06-24-2003, 01:07 AM
You disagree with Bill O'Reilly's views? OK, I understand that you might disagree with the whole shock jock thing, but in my opinion. a lot of what he says is good common sense and information so obvious that most people should know it, but really don't.
For example, on money and politicians - "I can't figure out why so many smart Americans don't, can't or won't see that our government has been corrupted by specialized interest money." Do you disagree with that?
"In short, this country has developed a ridiculous blind spont: the power and glorification of money. This is truly an affliction. It is holding us back as a nation, as a community......The American system doen not want you to keep the money that you manage to earn or acquire". Think taxes on every item that you actually need, like gas for your car, property taxes, taxes on phones, electricity, water etc. And he talks about how the gov't just keep throwing money away, and anyone who speaks about it, get's slammed. As an example, John McCain talking about tobacco subsidies. Think that had any part in him losing the Republican primary? I do.
He talks about advertisements, and how people spend without thinking or because they're thinking that they need to have what they think, based on advertisements, that everyone else has. Is that absurd?
As for sex, (totally unrelated), he's never said that there's anything wrong with sex, he's never said he's anti-gay, anti-lesbian, anti-anything. BUT, he does say, keep it private. Is that a horrible message? Most people do keep it private, but not all. Do I really need to see Tom and Dick dressed up in heels, parading down 5th Avenue? No more than you need to see me having sex in the privacy of my home. Bottom line: "Respect it (sex) and teach your children about it. Control it; don't let it control you. Have fun and be safe. And never, never take suggestive photos to Kmart for development."
Drugs - he's anti-legalization of drugs, and I agree with him. You may not. That's a debate in and of itself. He's for dealing with the habitual users, the ones who can't stop, the ones who, instead of dealing with their problems, use drugs to escape them, if only temporarily. Going after the drug lords certainly doesn't work, giving money to have them contain it in their own countries doens't work. The total (and this is back around '97) to combat drug use is about $30 billion dollars, and yet, virtually everyone who wants to buy drugs can do so. So, what do you do? Here's a program that's working pretty well (condensed as much as possible) - Alabama - as soon as you're booked for a crime, you're tested for drugs. Convicted suspects get a choice -forced drug rehab in a prison drug facility or a longer sentence w/the general prision population. More than 90% opt for rehab. Of the 5,000 participants so far, twice as many criminals stay off drugs upon release than those without rehab. For years after release, ex-cons must submit for regular drug testing, and if they have drugs, back to jail they go.
Why does it work? When they're in rehab, they can't get drugs. After rehab, they're monitored. Drugs, back to jail, no exception. And lastly, it takes customers away by the shitload. The person selling them makes no money, they do something else.
His point? Shift money away from the drug war budget to coerced drug treatment in all 50 states. "The addict population has remained stable for the past 10 years, according to the experts. That means there's a finite number of adult Americans who ruin their lives ingesting narcotics. Keeping these HARD-core addicts off the streets for a year or more, depending on their crimes, would mean far fewer customers for the dealers. That would immediately damage their financial bottom line".
And don't tell me that drugs are harmless. Yes, probably for the recreational user, that's true, but for society as a whole, I disagree. And I'd be happy to post some stats, but seeing as this post is probably way beyond what anyone will read, I'll stop there and save it for another post.
The point of the whole post is to just give a few examples of things he believes, that I agree with. I don't understand what about Bill O'Reilly, outside of his personality, make him so despised by so many, especially on this board.
Again, those are just a few things he's said/believes, and quite honestly, it's really hard to just pick sentences out here and there to illustrate my point so maybe I did a shitty job, and you're welcome to argue it.
As an aside, where I put his words into quotes, the errors are all due to my typing
For example, on money and politicians - "I can't figure out why so many smart Americans don't, can't or won't see that our government has been corrupted by specialized interest money." Do you disagree with that?
"In short, this country has developed a ridiculous blind spont: the power and glorification of money. This is truly an affliction. It is holding us back as a nation, as a community......The American system doen not want you to keep the money that you manage to earn or acquire". Think taxes on every item that you actually need, like gas for your car, property taxes, taxes on phones, electricity, water etc. And he talks about how the gov't just keep throwing money away, and anyone who speaks about it, get's slammed. As an example, John McCain talking about tobacco subsidies. Think that had any part in him losing the Republican primary? I do.
He talks about advertisements, and how people spend without thinking or because they're thinking that they need to have what they think, based on advertisements, that everyone else has. Is that absurd?
As for sex, (totally unrelated), he's never said that there's anything wrong with sex, he's never said he's anti-gay, anti-lesbian, anti-anything. BUT, he does say, keep it private. Is that a horrible message? Most people do keep it private, but not all. Do I really need to see Tom and Dick dressed up in heels, parading down 5th Avenue? No more than you need to see me having sex in the privacy of my home. Bottom line: "Respect it (sex) and teach your children about it. Control it; don't let it control you. Have fun and be safe. And never, never take suggestive photos to Kmart for development."
Drugs - he's anti-legalization of drugs, and I agree with him. You may not. That's a debate in and of itself. He's for dealing with the habitual users, the ones who can't stop, the ones who, instead of dealing with their problems, use drugs to escape them, if only temporarily. Going after the drug lords certainly doesn't work, giving money to have them contain it in their own countries doens't work. The total (and this is back around '97) to combat drug use is about $30 billion dollars, and yet, virtually everyone who wants to buy drugs can do so. So, what do you do? Here's a program that's working pretty well (condensed as much as possible) - Alabama - as soon as you're booked for a crime, you're tested for drugs. Convicted suspects get a choice -forced drug rehab in a prison drug facility or a longer sentence w/the general prision population. More than 90% opt for rehab. Of the 5,000 participants so far, twice as many criminals stay off drugs upon release than those without rehab. For years after release, ex-cons must submit for regular drug testing, and if they have drugs, back to jail they go.
Why does it work? When they're in rehab, they can't get drugs. After rehab, they're monitored. Drugs, back to jail, no exception. And lastly, it takes customers away by the shitload. The person selling them makes no money, they do something else.
His point? Shift money away from the drug war budget to coerced drug treatment in all 50 states. "The addict population has remained stable for the past 10 years, according to the experts. That means there's a finite number of adult Americans who ruin their lives ingesting narcotics. Keeping these HARD-core addicts off the streets for a year or more, depending on their crimes, would mean far fewer customers for the dealers. That would immediately damage their financial bottom line".
And don't tell me that drugs are harmless. Yes, probably for the recreational user, that's true, but for society as a whole, I disagree. And I'd be happy to post some stats, but seeing as this post is probably way beyond what anyone will read, I'll stop there and save it for another post.
The point of the whole post is to just give a few examples of things he believes, that I agree with. I don't understand what about Bill O'Reilly, outside of his personality, make him so despised by so many, especially on this board.
Again, those are just a few things he's said/believes, and quite honestly, it's really hard to just pick sentences out here and there to illustrate my point so maybe I did a shitty job, and you're welcome to argue it.
As an aside, where I put his words into quotes, the errors are all due to my typing