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Nicholas Kristof

Nicholas Kristof has an opinion piece called "The One Privilege Liberals Ignore"

I find it utterly unpromising.

He describes the problem, then says Bush tried to reward marriage and that failed.

"Lifting earnings is where liberals have the solutions: strengthened labor unions, community college support, skills training initiatives such as high school career academies and groups that provide technical training like Per Scholas."

Yup, that's the solution. But it doesn't include the judgement that conservative types want to launch and in the judgement, they want people to suffer.

So he's described a problem, but he doesn't like the liberal solution, and he doesn't have one, and well, that's the liberals fault. Nice. I can't believe they published this in the New York Times, except they try to give fair voice to conservative voices. 

For many years conservatives have felt appropriately cowed by their lack of real solutions. They don't want government. They want people to just get along without government. They don't want taxes, they don't want dependency on the government, they don't like government interventions. So why even say anything? Why not focus on your selfish life? Why go into politics? Why comment? It's like someone going onto social media to say they're quitting social media. Just quit social media, you don't have to tell everyone on social media. 

Here is the underlying issue I have with conservatives. They just want to judge people, and think judging people is THE solution. First off, judgement doesn't help people. And it's mentally indulgent. This is the culture war, they want everyone to think like them! Hello, everyone has their own way of thinking and circumstances. It's like they've never read a book. They like the simplicity of their judgement that doesn't create the culture they wish for, and the selfishness of not paying taxes. 

Utterly unpromising. Sounds like it's his personal problem to fix, and he does the old flip the script, and put it on liberals as a problem. 

Actually liberals want to address poverty, redistribute wealth by having good infrastructure, health care, schools. How utterly idiotic to imagine the liberal solution won't work.

Conservatives don't like living in a liberal world where they're stupid for thinking their thoughts. So stop being so stupid. 

I've given up the idea of political tolerance. I don't think you have the right to have flaunt your murderous thoughts. This is exactly what is wrong with America. We know the solution to all these problems, but the entitled opinions of conservatives is what holds us back. It's murderous. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. You can't pursue happiness if you're dead. 

The rugged individualism fantasy of conservatives is murderous. The selfishness of conservatives is murderous. Jeff Bezos doesn't deserve super yachts. Money's political influence has hijacked the good. We've lost our way America, and the solutions are all around. We just don't want to see them. It feels too radical to actually have a better America. We prefer murderous lack of gun control, murderous lack of health care, murderous lack of infrastructure, murderous lack of addressing the real issues of global warming, public health. 

Wake up. Selfishness, the right to be a right wing wingnut isn't freedom. The freedom to spread Covid is no freedom at all. The freedom to carry guns in Albuquerque is no freedom at all. It's not the wild west any more. The gold rush was in 1849. It's 2023. You want some judgement?! Grow the fuck up America. Act in your own interest. Stay focused. There's also kindness in government, cruelty and murder in not having government. Expect good government, don't look to criticize and undermine. We've swung so far right we've lost the plot. It's the crazy vivid fantasy of conservatives that is what's wrong with America.

Ned Flanders father says, "We've tried nothing and we're all out of ideas."


"We don’t want to build a society where children are seen as a collective gift and a collective responsibility. It’s not single parenthood that’s failing these kids. We all are." (Atlantic)



The 'fair and balanced' Press is pretty much a GOP asset too much of the time these days

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