I don't really know why they send me these things. Maybe they think I will change my ways and return to the fold. I mean it's only been 50 years or so since it became obvious I was no longer a Southern Baptist or a Republican. (Oh, Lord, give me patience, now please.)
I only argue with a few of the emails because I cannot spend my energy on this during the campaign. There is no way on earth that I can affect their fundamentalist mind-sets and don't usually try. But sometimes...
So yesterday I got this email about the evil dictator who compelled some Democratic congressman to write a (very stupid) bill, which no one else would touch except to go "eeuwwww" when he told them about it. Here it is:
Unbelievable~~unfortunately I don't think this is the end of his underhanded ways~~
HR 4646 Need to read
ON JANUARY 1, 2013, THE US GOVERNMENT WILL BE REQUIRING EVERYONE TO HAVE DIRECT DEPOSIT FOR SS CHECKS. WONDER WHY?
Subject: HR 4646
Be sure to read entire explanation
Watch for this AFTER November elections; remember this BEFORE you VOTE, in case you think Obama is looking out for your best interest.
A 1% tax on all bank transactions is what HR 4646 calls for.
Do you receive a paycheck, or a retirement check from Social Security or a pension fund and have it direct deposit?
Well guess what. It looks as if Obama wants to tax it 1% !
This bill was put forth by Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA).
YES, that is 1% tax on all bank transactions - HR 4646, every time it goes in and every time money goes out.
Ask your congressperson to vote NO.
FORWARD THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!
1% tax on all bank transactions ~ HR 4646 - ANOTHER NEW OBAMA TAX SLIPPED IN WHILE WE WERE ASLEEP. Checked this on snopes, it's true! Check it out yourself ~ HR 4646.
(Sigh)
So I sent them the real link http://www.snopes.com/.... and got a response from one niece saying I was wrong and to check out Snopes. The link she sent is a very quick summary of the supposed problem, not the entire thingie, so I sent her the real link again and wrote this:
Dear [Niece],
Thank you for your response. I am glad that you take an intense interest in political thought. I respect that because I take patriotism and citizenship as a very serious endeavor.
The link provided in the original email goes only to the rumor page on my laptop, but if I fed HR 4646 into Google I discovered a lot of hits. So I went directly to Snopes.com and fed it in there. Unfortunately it does not allow me to copy it so I provide this link again to you: http://www.snopes.com/....
It does say that some idiot actually proposed this in 2010. Yes, this idiot is a Democrat, which only shows that idiocy knows no bounds. He submitted it but no one, no one, signed on for it. No one else would put their name on it because they thought it was idiotic and wrong. Clearly this guy is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. It had and has zero chance of ever becoming law.
The link in the original email only goes to a quick summary of the rumor, definitely not all the facts. Snopes does mark it as completely false.
I admire your energy and deeply respect your beliefs. You may hate the President - that is your right. I would die for all citizens to have the right to have their own beliefs and convictions.
That said, please click on the link I provided above. When we all make judgments about our candidates, we should have facts at our disposal and not just rumors.
I enjoy seeing all my nieces and nephews pictures on Facebook so I hope you post some more soon.
Much love,
Your Aunt Sara
Now I don't really think Rep. Fattah is either idiotic or stupid. I was trying, still, to get them to actually think about things and because I have in the past called many Republicans idiots, so I figured I throw them a bone. (No offense, I hope, Rep. Fattah.)
I keep trying to open a dialogue knowing all the while that it will do no good. My birth family is the prototype for all the old white guys and middle-aged evangelicals who believe what they believe, well, because. An open dialogue is not possible, not yet. Maybe in four years, but I don't really think so.
They represent that teabaggers who believe in myths about democrats and will not be moved. The husband of my niece is the one who believes in his heart of hearts that Obama placed a tax on bullets right after the last election and that he will outlaw guns during his second term. The son of my other sister is the white supremacist.
I really do know there is no use whatsoever trying to tell them actual facts. There must be a lot of folks whose relatives are wacko, but it seriously tires me thinking about it all. Well, that 30% of the population will never see anything beyond their nose, I think. And, truth be told, it saddens me mightily.
I vow to spend my energy only positively to make certain President Obama gets a second term and to replace the teabaggers in Congress. Let's all GOTV where it counts! I am hosting a phone bank every Wednesday night until we win. Phone banking is my least favorite campaign thing, but at least it is something I can do to help win. I am optimistic that we will win, but I'm not taking any chances this season.
By the way, both sisters hate Obamacare, but it seems one's greatest complaint about it is the individual mandate, the slow implementation, and that it costs too much. (Talk about conflicted...)