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Tuesday, November 12, 2013

WHITT'S END: 11.12.13

      Whether you're at the end of your coffee, your day, your week or even your rope, welcome to Whitt's End:

   *To paraphrase Jerry Jones on his radio show this morning: Get the ball to Dez Bryant more. Play man coverage on defense. No change in offensive play-calling duties. Get healthy. Relax, and everybody chill. We cool with that? Of course we are because, um, he's the boss. If I'm Jerry, I spend the Bye week finding a safety who can find the ball or, even better, make a tackle. Sorry, Jeff Heath. Working out Michael Huff is a good start.

   *Watched the documentary Park Avenue last night. You should too, especially if you're one of those that supports the Tea Party, stands on Metroplex overpasses with signs that read "Obamacare Kills!" or belches rhetoric like "Too much big government!" It's a disgusting hour-long reminder that, in America, the game is for the Haves not to help the Have-Nots with their plentiful resources, but instead to keep the underprivileged paralzyed with their political power. It's nauseating. It's just not in my DNA to embrace such a self-entitled class distinction or to have such a disregard for my fellow man. What you get makes a living, but what you give makes a life. When the Tea Party denounces big government and warns that we're losing our freedom, what it's really desiring is an elimination of government programs - such as food stamps - that help the poor get out of poverty. It must be so conflicting being a so-called Conservative Christian these days, because you have to hold up The Bible with one hand and keep the poor's head under water with the other. How you can you possibly be okay with 30 percent of Dallas kids living in poverty?

   *Tonight for one minute it will be 9:10 on 11.12.13. 11.12.13 is a rare, sequential date that we won't see the likes of again until ... actually, a year from now on 12.13.14. But brides loves crap like this. At a Las Vegas chapel there are 65 weddings today, after only seven yesterday. When Sybil and I were choosing details, she was also concerned with the numbers of the date, settling on 1.14.14. I don't get it. At all. But then again I don't believe there's anything unlucky about 13. If so, shouldn't this entire year suck?

   *College basketball gets rollin' tonight with No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 2 Michigan State. You don't know any of the fabulous freshmen now, but you will by April 5. That's when the Final Four comes to AT&T Stadium.

   *I swear there are some folks blaming the Cowboys' 49-17 loss on Tony Romo. I'm not saying he was good. He was hapless, like the rest of his teammates. But it's just so lazy to blame the biggest target. Romo is having a Pro Bowl season on a team featuring the worst defense in franchise history. Blaming him is like walking up to a guy with both legs amputated and making fun of his flabby arms. How bad is the Cowboys' defense? This year it has set franchise single-game records for points in a home game (51), points in a 4th quarter (24), 400-yard passers (4), total yards (625) and first downs (40). If Garrett Hartley wouldn't have missed his 37-yard field goal the Cowboys would have allowed 50+ points in a span of six weeks. Says Monte Kiffin, "It's not good at all. Not good."

   *Hot.

   *Not.

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72 comments:

  1. Who is Lewisville Marcus???

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  2. Marcus will get shellacked in their first playoff game (vs. Euless Trinity) just like the Cowboys will should they happen to some how back into the playoffs.

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  3. Yeah anyone blaming Romo is truly an idiot!

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  4. Steelers surrendered 10 in their last game. 7 of those came in the waning moments of the game. Do NOT compare the Dallas garbage of a defense to the Steelers...garbage of a defense Ha!

    Richard

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  5. Richie, you are one of the most delusional people in regards to politics. And no I don't support the tea party. But goodnight you have no idea, food stamps or government gets people out of poverty? How?

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    1. You could try asking actual people who have been on food stamps. Of course, that would force you to actually converse with the unwashed masses.

      For every "welfare queen" story you see on Fox News, there's several stories of families who really needed the help while they got on their feet and, once on their feet, they were out of the program. Of course, you never hear about those stories because those people are usually humble, private, even somewhat-embarrassed about their situation and don't go around airing it.

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    2. Exactly JD. And then you have the people who benefited from these programs when they were struggling but are against them once they're no longer in need. As always, it stems from a lack of empathy and selfishness. It's especially ridiculous when most of the people against such things are supposedly Christians, as Richie points out.

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    3. Jamey, I'm "delusional" for thinking that helping people might actually people?

