"You knew I was a scorpion when you gave me a ride..."

[kentuck]

Why can't politicians tell the truth?

How many trade treaties have created more jobs than they have lost?? Why do politicians continue to make these treaties?

Why do they continue to borrow and spend every penny that goes into the Social Security trust fund? Why do they pretend they don't have to pay it back?

Why do they lie about the actual number of unemployed? Everyone knows it is much higher than the present 9.1% that they put out as the official unemployment rate.

Why do they lie about the actual tax rate for corporations? They say it is the highest in the world at 35%. How many actually pay a 35% tax rate? How many pay about half that rate? How many don't pay anything at all. Why can't they be more honest with us?

And the scorpion asks the frog for a ride across the creek. The frog knows he is a scorpion and says, "But you might sting me and I will drown". The scorpion says, "But we would both die if that were the case".

And we know that halfway across the stream, the scorpion stings the frog. "Why did you do that?", the frog asked? "You knew I was a scorpion when you gave me a ride", the scorpion said.

And we know they are politicians when we vote for them...

[yawnmaster]

1. The scorpion actually answered, " because it is my nature". eom

[kentuck]

2. I took a little liberty with the original...

or near original.. :-)

[griffi94]

3. down here in texas

the scorpion answered

"cause that's just the kind of sumbitch i am"

[BOG PERSON]

8. the parable of the scorpion and the frog

This scorpion wanted to cross a river, so he asked the frog to carry him.

“No,” said the frog. ”No, thank you. If I let you on my back, you may sting me. And the sting of a scorpion is death.”

“Now, where,” asked the scorpion, “is the logic of that?” for scorpions always try to be logical. “If I sting you, you will die, and I will drown.”

So the frog was convinced and allowed the scorpion on his back. But just in the middle of the river, he felt a terrible pain… and realized that, after all, the scorpion had stung him.

“Logic,” cried the dying frog as he started under, bearing the scorpion down with him. “There is no logic in this.”

“I know,” said the scorpion, “but I can’t help it. It’s my character.”

Let's drink to character!

[kenny blankenship]

11. Grigory Arkadin, I presume?

Or is it Ashkabazi ?

[BOG PERSON]

12. arkadin is right

(n/t)

[Blue_Tires]

9. I can't ever think of that story

without seeing Forest Whitaker trying to smoke with a bag over his head...

[PlanetBev]

4. I can't even blame politicians

I blame the slavish, cowardly non-exisitant "press" for not calling bullshit on these sociopathic reptiles. :banghead:

[JoeyT]

7. And the people that mindlessly follow them.

Personality cults very rarely accomplish anything good.

[izquierdista]

5. Groucho gave me an idea

"I would never want to belong to a club that would have me for a member."

Let me change that to 'I will never vote for an announced candidate for office.' Until we take the money and ego out of politics, it will remain as it is. Take the money out by having publicly funded campaigns. Take the ego out of it by voting for slates of issues, like the platforms documents of old that nobody pays attention to anymore. To 'run for office' will mean entering your name on a list of people willing to serve and promote the slate of issues. When that slate wins, one of the names on the list will be appointed to fill the office -- yay, you won the luck of the draw, you're now county commissioner/state senator/congressman/school board member/dog catcher/etc.

I'm pretty sure office holders selected under these rules would be less likely to turn the agenda upside down and torpedo it. But in the unlikely event that happened, we would keep the recall, and this time it WOULD be personal. Anyone recalled, at any level, would be barred for life from submitting their name to 'run for office'. No big ego boost, because the win was not personal; big threat to the ego if you flub up and get banned for life.

This will play hell with the authoritarian follower types, as most conservatives are. There just won't be a Fuhrer/Duce/Caudillo they can pledge their loyalty to. What WILL happen is a lot more dumpy, frumpy, non-photogenic people will have their hands on the levers of power -- a government of Barney Franks. And the moose-hunting grifters will never have a chance to float to the top like a turd in a porcelain bowl.

People would still campaign. You would have the deficit hawks campaigning against the "jobs are #1" group. The person who wins the luck of the draw would still need staff, so they would naturally turn to people on the list they can work with. Kind of like the way Rahm Emmanuel got elected White House Chief of Staff -- but you would know BEFOREHAND that he was on the "corporatist-enabler-lefties-are-retards" list. I wouldn't vote for anyone on that list, but I guess there are people who would.

It'll never happen -- makes too much sense.

[bvar22]

6. Reced back UP to +5

"Free Trade" was (and is) a SCAM designed by RICH Corporate Owners to allow them to avoid LABOR rights, Human Rights, and Environmental Protections. They used smooth talking politicians to SELL their SCAM to gullible Americans in the 1990s.
The SCAM has worked perfectly.
What is amazing is that they are STILL successfully selling the same old SCAM.

Ross was Right
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkgx1C_S6ls&feature=player_embedded

Isn't that a great shot of Smooth Bill?
He robbed us blind,
and gave away The Party of the Working Class & The Poor to our RICH Corporate Bosses,
but I still like the guy.
I just wish he would stay out of politics.


You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their excuses.

Solidarity!
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[kenny blankenship]

10. Actually he told us that he was a Democrat.

Looked like one too.

This is not OUR fault.