Socialism, Society, and America

I'm angry, I'm always angry unless there is something distracting happening to mask the anger. Today, the anger is about everyone's apparent glee about a Florida millionaire adopting a neighborhood with his riches and helping it out. I don't want to rain on the parade, but more than that, I've learned that raining on the parade subjects me to all kinds of anger from those who have yet to grasp the things I find to be self evident.

1. We are social beings and the only solution to our problems will be to work together.
2. America has been poisoned by decades of anti-Communist propaganda into thinking that any collective effort will lead to totalitarianism.
3. Individual efforts, while excellent for making dents in large problems, only go so far, and certainly not far enough.
4. Monied interests will always want to keep their money.

Ugh, I'm sure the list could go on longer and longer. I could get into how tribalism and racism are at the root of many of our struggles - sexism is there too, but it manifests slightly differently. People think Obama is getting crap because he's black, and yeah, that's happening, but he wouldn't have an easier time if he was white, because he's a Democrat. Anyone who thinks he would be riding high if he was white have forgotten the Clinton administration. And don't even talk to me about how the media would be treating him. Back in the 1990's, we were just starting the "both sides" rhetoric, and now it's so culturally ingrained that no one can even mention that one side might be wrong without adding useless equivocation. The nation has been gaslighted by reactionary monied interests for so long now that we no longer know right from wrong. Well, some of us anyway.

Sigh.

I know there are people out there who get it, and I'm actually somewhat hopeful, but damned if I'm not angry. Because these people who now get it were staying home in November 2010 when they could have prevented all this shit from happening in the first place. It was spring 2011 when people finally woke up, and by then it was too late. TOO LATE.

We got screwed with gerrymandered districts in 2012 because too many people didn't get it, too many people were convinced that their vote didn't matter, that nothing mattered, that because Obama couldn't make manna come down from heaven that it was "time to give the Republicans a chance". FUCK THAT! Republicans HAD their chance, they've had too many chances, and each one sucked, but you wouldn't know, because the people who should be telling you are living in the both-sides fallacy.

Then there are the people who were barely paying attention who all wonder "where it went wrong". They think that there was a time in America's past where we had it right, a time when we all cared about each other and things were great. Even intelligent, savvy people who have paid attention fall into this trap, but the truth is, the individualistic, screw everyone mentality is a CORE AMERICAN VALUE. Every single non-Native, not-descended-from-slaves person in this country came here to make it on their own. They left families, left towns, or left countries to "be free" from their old society. Then when they set up society on the east coast, some of them left to be even more "free" to go west and really live on their own. No, our past was not a socialist paradise, our past was a ruthless, cutthroat, dirty, dangerous, horrible hellhole that people somehow managed to survive long enough to have children in.

Even the period of time after WWII wasn't great if you weren't white or male, and even then, it still wasn't that great. It was a blip on the horrible history of our country, a random, uneven blip of sort-of okayness for some people that's gone now. We remember it as so great because the popular narrative of the time paints it that way, but millions of white men lived with untreated PTSD, raising kids with an iron fist, like their father did. Millions of women were frustrated and bored, full of resentment that they couldn't place. Millions of black people weren't much better off than they had ever been in this nation. Shit was bad, shits always been bad, and if we want to improve this shit, we have to get over the paranoia about working together. We have to literally go against every fucking thing that brought our ancestors, or ourselves, to this rock, and get over it. So I'm angry, angry about the bad rep socialism gets, angry about the failure of society, and angry about the reality of America.

Waiting for Something Big

I'm just a single person with an occasional double-digit view count. This blog isn't indexed by the search engines and I rarely link to anything. Yet I still have this blog where I air views and feelings that might be best kept private. It's a way of putting things out there in a literal sense without being as out there as I could be. It's like going into a lonely alley at 5am and giving a speech. Maybe a homeless person or early-morning commuter will hear a line or two, but they won't actually care.

I've been quiet about this opinion because it's wrong to have it and the consequences of getting what I want are bad for a lot of people, even for me. But goddamnit if I don't want the United States to go over the fucking cliff right now. We keep getting right to the edge, then get pulled back a few inches, only to start going toward it again. We never have the a-ha moment we need, we never "get it", we never realize that the stupid actions that half of our country does is causing this calamity because mommy keeps saving us from ourselves.

