Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Politics VS Good Manners, Maryknoll College Graduates bickering over politics again!

What happened to the old etiquette rule about not discussing politics and religion with friends? It seems my college classmates, who graduated from the exclusive convent school of Maryknoll College, Quezon City, where the nuns did their best to teach us not only academics but proper bearing, have forgotten this simple rule.

It's happened again. My classmates at Maryknoll College are bickering once again over US politics. The first time this happened was last year, during the heart of election season when someone posted an email about Obama being a Muslim and therefore dangerous and evil. The email quarreling started, Republicans versus Democrats. It got quite ugly with name-calling and insults hurled into cyberspace. The email fighting went on for weeks, and lifelong friendships hung on the balance (a cliche, forgive me).

Now, another one of those who was involved in that ugly fracas "innocently" sent an email to 67 of her email addresses something about a Tea Party/Tax Revolt (anti-Obama). Well, here, let me post those emails, without names. I will continue to air this quarrel on this blog until the person who started this political row has the commonsense to delete me from her email list:
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Email #1: FW Tea Party/Tax Revolt
I will be attending so if anyone wants to join me, let me know.

Here is the info on the Tea Party/Tax Revolt. Please make plans to attend. It is time to stand up and be heard. We must stop letting the lazy, worthless low life's dictate how us hard working tax paying CITIZENS will live and spend OUR money.

Please try to round up some more sane people and make this a gargantuan event.
Go to the web site below for more details.
God bless you patriots, now lets kick some ass!!!
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Email #2:
I'm sorry you all (whom I love and cherish.) But this is a croc of _____. Obama's plan is to fund health care - mostly for the working poor, to refurbish education for our youth - our collective future and to develop alternative fuel - for our global future. Why didn't you all throw a tea party when "W" racked up the biggest deficit in our history and spent our taxes on wars that haven't made us any safer?
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Email #3:
This is now beyond partisanship or politics. Decisions being made today involve amounts of money many of us never heard of even in the recent past. A trillion has 12 zeroes!!! What this administration wants to spend is now getting closer to 4 trillion, and compounded with interests, experts say will run up to 10 trillion before it's paid - who knows when, and at what real cost in human sacrifices (ours, mind you, not the ones who signed these bills). They're supposed to be stimulating the economy which is hanging on a string. The urgency here and the approval from tax payers rest on that assumption alone - stimulate the economy so people can go back to work!!!

Other good causes (to be sure) such as education, health care, etc. should go through the usual debates and discussions for their allocations to make sure every penny is spent wisely (these are our pennies!) not bamboozled down our throats as if schools and hospitals will close overnight if billions of $'s were not approved for them today - pronto!! What a cheap liberal tactic to ride on the miseries of honest, hard working people who are losing their jobs by the thousands on a daily basis. He (Obama), it seems to me, at least by his rhetoric, expects and wants all these people to be permanently out of job, on welfare and dependent on the government for health care and food stamps as long as they live!

For all the controversies behind the war in Iraq, the fact remains that there were no further successful attacks on US soil after 9/11 in the last 8 years (do you realize how scary it would have been if a similar attack got through again?) I think we can all agree that our enemies kept trying every single day to do it again, and again -- until we're ruined because that is their single-minded aim.

We went through difficult times the last 8 years, yes, but our economy and democratic way of life survived. The houseing market got out of hand, yes - but those who follow the reasons behind it know that there's enough blame to go around and it cannot be blamed only on the past President - in fact records show that he tried to steer the direction the other way, but opposing parties have so successfully smeared his name and honor, no one listened to him or his party. Indeed, 4-5 years ago, if you predicted what's going on now, you would've gotton rotten tomatoes thrown at you!! Well, we don't need Alqaida attacking us now --- all they need to do is watch us destroy our society morally and economically all by ourselves.

But some of us won't let that happen. We're going to a Tea Party!!!! Pleeese --- be heard and be counted. Political campaigns are OVER. We're talking real problems and real life situations. They're stacking us with debts we do not want, fund projects even they did not read "line by line" (music to everybody's ears when promised by Obama during his campaign) and as icing on this rotten cake, they're going to higher our taxes too! Can we be that stupid???
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Email #4:
It looks like I've stirred up some passion again which I didn't mean to. I thought the tea party would be a good way to let our politicians know to quit their reckless spending that will hurt all of us eventually. I did not agree with Bush runaway spending either nor what our California governor is doing to California. Our politicians are spending too much no matter what affiliation you belong to. We are in the trouble we're in because of Bush runaway spending and Obama is following in the same path. We can't spend ourselves out of our problems. That money they are spending has to come somewhere. That is just basic accounting or economics.

Lets keep a healthy discussion. If we don't agree, then lets agree to dissagree. Our friendship is too valuable. Like you, I hope and pray Obama can solve the health care problems of our country. I don't think our schools are broken. They can tighten their belts like everybody else are doing nowadays. We have to make some sacrifices now for the future of our children. No more runaway spending and no more higher taxes! Give us some real stimulus, cut taxes!
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Email #5:
As I’ve requested in the past, I would appreciate it if you would just send emails pertaining to personal news or upcoming social events.

Religion and Politics are two topics that most people would rather not discuss. That said, I hope this will be the last time I’d get emails of this nature.

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