Mitt Romney and BullyingToday it came out that Mitt Romney bullied a classmate when he was a senior. As I just published a book on bullying (http://thebullyvaccine.com), I’ve had people ask me to weigh in on this incident.
Quantifiable Looniness8/1/09
At last, someone has quantified what I have been saying for the last few years (see my first article from 2006 and again in 2007). There is apparently a significant portion of our population (~10%) that cannot discern between reality and fantasy. I am talking of course about the “birthers.” I think we should look at this as an opportunity. With this issue we can clearly see that there is a reality deficit problem with about 10% of our population. This isn’t an issue that you can have different opinions on. There is reality and there is fantasy. I really think that someone needs to do a formal study to see what exactly is wrong with these people. I have posited that they have problems with memory function. But it could be anything.
Let Me Get This Straight2/25/09
Ok – so I get that the Republicans need to be seen opposing the President because that is what their base wants and you can’t get elected unless you win your primaries. Of course, they also can’t afford to sound like complete lunatics or they won’t win the general election. Which apparently explains the latest weirdness coming from the right wing of the Republican Party. They have to be seen as opposing the stimulus even though they desperately want that money. Which, of course, makes them seem like hypocrites. Their compromise is apparently to take all but the unemployment money. Keep in mind that the amount they are taking is in the billions and they are only rejecting, in the case of Louisiana’s Jindal, about 90 million that would have gone to about 25,000 people who are unemployed (~$3,600 per person). (Sigh) Aside from coming off as totally heartless, it is clear leading Republicans still don’t understand economics 101, which would explain how we got into this mess in the first place. Aside from being the compassionate thing to do, providing a little bit of money directly to the unemployed and/or poor helps them afford things like food. This is a good thing because it not only helps stimulate the economy; it also helps prevent increases in violence, which tends to increase when people can’t afford to feed themselves or their family. To simplify this, putting 90 million directly into the economy is good; causing food riots is bad. Because of this latest ruse of theirs we are now forced to look at the Republican party as hypocritical heartless idiots who are delusional to think that the desires of their small delusional base is somehow reflective of the will of the majority. What a great way to win primary elections. Not so great if you are actually trying to, you know, improve the lives of the average citizen.
