Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Let's Detour And Talk To Bill O'Reilly


Dear Bill,

After 15 years of listening to and watching you, Rush also for 15, Sean for 10, Laura Ingraham, Mike Reagan, etc., and buying most of it for about 15 years, I started to see your spin about five years ago. First, you claim, "Obama wants to tax the rich" - making it sound like he wants them to pay more taxes than the rest of us. You know as well as most of us, that the rich do not pay the same percentage of their income as the rest of us. Please, numbers can be, and often are, misleading. Of course their numbers will be higher, but, if I should pay 40% of my income to the government, then so should the rich. There should be no tax loopholes, no option to hide their money in overseas accounts or investments, no special treatment of any kind. Also, they should not be able to gouge their customers or abuse their employees (there is a whole 'nother discussion all by itself). They should pay the same price for their supplies as the rest of us - just because they can afford to buy in "bulk", should not give them special treatment. Outsourcing to third world countries (so they can take adavantage of slave labor and little or no regulation) should be against American law, period. While Conservatives would have us believe that it's ok for the mega corporations to profit billions per quarter, while the rest of us live down here at the poverty line, President Obama is trying to offer more of a balance between the Ultra Rich's profits, and our (the little guy's) income. Of course, when he presents that idea, you conservatives falsely accuse him of wanting to "take over" the banking business, the auto industry, the insurance business, etc. - that is a blatant lie, and you all know it (so do we). We down here who see this, we are not a bunch of lazy, irresponsible dimwits who are so stupid that we cannot handle our own affairs - most of us are decent, honest, hard working people who have not been as fortunate as those who have "succeeded". We are also not a bunch of ignorant hippies. While your side likes to hide behind such unrealistic cliche terms such as, "Don't blame ______, take responsibility for your own actions", that is bull, responsibility is an all way street - and those who preach it, more often than not, do not live it. If someone or something more powerful than you cheats you, lies to you, bullies you, you cannot blame the person on the receiving end, you must put the responsibility on the aggressor, the instigator, the manipulator, the cheater, the bully. The clever cliches that the Pop Psychology Crowd and their blind followers like to parrot should be seen for what they are.

On the subject of "success", for every "success story", for every person who worked hard, invested his money, took risks, did everything he thought was right, and "succeeded", there are thousands who worked just as hard if not harder, invested his money, took risks, did everything he thought was right, but did not have the right connections, the right location, the right timing, the right relatives, or just plain luck, there are thousands who did the same, but did not achieve what he set out to. And yes, I said luck - contrary to what you'd like us to believe, there is always the luck factor. Nobody says you didn't work hard, we're saying that most of us did the same, but were not as fortunate - and you people way up there at the top of the food chain will ridicule us, mock us, talk down at us, you have insulting names for us, and the sad reality is - you detest us. You pretend to be in our corner, but you continue to alter the playing field in the favor of the Ultra Rich and Corporate America (and Corporate World). I've heard Rush Limbaugh slip and admit that he hates it when the playing field is evened out. And please, I'm not talking about Affirmative Action and other such silly ideas. I've heard you yourself, have a guest on that you don't agree with, who might have a good, strong argument to offer, and you'll shout him or her down, as in, "YOU'RE NUTS, YOU'RE A LOON, THAT'S THE MOST RIDICULOUS THING I'VE EVER HEARD", etc., not allowing the person to get a word in edgewise. Then there's this - you call Social Security an "Entitlement". That is still another spin on your part, we paid into that account, and we should get it when we're due. You want to talk about entitlement, how 'bout the politicians' elite health care, and unbelievably exorbitant retirement plans - now THAT is entitlement if I've ever seen it. Furthermore, corporations do not create jobs, and neither does the government, people create jobs - and yes, many poor people created jobs - back in the 50s and early 60s, when our country was at its best - a guy would work and save for ten years or so, and invest in a sandwich shop, or a hardware store, and create a few jobs at first, then more as his company grew - BUT, most didn't aspire to take over the world with their small business, most were happy just to have a small business in their little town. The ones who did have such greedy and ruthless aspirations - they are the ones who are and have been destroying our economy - because, yes, as much as you hate hearing this, they play dirty.

For the record, I've never done a drug in my life, never been a drinker, smoker, gambler, or anything of the kind; I don't steal, cheat, lie, or manipulate in any way - never have. I worked my rear end off for thirty years in a business that most of you don't consider a "real job", unless one reaches the status of Garth Brooks or Mick Jagger - which I consider (the idea) both hypocritical and elitist. I've done without lots of things, including a home and a stable life, so that I could have the equipment and other means needed in order to be in this corrupt business - and I accepted all of it as paying my dues. I treat people with respect, I am clean cut, my hair is combed, and my shoes are shined. It has always been, and continues to be a struggle - to say the least; and that's not a complaint, just a fact.

So, after fifteen years of listening to the conservative talk radio people, then spending about 3-1/2 years doing research on history and world events, I found rabbit holes that went so deep that I finally had to stop for lack of time, and, for being tired of the stalkers, the censorhip, and the general unpleasantness of trying to get my point out. At this point, I'm leaving it up to the youngsters to fight it out, while I try to make something of what's left of my time here. I can only hope that you'll at least try to see past your elitist views - and while you're not as extreme and hard core as most of your teammates, I would still like to see you be more "Fair and Balanced". Take care, Bill.

Sincerely,

Lee Jones

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