Email, Hate Mail and Comments from Readers

Email, Hate Mail and Comments from Readers
By John Ransom
7/10/2011

Every week I get a response from a reader of this column that goes something like this: "Mr Ransom, I really like your email column but aren't you just encouraging the liberal trolls by paying attention to them?"

The disapperance of posters like Clash-Royal Palm, Bin Leaded and Hal "I'm a Top-Gun Pilot" Donahue speaks for itself.

I'll take a bow now. But not too deep because they'll be back. They're liberals.

In general however, I think it's a good policy to write back to readers. It's just more fun to write to the ones who hate me.

If you like this column, remember to email it to a friend.

Quiet Reason wrote: No, Mr. Ransom. Union dues are paid by union members out of their salaries. The fact that their salaries are paid by taxes has nothing to do with it. It is their money--they use it to pay mortgages, loans, or, heaven forbid, union dues. And it is none of the taxpayer's business so long as it does not cost them any more money. As a former school board member and also a trustee for a private school, I am not a big fan of unions but I am a big fan of getting your facts straight.- in response to my column Obama's Price: $10 Tax for Union Teachers- You Pay

Dear Quiet,

Union dues, and all the other money that goes to public teacher unions, including professional liability insurance and health and other benefits, ultimately come out of taxpayer dollars.

When taxpayer money is used, it’s fair for members of the public to question it because it does cost the taxpayers more. As a former school board member, you should know that. It was your responsibility to be a steward, an advocate, for that money on behalf of the public.

And when money we pay teachers with is allocated to purposes that work at odds with the public interest, it’s right that we say something, even if school board members like you are too beholden to unions to be objective about it.

I can’t see anything good coming out of the union’s “crisis fund.” I would go so far to say that teachers who donate to it should have their salary reduced by $20 per year.

Every year we hear that it’s “less than a dollar a month” more for public schools. Or “only $20 more per month on your property tax assessment” and everything will be great. These arguments are often made by people just like you who are former or current school board members.

Since you are a former school board member and brag about it, I want to thank you on behalf of all of your colleagues for screwing up American public education. While the unions bear a great deal complicity in the demise of public education, school boards bear the most responsibility because without the assent of school boards we wouldn’t be where we are today with unions running the education complex in the country.

Americans can accomplish practically anything. What does it say about the terrible job school boards have done when the country hasn’t been able to reform public education after 50 years of trying?

Far from bragging about being a former school board member, you should probably keep quiet about it, Quiet. If liberals like you had put the interest of the community before the interests of the unions, public education wouldn’t be such an embarrassment to the rest of us.

Jl wrote: I say screw the oil companies. They do nothing but poison the waters, and stifle innovation together with their big government friends. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. The article above seems to be defending those criminals. - in response to my column The War on Jobs Continues

Dear Jl,

Actually oil has done quite a bit for us. It’s allowed a revolution in transport that has transformed our lives. It’s made our lives healthier and on the whole safer.

How do you think all the garbage is picked up? What would you do without ambulances? How do you think fresh produce is transported from the farmer’s field to the grocer at a reasonable cost? How do fire trucks respond to fires? Try building public schools (or anything else) without diesel-powered heavy equipment.

Folks like you would have horse dung blowing through fly-infested streets rather than admit that the use of fossil fuels has, on the whole, made the quality of our life much, much better.

You want examples of organizations that pollute waters and live off cronyism? Try visiting former socialist and communist countries in Eastern Europe and former Russian Soviet Republics. Try visiting Communist China.

Robert wrote: I voted FOR Republicans Ford once, Reagan twice, George HW Bush twice, GW Bush twice yet I'm smart enough now to know I made a terrible mistake. - in response to my column The War on Jobs Continues

Dear Robert,

You’re full of it. You're even overflowing with it.

You really expect that we are to believe that you voted for Republicans over a period of close to forty years and suddenly, you’ve repented of your ways? Now you sing the praises of Democrat presidents that you refused to vote for?

Listen, I’m glad that liberals come on here and post comments. I think it’s great that people are willing to debate. But you guys appear a lot dumber than you normally do when you act like you’ve converted to Democratism all of a sudden to support Obama.

This is especially true when your rant goes on to say that the reason why you are disgusted is over reckless deficit spending.

Soros needs to give you guys better classes on how to act like former Republicans on message boards. The problem of course is that people really didn't leave the GOP because they wanted to support Obama. They left the GOP becasue the GOP wasn't conservative enough.

Kind of hard to fit that into the "Re-elect Obama" message, huh?

Obama presented a budget with a $1.6 trillion deficit that not one Democrat in the Senate voted for. This is a group of people who voted for Obamacare.

How liberal does it have to be for every Democrat to refuse to support a budget because spending is too high?

I guess Obama answered that question for us.

Chris Field wrote: It just hit me that Ransom must be an anti-white racist. He's obviously going after the president for his white, lying roots. - in response to my column Obama, the Poor Loser, Poor Liar.

Dear Chris,

Yes, you are on to me entirely. You should have a TV show and put my whole anti-white conspiracy up on a chalkboard for everyone to see.

The other day I was on a Tea Party radio show on KTALK in Salt Lake City. A caller called in saying that we were a bunch of racists because the hostess, Candace Salima, called Obama a black man. It turns out that Candace’s husband is a black man.

Oops.

Kirk wrote: I prefer to look at Hopey the 8th Dwarf as a hypocrite. He demands companies give up private jets paid for by company profits but flies his own private jet all over the world on OPM (other people's money). The real difference is the private jet executives are getting it done while Hopey the Dwarf is flailing around. - in response to my column Obama, the Poor Loser, Poor Liar

Dear Kirk,

Under Hopey, the Democrats should change their symbol from a jackass to a jackass boarding a plane or a jackass playing golf.

When the going gets tough, Obama almost certainly resorts to enlarging his own carbon footprint by flying off on some junket. Or he goes to play golf.

What I don’t get is why environmentalists don’t criticize Obama’s penchant for playing golf.

One would think that since golf courses are huge “wasters” of water and indiscriminately use chemicals to maintain the fairways, that environmentalists would call the president on it.

But I guess the One is entitled his comforts (John 12:3).

Neal from PA wrote: Where are the George Washingtons of the Twenty-first Century? We desperately need men and women in the mold of our “Founding Fathers”. - in response to my column Washington's First Fourth

Dear Neal,

Yes; yes we do.

Funny thing about history: When the need arises, the man of the hour usually shows up.

That event can be good or bad though depending on if we get a Napoleon or a Washington.

But I would suggest the new Washingtons will come from communities that look an awful lot like Townhall and Townhall Finance.

That’s all the talk I have this week.

But don't worry. I'll have more next week.

JR
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