Chinese Professor Commercial
So, in the age of digital video recording, it has, apparently, taken me over a month to see the Chinese Professor commercial put out by a group called Citizens Against Government Waste. I was aghast when I first saw the spot, which permeated my senses during a bit of time where the television was just on for background noise. I paused said commercial, called the husband in for his take (as one might do for a good play during a football game) and then I just had to consult the other half of my two-person never ending salon,. I felt like I had to tell everyone about this Orwellian prognostication that was so bold that it felt like fire and brimstone was certain to be raining down upon my future, 50 year old self.
My political best buddy and I have enjoyed years’ worth of political/ socioeconomic discussions and while we have rarely agreed on the causes of our nations’ abundant problems, or even the possible solutions, we have always agreed on the necessary outcomes. That’s why our conversations have always given me such hope for our nation, because while he and I often find ourselves at the opposite ends of the political spectrums, we agree that a financially solvent, socially and environmentally responsible nation should be the number one focus of our legislators.
When I first asked my friend for his thoughts on the commercial, he exclaimed that it was, “so right wing!” My head thoughtfully tipped to the side after that comment, as I hadn’t even noticed whether the commercial had a bias. The commercial, in my estimation, was basically emphasizing a very basic principle in managing a budget. If you don’t have enough money to pay your bills, it’s generally not responsible to spend more money or, you are gonna get yourself in trouble. Pure and simple.
So, as a nation, we have gotten ourselves in trouble, financially, well, except for the uber wealthy, that is. The whole three class infrastructure is in trouble, soon there will be only the rich and the poor and then the rich can just pick up and move somewhere, like China, and exploit more hard working people, squeeze them dry and soak every last bit of sweat out of them. Maybe a sequel to the China commercial will be in 2130, when the working class Chinese decide they want to work for sustainable wages and healthcare benefits, and safe working conditions, and maybe a retirement fund. But, just cause you are a wealthy person, or a wealthy corporation, does not mean you are necessarily exploitative. There’s nothing wrong with reaping rewards from ingenuity, hard work and sound business decisions.
We need a balance in this country. Corporations need to make money, the working class needs to make money and the poor need to make money. As we operate today, the Chinese Professor commercial is 100% inevitable. If all we do all day is point fingers at one another, saying you are wrong cause you are a democrat, or you are wrong because you are right wing, all we are going to have accomplished at the end of the day is an overworked pointer finger. NOTHING ELSE!
It is our duty, as responsible citizens in this union of states, to hold our governmental representatives, the individuals that we HIRED to make decisions on our collective behalf, accountable for their choices in spending our money. It doesn’t mean we need to cut preschool education programs or the programs designed to aid the elderly and disabled, it just means they need to make responsible, pragmatic decisions with our money. It means the legislators do have to answer to us and they need to start earning their own astronomical paychecks with their astronomical benefits. Would we pay a cleaning person extra if they came into our homes and made a mess? Would we pay a realtor that sold our homes behind our backs or a financial advisor that took our money and just gave it away or even a gardener that ripped up all our pretty flowers and dumped oil in the soil?
There’s nothing right wing, or left wing, or democratic or republican about remembering that our legislators work for US (pun intended there.) There’s nothing partisan about expecting accountability and responsibility from our government. We have been divided amongst ourselves for entirely too long. These problems WILL not be solved by finger pointing, they will not be solved by people forming special exclusive clubs (political parties) with multi-million dollar membership dues or any other playground stupidity. If we continue to remain divided, we will indeed be conquered, if not by the Chinese, then assuredly someone else. It is time, instead, to unite and stand up for the principles upon which this country did once achieve greatness- hard work, integrity and perseverance. We are way past the point of the time wasting blame game. All the pennant waving and button wearing does not balance our budget or cut into our deficit and it’s certainly not in the job description of any governmental representative. So maybe all of our representatives, left and right, need come front and center , put down their toys, stop their pouting and do what their electors hired them to do, or pretty soon, the next time someone cries while reading the Declaration of Independence, it will be in Chinese history books!