I'm tired of it, I'm so fucking tired of it at this point. We need shocking because prodding isn't working. The corporate media structure needs to be dismantled, we need universal healthcare, we need to stop spending so much on the war machine, we need a higher minimum wage and unions for service workers, we need to raise the capital gains tax and taxes on the highest marginal incomes, and we can't get there because the decision makers think everything is "okay" the way it is. So let's just do it and get it over with. Keep the government shut down, default on our debts, crash the fucking stock market. Let's burn this motherfucker down so we can get some real change going on here.

But I hate myself for saying this, and I hate myself for thinking this. I know that the loss to my measly 401k is nothing compared to the losses others will face. I'm not talking about losses faced by millionaires and billionaires - they won't go hungry or homeless - but I do care about the 95-98-99% of us who will still take a massive hit. I worry about the people who will go hungry and be homeless when the economy crashes. Collateral damage is ugly, but in my most honest of opinions, I think it is the only way out of this mess.

Let's hope I am wrong.

The World is a Strange, Ugly, Horrible, Beautiful, Scary Place

I'm not sure what I can do now. There are so many things happening around me right now, so many horrible things going down and so many misconceptions right next to me that I'm lost. I have an opportunity to share the things I've learned with people who need to know them, but I'm suddenly afraid.

The conversations I have online and with my friends come from a place of mutual understanding. We take it as a given that all people are born with rights, with dignity and the possibility to succeed, but they are born into circumstances that might stop them before they start. The circumstances might stop them before they are even born. I know that I'm where I am because of the privilege of my skin and my place of birth, not just because I'm smart and work hard. I was allowed to be smart, and people noticed my work, and now they reward it. There are many more people like me that aren't where I am now.

I see the future and it looks like the past, but which past? I'm afraid of re-living dark days, afraid of shanty towns in my own country, people suffering needlessly. I'm within the top 10% of earners in this country, but I can barely imagine living on less at this point. How do the rest of us do it?

All my hopes are pinned on 2014 right now - Republicans are so far past the light that they think they can read in the dark. I've got money to shield me now, but it is little solace. I can't pretend the world is alright just because I am. I was raised a hell of a lot better than that.

Cut Down All My Good Times, I Know Right from Wrong

I remember all the concern about the debt when Clinton got into office. I was a pre-teen, so I didn't know much about recent history, but I saw all kinds of numbers and pressure on Democrats to cut spending. John Stossel was always calling out government excesses on 20/20, and it shocked me. Then, there was a budget surplus in 2000, but I didn't care because I was a kid hypnotized by the "both sides are the same" rhetoric of the Green Party. They had their points, and my state went for Gore, but I won't make that mistake again.

Suddenly, the debt didn't matter. Then there was spending and spending and spending. Dick Cheney said that deficits didn't matter. I learned more about the Clinton years. I learned that the Republicans just became anti-Clinton, even for legislation that they supported during the Bush 1 presidency.

Then Obama was president, and like clockwork, all of the Clinton era crap came back. The national debt mattered and Republicans were lock-step obstructionists. I have no illusions that Republicans have the nation's best interests at heart because I've seen their real behavior. I've fancied myself a Republican, I've been a radical leftist, and now I'm in the center - ready to face real problems and create solutions where everyone benefits. I know that this means rejecting the Republican party and I'm not ashamed. History played out in front of my now 31-year-old eyes, and I paid attention.

Wouldn't it be Lovely...

...if enough other states voted for Obama that Ohio didn't even matter? Then, maybe, we can realize the folly of assuming that a bellwether* is a stand-in for the rest of the country.

Though, honestly, since the people most focused on winning Ohio (by cheating) aren't terribly bright (hence, the cheating), I have a hard time caring that much. Still, the people of Cincinnati deserve better. Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Bowling Green, Sandusky, Akron, Youngstown, and Dayton too.

* - Nevada is a better one anyway, it just has fewer electoral votes.

Soaring

I felt this incredible sensation when I came home from my vacation in August, like our society is on a great precipice. We could go crashing down, or take off, and soar. There are so many people out there, creating amazing art, and doing wonderful things. So many more people are seeing through the lies, through the bullsh*t than ever before.

There is a lot of talk about the generations, and it seems as if we have been preparing for the boomers to retire for a long time now. Only a few of them are retiring, right now, since it was their idiotic economic policies that drove the stock market up, then left it in the ditch. They also seem content on dismantling the social safety net that their parents toiled for, but only for part of their generation, and those that came afterwards.

This generation, my generation, once dubbed Generation Y, and now lumped in with millenials, grew up after all the generational fervor that the boomers went though. We noticed how they spit on their parents' traditions, and how their parents blamed them for everything wrong in their world, then sent them off to war.

