, referring to government, that "other America" which he fails to mention in his puerile, Marxist class dichotomy.
The Johns hope to give us hope by promising to help poor old exploited us by exploiting the "exploiters," i.e., the "top 2%," those with incomes over $200,000 who, according to them, "have it made" and thus deserve to bear an even larger share of the total tax revenue than the 40% burden that they already carry.
There are not two Americas. There is one. It might be more correct to say that there are 280 million Americans, spread across a spectrum of material, emotional and spiritual well-being, yet united in their belief that liberty is their best hope to help themselves. This, however, would be too complex and nuanced for a couple of Lefties like John & John, who would rather that we fall for their simplistic "two Americas" drivel.
There is an earlier "JFK" whom the wooden John likes us to think he resembles in certain (heroic) respects. However, they would prefer that we do not recall the admonition of that earlier JFK, who famously said "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask rather, what you can do for your country." This statement makes a vital distinction between two attitudes: one which over the years has made America great, and the other, which threatens to suck America down the same sewer that has swallowed, or is swallowing, every socialist nanny-state the world has seen.
Yes, they have hair; they say they have heart, but what can they be thinking when they invite the voters to hope for what their country can do for them?
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