Ok, so I have thrown down the challenge before to anyone that has different views from mine, and wants to have an intelligent, political conversation without belittling anyone or trying to hold on to one's opinion vs. real, undeniable facts. So one person on Facebook actually responded to the challenge. However, she's not responding back. Not sure why though. At first I thought maybe it was because she never got on. But I've seen her on several times now, responding to different posts or adding comments to profiles, and there's no answer to my email. So, I figured I'd go ahead and post it here since it was rather long.
Basically what happened is this. One of my friends said something on her own profile, and between her friend and me, we got into a heated discussion on her status. So I offered for her to add me and we could discuss. This is the collection of emails that have transpired....what do you think?
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(This is my original email a while after I added her and never heard anything from her as far as comments on my profile or to my "anti-Obama / anti-'big government'" status updates.)
Me:
December 8, 2009 at 3:44pm
I've been waiting to see if you have anything to say about any of my Obama status updates, or the links / notes I've posted.
And let me just say this... I'm sure you and I are probably on the same side of this in saying that neither of us would really care to get into a so-called "screaming match" over politics, but instead, to have a good, well-informed, educated debate over how things are handled.
Sound about right?
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Me:
December 17, 2009 at 3:00pm
Do you not get on much?
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Her:
December 20, 2009 at 11:40pm
Okay. I do get on here, multiple times a day. The reason I have not responded is three-fold. First off, you say you would like to have a civil discussion about how our country is operated but your posts do not reflect that feeling. "OH MY GOD CHANGE YOUR TIRES GLOBAL WARMING", etc. does not make anyone who believes differently than you feel as though you can have a reasonable, fact based conversation about the issue. You haven't even met them and you're all ready yelling. Second, I find it incredibly arrogant and egocentric to assume that you will shout your beliefs from the hilltop in such an insulting and myopic way so that others may comment. That is not a conversation; it's dictation. Thirdly, I simply do not believe in placing personal enrichment over the health and welfare of people. Conservative policy, voting, and personal behavior seem at odds with this idea. I think that is a core value that cannot be changed and you do not seem to believe that is the case. As long as you continue to be inflammatory and disrespectful to those who do not share your thoughts, there's no point in responding.
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Me:
December 21, 2009 at 1:30am
Well let me start off with your 3rd comment about putting "personal enrichment" ahead of people's health. That one statement tells me that you believe what the Democrats say when they have been trying to paint the health insurance industry with a broad brush and say that they are only in business to make money and reap huge profits and that they place their own pockets ahead of the very people that they insure. Is that correct? Because if it is, that's not a very smart way of doing business. In fact, doing so would work completely against that thought, and would force you out of business, because if you keep your clients healthy, they make you more money by staying good paying clients. However, if you drop all the sick ones, you will never get new well ones to sign up, because they would be too afraid that if, God forbid, they were to get sick they would be afraid you'd drop them. But that is exactly what's the Democratic party has said all along. They have made it sound as if you get sick that any and all insurance companies will immediately drop you...and that's just not the case. I can give you a personal example...I have had back surgery and nasal / throat surgery...I have no problem finding coverage for me. My wife AND my ex-wife have both had two C-sections and neither of them have problems finding coverage...this includes standard everyday coverage, not higher priced "high risk" coverage.
Oh...and don't forget...like ALL insurance companies, they don't make money by taking your tiny monthly payment and refusing all your claims like the Democrats want you to believe. No, they pool everyone's money together and invest it...then they make money off of their investments. That's how they can pay for your emergency open heart surgery that cost more than your house when you've only been insured with them for barely 3 months! (No, it doesn't work EXACTLY like that, but that's the basic premise.)
Now as far as my "all caps rants" I guess you could call them, yeah, that's my immediate, personal reaction. It pisses me off when Obama comes out and flat out lies, or when he makes something sound so freakin' dire with his "we have to do this right this very second or else the world will blow up" type scare tactics. He did it with the stimulus saying if "we" passed his stimulus package RIGHT NOW that unemployment would not go above 8%. And what's happened since? Its gone higher and higher every month since! Nothing positive that I have seen as far as unemployment numbers, because ever since passing that huge, expensive flop of a bill that has supposedly "saved or created" a million jobs (his words) no, wait....make that 600,000 jobs (his corrections only AFTER being caught in more lies) unemployment has done nothing but go UP. (And just for the record, I was against ALL bailouts and stimulus packages--even Bush's)
Just like the Cash-For-Clunkers flop. Are you kidding me? I am business owner and I could have told you how bad it was gonna flop! Sure, the numbers looked good on paper when for a few short months people bought cars and car dealerships were busy, but what has happened since? NOTHING! And that's the problem! It gave people who believed in him and this pathetic excuse of "hope," a false sense of that hope. Its just like if you had NO job but you had bills, and someone gave you enough money to pay your bills for lets just say one month. Ok, well that's nice and all, but what you REALLY need isn't the money, its a JOB! So, what happens that very next month when you don't have a job? All that money did was buy you a one month extension. You still don't have a job, so what's about all of THIS month's bills? Without a job, how are they gonna get paid? You see what I'm getting at? A bandaid put on a gushing wound isn't gonna do any good. You've got to stop the bleeding. Find the source. Its not gonna be found in this multi-trillion dollar healthcare bill they keep spending time on. And that brings me to my main point. Apparently Obama really doesn't care about the American people. Yes, that's my opinion but its based on the FACTS that every single poll shows his approval ratings are slipping. He has the lowest approval ratings of every other president in the history of approval ratings being polled. And why is that? Well, go to the other polls. In every other democracy, the majority is /supposed/ to rule, right? Ok then, tell me why it is, this president apparently thinks he knows what Americans want more than Americans themselves say they want. Meaning, EVERY poll that asks if they want government run healthcare ALL have the majority saying NO. and EVERY poll that asks what's more important to America right now--fixing the economy or healthcare reform? Fixing the economy wins out every single time! And finally they ask if America is heading in the right direction and overwhelmingly they all say no, we're not. I just don't get it! I really don't.
I may get pissed off with my reactions, but I am reacting to facts! I'm not against healthcare reform, but I am against the lies the Democrats tell in order to try and well their uber-expensive poisonous healthcare plan to the unknowing American people. And I am against the fact that the senators that vote on these bills (yes OR no) have NEVER read any of the pages of the bills! And I am against senators that are totally against the healthcare bill until they get bribed or bought off by $300 BILLION in extra stuff just for their state THAT MY TAXES (AND YOURS) WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR.
Now despite some of my ALL CAPS emphasis or personal remarks about proven facts, can you honestly say you believe in this? That you believe everything the Democrats say? That you believe a government run health plan, that WILL ultimately put private insurance companies out of business (proven by the CBO and many other non-partisan groups) AND will fine and eventually imprison anyone that flat-out refuses to get put on government MANDATED health insurance? Is that really what you want for America?
Hopefully (and I mean this sincerely) you wont fins this to be "too opinionated" or anything like that and simply ignore it and not respond and / or remove me. I have tried to keep my personal expressions to a minimum and focus on the facts as you are, so far, the ONLY person that has accepted my request to discuss differences. I have had this request, or this "challenge" out to anyone who would be willing to respond since before the election. I hope we BOTH can use this as back positive learning experience.
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And as of this moment, I still don't have a response from her, and I doubt I ever will. I wrote this very last entry on December 21st, 2009. I'd say she either is being a typical liberal and refuses to either admit facts or doesn't like it when they're proven wrong.... I dunno. Regardless, I'm still waiting to hear from anyone that has a different view.
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