We heard about how the greatest minds of their generation were destroyed by madness, only to be held down, ourselves, by the minds that were left over. We endured the same criticisms about our music that they endured about theirs, yet we didn't turn around and spurn the Rolling Stones or Motown. In fact, many of us own more vinyl now than they maybe ever did.

The boomers taught us, provided for us, gave us everything they never had, and when we grew up, we actually were grateful. Sad, however, that so few of them are noticing. The people my age seem to be respectful of their elders, and excited to hear all of the stories. I may roll my eyes when a man in his 60's speaks wistfully of the old Haight-Ashbury days, but that is only because I've heard it all before. The 20-somethings listening to him are indeed interested, and really do want to know more.

The Class of 2000 have families now, and I see them when I go for walks. They are outside, at the playground, with their kids. They are walking through the grocery store, picking out vegetables for dinner. But I also see them in other places, struggling in low-paying jobs, and using drugs to escape their turmoil. They are shying away from jobs with large organizations, because they don't want to give up their freedoms, and don't like the idea of stifling their creativity.

They may take a low-level job for the health insurance, but they will only do the minimum, because their heart isn't in it. Meanwhile, the person that wants that job is stuck in another job, for that same health insurance. Give them health insurance that isn't related to a job - ensure their guaranteed health care, no matter what they do - and the qualified but uninterested will quit, making way for the questionably qualified, but eager people, who are actually interested in doing that job. Then watch as the newly freed people fill up those abandoned storefronts. Imagine a downtown district that gets cleaned every day, creative shops, bustling eateries, and friendly neighbors.

We are on a great precipice this year. We can either go down the deep end, spurring anger, and riots, or we can stop this fighting, stop resisting reality, talk to our neighbors, jump off this cliff, and soar.

No One Knows

If Obama wins. If the Democrats take the House and have a filibuster proof majority in the Senate. What would be so horrible for America, for American business, for so many Americans, that they are working themselves into a frothing rage, throwing good money at this, and blatantly cheating to get what they want. What is truly so frightening? What horrible things would happen?

I'm sorry for their lost years, I really am. I'm sorry that the things that were taught them turned out to be wrong. I want no harm to come to anyone. I'm just tired of seeing people sleeping in the street, and I think that we can do better. Really, their worst nightmares can't be much worse than this.

Musings on a Tolerable Day

I am counting the days until one of my doctors is back in town, and then until I can get my massage. My upper back is incredibly cramped, and I've got to stop sleeping on my side. I'm going to attempt to take some sleeping medication, and then sleep on my back. If that doesn't work, I'll have to sleep on my front, or on the couch.

Stephanie won on Jeopardy again tonight, which is a surefire way to ensure that she doesn't win tomorrow, unless Jeopardy is preempted by the debate, which I probably won't watch. The only way that I can stand potentially awkward and/or painful information is to watch it with random strangers that I can occasionally talk to in order to avoid the things being said on the TV.

Getting the cat's teeth cleaned was potentially one of my best decisions this year, but it might rank lower than other decisions, which is a shame, since it really improved my kitty experience. He is playful and vocal; demanding and affectionate. I love it, but now I just have to remember that I can't keep spending money, because I already spent a lot on little kitty's teeth.

And racists, the whole lot of them, bloody racists.

Unhinged, October 12

I want to post something this week, before the Sunday Football post, but I have been a bit overwhelmed with work. Which leads me to the point of this post. The United States is going crazy right now, you may have noticed. A bunch of astrologers are saying "Mercury is in retrograde", which is less significant than the fact that 20+ years of conservative/reactionary propaganda have wrapped up a generation of people - mostly white men - in a frothing rage. At the same time, decades of acceptance, racial tolerance, and women acting like human beings, instead of brooding mares, have created a generation of people who can see the other group for who they are - who they always have been.

In short, the latter generation is on the move, having a good time, and being productive (when they're not trying to drown out the former generation with substance [ab]use). The former generation is getting older, smaller, and angrier. They're frothing at the mouth now, maybe they always have been. The problem is that the latter generation is getting wiser and wiser to them, and getting more and more clout with the mainstream, and is increasingly able to stand up to the former.

My perspective, of course, will always be skewed by the enormous amount of information that my brain holds, and can recall quickly. Having overcome my addiction, and survived a resetting brain injury, and all of the ramifications of the behavioral consequences, I can see the world in striking clarity - from 40,000 feet in the sky, to the bottom of the ocean, and all points in between. It creeps me out, but it also puts me at ease. Things catch me off guard, but few things truly surprise me. For instance, there was a person in my life that I considered a friend, but he turned on me, and now, he is trying to stoke my paranoia. Instead of succumb to this, dwell in my own rage, and even quit, I decided to use the tools provided, and am rising like a phoenix.

