The System comic from notquitewrong.com Now from a 2004 interview with Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air :
"The only thing I like about the Left versus the Right is that the Left seems to care more about people, and the Right seems to care more about property, as a generalization." -- George Carlin
That comic is a little tough to read, so just click it for an enlarged view!
ReplyDeleteSo, I didn't want to sully the message of Carlin's quote in the original post, but I did have some more to say about his concept of the Left vs. the Right.
ReplyDeleteThose on the Left can feel good about what Carlin thought of their focus on caring. And it may seem "touchy-feely" but it's probably true: liberals, progressives, Democrats by whatever name do seem to fight for laws that help people or protect people or at least consider people as people.
On the other hand, there is something to be said for the Republican Right's view that the government need not act as the "Great Mommy" to us all. Individual property and responsibility, in theory, should mean that each one looking out for one's own should make each secure.
However, the main flaw in the Right's constant cry of personal accountability is even as they shout this, they whisper something else. I see last year's U.S. Supreme Court decision as an example of how theory can overshadow reality in practice.
The Court decided that corporations should be viewed as individuals in the eyes of the law and, as such, should be allowed to make campaign contributions just an any private citizen might. The truth is most corporations wield power and wealth that far exceed any capability of the common U.S. citizen. These disproportionate powers to control legislators are exactly what Republicans AND Democrats disdain about Congress and D.C. as they run for office, but once there -- and this even applies to President Obama himself -- they succumb to the undertow of pressure from lobbyists and special interests groups.
The system itself is flawed, and the constant struggle to "ban earmarks" and "protect the Constitution" fall flat like a classic belly-flop. We don't have control of our government and our government doesn't have control over us. We're like jellyfish who swim together, eating from the same sea, tentacles intertwined, but still we are our own entities. We need help, and we need to help one another help one another. Discourse is good, harmony is better, and there's room for it all here in the good ol' U.S. of A.
All this talk makes me want seafood. I hope EPA and USDA have talked to AAA so I can get to the IGA to pick up some...