Ouch

Just read another old Derbyshire post about what a horrible election we face. This man might kick my ass.

See, I like this election. I like Obama and McCain. But maybe electing a President shouldn't be the same criteria as looking for a friend. So who gives a flying fucking shit whether I like them or not. Regardless, he makes two good points - one about the role of government and two - about about cost. Money, money, money. It's all about the money.

Point 1: US Government is Not A Human Being

But then, as John McCain says: “America’s greatest moral failure has been, throughout our existence, perhaps we have not devoted ourselves to causes greater than our self-interest.” Except, of course, that nations are supposed to devote themselves to their self-interest, and to nothing else. That’s what sane people want their nation to do. That’s what all the other nations of the world do do.

As individual human beings, of course, all but a small minority of us routinely devote ourselves to “causes greater than our self-interest.” We gladly yield up our time, our money, and occasionally our very lives, on behalf of such causes — family, union, professional association, church, political party, neighborhood softball league, nation. Those of us who have deep religious convictions often go way beyond the norm, helping strangers in foreign lands. All good acts, all noble acts … by individual human beings.

A government, however, is not a human being. This rather elementary point of ontology seems to have escaped all three principals in Saturday’s gathering. Governments don’t go to the bathroom; governments don’t date; governments don’t catch cold. As a human being, John McCain is free to give up time and money to causes above his personal self-interest, and would be right to feel pleased with himself for having done so. As chief executive of our federal government, however, during his working hours he should attend to America’s national self-interest, AND TO NOTHING ELSE AT ALL.

Cost: Iraq Has Cost Us $7000 Each

Even if I wanted either of them, I do not believe, as both candidates apparently do, that our country has the nigh-infinite fiscal resources required to fund their lunatic world-saving schemes. The effort to rid Iraq of evil has cost us working stiffs a trillion dollars so far; say $7,000 a head. Population-wise, the world has 260 Iraqs. So I’m in for two million bucks? John, hate to tell ya, but I don’t have that kind of money. And this is the “conservative” candidate!

Since Bush lowered taxes, we're paying for this through loans from the Chinese. So tack on some interest to that $7000. Every day we're there, tack on a few more bucks to the principal. Iraq needs to flow back some of their oil revenue our way. We ought ta get some of that scrilla back, bitches.