Ray's ranting again

[Ray]

“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.”

Aldous Huxley

OK, I know you didn’t ask but it bothers me that our political candidates believe that we are all pretty dumb; I just hope we are not as dumb as they think we are. It seems like almost everything that is being broadcast and most of what is said is an attempt to pander to our prejudices rather than appeal to our intellect. They promise us everything and tell us we don’t have to pay for it. Instead of providing any details on how they can deal with a deteriorating infrastructure, a failing education system, skyrocketing health costs, major global challenges and the like they try to convince us that we don’t need to know just trust that they have all the answers while the other guy has none.

Recently when an advisor to the presidential challenger was asked why they continued to run ads that had been discredited because what they were saying was untrue they responded with they were not going to let fact checkers run their campaign. That sure sounds to me like they are saying that truth is not important and that really saddens me. It is bad enough that experts are hired to mislead us but it is truly sad when they admit that that is what they are doing. Of course the worst thing of all is that misleading works, pandering to our prejudices seems to be effective and helping us to believe that we can have it all without paying for it allows us to bury our heads in the sand.

Balance the budget, sure, just don’t cut my mortgage deduction, my charitable donations, my child care, my…my…my… Plus don’t reduce my Medicare or any of the other things I get from the big government I hate. And oh yes fix the roads, dredge the rivers, and provide me safe water, drugs and food while protecting my nest egg. You can do it, just make someone else pay. And oh yes never cut defense or all that other stuff. I am sorry my friends there is just not enough cuts we could possibly make and get the job done, we also need revenue, but who wants to face that reality these days.

I know one thing that history has shown, if we spend all our time shouting at each other and never talking to each other we will continue to slide. Maybe some of us need to start to think about digging in and trying to solve problems, first be dealing with the facts and then supporting realistic plans. Meanwhile the others can continue to enjoy themselves with Alice in her Wonderland as they wait for the good fairy. The thing I find interesting is how so many of my friends already know all the answers, the thing I don’t understand is how all my other friends who know all the answers have different answers makes me wonder if their answers are based on fact or fiction.

Now I am going to smile and go out into the world and look for the truth.

~~~

“Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.”

Winston Churchill

~~~

What to Say to Telemarketers

• The police photographer is still here, and the county medical examiner hasn't released the body to the coroner yet. Can you call back a little later?
• You called at the right time, buster. I'll order carloads of whatever you got just to restore my credit rating. Those turkeys down at the bank go bananas over one little bounced check or two.
• I'm gonna have to put you on hold. The baby is due any minute now. Quick someone, get some hot water. Lots of it.  Sorry, gotta hurry now, don't go away.
• Oh, it's you again. I was hoping you'd call back.  The better business people said I need more positive identification to file my complaint. Now first let me have your name and telephone number. Hello? Hello?
• Excuse me, this nice police officer, here, said that I should inform you that my phone is being tapped. Now, what kind of drugs did you say you were selling?

~~~

I don't repeat gossip, so listen carefully.

~~~

A young farm girl answers the door. An older neighbor is there. "My father isn't home," she says, "but I can help you. You want our bull to service your cow. Well, my father charges one hundred dollars for his best bull."

"That's not what I want," the neighbor says.

"We have a young bull who is just starting out. My father charges fifty dollars for him."

"That's not I want, either."

"We have an old bull out in the pasture," the girl tries again. "He can still do the job and my father charges only ten dollars for him."

"That's not what I want," the neighbor says. "I came here to see your father about your brother Elmer. Elmer made my daughter pregnant."

"Oh," the girl replies. "You'll have to see my father about that. I don't know what he charges for Elmer."

~~~

I know what men want. Men want to be really, really close to someone who will leave them alone.

Elayne Boosler

~~~

A little girl was watching her parents dress for a party. When she saw her dad donning his tuxedo, she warned, "Daddy, you shouldn't wear that suit."

"And why not, darling?"

"You know that it always gives you a headache next morning."

~~~

Why is the person who invests all your money called a broker?

~~~

Six Jewish gentlemen were playing poker at the Condo Clubhouse when Meyerwitz loses $500 on a single hand, clutches his chest and drops dead at the table. Showing respect for their fallen comrade, the other five complete the evening of playing standing up.

Finkelstein looks around and asks, "Who's going to tell the wife?"

They draw straws. Goldberg, who is always a loser, draws the short one. They tell him to be discreet, be gentle, don't make a bad situation any worse.

"Gentlemen. 'Discreet!' I'm the most discreet man you will ever meet!  'Discreet' is my middle name... Leave it to me."

Goldberg walks over to the Meyerwitz apartment, knocks on the door. The wife answers, asks what he wants.

Goldberg declares, "Your husband just lost $500 and is afraid to come home!"

She hollers, "Tell him he should drop dead!"

Goldberg says, "I'll tell him!"

~~~

Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy.

Ernest Benn

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

 

Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana

Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.

 

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