SodaHead dialogue

Me: "As Winston Churchill once said "Any 20 year-old who isn't a liberal doesn't have a heart, and any 40 year-old who isn't a conservative doesn't have a brain.

It is rather sad that Gen Y'ers would need a spokesman, someone to follow. I would have hoped that they would think for themselves and not be followers.

And I would urge any Gen Y type to understand that you can be a liberal personally but when it comes to public policy you should use science and think about what public policy best leads to the results that you want. Many conservatives are liberal in the traditional definition of liberal but they believe, based on study and experience, that liberal utopian public policies do not work very well.

We are spending tons of money. My generation (60 and over) are getting all the advantages while you are getting the bill. I am opposed to deficit spending not because of any personal advantage to me but because I don't want to leave a huge debt to my children and grandchildren. You are the ones most affected by the policies done today."


Reply: "The first part is bogus contardiness. Can't argue with that last part though. You kids can thank Bush when your generation has to pick up the tab for his mess."


Me: "You may want to review the Constitution, esp. Article 1, Sec 8, Powers of Congress, and compare it to Article 2, Powers of the President. Congress controls the budget. Under the 8 "Bush" budgets, the debt went from $6.2 trillion to $11.9 trillion but about half of that increase happened after Dems took over Congress. ($2.9 trillion increase in the first 6 years and $2.8 trillion increase the last 2 years.)

In 2008, the Congressional Budget Office projected a total 10 year SURPLUS of $274 billion. In 2010, the same CBO projected a 10 year deficit of $6,047 billion.

As to the first part, unfortunately many people like the definition of liberal as "generous" and "open-minded" and have trouble when applying that to public policy. Most can't handle cognitive dissonance. Of course, most people do not pick their party based on data or facts but rather on social considerations such as who their friends are. That was the underlying purpose of the posting-people need social support for their beliefs."