Going Green? Rush Limbaugh Hopes You Fail
Why is Rush Limbaugh — who is neither a plumber nor an economist — front and center in the opposition to Obama’s stimulus package? I’m not knocking Limbaugh. He’s a great entertainer and all that. But if my toilet was clogged, Rush Limbaugh is not the first person I’d think of calling. Ditto that for figuring out how to fix an economic crisis of epic proportions.
The answer to the mystery is simple. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. And brother, can Rush Limbaugh squeak!
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Rush Limbaugh - The Mouse that Roared
Limbaugh has many roars, but the one roar that matters here is his long time denial that the relationship between global warming and human activity is real.
Millions of us at home are confronting the problem through individual action — raising greener families, eating healthier food, and using energy more efficiently. Meanwhile Rush Limbaugh is out there shouting to millions of other people that the whole thing is a plot by communist wackos. That’s right, he means me and you.
Rush Limbaugh Hopes We Fail
Rush Limbaugh is on record stating that he hopes Obama fails. In other words, he hopes we fail. He’s told his audience that he thinks the stimulus package — and its green initiatives — is stinko. He doesn’t like federal investments that get people back to works. He thinks more tax cuts for the well-off (isn’t that what got us into this mess?) will do the trick. Well, that’s his opinion and he’s entitled to it. Who said entertainers have to know anything about economic stimulus, anyways?
Shout Louder than Rush Limbaugh
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that our representatives in Washington are only taking directions straight from Rush Limbaugh. They’re also listening to his listeners (voters, we call ‘em). When Rush Limbaugh roars, people get motivated to contact their representatives and raise a stink.
Does your representative know what you think about a stimulus plan that’s heavy on green initiatives? Anyone can make a phone call. Or an email. It takes about two minutes. The House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate both have handy online search functions that take you straight to their email. I know, ’cause I just did it.
Image: Korean Resource Center on flickr under creative commons.
The answer is even more simple: It is because almost everybody thinks he or completely understands economics. Economics, however, is not as simple as it may seem in the first instance. I’ll probably never understand why so many people - who would never lecture you about a computer problem, a medical issue or a broken toilet - feel that they have enough insight into economics to offer an expert’s opinion.
Seems that Rush Limbaugh is no different…
I make a point of following what is coming up for a vote and how my idiot senators and representative voted. Every Sunday I e-mail them about upcoming votes and take them to task for how they votes. (Yes I voted against each one of them). I have the feeling that my e-mails are being directed straight to spam because I’ve stopped getting responses thanking me for supporting their positions, when the e-mail made it clear I’m against their position. One is leaving the senate to run for governor. I’m hoping that we actually get an ethical person this time.