Ya Know....I Can Kind Of Relate To Ben....The Angry Voter

[ABM]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/opinion/21brooks.html

The Story of an Angry Voter
By DAVID BROOKS
Published: May 20, 2010

Let’s imagine a character named Ben. A couple of decades ago, Ben went to high school.

It wasn’t easy. His parents were splitting up. His friends would cut class to smoke weed. His sister got pregnant. But Ben worked hard and graduated with decent grades and then studied at East Stroudsburg University and the University of Phoenix.

That wasn’t easy either. Ben would like to have majored in history, but he needed a skill so he studied hotel management. Others spent their college years partying, but Ben worked hard. After graduation, he got a job with a hotel chain. A few years later, he got a different job and then a different one.

He didn’t have lifetime security or a fabulous salary, but Ben worked. He filled in for the night manager, hired staff and cleaned up the breakfast area when that needed doing.

In other words, in school, he labored when others didn’t. At work, he sacrificed when others didn’t. He bought a house he could afford when others didn’t.

This wasn’t a robotic suburban life. It was a satisfying, moral way of living. Ben lived according to an ethos of what you might call “earned success.” Arthur Brooks has a good description of this ethos in his new book “The Battle.” As Brooks (no relation) observes, the key to happiness is not being rich; it’s doing something arduous and creating something of value and then being able to reflect on the fruits of your labor.

For Ben, right and wrong is contained in the relationship between effort and reward. If people do not work but get rewarded, that’s wrong. If people work and do not get rewarded, that’s wrong. But Ben believed that America is fundamentally a just society. He loved his country because people who work hard can usually overcome whatever unfairness is thrust in their way.

But when Ben looked at Washington.........................

 

[ABM]

The book the author alluded to even looks interesting...

 

[barfo]

So what about David Brooks conclusion? That Ben is going to vote for an extremist and be disappointed by the results? You going to do that?

barfo

 

[ABM]

So what about David Brooks conclusion? That Ben is going to vote for an extremist and be disappointed by the results? You going to do that?

barfo

Nah, I'm still hopeful that more compelling leadership will eventually emerge from the woodwork.

Call me unrealistically optimistic, but..........................

 

[barfo]

Nah, I'm still hopeful that more compelling leadership will eventually emerge from the woodwork.

Call me unrealistically optimistic, but..........................

Aren't things that emerge from the woodwork mice, rats, termites, ants, grubs, and the like? Or is that just at my house?

barfo

 

[ABM]

Aren't things that emerge from the woodwork mice, rats, termites, ants, grubs, and the like? Or is that just at my house?

barfo

He who lives in a glass house.................er, wait.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

To be serious for a moment, this country was in a bad way before Obama. Sadly, he has magnified the problems more than the last 20 tears worth of Presidents and now tens of millions of people have either lost everything or have no real reason to continue on with a house worth 50% of what they owe and a federal government with 9 of 10 toes into some sort of bankruptcy- both financial and morally. So the question is, what do people like Ben (and his children) who will grow up in a country far worse off than it was 1, 4, 12 or 20 years ago and a guarantee to get progressively worse do? Just take it with a smile? Maybe. What else can you do when the federal government is kicking your guts out and laughing at you. Telling you repeatedly that "the majority of you may not like it, but we don't give a damn as it's what we want". To be sure, we're heading into perilous times. And hardly anyone in politics has the guts to stand up for what's right and forget about partisanship. We haven't been this bad off since the great depression. And no World War will get out of this mess.

 

[Eastoff]

Aren't things that emerge from the woodwork mice, rats, termites, ants, grubs, and the like? Or is that just at my house?

barfo

there are also cabinets, chairs, tables, and baseball bats arriving form the woodworks!

 

[Eastoff]

To be serious for a moment, this country was in a bad way before Obama. Sadly, he has magnified the problems more than the last 20 tears worth of Presidents and now tens of millions of people have either lost everything or have no real reason to continue on with a house worth 50% of what they owe and a federal government with 9 of 10 toes into some sort of bankruptcy- both financial and morally. So the question is, what do people like Ben (and his children) who will grow up in a country far worse off than it was 1, 4, 12 or 20 years ago and a guarantee to get progressively worse do? Just take it with a smile? Maybe. What else can you do when the federal government is kicking your guts out and laughing at you. Telling you repeatedly that "the majority of you may not like it, but we don't give a damn as it's what we want". To be sure, we're heading into perilous times. And hardly anyone in politics has the guts to stand up for what's right and forget about partisanship. We haven't been this bad off since the great depression. And no World War will get out of this mess.

you know what dude, if the majority truely don't like it, you just have to wait until november, and the congress will change! =]

 

[barfo]

Sadly, he has magnified the problems more than the last 20 tears worth of Presidents and now tens of millions of people have either lost everything or have no real reason to continue on with a house worth 50% of what they owe and a federal government with 9 of 10 toes into some sort of bankruptcy- both financial and morally.

I've shed more than 20 tears, but I've got all 10 of my toes. Not sure where that puts me, morally speaking.

barfo

 

[maxiep]

Does this Ben like to take his rage out on homeless people?

 

[barfo]

Does this Ben like to take his rage out on homeless people?

Maybe Ben won't be voting at all then. Cause he's done hard time, fams.

barfo

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

you know what dude, if the majority truely don't like it, you just have to wait until november, and the congress will change! =]

Yep. Here's hoping.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I've shed more than 20 tears, but I've got all 10 of my toes. Not sure where that puts me, morally speaking.

barfo

Me neither as I don't understand what you're saying. In fact, it looks a country western song.

 

[Eastoff]

Yep. Here's hoping.

says you!