Kindness II

Virginia says, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." Or was it Thumper?

Someone posted on Facebook a Barbra Streisand quote about Obama being the most fiscally conservative president in recent times, except for Bill Clinton. The suggestion was "click Like if you think she's an idiot."

That's how too many conversations go these days, idiot being one of the more gentle expressions. If that's all you have to say, silence should be golden. Do a little research so you can at least say, "Maybe the first President Bush was more fiscally conservative." After all, Forbes magazine isn't known for publishing the views of idiots (www.forbes.com/sites/danielmitchell/2012/05/24/mirror-mirror-on-the-wall-which-president-is-the-biggest-spender-of-all/). Nor is the Atlantic (www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/03/obama-most-fiscally-conservative-president-in-modern-history/254658/). Look up the meaning of the word "idiot" if you have doubts about this.

Meanwhile, I'm tempted to read up on economics. I have a feeling the mainstream economists, bankers and politicians of all kinds are pulling the wool over our eyes. They say it's okay to print money to bail out the banks or to pay for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but not okay to pay for Social Security. I'd like to argue the opposite, that it's okay to print money to pay for Social Security but not okay to use it to bail out the banks or to pay for wars and giant military budgets, particularly when so many of our citizens are hurting. But I'm not an economist so no one would pay me any mind.

"You're an idiot," says Virginia.

Could be.