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A Day In The Life of Dave Republican



Dave gets up at 6:30am and has a bottle of spring water. Even though there is no guarantee that this water is safe to drink, it is certainly safer than drinking it from the tap. Because Liberals would rather spend time pushing for federal mandates on abortion and gay marriage, no attention or funding has been provided for states to tend to the needs of local water departments. Budgets keep getting slashed under both administrations (to be fair) that undermine the ability for local governments to adequately take care of the citizens of their cities. Dave does not drink coffee because he has no need for caffeine, tobacco, or any other potentially addictive substance--- he prefers to think clearly.

He takes medication rarely, because he his cautious and responsible enough to take care of his body (sure, things happen beyond our control... granted). His medications may have to be bought overseas, should he need them, because the federal government has made it more difficult over the past 12 years or so for pharmaceutical companies to be competitive. Capitalism is being legislatively horse-whipped in favor of "fairness for all." Dave will have to pay the price for this fairness one way or another, even if he is fortunate enough not to have to take these meds.

All but $10.00 of his medications are paid for by his employers medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance, but now Dave takes home less of the money he earned, and has no say in who is medical care providers are, and the insurance companies continue to raise premiums because they know "insurance" will pay the bill, regardless of who is paying that insurance. If Dave were allowed to keep every dime of his paycheck, he would be able to shop around in a more competitive market for the care he needs. Dave does not fit the Liberals' image of the typical American. He is smart enough to know how to take care of himself.

David eats granola bars and fruit for breakfast. He knows he will need the carbs for energy, but does not want all the grease and salt Joe likes in his diet (but it's a free country, so Joe may load up on the trans fats if he wants to). Joe's bacon and other processed meats would be safer to eat regardless of who claims power in the house, as long as the congressmen listen to their constituents. People are more likely to tall the government what they want if they know the government will actually listen, instead of treat them like they are all kindergarteners who don't know better.

Dave takes his morning shower without reaching for shampoo. A bar of soap does the trick. Most consumers don't have enough of a chemistry background to know what the label on a shampoo bottle is really telling them (though a list of know allergens that may irritate the skin of some is a good idea). It might be better if Dave knew whether or not the collagen in some cosmetic products is still the by-product of aborted fetuses (human and animal), or if the ingredients were tested on animals first.

Dave dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is so-so, but the town in which he lives is drying up. People are moving away because some tree hugging liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting the air, even though the factories were trying hard to comply with ever-changing EPA standards. Main street is now full of empty buildings because the town's economy was ruined by the loss of the factories. People had to move away to find other jobs.

Dave drives to work in a Chevy Suburban. He needs this vehicle to haul trailers, kids, and miscellaneous items for work and home. Some Liberal curses him at the gas pump and tells him that when the Democrats take back all of the government, his "gas-guzzling" SUV will be banned from the streets. Dave is aware of the need to conserve fossil fuels, and does not drive this vehicle anymore than he really needs to. The steering wheel of this SUV will have to be pried from Dave's cold, dead hands. This is still America. The terrorists in the Middle-East are far more responsible for the cost of gas than Dave is--- what are the Liberals willing to do about it? Until we are allowed to drill on our continent, the terrorists will control most of the world's oil supply. And those who complain about potential environmental hazards should know that most spills occur when transporting oil from 6000 miles away, and that Mexico has oil rigs just a few miles from North America, and has less stringent safety and environmental regulations than the United States.

Dave begins his work day; he has a good job with fair pay, medical benefits that are sub-par because he cannot shop for his own provider, retirement that is governmentally controlled and subsidized (with no guarantee that any money will be there when he retires), and paid holidays that would be unnecessary if he were able to keep more of his earnings. Dave resigned from the union because some Liberal union uses his dues to support a national political agenda with which he does not agree. He is doing just fine with no union representation, and has actually found that his employer is more likely to negotiate with him personally, because he does good work and does not hide behind union muscle to get the employer to bend to his every whim. If Dave were allowed to keep more of his earnings, he could easily take care of his own insurance, and set aside money in personal accounts and investments to take care of any unforeseen illnesses or emergencies. He might also be able to "buy" vacation days from his employer at a better rate than what the unions have negotiated for him in his contract. Consequently, Dave has decided to donate the money that was formerly deducted against his will for union dues to a charity this year. He believes the charity will make better use of the money than a Liberal union.

Its noon time, Dave needs to make a Bank Deposit so he can pay some bills. Dave's deposit is only about 72% of his total gross earnings. The federal government is taking too much of Dave's paycheck, and he finds himself funding pork projects that benefit people in congress for whom he did not vote, knowing that they would continue funding unnecessary projects that will be of no benefit to Dave or his community (all for the "common good"). Insured banking is fine, but does Dave little good because he seems to have so little to put in the bank thanks to out of control spending by both parties in Washington.

Dave does not need to pay Fannie Mae underwritten Mortgages, etc, because he knows they are a rip=off. He will go to a local bank or credit union and negotiate the best rate he can get on a loan (but would be able to pay much of it in cash if he could pocket more of his own money to invest in mutual funds or high-interest accounts). Some Liberal decided that Dave should become as dependent as possible on the federal government, and is making it harder for him to privatize accounts and negotiate his own terms in the marketplace. The cost of education and housing would decrease if consumer driven competition replaced guaranteed payment of whatever institutions want to charge (knowing that federally insured loans with outrageous interest and finance charges added in will more than make up for any losses they may experience).

Dave is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his typical suburban home.
When Dave gets there, however, he sees bulldozers razing his old boyhood home. His father sits at the curb sobbing. "Eminent Domain" has claimed yet another person's private property in order to build a new country club that will increase tax revenue for the city. The Liberal mayor can be seen from his mansion window, wringing his hands in contemplation of the new project that will run the "less desirable" class from his town. He does not care that Dave's father built that house in 1932, while working three jobs to support his family. He only cares about the tax money to be had. If the Liberal mayor would have supported initiatives like the fair-tax plan, or done a better job balancing the city's budget (instead of embezzling money or pushing for his own salary to be raised every year), Dave's dad may not have had to surrender his property against his will.

Dave is doing his best to help support his dad financially, because his Social Security is barely enough to support him. His dad's business filed Chapter 11 just before he was to receive his first pension check. Now the hundreds of thousands of dollars he earned are gone because of unscrupulous business practices or because of a union that demanded too much. Dave's dad worked for an auto maker who eventually went belly up because of the outrageous benefits Liberal union members were expecting. Dave's dad would have been a millionaire by now if he had been able to keep and invest his own money, rather than relying on the government or his former employer to take care of him when he retired. Dave sadly helps dad walk to the car, and starts the long drive home.

He turns on a radio talk show, the host actually makes sense, and gives facts to support any claims he makes, good or bad. Dave knows right away that this must be a Conservative radio host. There are few instances of name-calling, no bleeped expletives, and the host has intelligent, thoughtful callers who help confirm to Dave that there are intelligent people out there still who have pride in their country, love their freedom, and are willing to give their neighbors the benefit of the doubt in knowing what is best for them (and for their families) without having to have legislation introduced to tell them what is best. Dave's dad manages to smile, and it gets them talking about the hope that people like the callers on this talk show will fight to keep America free.

Dave agrees with Joe's comment from above, "We don't need those big government Liberals ruining our lives; after all, I'm a self made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have---" and adds, "but I wish the government would stop passing laws (or allowing judges to write them from the bench) to tell me how I can or cannot live, and I wish they would let me decide what I can or cannot do with my money. We'd be a better society if we were expected to be responsible, exercised more common sense, and were allowed to take care of our own".