Did George W Bush cause Americans to get Lazy?
By louisehartmann
TV Personality and conservative writer for the American Spectator Ben Stein trashed the suffering of unemployed Americans by writing that the people who are unemployed right now are “generally people with poor work habits and poor personalities.” He claims the unemployed are Americans with “unpleasant personalities…who do not know how to do a day’s work." What he left out of his article is that this current Great Republican recession was caused by the collective bad behavior of the world’s largest banksters and the politicians who legalized their massive theft - cheered on by right-wing commentators like Stein. Before The Great Republican recession, the unemployment rate stayed around six percent while now it's closing in on 10%. It's crazy to think that millions of American workers just suddenly got lazy and their personalities took a dive during the last two years of the Bush Administration. Although it is possible, I suppose, that six years of Bush did have a psychological effect on the nation.
Comments
#2
Here's a quote for you:
“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”
—Woodrow Wilson
#3
Probably, when many get that the dream of a house with a white picket fence is just a pipe dream, they just throw their hands up.
I bought my first home working at minimum wage...in the 60's .(And a new imported sportscar the same year...an MG Midget).
Now....what's the point? There is no reachable carrot.
#4
Let's have 'Clear Eyes' about Mr. Ben Stein. He is a TV producer who hires himself for ads and then sits and moans with a blank/pained expression.(period). His moaning monotone delivery is hardly worth minimum wage and clearly a sign of "unpleasant personality" ... Takes one to know one I guess.
Unemployment with continued lack of health/dental care has made millions of us poor. In that sense we may have a 'poor' personality (desperate/depressed) and 'poor' work habits (will work like dog for food/shelter or just to get some income).
The history of my life is a roller-coaster affair that took a real dive over the last decade of Bush-whacking. There is only so much a person of conscience can stand - watching the so-called patriotic right commit the crimes for which their fathers hung the Nazis: starting and pursuing wars of aggression and the occupation of other countries (with oil), kidnapping people into interminable, illegal imprisonment (both US citizens and citizens any country). The disaffection gets worse seeing the corporate media support the neo-con aggression like vapid cheerleaders. There was never any problem with US aggression for soulless shills like Mr. Stein as long as they are rich and getting richer. The attitude displayed by Mr. Stein is sociopathic - as a whining winner he blames the victim and attacks the loser.
#5
Maybe Ben Stein is just jealous of people with personalities. After all, he doesn't have one.
#6
The unemployment you speak of has been caused by the actions of the Obama government that have done everything to stifle any business growth at all. The country is nervous and to blame this on the Republicans is a cop out. As far as the banking, the Obama administration is peppered with Goldman Sachs alumni that are there protecting their interests. The stimulus money was a bomb with the only new jobs being short term mainly census workers. We have a nation that is becoming dependent on government handouts which takes away the incentive to work. Now over 50% of the population do not pay any income taxes at all. Now is that fair? All the Obama government can do is spend money we do not have and printing dollars that are not going to be worth the paper they are printed on!
#7
Thom spoke today about how we all live in boxes, and as the box is, so the message. Ben's box is, well, lacking compassion. His box is very narrow, with apparently some very thick walls. Sad.
#8
Great post LeMoyne, and let's add that Stein was an economic adviser for the Nixon administration, I am sure he is vastly removed from any type of real perspective on the American working class. That can also,sadly, be said of almost all our politicians and media personalities.
#9
He talking about like 30 million people. How could you feel confident you know that all 30 million people have unpleasant (pessimistic? grumpy?) personalities and a low appreciation for the value of work? How could he not acknowledge that the deck is stacked?
#10
I refuse to submit to our present benign mediocracy simply in response to eight years of designed, intentionally-belligerent idiocracy
#11
I feel guilty that I have something so rare; a good-paying job performing (gasp!) MANUFACTURING! Also, I was on unenjoyment for six months back in '02, and I didn't just sit around doing nothing (mostly). When a temp job at a warehouse came up, I jumped at it! To my credit, what was supposed to be a week-long job lasted a whole month, because I did such a good job at it. Does that sound like lazyness to anyone else? Must be to the Righties, since if I'm such a hard worker, why am I not rich? I must also be stupid, too, if I'm a Liberal.
#12
Hey Ben Stein...when did you stop beating your wife?
#13
We are getting lectured by a guy that couldn't handle Ferris Bueller?
When de idle poor
Become the idle rich
You'll never know
just who is who
or who is witch.
Won't it be rich
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Blame the victim. What about jobs that disappeared because of conservative economic policies that encouraged sending them overseas? The lazy ones are the trust fund babies. Lazy and shiftless.