L'Etat, Ce N'est Pas Vous

There seems to have been a little ruckus over what rhetoric can be used against the current administration. Much has been made over the use of the term "regime," which the Left used to pejorative effect during the George W. Bush Presidency. As I recall from high school civics, an administration operates within a regime. Theoretically, we have had the same regime since 1789, but those who have administered the regime have changed periodically throughout the years. Only if the U.S. Constitution were abandoned would we have grounds for accurately saying that the regime has changed.

But, of course, accuracy has little to do with political journalism any more, and, as if to prove this point, Joe Klein accused opposition politicians and talk show hosts of sedition against the United States. The parody department could not pass up such an opportunity, and has produced the following, sung to the tune of "Tradition" from Fiddler on the Roof.



Tradition
by Dminor (apologies to Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, and Joseph Stein)


[JOE KLEIN AND JOHN HEILEMANN]
Sedition, Sedition! Sedition!
Sedition, Sedition! Sedition!

[GLEN BECK]

When is it right to criticize Obama
Go against his wishes, rise up in dissent?
And who has the right to speak against the house
and senate to protect our home?

The Public, the Public! Sedition?
The Public, the Public! Sedition?

[RUSH LIMBAUGH]

Who must raise a flag to make an objection,
a rejection, some dissention?
Who must sound alarm when trust has been betrayed
The Constitution's tenets are ignored?

Citizens, Citizens! Sedition?
Citizens, Citizens! Sedition?

[SEAN HANNITY]
Since way before the Civil War we've always had dissent.
But now they've picked a leader who cannot be opposed.

[SARAH PALIN]
And does the Party teach to follow and obey,
Forgetting that to dissent is our tradition's way?

Politics, Politics! Sedition?
Politics, Politics! Sedition?

Deep in the Heart of Taxes

In 2009, according to a Gallup poll, 48 percent of Americans believed that they were paying the right amount of Federal Income tax. In that same year, CBS claimed that 43.4 percent paid no federal income taxes. Some even received money they did not pay into the system. This year, the level of federal tax satisfaction has gone down to 45 percent. Now the breakdown by income level does not support the notion that those who pay no federal income taxes are the ones who believe they are taxed at the right level, but it is interesting that the lines intersect as they do. Perhaps I'll ponder this over a cup of tea . . . .