I hope the same can be true of my generation, raised on equality, honesty, and acceptance. We need to keep pushing forward, and maybe, that generation steeped in resentment, anger, and entitlement will wise up. Sadly, I think most of them will just die out, clinging fiercely onto their anger. A sad legacy for those born after such a joyous victory.

Working Myself Up

I can totally see certain parts of the US unravel, especially as other parts of the US get better. I thought that I could be above it all, but now, it is getting to me. I've started to get worried, and I'm talking too much. I'm feeling the tension around me at work, and my own paranoia is being actively stoked by at least one person.

Things keep racing through my mind today, and every day, and I know exactly why. I feel a petulance coming on, and the only things that can stop it are mostly unavailable.

What a World

The liberal blogosphere was awash this weekend with mentions of a gathering of conservatives at something called the Values Voter Summit. It seems that the evangelicals have a hard time being led by a Mormon, and many are saying some that Romney isn't *gasp* a Christian! Which is a bad thing to not be in the universe of the VVS.

Romney reacted to the accusations, which included calling Mormonism a "cult", which this statement:

Our government should respect religious values, not silence them. We will always pledge our allegiance to a nation under God. Our values ennoble the citizen, and strengthen the nation. We should remember that decency and civility are values too. One of the speakers who will follow me today, has crossed that line. Poisonous language does not advance our cause. It has never softened a single heart nor changed a single mind. The blessings of faith carry the responsibility of civil and respectful debate. The task before us is to focus on the conservative beliefs and the values that unite us - let no agenda, narrow our vision or drive us apart.

This statement reminded me that the world of the VVS and the world that conservatives claim to want is quite a horrible place. Instead of discussing world issues and determining ways to deal with them, conservatives are playing identity politics based on who believes which version of the sky daddy story. I cannot think of a more worthless way to spend time, unless your goal is to solidify the conformity of your own group, in part by driving out those who do not conform. But if the Republicans want religious purity in their leaders, then that is their prerogative. The do have many examples from history that they can use for this, like Stalin, Mao, and I think the Catholics called theirs The Inquisition.

I find the last line in that statement pretty amusing in that Romney thinks that anything he says will make any difference at the VVS. Everyone knows that VVS people base their decisions on a nebulous concept of values, rather than on anything objective. They will not be swayed to accept Romney's Mormonism just because he says a few words. These are people who will still not accept that Barack Obama was born in the US, even after he presented the document they had been demanding all along.

But I want to get back to Romney's statement, because there is an awful lot of crazy in there:

Our government should respect religious values, not silence them. We will always pledge our allegiance to a nation under God.

You might, but I prefer to follow the advice of the gentlemen that founded the country. I make no pledges and prefer to keep this god concept out of government.

Our values ennoble the citizen, and strengthen the nation.

So long as that citizen is white and male, or respects the supremacy of the white and male citizens. And if by strengthen, you mean to send all money to the military instead of education and infrastructure.

We should remember that decency and civility are values too.

Yes, they are values too, gold star for Mitt!

One of the speakers who will follow me today, has crossed that line. Poisonous language does not advance our cause.

I don’t like poisonous language either, but have you really looked at your cause, Mitt?

It has never softened a single heart nor changed a single mind.

Well, not changed a mind for the better, at least. I should commend Mitt for getting the first part of that statement right.

The blessings of faith carry the responsibility of civil and respectful debate.

This is an especially confusing statement. What are the “blessings of faith,” anyway? What extra good could come from believing in an ancient mythology despite all of the evidence that said ancient mythology is as mistaken as the rest of them? The only blessing I can think of - that doesn’t have an analog in a non-faith-based life - is the comfort in thinking that dead people are in heaven and/or one is going to heaven after death. Still, I don’t know how that “blessing” necessarily is followed by any responsibility.

But if we follow that logic further, that would mean that only faith can inspire people to be civil and have respectful debates. That is an interesting statement, since there are many people with no faith to speak of who can conduct themselves civilly and participate in respectful debate. Romney’s logic would conclude that, without faith, they have no responsibility to have civil and respectful debate, yet they do not routinely call others cruel names or throw chairs at debates. It would seem that the responsibility to be civil and respecful might not come from faith at all.

