Give me your tired, trite conservative zombie lies and truthiness yearning to be quashed

[Kelvin Mace]

I am working with Occupy Greensboro (NC) which is just getting started and organized. We even managed to make the news last night</a> (I'm the guy in the red shirt). As usual, the press starts out comparing us to the Tea Party, and commenting that we are mad at someone but don't know who or why.

So, I need your help to counter this meme.

I am hoping to steal a great idea from the protesters of the 60s and stage some teach ins. The idea is to help people understand HOW they are being screwed, by whom, and counter-arguments that can be used when Zombie Lies(tm), Fox/Rove/Norquist talking points and mindless bumper-sticker truthiness, conservative myths are spouted in their presence.

Areas I hope to cover are: Basic economics/high finance (I have asked 30 people at random if the understand how short selling works and so far only one person did), our political system, basic civics, basic tax policy, progressive taxation, "at will" employment, what the Bill of Rights does and doesn't cover, the Citizen's United decision, critical thinking, etc.

The idea is to have people who can understand the problems, and articulate cogent solutions.

Yeah, big job, I know.

What I ask from my fellow DUers is all the various conservative BS you have heard, spurious arguments, faulty logic, deceptive framing, dishonest math, lies of omission, etc, along with any rebuttals you have made or heard.

For example:

Deceptive Framing: Half of all Americans don't pay taxes.

Truth: While many Americans do not pay income tax, they still pay payroll taxes, sales taxes, gasoline taxes, excise taxes, property taxes (directly or indirectly).

Zombie Lie: Tort reform would reduce insurance rates, by cutting down on frivolous lawsuits and outrageous damage award.

Truth: Tort reform has been tried in Florida and had negligible effect on insurance rates. Worse, some doctors dropped their malpractice insurance since they believed few people would sue them, and if the were sued, they could declare bankruptcy and avoid paying judgments.

Lie of Omission: Health insurance companies pay 85 cents out of every dollar on medical care.

Omitted Truth: Medicare pays 92 cents out of every dollar on medical care.

I hope to develop some "mini-curriculums" which could then be passed along to other groups for similar use. Perhaps complex topics broken down into bite-sized chunks.

In order to fight ignorance, we must be able to recognize it. While the truth may set you free, being able to recognize a lie for what it is will keep you out of bondage in the first place.

If I might shamelessly plead for recs, I would like to get as much response to this request as possible. I think it could produce some useful tools.

<Silly Dragnet riff that will go over the heads of anyone under 40>This is the city: Washington, D.C. There are thousands of lies out there. When the lies undermine our democracy, we step in. We carry the truth.</Silly Dragnet riff that will go over the heads of anyone under 40>

Thanks!

[gratuitous]

1. More a concept than a specific example

The system as currently constituted isn't working for a lot of Americans, and working poorly for many more. It's time to refashion our policies to distribute the wealth created by labor more equitably among all the people.

Quick f'r instance: Since 1980, worker productivity has steadily gone up, yet wages have remained practically flat. Labor is generating more and more wealth in this country, yet none of that increase is making its way into workers' pockets. It's time and past time that it did.

[Kelvin Mace]

2. Also, housing and health care

have gone up way above the rate of inflation.

[hifiguy]

3. Insurance companies pay

more like 65-75 cents out of every dollar on medical care. Those 8-figure CEO salaries and corporate jets do not come cheap.

Tort reform is nothing more than a way to keep ordinary people out of court when they have been fucked over by big bu$ine$$.

[Kelvin Mace]

4. I was taking that from a commercial they were running

patting themselves on the back during the health care debate. Rather than argue with them about the true figure, I just take them at their word and then show they still are a bad deal.

[rustydog]

7. This year, they are required by "Obama-Care" to pay the higher amount

Evil, socialist Obama-Care....

[Kelvin Mace]

5. Well, this idea dropped like a stone

*sigh*

[banned from Kos]

6. No! don't drop it.

"Democrats won't let us drill here anymore!" (common GOP lie)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704858404576134553990567750.html?mod=googlenews_wsj (truth)


I have lots more if you like.

[Kelvin Mace]

8. I'll take ll I can get

I don't intend to drop it, I'll plod along with what I have. Just kinda disappointed the idea didn't resonate.