As the next major election cycle ramps up, both parties will be throwing out sound bites, most of which are already well worn even though not all of them stand up well under scrutiny. I think it would be good to take a closer look at some of these, in the hopes that maybe we could put a few to rest and force our politicians to come up with better material. The loftier goal of forcing a discussion
“I Don’t Believe In Throwing Money At A Problem”
On its face, that’s a statement I’m pretty sure everyone can agree with, but in practice, what exactly does that really mean? Assuming that the problem is worthwhile and significant (meaning it’s too big to take care of all by oneself but needs to be fixed anyway), how do I implement that philosophy? After calling a plumber over to your house in the middle of the night on a weekend to stem the flood emanating from your bathroom, how many of you have ever had much luck after they present you with the bill of convincing him or her to pay you instead for the opportunity to solve your problems? Me neither. Does that have anything to do with the fact that I’m not a politician? Maybe we live in different worlds. I’m as frugal as anybody, but I can’t think of a single problem in this class that didn’t require a worthwhile investment on my part. So what am I missing here, overD?
DIn many forms of radio communication, “Over” means “I’m finished talking and eagerly await your reply”. It would not be used in the same sentence as “Out”, which means “I’m really done; don’t bother calling back”. Outside of Hollywood, the combination “over and out”, which translates to “please respond immediately so I can ignore you” is usually considered too rude for normal conversation.
