Trickle Down

Welcome friends!

I suppose you read about the recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) report that found the old conservative theory about why we should all root for rich people, the so-called “trickle-down theory,” otherwise known as the “rising tide lifts all boats” theory, is actually a bunch of self-serving hooey?  Well, I suppose most people probably assumed all along that it contained a healthy dose of self-interest on the part of its mostly wealthy conservative proponents.  What conservative worth his or her salt would bother with an argument that did not?  Isn’t that the underlying mantra of conservatism?  Greed is good?  Particularly their own greed.  But maybe some people weren’t entirely sure it was one hundred percent claptrap in an empirical sense.  Well, now we know.

The theory, in case you don’t really bother with such things, is that we should all support rich people in their eternal quest to further enrich themselves because they’re basically the font of all good things and if they do well some of those good things will inevitably trickle down upon the rest of us poor schmucks.  The alternative to this pleasant tableau in the conservative imagination is a situation in which rich people’s self interest is not aligned entirely with the self-interest of everyone else, which is what they tend to portray rather histrionically as “class warfare.”  Well, that’s if someone is talking about it anyway.  I don’t know what they call if it’s just a fact no one is talking about... Sorry but only selected archived (previous year) posts are currently available full text on this website.  All posts including this one are available in my annual anthology ebook series available at the Amazon Kindle Bookstore for a nominal fee.  Hey, we all need to make a buck somehow, right?  If you find my timeless jewels of wisdom amusing or perhaps even amusingly irritating throw me a bone now and then.  Thank you my friends!

The Gay Marriage Threat to Marco Rubio’s Christianity

Welcome friends!

Speaking of clown acts did you happen to notice Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio’s recent frettings that gay marriage proponents may cast what he considers mainstream Christian teaching as hate speech?  I was about to chortle heartily and flip to another page as I normally do when I encounter conservatives wringing their hands over their universe of generally overblown if not entirely fabricated fears and concerns but I did find his statement intriguing in a weird sort of way.  I advocate gay marriage equality all the time (on the principle that gay people are people too) but at the same time I would hate for anyone to feel I’m attacking them personally because of their religious views.  So it’s not the sort of statement I feel I can really let go without comment.  Let’s think this through together.

First of all, let’s get one thing straight: I don’t believe any liberal in the country wants Christians who are morally opposed to homosexuality and / or homosexuals and who dislike gay marriage to either express a gay identity or to engage in gay marriage or even to say good morning to a gay person.  I wish all conservative to know that we liberals support you one hundred percent as far as that sort of thing goes... Sorry but only selected archived (previous year) posts are currently available full text on this website.  All posts including this one are available in my annual anthology ebook series available at the Amazon Kindle Bookstore for a nominal fee.  Hey, we all need to make a buck somehow, right?  If you find my timeless jewels of wisdom amusing or perhaps even amusingly irritating throw me a bone now and then.  Thank you my friends!