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    4. There is nothing wrong with government assisstance as long as it is assisstance. All of those programs were established with good intentions, and do a lot of good but RW you can't tell me it doesn't need reform and that there aren't a great many more people taking advantage of those same programs. Everyone needs a helping hand every now and then, but a helping hand is not the same as earned income.



      Shelley

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    5. And thanks to George Bush, a hell of a lot of people NEEDED help!

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  6. The far Right is bad and the far Left is just as bad. I can't stand any of them! There seems to be no Center anymore and that fact seems to have given rise to fanaticism on both sides. The Centrists have been forced (or shamed) into picking sides by the fanatics and they've either done so or retreated from the political process. Me? I've scrambled away from this mess like a slower, whiter Randall Cunningham. I am a rock...I am an island.

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    1. This. A million times over.

      The center is where shit gets done. We can have our liberal or conservative personal beliefs but, we cannot expect our neighbor to hold those same beliefs...and, when it comes to our government, we must find compromise or the country will die.

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    2. Totally with you ol' friend. Except for the island part. I know you better than that.

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    3. Nice Simon & Garfunkel Call back there.

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  7. Richey, show me examples of government getting people out of poverty?

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    1. Millions of older citizens would be homeless and hopeless without the government funding their lives... it's keeping them out of poverty. For the younger generations, it's not really about getting people out of poverty it's acting as a safety net when they fall on hard times. Obviously the vast majority of the time only the individual can get themselves out of poverty but there are many situations where that in itself is exceedingly difficult.

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    2. Medicare keeps countless old folks out of poverty.

      BOOM!

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    3. The GI bill is a government program that keeps vets out of poverty by paying for their education. AND it's a Socialist program that you FULLY support!

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    4. Don't forget the biggest Social program in America: Military Weapons Spending. If you get a paycheck from a military supplier then consider yourself one of the masses sucking on the teet of the government.

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  8. Flower Mound Marcus

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  9. Please don't assume that you can assess how a conservative christian is, or is not, conflicted, unless you have personal knowledge. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to know what christianity is about.

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    1. Maximizing profit? I mean, my years in Christian ministry taught me that, at the end of the day, it was all about the number of butts-in-seats and money in the bank.

      Please feel free to contact me if you would like to know what christianity is REALLY about.

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    2. You misunderstood....true christianity. CHRIST centered.

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    3. Former minister I doubt you were actually in that position, but if you were maybe taking a trip through what the Bible calls Christians to would be a good idea. Jesus didn't tell his disciples to go teach in the synagogues and collect tithes, he sent that "as a sheep to the wolves" to preach the good news to the poor, starving, and unclean. I could go on and on, but surely you know what I'm talking about coming from a position of ministry??

      Any Church that concerns itself with money, attendance, or image is a church only in title, but not in function.

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    4. Please post the hours you're online at the library, since as a true follower you have sold all your possession and given the money to the poor...

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    5. Don't need your lessons. I got 'em first-hand growing up in the church. The good ol' Southern Baptist, Dallas county church.

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  10. Richie, for the most part I enjoy the blog and have learned to agree to disagree with your political views. For balance, the biggest problem I have with government programs is not that they are wasteful (which they are) but that they appear designed to create dependency in poor people, perpetuate the power of the political class (Democrats and Republicans alike) and to benefit the rich elites. Again, you like to single out the Tea Party (whatever that is) and Conservatives but seem to fail to realize that Democrats and Republicans (the politicians not the ideologies) are one in the same. To be an advocate of limited government is a last ditch effort to tell the ruling elites of BOTH parties to leave us the hell alone.

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  11. RW,

    Enjoy the blog, and enjoy that you are entitled to your opinions whether I agree with them or not. No problem there, but to watch a bureaucratic, liberal "documentary" to help you form your opinions is nonsense. Let me give you an example:

    I could say that democrats (using them as a leading example) want big government, welfare, food stamps, etc not because they want to help the people, but because they want to control the people. You see, people are being told how much food they can buy, where they can live, and what type of health care they receive. If I wanted to I could relate that to slavery and make a big emotional appeal at how ridiculous it is not to be a tea party member. I could even make a documentary about it by interviewing tea party leaders and showing quotes and strategies by liberals that seem insane - or even cruel.