The task before us is to focus on the conservative beliefs and the values that unite us - let no agenda, narrow our vision or drive us apart.

At least, let no agenda narrow our vision any further - we don’t tolerate Muslims, gays, independent women, poor people, government workers (unless they’re in a high enough position of power), unemployed people, hippies, hipsters, anyone not Christian, and anyone under 55 who wants single-payer Medicare when they retire (and not a pathetic voucher to give to some corporation).

For how bad all of this is, I am still laughing. The Republicans are clearly self-destructing, and I think fewer Americans will be voting this year on the premise that “I voted D last time, maybe now I’ll give R a shot”. Those people couldn’t tell that the R’s made the mess in the first place, but maybe now they can see that the R’s are full of crap.

I'm Not Alone

I was raised on America, the land of the free, the home of the brave, where anyone - even you - could be President. Democracy meant we all had a voice, and history laid out triumphs of the powerless against the powered. The African American experience engrossed me as a teenager, and we read about the struggles our ancestors had to go through to get us the things we took for granted. I remembered my education teaching me a good sense of respect for my ancestors' struggles and a proper understanding of corporate interests.

We all react to and retain information differently, but every year, for a few years at least, at least 100 8th Graders in my school saw Glory (with Denzel Washington & Matthew Broderick, I think) in History class. Everyone with the same teacher for our 10th grade social studies watched another movie about the origin of a labor union, staring Sally Field. In 7th grade English, we watched a movie about a teenage black boy who suddenly finds himself thrown back in time, to the antebellum southern America. I know from my Facebook page that many of the people that I grew up around must have learned something similar. And Occupy Wall Street looks like people my age.

This is our generation in action. We are watching our parents and grandparents claim that the Social Security that saved the elderly of The Depression from starvation and the Medicare that lets them go to the doctor when necessary is good for them, but we can forget about it. I know I'm not the only one that wants the same retirement that the last few generations got. We will not be content with this obvious concentration of wealth, and we will not let our parents and grandparents take a giant dump on our future. I do get the sense that we are not embracing this generational concept, in part because these movements are being attended by the parents and grandparents who get it, but also because it is hard to think we're rebelling as we fight the battles that we thought our great grandparents already won.

Trump's Bluff

When Donald Trump first came out with his presidential bid, I saw some show on MSNBC berate the bid as a publicity stunt for his TV show. I looked up whether or not Trump supported Obama, and came up with one comment he made in 2008 that was complimentary to Obama and less so to McCain. My search also revealed that Trump's alliance was clearly Republican, so he still could be genuine.

However, I remain unconvinced that he's not just stirring up stupid people just to laugh in their faces later.

My Freedom

Support Choice for your Mother and choice for your father.
Choice for your children, your sisters and brothers

The inability to plan parenthood would rob me of the liberty to plan my life. But don't support this just for my sake. I am wealthy (for now), but most of America is not. I have used Planned Parenthood once, when I was switching insurance providers. My friends and family have used it for essential services.

The activities of this Congress are stripping us of our essential rights.

My Own Stupid Fears

I heard yesterday morning that Juan Williams had been fired, but I had to go into the office before NPR covered the story. It wasn't until I got home and opened up Pandagon that I learned the basics of what had transpired. Juan indicated that he is fearful of people in "Muslim garb" because he thinks that they are all terrorists. There may be more to the story - that he actually implicated that Muslims are to blame for his fear - but I am not usually the type to look things up.

Officially, I'm deciding not to have an opinion on the events, positive or negative, cuz the guy is going to be financially ok. The events have made me think about the times when I have been nervous when seeing a young brown guy with or without typical Muslim clothing in an airport/plane setting. It's a knee jerk fear that I significantly dislike. The vast majority of brown guys I see are either like me - citizens going about their day - or people from other countries who work here and are also going about their day. I work with brown guys all the time. I've even dated brown guys. One told me a story about the reaction that some of his friends in London got on the subway right after the subway bombing. His friends were just going about their business that day, sitting on the train with their backpacks. They noticed that on one else was sitting near them on the crowded train. There was nothing for anyone to fear - the guys had laptops, work papers, and their lunches in their bags - but the people were nervous anyway, and the guys understood it completely.

Every time I have an episode of fear around a brown guy in an airport, I realize a) that if something were to happen to me, it is going to happen, and being nervous isn't going to change anything, and b) that the guy is just going about his business, just like me.