So, in the age of digital video recording, it has, apparently, taken me over a month to see the Chinese Professor commercial put out by a group called Citizens Against Government Waste. I was aghast when I first saw the spot, which permeated my senses during a bit of time where the television was just on for background noise. I paused said commercial, called the husband in for his take (as one might do for a good play during a football game) and then I just had to consult the other half of my two-person never ending salon,. I felt like I had to tell everyone about this Orwellian prognostication that was so bold that it felt like fire and brimstone was certain to be raining down upon my future, 50 year old self.
My political best buddy and I have enjoyed years’ worth of political/ socioeconomic discussions and while we have rarely agreed on the causes of our nations’ abundant problems, or even the possible solutions, we have always agreed on the necessary outcomes. That’s why our conversations have always given me such hope for our nation, because while he and I often find ourselves at the opposite ends of the political spectrums, we agree that a financially solvent, socially and environmentally responsible nation should be the number one focus of our legislators.
When I first asked my friend for his thoughts on the commercial, he exclaimed that it was, “so right wing!” My head thoughtfully tipped to the side after that comment, as I hadn’t even noticed whether the commercial had a bias. The commercial, in my estimation, was basically emphasizing a very basic principle in managing a budget. If you don’t have enough money to pay your bills, it’s generally not responsible to spend more money or, you are gonna get yourself in trouble. Pure and simple.
So, as a nation, we have gotten ourselves in trouble, financially, well, except for the uber wealthy, that is. The whole three class infrastructure is in trouble, soon there will be only the rich and the poor and then the rich can just pick up and move somewhere, like China, and exploit more hard working people, squeeze them dry and soak every last bit of sweat out of them. Maybe a sequel to the China commercial will be in 2130, when the working class Chinese decide they want to work for sustainable wages and healthcare benefits, and safe working conditions, and maybe a retirement fund. But, just cause you are a wealthy person, or a wealthy corporation, does not mean you are necessarily exploitative. There’s nothing wrong with reaping rewards from ingenuity, hard work and sound business decisions.
We need a balance in this country. Corporations need to make money, the working class needs to make money and the poor need to make money. As we operate today, the Chinese Professor commercial is 100% inevitable. If all we do all day is point fingers at one another, saying you are wrong cause you are a democrat, or you are wrong because you are right wing, all we are going to have accomplished at the end of the day is an overworked pointer finger. NOTHING ELSE!
It is our duty, as responsible citizens in this union of states, to hold our governmental representatives, the individuals that we HIRED to make decisions on our collective behalf, accountable for their choices in spending our money. It doesn’t mean we need to cut preschool education programs or the programs designed to aid the elderly and disabled, it just means they need to make responsible, pragmatic decisions with our money. It means the legislators do have to answer to us and they need to start earning their own astronomical paychecks with their astronomical benefits. Would we pay a cleaning person extra if they came into our homes and made a mess? Would we pay a realtor that sold our homes behind our backs or a financial advisor that took our money and just gave it away or even a gardener that ripped up all our pretty flowers and dumped oil in the soil?
There’s nothing right wing, or left wing, or democratic or republican about remembering that our legislators work for US (pun intended there.) There’s nothing partisan about expecting accountability and responsibility from our government. We have been divided amongst ourselves for entirely too long. These problems WILL not be solved by finger pointing, they will not be solved by people forming special exclusive clubs (political parties) with multi-million dollar membership dues or any other playground stupidity. If we continue to remain divided, we will indeed be conquered, if not by the Chinese, then assuredly someone else. It is time, instead, to unite and stand up for the principles upon which this country did once achieve greatness- hard work, integrity and perseverance. We are way past the point of the time wasting blame game. All the pennant waving and button wearing does not balance our budget or cut into our deficit and it’s certainly not in the job description of any governmental representative. So maybe all of our representatives, left and right, need come front and center , put down their toys, stop their pouting and do what their electors hired them to do, or pretty soon, the next time someone cries while reading the Declaration of Independence, it will be in Chinese history books!
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