As most of you know, I’m on a road trip and so am using this as an excuse to gather snap opinions from random Americans.
Today’s question was: If you could ask the America’s politicians—Democrats and Republicans— to accomplish one task, to get one problem solved for this country, what would you pick first….if it was left completely up to you?
These voices were gathered between Los Angeles and Cedar City, Utah. I pounced on people VERY randomly, some working people along the way, some tourists.
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Emanuel said: “I would like the politicians to end the war in Iraq and to bring all the young people back home.”
Myron said: “It’s hard to say….Jobs. I’d like them to work on better jobs….you know, better employment opportunities for ordinary people.”
Michelle said: What would I change? I’d like them to be honest. That would be nice. Well, maybe take care of our people first, instead of people in other countries. And also free medical and dental, like they have in England.
Mike said: I think we should stop sticking our nose in other countries problems and business, and work on our problems. Rebuild the economy. Leave the Middle East alone. I think we should all work on the racial issues in this country. You know, we need to learn to like and understand each other better.
Madae said: I’d do something really simple. Medical care for everyone. The insurance companies only want to insure the healthy, not the people who really need it.
Brian said: “I’d like my car fixed.”
Did you find those people in a bar drunk or are they just stupid? Today, try to find some people with brains who have a modicum of understanding about the world economy and terrorism and know that the government’s role isn’t to take care of what they should have themselves. Were all the businessmen at work or taking care of their families when you did this?
I respect Brian’s answer the most. Besides being funny, he might have been making a point with you–it gets ridiculous to think that government is supposed to fix everything.
Liberals, rather than lift a finger to respond to this post, wait for the government to start a program to do it for you.
If someone gives you a simpleton answer about Iraq and the mideast, follow-up with a question asking if they would feel the same way if 9-11 happened in their own town. If you get another stupid answer, ask them if they were educated in government schools.
Celeste, don’t make me come up there to get you to do this right.
P.S. To the people who gave the answers and looked at this site to see how commenters responded, don’t take it personally and just ignore me. Everyone else does.
I think that government should put the Braves in first place in their division.
P.P.S. I respect Myron’s answer, as he just wants the government to help people find jobs so that they can help themselves.
But, you can’t get the biggest attacker of jobs to get you more. Government passed NAFTA, it allows other countries to dump cheap products here, it won’t send back illegals who take jobs from Americans, it taxes businesses (especially small businesses) to death leaving them little money to operate, it raises minimum wages making labor cost more with no rise in production but with a rise in inflation, and it tries to help unions which are the reasons that many jobs went to other countries and right-to-work states, ….
I see Myron and Brian were at the Rest Area, doing the jobs Americans don’t want to do since most of the higher paid Construction and Manufacturing jobs have gone to illegal’s or Chinese.
The girls are more practical with their request for “FREE MEDICAL CAREâ€Â.
Emanual and Mike seemed are tired of IRAQ, but I guess we all are, Republican and Democrats alike.
Brian also mentioned Iraq, but only after his off camera friend—who wouldn’t give an answer himself once it involved a photo— cued him. So I figured the thing about the car was his REAL answer.
And, no, trust me, if you met Brian you’d be quite sure there was no deeper irony.
And Woody, I definitely resolved that there would be no further cues from me or follow-up questions. But, ideally, of course, you could have followed behind me with the…um….follow-ups.
This is great. I’m looking forward to the rest.
LINK: Most US adults in the dark about world politics
Celeste’s interviews back up this study.
Where in the world is Celeste
A note about, where you were when you found these people would be nice (I assume you found Myron and Brian woking at the rest stop located off I-15 North/East of Barstow).
http://wikimapia.org/2104298/Clyde_V._Kane_Rest_Stop
Historic Note: http://www.billyholcomb.com/MojaveRoad2.jpg
Woody, what’s curious about your poll is that it depends on self-perception, so the fact that almost 5X as many men as women (still a tiny %), SAY they “are extremely knowledgeable on world politics” has less to do with “lack of interest” than with lack of modesty. Many women who try to stay current may not think themselves “extremely” knowledgeable, while men are sure they’re experts on everything they know a little about.
I will agree that Americans are very ignorant about the world, and our lack of second and third languages, except maybe enough Spanish to talk to the maid, further puts us at a disadvantage. BUT I have found that Europeans are also pretty ignorant, e.g., Northern Europeans like the Dutch, Brits/Scots know virtually nothing about Eastern Europe.
(The Germans and Austrians, who are big investors in Hungary and the Czech republic especially, are an exception, as their cultures and histories have much overlap.)
But ask any Europeans about further east in Europe, or the Middle East, or Asia or America, and they’re about as clueless — or, worse, SURE they know when they don’t. (The stuff people “know” about America that is wrong is quite remarkable and exasperating — they get all their “info” from the critical-left media. Pokey, you’d better watch your blood pressure among the “intellectuals” of Europe!)
Tell Madae, she cant wear a black bra with a light pink BEBE top.
Poplock, I have to agree with your wardrobe observation. And I wager to say, that it’s a lack of care or resources for enough lingerie that is reflected in her comments and world- view, too. I meant to warn Woody more than Pokey about the self-styled “intellectuals” of Europe when it comes to America, but it applies to anyone to the right of Castro and Chavez, so I imagine that includes Pokey, too. (I see Sarkozy as a positive light in France on several levels, though — him naming the first Algerian female to his Cabinet, his own ancestry as half Jewish immigrants from Hungary, an outsider.)
When I looked at Pokey’s reference to the rest stop and the surrounding territory, it became clear why everyone crowds into L.A. rather than moving further out. What a wasteland!
Maggie, whatever I might have cared about Europe’s view of us disappeared many years ago.
When I go to Europe, I specifically make it a point to talk in Spanish and tell everyone that I’m Mexican. People treat me really good and they talk about how nice the Mexican people are in Mexico.
If I say I’m American, I get a bill triple the price for dinner and a chef that spits in my food.
Most Europeans advised us not to even mention the word American. Your just asking to get ripped off.
However, the last time we to Hawaii, my dad got an outrageous bill for dinner. He called over the latino waiter and said somthing like, “que paso aqui compa?”
The waiter was like wow, “hablas espanol?” “eres Mexicano?”….we thought you were Japanese. After a little down to earth chit chat, they came back with a really nice discount price.
Brian is going to grow up to be another WOODY.
Myron would be good in a movie as an Italian Mobster.
poplock, none of your comments on this post were relevant to the topic or even the least bit intellectual or interesting. Perhaps you are more suited for spending time at this site>>> LINK
[…] of Voices from the Road. (For those just tuning in, you can find the first five installments here, here, here, here and here) Again, the single question I asked was: If you could ask the […]