"Ah Wish Ah Cu'd Quit Yew"

The duck in the previous post and I feel the same way: I'm gonna miss these guys. Pro tip, start reading around comment 9 and remember that I'm "DaFonz" a nickname given to me by WAMK, because my twitter avatar is a thumbs up. As you can see, the exchange goes from mildly sarcastic to awfully ugly. Since I lack perspective, I invite you guys to advise me to whether I gave as good as I got.

I'm kind of at a loose end now because, where am I going to go for my shrill, ill-sourced arguments? I refuse to get married again just for THAT.  Still, when one door closes another one opens - maybe this is my chance to move on to the big leagues, and troll Glenn Beck for a while.

While I'm at it, I miss Warner Todd Huston as well. But these guys and I have breaking points: mine is childish insults, and theirs is people who question their beliefs. I shrug, I move on. I wish I could say I gave up Where Are My Keys completely, but if history is any indication I'll be back because we all was made for each other.

The Path To Socialism

So since the beginning of the year in my neighborhood, they have been building a bus lane and walking path. I think it was probably financed by stimulus money. The walking path has been open for about a month and I was just driving by on my way home from getting groceries, and it was packed with people. People on roller skates people on bicycles and people walking. And it was after sundown but the path is pretty well lit and with that kind of a crowd it was just about as safe as you could imagine. It was a little surreal, frankly, because this is the San Fernando Valley; we're famous for people not walking anywhere, under any circumstances.

It was, I think, sublime. All these people taking the opportunity to get a little exercise and get out of their apartments. Tomorrow perhaps they'll be a little thinner, a little less stressed, a little prouder of themselves.

This whole situation is, by a surprising number of American's definition, socialism. They paid their tax money so that OTHER PEOPLE could get exercise? Why don't they join a gym, and create some jobs? Why wasn't the land sold to an entrepreneur, so he could build a commercial walking path and charge people to walk on it? Maybe sell them ice cream sandwiches along the way?

No entrepreneur would take on that gig, of course, because it's far too expensive a proposition and there's probably no profit to be made from it. And you can ask yourself if the government should be spending tax money on something that it will never see a dime of direct profit from. Maybe if you're inventive, you can calculate the lower health care bills, the increased tax collections from people moving into the area because of the cool walking paths, and such but ultimately you'll never convince a skeptic with intangibles like that.

All I know is I'm happier living here now than I was last year at this time, because I have a safe route to bike to work on and I'm surrounded by people who are getting out once in a while. If tax dollars make my life easier and happier and healthier, I'm okay with paying them.

A Couple of Counter Arguments

The five or so people who have commented in the last couple of days in defense of a particular act of incivility ("NUTS!") haven't brought these points up, but I will.

1. It would be helpful if CAIR would publish the letter it sent to Rep. Lieutenant Colonel Alan West (US Army, Retired)  (R-FL). I've seen excerpts that suggest that it was a reasonable request to disassociate from the more rabid anti-Muslim forces. But maybe it got ugly and personal, in which case Rep. Lieutenant Colonel Alan West (Us Army, Retired)'s terse response would be easier to understand. What about it, CAIR? Any name-calling in there? I'm not down with goading.

2. Similarly I've read some talk (all blog commenters) insisting that CAIR is nothing but a cover organization for the Muslim Brotherhood. If this is true, rLCAWUARrfl's response might be more appropriate but now might be a very good time to offer some proof. Or at lease rLCAWUARrfl should make that connection explicit.  All I've seen so far is that they're pro-Muslim, therefore they must be pro-Muslim-Brotherhood. That isn't enough for me.