Democratic Letter Writers Don’t Think And The Writer Who Cried Wolf

Perhaps an unfair generalization, but no more unfair than that of Tom Akren who writes in Today’s Letters:

Most folks that are Republicans are Republicans because their parents or some friend was a Republican. Their political decisions are strongly influenced by what they have been taught. Not by actual events that play out on a daily basis.

What every Republican ought to do is to ask, wait a minute … Is this new law going to help me, or is it going to hurt me? Way too often, Republicans will vote for some new law the way their party bosses tell them to vote, and not how it will affect them personally.

Well, my father was an Independent, and so was my mother. Neither voted much until 1992. Akren does have a point, there are people in both parties who really don’t belong, who really haven’t thought through the positions of their party, but those people are on both sides of the aisle, not just one.

Akren also devolves politics down to little more than self-interest. According to Akren our votes should be about, “What’s in it for me?” not “What’s right? What are the correct principles for government to follow?” For example, the change in smoking policy in bowling alleys will make those times I go bowling more enjoyable, but I oppose because it goes beyond the proper role of government. However, Mr. Akren seems to only advocate the politics of personal and convenience, so he would not have found friends among our founding fathers (you know, those fellas who risked their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor.”)

If I were a Republican, I would go down to the county offices and change my party affiliation to Democrat.

And the County Clerk would say, “Sir, look at your card, do you have a party affiliation on here? No. Because, we don’t have party registration yet in Idaho. So, therefore there is nothing for your to change.”

Talk about not thinking.

In the category of harsh generalizations, Ryan Tannenholz writes:

There are two species of man that I do not have much respect for: rednecks and hunters. At least rednecks, being closely related to the chimpanzee, have some excuse.

First of all, I have to wonder would the Statesman have published an article beginning with, “There are two species of man that I do not have much respect for: hippies and Blacks. At least Blacks, being closely related to the chimpanzee, have some excuse.” Or how about we replace it with Jews, Indians, Native Americans, etc.? The Statesman would have refused to run it, but instead, it’s okay to attack “rednecks.” Now, mind you “rednecks” can sometimes refer to racists, and I wouldn’t argue with that, but there’s the much broader definition that includes a lot of good people that liberals look down on. Nice words from the tolerant side of the political debate:

Hunters take their children into the forest, hold onto a big gun and, bang, kill extremely dangerous little deer — not for food but because of their massive egos. Their indiscriminate killing and wanton desire to shoot for their trophies makes me sick. At least if a wolf or a wild animal kills, it is for survival.

It’s funny that hunters don’t kill for food, because hunters have shared their venison with me on many occasions, both deer and elk. It’s also certainly not indiscriminate shooting. Good hunters follow the laws as well as their tags on what they can bag.

We have McDonalds and domestic animals. Why do we have to kill wild animals?

I guess you can ask North Enders why they have a garden when there are plenty of places they can buy food, or why folks head up to the Mountains to pick huckleberries. There’s something attractive to folks about getting food the natural way.

Also, a good hunter can save money if he plays his cards right; 400 pounds of beef is going to cost a lot more than the effort that’s required to kill a moose. Plus for hunters, it’s an enjoyable way to spend vacation.

This legislation to eradicate the wolf is barbaric and only based on greed — so hunters have more game to waste on their egos.

Well, it’s also to save ranchers from losing animals where McDonalds and the stores get their beef. Wolf re-introduction is mainly backed by Boiseans who don’t have to live with wolves. (Note: I never hear anyone proposing wolf re-introduction into Hyde Park.)

Sometimes I’m ashamed to be called human. I am a wolf, in human form, deceiving human beings.

I guess wolves are pretty good typing teachers.

Anti-Wolf Coalition leader Ron Gillett is a joke who lives in his own fantasy land.

Which is more absurd? The writer stating that he’s a wolf, or after stating that, arguing that his opponent lives in a fantasy land? Well, Ryan (or perhaps he’d prefer Wolf Boy) may need to come up with some better arguments as well as figure out that, unless he has fur and paws, he’s not a wolf.

Linked by Clayton Cramer. Thank you.