Of course, there was one episode in my life where I assumed that the guy walking down the street was just going about his business too, then he crossed the street and mugged me. There were other factors at play in that situation, and I saw it as mainly a $35 learning experience. I became a little more paranoid, but that has probably been for the better for me, since I was rather naive. However, I know that most people walking around in my neighborhood are just going home or going to a friends' place, even if for "nefarious" reasons. They don't give a crap about me beyond the five seconds when we are passing on the street.

Fears exist for so many reasons. Mine exist because of being brought up in white America in the late 20th century and picking up on so many negative messages. They are also borne of embarrassing and scary experiences of my own. I force myself to see just how rare those experiences have been, and how the vast majority of the time, the people around me couldn't care less about doing harm to me. It might not be how I feel, but it is a fact. Those feelings are not important to anyone but me.

Government is Us

I like the meaning of the statements I am reading and hearing. I do wish that the great quotes were grammatically better, or, at least not passive sentences. Short, simple words, spoken in an active tone make for amazing lines.

... the only thing we have to fear is fear itself...

... ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.

Still, many of Obama's lines inspired me, as I hope they can inspire the rest of my fellow citizens.

"We can't expect to solve our problems by tearing each other down."

"...this kind of vilification and over-the-top rhetoric closes the door to the possibility of compromise."

"It may make your blood boil. Your mind may not be changed. But the practice of listening to opposing views is essential for effective citizenship."

"When our government is spoken of as some menacing, threatening foreign entity, it ignores the fact that in our democracy, government is us."

-AP News Story via Yahoo

This is our country, and in our country, we elect representatives to use our collective ability to make our country a great place to be.

Dear America,

No matter what the current state of the government is, it is still, in letter and by law, your government. In order to keep tabs on what is yours, you may want to know exactly what it is doing. I implore you to go directly to the primary source material yourself. Therefore, I have placed a direct link to the Thomas.gov entry for your Health Care Reform Bill and Thomas.gov on the top of the right navigation bar.

And pull up your pants.

Thanks,

Nostalgia for the Ventura Years?

He may have really low popularity, due to the furthering the anti-tax stance of this state, but still promising utopia. The same state where a couple of the primary industries pay incredibly low wages for all of the jobs they create and most others are either office-type or low skill service jobs.

Still, I will miss the Governator.

Never Learned to Read

H.R.3590: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

According to Jenna Wisen(ph), who owns an asphalt company with about 150 employees, interviewed at the Nevada Tea Party rally this weekend, "Nobody's read the whole [Health Care Reform] bill - could say that I can't wear brown on Tuesday. Nobody knows whats in there." It is interesting to note that Jenna also thinks that the bill will bankrupt her because now she will be "forced to" provide health insurance to her employees. She must be a GREAT boss.

I heard this on NPR this morning, and Ina Jaffe's comment after Jenna's tirade, "But most of the people at the rally were pretty sure that whats in there could destroy the health care system and put an end to freedom in America," is quite brilliant. I do, however, really wish that she had taken it further, asking Jenna if she had bothered to find and read the bill, since it is public record and Jenna has a vested interest in knowing what is in there. My guess is that they would have said "I don't have the time." Ina could have then asked, "how do you then find the time to go to Tea Party rallies?" A punch to the Ina's face might have followed.

Tea Party people are, quite clearly, know-nothings about how our government actually works. They can not and should not be taken any more seriously than the random homeless person shouting insults on the street. Not only are they too dumb to go and look for the bill before shouting nonsense about it, they don't have enough shame to realize how horribly dumb they look to the rest of us. These are people who have been told for years that they don't need to listen to experts because their own "common sense" was good enough. Now these people are coming unhinged, and it would be funny if I was the kind of person that could laugh at stupid people.

I don't think of myself as someone who is significantly more intelligent than the average person. I have had more opportunity to learn than most people, true, but most, if not all, of the information that I know is stuff that anyone can learn. Some of it takes a while to learn, but some of it just takes the ability to remember a website, like thomas.gov.

President Clinton helped make this a reality, so the know-nothings are probably proud to not know about this, but it allows anyone, anywhere, access to the full text of legislative branch documents from our government, including bills just signed into law. Unfortunately, our worthless mass media doesn't mention this, or give us the tools to find the bill - like the bill number or the official name. I only learned about thomas.gov because I used to work as a government document reference librarian. So it took a little sleuthing on my part this time, but now you have it with no effort at all: H.R.3590: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

You can also go to thomas.gov and search for bill number H.R.3590, in case that link doesn't work and if you're not a complete idiot.

Evidence Based Tax Philosophy

We Haz It