Thanks E.J. Dionne, for Explaining it All to Me

Townhall.com ^ | 6/12/06 | Jennifer Roback Morse

[Oshkalaboomboom]

Thanks EJ Dionne, for explaining to me that I’ve been used again. The entire week surrounding the vote on the Marriage Amendment, social conservatives were treated to liberal commentary like yours claiming that Republicans were cynically distracting the country from more important issues, like Social Security and repealing the estate tax. According to you and your liberal colleagues, I shouldn’t care about social conservative issues, like gay marriage or abortion. I should really care about George Bush selling me out for issues like “privatizing Social Security and cutting taxes on rich people.” I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but social conservatives know perfectly well what our interests are. We are capable of thinking beyond the next election cycle and of doing elementary arithmetic. We’ve known for some time that Social Security needs reform, and that Democrats blocked every meaningful attempt at reform.

And let me explain something else to you. I have no prospect of receiving a large inheritance. A lot of us don’t feel it necessary to attack the rich, because we have hopes of joining them someday. But even if I personally am unable to leave my children a dime, I could care less about Bush repealing the estate tax. I’m not worked up about the rich passing their wealth on to their children, because most of that wealth was already taxed as income. Even if the federal government took every last nickel from “The Rich” it wouldn’t be enough to pay the government’s bills.

Let’s get something straight. We actually care about the issues you think are just “wedge issues.” I hear from ordinary Americans all the time, through e-mail, talk radio and the in-person talks I give. These working and middle class families are tired of the social experiments of the Life Style Left.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

EJ's going to wake up feeling pretty sore today after this pounding, hehe

[Chuck54]

Good post.

I really think Bush just may be impeached soon because BOB HERBERT is reporting Bush actually LOST Ohio. He has the tinfoil hat battened down and twisted. Antennas extended.

[Talking_Mouse]

That's gonna leave a mark.

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

Without no-fault divorce rules, my divorce would have been a real disaster. I believe that marriage counseling should be mandatory prior to divorce. My Ex and I did counseling and it convinced me even more to get a divorce. Had I lived in the old days when divorce was impossible without consent of both partners, suicide would have been preferable.

[blitzgig]

Excellent article!! She pulls no punches and tells it like it is.

[G.Mason]

Like most everyone else, I have worked ever since I was in high school, and I have never been hired by a poor person. Not one time.

I like rich folks. ;)

[.cnI redruM]

>>>>I have never been hired by a poor person


I've recently worked for one that's in some serious debt (US Gov), but none of my private sector jobs were ever created by dead-beats.

[MACVSOG68]

EJ's going to wake up feeling pretty sore today after this pounding, hehe

Not sure why. Jennifer admits the real problems facing marriage are centered around divorce with all the trajedy it leaves in its wake. She also admits she doesn't know what problems same sex marriage may create, but just doesn't like the idea of experimenting with it. Those are hardly sufficient reasons to enact a constitutional amendment. And E.J. Dionne's comments were similar to those of Charles Krauthammer, a conservative.

[goldstategop]

Liberals think all we care about is a tax cut. They couldn't be more wrong. And I wager they have no idea what we really think because they assume - and don't bother - to find out what's important to us.

(Denny Crane: "Every one should carry a gun strapped to their waist. We need more - not less guns.")