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26
I'm all for free speech, but
A) It's apparently a taxpayer-funded public event. Not privately paid for. And,
B) The sort of people who love this thing would lose their minds if anyone "disrespected the office of the President of the U.S." while a Republican was in office.
As usual, it's the hypocrisy and lack of cognitive dissonance of the right wing that bothers me most.
I bet most of these mouth breathers were outraged by Rep. Rangel's comments on Teabaggers being "white crackers". I can almost guarantee it.
While I agree that many of those who may have enjoyed the mocking of President Obama might feel differently if it was a Republican — though I seem to recall an undocumented image of someone wearing a GWB and another wearing Reagan mask working a dunk tank somewhere, sometime — I think it's a little difficult to take issue with the taxpayer-funded part, unless you're a Missouri taxpayer.
The linked partisan blog only gives figures for the amount of state tax money that went into the entire event, not just the rodeo and there's no mention of federal tax dollars. Now maybe the Department of Agriculture has a Forest Service booth, the National Parks has one for Ozark Riverways and Defense has recruiters, but that wouldn't be using my tax dollars as a non-Missouri resident to fund their overall fair.
Well, I had assumed we were talking about the principle of the matter, or having an ethical discussion, rather than defending my own personal stake in it. No, it doesn't come out of my pocket. But that doesn't mean I think it's right.
After all, if they had used (state) taxpayer dollars to erect a statue to Allah on the front lawn of the capitol building, I imagine people from out of state would have opinions on that as well. Even though it still wouldn't have been "their" tax dollars.
I could say that I wouldn't want my tax money used for something, but I think it's up to the people of Missouri what is and is not an appropriate use of their funds.
In another thread on this post, someone mention that there's a bust of Rush Limbaugh in the state capital as part of their Hall of Fame and I've seen his portrait on the Missouri Wall of Fame. Now, I'm not sure how much tax money was used to make either likeness — though the Wall of Fame is really a wall designed to protect the city from flooding and was likely erected with federal tax dollars — but I'm thinking the portraits were either state or locally funded.
Anyway, we can all talk about whether or not Limbaugh should be in the Missouri Hall of Fame or Billy Graham in North Carolina's or whether the clown was wrong, but I don't think we can really complain about the expenditure. Our money wasn't used.
17
We'll have last laugh when Hillary wins in 2016.
5
If she does then this country will have gone 24 out of 32 years with only a Bush or a Clinton in the White House.
And if you count the Vice-presidency and Cabinet posts then this country will have gone 36 out of 40 years with a Bush or a Clinton in the White House.
Yay.
3
She'll definitely change everything for the better.
Democracy!
4
I have to vote for whomever the Dem candidate is simply to prevent a Republican from getting in, but yeah, I'm not crazy about political dynasties either.
11
May US and A kill every single arab! May your George Bush drink the blood of every single child! May you destroy their country so that for the next thousand years not even a single lizard will survive in their desert!
That's exactly what I thought of.
3
Yeah, it's kind of sad that this film and stuff like Idiocracy are hardly satire anymore, eh?
(And the rodeo in that wasn't even taxpayer-funded like this one!)
11
Idiocracy may be the most prescient vision of the future ever conceived.
1
It's a fucking documentary.
12
Its part of American tradition. From 2000 - 2008, the Oval Office had a rodeo clown dressed like a president as well.
I don't remember Clinton being a rodeo clown...
(The years you cite are elections, the years you're looking for are 2001 - 2009)
Are you kidding? Clinton had the perfect rodeo-clown physique. And thats before we get into his non-job related activities. I will leave it to someone else to make the obvious bovine joke.
But yes you are right. All jokes must be historically accurate. So amended:
Its part of American tradition. From January 20, 2001 - January 19, 2009, the Oval Office had a rodeo clown dressed like a president as well
