It arrived in an plain, white 8x10 envelope. A picture window on the front contained the address and above that the words, in large red letters: "DO NOT DESTORY" and the warning "Delivery delay or obstuction punishable under U.S. Code. See Title 18, Sec 1708 U.S. Code" I could smell the scent of fear like a rancid perfume wafting from its surface.
I looked on the back. In small print: The Heritage Foundation - 214 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E. - Washington, D.C.20002. I contemplated thowing it into the recycling bin without opening it but my curiosity got the best of me. I believe in being informed of the "WingNut Agenda". This was a look inside their collective psyche --- unpleasant as that might be. I opened it.
More after the fold...
It was a fundraising effort in the quise of a "Taxpayer Opinion Poll". The title was: "Taxpayer Opinion Poll on the Real (underlined) Liberal Agenda".
The first "question" was "Enlosed is my contribution of:" and some handy boxes from $15 t0 $500 (and other) to check. Then, it got to the "poll".
Instuctions are: Please indicate whether your position on each issue more closely matches the liberal's agenda, or The Heritage Foundation's Conversative Agenda. (Note the capitalization of "conservative" but not "liberal". Cute.)
It proceeds to spoon-feed the respondant a series of questions which clearly slant to the "conservative" side such as, under Taxes: "Impose the largest tasx increase in U.S. History". The "liberal agenda is: "YES". The conservative agenda is: "NO" and then you are to answer with Yes, No, or Uno (whatever "uno' means, they don't explain). This question alone is laughable because the neo-cons seem obsessed with the "largest tax increase in U.S. history". They've been squandering the public money for so long and ignoring the fact they they're deficet spending that they figure it can continue into infinity. It's only logical that the biggest spending in U.S. History by the Repugican controlled Congress has got to be followed by a tax increase inevitably. But this seems to them to be the fault of the "liberals". Laughable if it wasn't so very sad.
Another "question" is "Make permanent the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003". Again the answers are Liberal, "yes" and conservative "no". But the question fails to note that these "tax cuts" were for the top one percent of Americans and left the other 99 percent paying the tab. I'm sure it was just and "oversight". Yeah, right.
In the "Health Care" category, the question is "Have U.S. goverment ration all health care." Like "universal healthcare" being proposed for all Americans will result in "rationing"! Their suggestion is "Expand freedom of choice in healthcare" (another question). Suddently, they like the idea of "choice" in healthcare as long as it doesn't include pregnancy and birth control. And where is it said that liberals want to decrease choice in healthcare? Oh well, with conservatives, everything is black or white and there are no shades of gray. You're either with them or against them.
One of my favorites, under the category of "Families, Culture and the Courts" is the question: "Highlight America's greatness, and the importance of our nations founding". As if the neo-cons are closer to the founders than the liberals. Imagine what Thomas Jefferson or George Washington would have to say about that! The whole concept of America was a liberal idea in the face of the conservative aristocracy of Great Britain. It was absolutely unthinkable for any "colony" to stand against the Imperial leadership. Remember the expression "No Taxation without Representation"? That was pretty left-wing for it's day. America, the neo-cons need to be reminded, fought and died for liberty and freedom from tyrrany. The neo-cons of today are the Royalists of history. Their idea of government is the Imperial Presidency of George Bush. How can they lay claim to America's founding? They are the antithesis of America's founding principles! They should be wearing the British flag on their lapels, not the U.S. flag!
The rest of the survey is a continuation of the same. It's all "us versus them" and relies totally on the fear-factor. It's the same thing they've been selling for the last decade and, by all accounts, it's getting old and stale, except to the most "conservative" of the neo-cons. Frankly, I'm glad to see they are "staying the course" (like their position on Iraq). As long as they keep it up, they are filling the ranks of those who see the "conservative" argument as little more than another year of the same old Bullshit. No ideas. No solutions. Just fear and propoganda.
BTW... I filled out the "survey". I suspect they may not include my responses in their "data". But at least they had to the pay the postage on the return envelop. I got some pleasure from that thought.