Observations

Too Much Rhetoric - Too Few Facts

Posted by Ray McInerny on March 5, 2011

All of us tend to quote and re-quote that with which we agree. Fairly soon we’re so engrossed that our theme becomes showy and elaborate. Facts and truth soon give way to hyperbole.

For instance we’ve witnessed several quotations from a Fr. Massengale which weakly claim Catholic support of the so-called grievances of the Madison hoodlums. The one who cites him forgot or ignored the "Catholic teaching’s pro-union bias," article from the same newspaper by Fr. Sirico of the Acton Institute of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

I grew up among union members. I recall my father coming home in the late thirties, and telling mom, "we’re going to a 48 hour work week!" Six full days was the norm before that.. He and my grandfather, and my wife’s grandfather worked tortuous hours without vacation, sick or personal pay days. Their benefit was a job. Going to a wedding or funeral was on their dime - not anyone else’s. Those are the reasons good unions flourished and did well for their members.

Is the Church divided? On many questions it always has been. Catholic social justice was first raised by Pius IX through Benedict VIII and addressed the horrible conditions of the working class during the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

We have others telling us what a funny "prank" it was when Ian Murphy, the block head blogger pretended to be a Mr. Koch. My, that was hilarious. Today’s paper (Saturday) has a letter to the editor where letter writer Debbie James asks, "What if the Koch brothers spent their millions helping the poor...?"

Let’s take Murphy first:

Googled; S 190.25 Criminal impersonation in the second degree. A person is guilty of criminal impersonation in the second degree when he: 1. Impersonates another and does an act in such assumed character with intent to obtain a benefit or to injure or defraud another.

There are statutes I’m sure covering Identity Theft also. Using and abusing David Koch’s name to identify himself, Murphy may have violated US Code Title 18 section1028(d)(7). Maybe Koch’s lawyers will look into this?

Debbie here are a few facts you’ve ignored or didn’t know about Koch. This from Wikipedia.

1. Since 2000, Koch has pledged more than 600 million to arts, education & medical research.

Cost estimates of restoring our Capitol building to it’s former elegance varies too much. Even those is charge, beleaguered as they must be with the throngs, have overstated repair costs to the building. Photos indicate just how sloppy and irreverent these "peaceful" protestors are. The cost alone of having to pay overtime for police and to purchase assistance from municipalities to help out hasn’t been figured out as yet. And the clean up cost?

We taxpayers footed a bill in the millions to restore and capture the beauty of one of the best capitol buildings in the United States. Protest all you want. Sticking tape all over marble walls leaves a mark manytimes costly to remove. Carry your signs. Hold them high. That’s your right as an American citizen. But do you have the right to "camp" out in the building? To deface and damage our building?

Whatever the true cost boils down to, it is too much during these economic times to add more of a burden to a state bordering on bankruptcy.

The education being taught our young folks by these rude and contemptuous actions of a few is one that will be difficult to erase. How do you tell kids in school to obey the law, when they see adults openly defying law and tradition. How do you arrest them, or their parents for truancy? Senators and Assemblymen have been threatened by mobs trying to prevent their entry to the Capitol. Fourteen senators hiding out in another state to try and force their point of view illustrate civic responsibility!

Soon this will all blow over. When the poverty pimps from outside the state go back to their caves and we reclaim our state most of us will get along with another. We’re a great state with remarkable people. We’ll work out any differences when the agitators go home. We always have survived through many storms. God bless Wisconsin. God bless America.