    My point is that you have stated your opinions, that's fair. But to be naïve enough to assume that any tea party agenda is always bad and any left wing progression is always good sounds like an uninformed, biased opinion at best. And then tying religion, Christianity in particular, into that is "blog" material at best and not remotely representative of who I am and what I believe as a Christian.

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    1. By the way - same author here - I will add that left wing is the only political viewpoint I've ever seen that celebrates poverty. "We are now providing health care and food stamps for more poor people than ever before" is an innately sad statement. Think about it. Wouldn't it be better to say "We are reducing the amount of poverty in this nation"?

      But nothing that has happened recently, by any political party, has done much to promote that difference. And I will say in particular that includes Obamacare, increased Medicaid enrollments, and any other government help program. Not that those programs are inherently wrong or that they are not helpful, I just think the viewpoint is slanted.

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    2. Compare the countries that provide for their poor to the ones that don't. There are plenty of other countries which these same scenarios have played out and the results speak for themselves. The difference in the countries which support their poor and those which don't is extremely obvious for anyone willing to look beyond their personal situation.

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    3. Exactly Anon 2:19. Cuba and Venezuela are prime examples. Both far left countries who care for their poor.

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  12. Not that this should be a political blog, but since it has served this way today...

    Most people view politics in one way: How does this affect me and my family and their future. If it hurts them, they are against it, if it helps them, they are for it.

    And most (not saying all) people do not care about how it affects anyone else or anyone else's family.

    We all know there are some people who have had hard times, and through food stamps or other govt assistance, survived and got off the program.

    And we probably know people who take advantage of those programs. You cannot prevent people from taking advantage of programs. There are people who legitimately need help. There's good and bad with all of it.

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    1. You are right. And, at least to me, that is wrong. I just can't live with blinders on and look at everything solely on how it affects me or my immediately family. Some can.

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  13. I'll add another little stat to your Cowboy buffet. I wonder why you have failed to ever mention this Jason Garrett is 4-20 against teams with an above .500 record. Sad......

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  14. It's not about losing freedom, it's about losing liberty, something you obviously don't have the damnedest clue of.

    You obviously have no idea what Christian is either because I tithe and help the poor the way I'm called to, not in a forced manner. You want to talk about self-entitlement? Liberals are some of the most entitled people in this country, especially from the ages of 18-30, they think they deserve the world without ever putting any effort into it. Why the hell should I help someone who won't help themselves when given the resources? (No, this is not to be confused with those in poverty.)

    I work down in West Dallas and make an effort to help people in any way I can, but I do it out of what I've been called to do, not because someone is forcing me. When was the last time you spent time with underprivileged kids in West Dallas Richie? When did you last help someone rebuild their broken home?

    No side is correct, but don't try to corner one because it makes you feel better to chose the popular side. Don't even try to assume what a Conservative Christian is all about either.

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    1. I'm a conservative Christian also but this viewpoint isn't representative of how I feel. Attacking someone because they aren't "as righteous as you" hardly exemplifies your point.

      The cross is a symbol of all of our need for a savior, each person the same. So because of that no Christian should ever walk around with an aura of pride or ever walk with a limp either. We are all on equal footing as Christ followers - saved by grace and loved because He first loved us.

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    2. I agree and the reason I said that is because I use other methods of helping those in poverty, rather than being forced to do it. Of those methods, I also use it as a point to share the gospel and help people get out of their situation. The stories of change and redemption that I've seen in this manner far outweigh just giving handouts, in my experience. No way I'm more righteous than anyone, but there are other ways of helping people than having simple God given liberties taken away.

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  15. Richie, doesn't think he should help people, he has government to-do it for him.

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    1. Oh dear Jamey, please catch up before you spout off ...
      http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/07/19/wishing-well/

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  16. If food stamps and welfare programs helped "get people out of poverty", why do we still have hungry kids in Dallas Richie??? Food Stamps and Welfare have been around for 40 plus years and the problem is getting worse.. It is obvious to me that those programs do not work. It never works to take money from those and give it to those that have not. Soon you will find that EVERYONE will want the free money and there will be no one left to take money from. Take your pizza and give it to those starving kids in Dallas, that will be a start....

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    1. Yes, it does work. It works to varying degrees depending on how it's implemented. Source: every other country in the world -- compare and contrast.

