I got one of those wingnut mass email forwards from my uncle again, but it was too rich to ignore. So I wasted the better part of an hour composing a response. Since it's going to be largely lost on my uncle's email friends, and because I haven't posted a diary in a very looong time, I felt compelled to share.
[My message is here at top, and the original message is beneath and below.]
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Dear Ashley,
I'm sorry that your Grandpa's memory seems to be slipping in his advanced age. Otherwise, he would remember that the president he voted for turned a budget surplus into the biggest deficit on record, and took the world's strongest economy and turned it into a near financial catastrophe. Here's a little news clip from August 2008: "An Economy on the Brink": http://www.usnews.com/...
"No one knows where it will end." They didn't. In 2008, most people didn't think Dow would see 10K for years to come. We were lucky that someone managed to end the Great Recession in mid-2009. We are now seeing slight-but-positive economic growth.
I'm also sorry that Grandpa hasn't kept up with current events. Otherwise, he would know that taxes are lower now than they were during the Bush presidency. It's okay, most Republicans don't believe it either. http://www.cbsnews.com/... I guess they're watching Fox News.
In an economic recession, people stop buying things, so companies have to reduce their costs. Here's a little chart that illustrates the difference between when a problem is created (Jan08-Jan09) and when a problem is addressed (Jan09-Jan10). http://data.bls.gov/... Charts always beat tables because trendlines are everything.
Still, I'm sorry that Grandpa's company can't afford to keep paying his workers. I'm sure he feels bad that he couldn't run a better business, and he probably needs someone to blame. I'm sorry that person was you.
I'm also sorry that Grandpa seems to have an issue with illegal Americans and the less fortunate. People of that generation sometimes have trouble accepting people with darker skin tones, which they assume most poor people have. The ironic thing is that most poor people are white. http://findarticles.com/... My dad couldn't believe it either. Just tuck that little nugget away for a future debate.
Finally, Ashley, just like the exception that proves the rule, I have to admit that your Grandpa may be right about one thing. You do seem like a bit of a self-absorbed brat. Think about getting a job, and I mean the kind of job that gets you up early and makes your bones tired when you're done with your shift for the night. You'll be better for it.
But most of all, Ashley, I'm sorry your Grandpa seems like such a dick.
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On Wed, Mar 31, 2010 at 9:23 PM, j p wrote:
Great email, you have to read the entire email. I hope all of you who voted for Mr. Obama remembers that very moment when they pushed the button that elected this dumb ass we call our President. Thanks for nothing.......
DW
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John G. Is 63 years old and owns a small business. He's a life-long Republican and sees his dream of retiring next year has all but evaporated. With the stock market crashing and new taxes coming his way, John assumes now that he will work to his dying day.
John has a granddaughter. Ashley is a recent college grad.. She drives a flashy hybrid car, wears all the latest fashions, and loves to go out to nightclubs and restaurants. Ashley campaigned hard for Barack Obama. After the election she made sure her grandfather (and all other Republican family members) received a big I told-you-so earful on how the world is going to be a much better place now that her party is taking over.
Having lost both roommates, Ashley recently ran short of cash and cannot pay the rent (again) on her 3 bedroom townhouse.. Like she has done many times in the past, she e-mailed her grandfather asking for some financial help.
Here is his reply:
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Sweetheart, I received your request for assistance.
Ashley, you know I love you dearly and I 'm sympathetic to your financial plight. Unfortunately, times have changed. With the election of President Obama, your grandmother and I have had to set forth a bold new economic plan of our own...."The Ashley Economic Empowerment Plan." Let me explain.
Your grandmother and I are life-long, wage-earning tax payers. We have lived a comfortable life, as you know, but we have never had the fancier things like European vacations, luxury cars, etc.. We have worked hard and were looking forward to retiring soon. But the plan has changed.. Your president is raising our personal and business taxes significantly. He says it is so he can give our hard earned money to other people. Do you know what this means, Ashley? It means less for us, and we must cut back on many business and personal expenses.
You know the wonderful receptionist who worked in my office for more than 23 years? The one who always gave you candy when you came over to visit? I had to let her go last week. I can't afford to pay her salary and all of the government mandated taxes that go with having employees. Your grandmother will now work 4 days a week to answer phones, take orders and handle the books. We will be closed on Fridays and will lose even more income.
I'm also very sorry to report that your cousin Frank will no longer be working summers in the warehouse. I called him at school this morning. He already knows about it and he's upset because he will have to give up skydiving and his yearly trip to Greenland to survey the polar bears.
That's just the business side of things. Some personal economic effects of Obama's new taxation policies include none other than you You know very well that over the years your grandmother and I have given you thousands of dollars in cash, tuition assistance, food, housing, clothing, gifts, etc., etc. But by your vote, you have chosen to help others -- not at your expense -- but at our expense.
If you need money now sweetheart, I recommend you call 202-456-1111. That is the direct phone number for the White House.. You can also contact the White House here:http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/ ..
You yourself told me how foolish it is to vote Republican.. You said Mr Obama is going to be the People's President, and is going to help every American live a better life. Based on everything you've told me, along with all the promises we heard during the campaign, I'm sure Mr. Obama will be happy to transfer some stimulus money into your bank account. Have him call me for the account number which I memorized years ago..
Perhaps you can now understand what I've been saying all my life: those who vote for a president should consider the impact on the nation as a whole, and not be just concerned with what they can get for themselves. What Obama supporters don't seem to realize is all of the money he is redistributing to illegal aliens and non-taxpaying Americans (the so-called "less fortunate") comes from tax-paying families.
Remember how you told me, "Only the richest of the rich will be affected"? Well guess what, honey? Because we own a business, your grandmother and I are now considered to be the richest of the rich. On paper, it might look that way, but in the real world, we are far from it.
As you said while campaigning for Obama, some people will have to carry more of the burden so all of America can prosper.. You understand what that means, right? It means that raising taxes on productive people results in them having less money; less money for everything, including granddaughters.
I'm sorry, Ashley, but the well has run dry. The free lunches are over.. I have no money to give you now. So, congratulations on your choice for "change." For future reference, I encourage you to try and add up the total value of the gifts and cash you have received from us, just since you went off to college, and compare it to what you expect to get from Mr. Obama over the next 4 (or 8) years. I have not kept track of it, Ashley. It has all truly been the gift of our hearts.
Remember, we love you dearly....but from now on you'll need to call the number mentioned above. Your "Savior" has the money we would have given to you. Just try and get it from him.
Good luck, sweetheart.
Love, Grandpa