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    2. Perry, I know you'd like to think that every poor person is lazy. Makes you sleep better at night and dilutes your guilt for not giving a crap. But, sorry, it isn't true.

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    3. Obviously not every poor person is lazy, but you can't make me believe that all poor people are poor because of circumstance, or society. It can't all be someone else's fault for everything can it?


      Shelley

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    4. Shelley,

      Please. Stop trying. As fanatical as Mr. Buzz proclaims the Tea Party to be, he in turn is just as zealous with is leftist wanting to "save the world" movement. The fact that all these programs are swelling to new numbers, both financially and participants, since inception and have cured dick doesn't resonate. You're debating someone with a one-track, closed mind.

      In current news, Pizza Buzz is now offering the PB/KB special. Sing the first 10 versues of Kumbaya, you get a free pizza every week till January 1st, 2014, a pre-paid $100 Lone Star card, a PB Jitterbug phone with 500 minutes, a PB home allowance for $200 off your rent for 12 months, coupons for 5 free doctor visits, and a Christmas fruit cake, while supplies last.

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  17. Government assistance begets more government assitance. If you want more of something you simply subsidize it. The problem with giving people subsidized food, cell phones, healthcare, and housing....is you create a class of those who become entitlted to those benefits. I think we as a nation should be looking to restrict these entitlements....make them harder to receive...and put limits on how long you can receive them. This way only the truly needy can get them. And once they are on the dole, they should be required to perform community service and they should be drug tested as well, in order to continue receiving their benefits. Government assistace programs are riddled with fraud....you can find Food Stamps on CL.....people use housing vouchers on apartments they don't even live in.....and Obamacare with its slack website security and no background checks for Navigators, will no doubt unleash untold fraud and scammers on the unsuspecting poor that it intends to serve.

    I am of the belief that you cannot help those whom do not want to help themselves. The more you require people EARN their entitlements, the better society will be, and the more you can focus on those whom truly need help.

    Dave

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  18. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  19. I have never minded paying my fair share into the government, my problem lies with the reckless spending, and lack of oversight. Im all for helping as many people in this country who want and need help (not to be confused with support) social security, medicare, welfare, foodstamps none of the aforementioned programs was designe to support or sustain a living. They were designed supplements and stop gaps for ederly or those who had fallen on hard times. I have no issues with the programs I would just like to see the money go more to those who want to help themselves in need of a chance rather than those not willing to help themselves. You stirred the pot today RW.

    Shelley

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  20. Richie loves the government to take care of him.

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  21. Richie, I've been reading your blogs off and on for a long time. And while I love your insight on the local sports scene, sometimes you just enrage me. To say that all Conservative's want to eliminate all government programs is just ignorant on your part. Of course in the country, all liberals say that and all Conservatives say that libs want to raise tax's on the rich. As always, the reality is usually somewhere in the middle. I have not watched this show yet, but I plan to. And, I will watch it objectively, as someone who leans toward the Conservative side. But for you to say that all Conservative's want to eliminate all government programs is just wrong. And, the argument can be made that by expanding food stamps etc, it keeps the poor in poverty. Not to mention the corruption that goes along with it.

    Look, we live in an imperfect society. And we waste billions and billions of dollars every year on crazy stuff from wars, supporting countries that don't share our ideology, and government programs such as food stamps that are abused every day. That is the real problem. And to trust government to try and fix it is the biggest pie in the sky dream of all. I wish sometime people would look at issues from both sides. You may not agree with the so called Tea Party, but I bet if you would really sit down and listen to some of the ideas they have, a few things might actually get accomplished. Of course, that is assuming they are will to comprise themselves.

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  22. Richie, your constant labeling of a group of individuals is small minded and immature and actually kind of surprising and sad for a guy who is roughly 50. To insinuate that the Tea Party or otherwise conservative people are against poor people or somehow want to keep people in poverty is blatantly false, but representative of the left-leaning propaganda that you constantly refer to on your blog.

    Many conservatives, including myself, do much personally to help the indigent, poor or folks otherwise unable to help themselves. The difference between this brand of ideology and that of the left is that we feel that the government is not the proper channel and taking more and more from hardworking Americans only makes the situation worse and drives even more into a position of need, as has been evidenced in recent years. I mean, look at the amount of waste in our hard-earned tax dollars that are spent each year.....billions to foreign governments who hate us, military actions (some warranted, but some not), billions poured into bailing out mismanaged and irresponsible corporations and in some cases entire industries, and then of course there's the country club millionaire's club lifestyle enjoyed by all those in power, regardless of party. PLENTY of uber wealthy hard lefties around also. The Tea Party and those who share their ideology merely believe that less government intervention, lower taxes and more liberty and freedom creates more self-reliance and in the end, creates more opportunity for everyone. As a new business owner, maybe you will begin to understand this concept.....and maybe not.

    Again, your assumptions about those who you disagree with politically is so far off base that it's just nothing more than sad. There are so many who share those convictions who have done more than you will ever know to help their fellow man, just don't believe the US government is the best vehicle to do that or anything else. And the record and irresponsibility of the US government proves them right each and every day.

    I really hope that you post this nonsense to get more hits on your blog. Otherwise, don't be part of the divisive problem, be part of the solution and at least attempt to be more open minded and objective. But at 50, it's probably too late.

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    1. Liberals do as much to keep people in poverty as any one else. The more people in poverty, the more votes the libs get. They are great at fooling people, and they follow like zombies.

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    2. The only "zombies" are the idiots that can't see the total destruction of this country brought on under GWB and the greedy ass republicans!

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  23. It's funny because, to those of us who study politics, Richie's ramblings are on the depth of "Jerry the owner needs to fire Jerry the GM". But hey, watch a documentary, and become an expert......

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  24. And actually, since I'm on those sites all the time, and now Richie is devoting more and more time to preaching his political views.......I'm out, and wont recommend anymore.

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  25. Richie is an uneducated narrow minded person who isn't any better than the people he crows against.

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    1. Exactly.....excellent point.

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    2. Awww, come on David Parks, don't leave!! We're gonna miss you!!

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  26. It is terrible to lump all people in a certain group together. The way "all" conservative Christians treat "all" poor people, right Richie?
    Y'know, I took a week off from this blog last week, and decided to give it another go this week. Came on tonight and saw there were tons of comments, so I knew RW was worried about slipping readership and posted an inflammatory political statement. How sad I was right. Informed political debate is edifying. The "I just watched a documentary so I'm an expert and all people with different views must be morons who hate everyone" approach is what is wrong with politics in this country. You won the battle, Richie: you got your page views today. You also got removed from a lot of bookmarks, and we won't be back. Too bad...this site had something. But not enough to fight through this anymore.

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    1. So, you monitor other people's bookmarks? And show me where, anywhere in the article you found:

      "I just watched a documentary so I'm an expert and all people with different views must be morons who hate everyone"

      You quoted it so it must be there.

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    2. The dude has a point. Posting controversial topics is a great way to generate blog hits.

      I don't begrudge RW for that. If anything I think the banter it generates makes a blog more interesting.

      I will confess though over the years I have walked away from his blog thinking "there's no way he actually believes half the things he writes."

      Some of it is about generating blog activity, and that's not a bad thing.

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    3. 8:45, well, he states he watched yet another "documentary" and then goes on rambling about what he learned from it about how the Tea Party/conservatives feel and think, which is complete and total bullshit.

      It's really not difficult to draw that conclusion. Although I'm sure you already knew that.

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  27. Oh how brainwashed Texans are. They have bought into this imaginary war with poor people, who are "too lazy to get a job," when it is the uber-wealthy that are putting forth policies that go against the middle-class. Such as repealing Glass-Steagall, deregulating banks, cutting taxes, while simultaneously increasing spending on two unwinable wars, based on lies. But people believe what they want to believe, and willful ignorance can't be cured.

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    1. Yet another idiotic falsehood about a massive group of people. Just because you hear and/or repeat something over and over doesn't make it true. And FYI, you are a prime example of your statement on "willful ignorance" and obviously part of the problem.

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  28. http://utrend.tv/v/9-out-of-10-americans-are-completely-wrong-about-this-mind-blowing-fact/

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  29. Thanks for saying what I've always thought regarding Conservatism and it's hijacking of "Christian Values". One time I heard a conservative say "Healthcare is a privilege, not a right."? I couldn't stay silent. #1 Read the Hippocratic Oath doctors take #2 If you don't think you're already paying for healthcare, think again. The indigent are not denied healthcare...See #1.

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