Right-Wingers DO Recycle. I Have Proof.

Many people who remember me going all the way back to the John Kerry message boards know that I have had many a run-in with my cravenly right-wing, Archie Bunker-esque, believe-anything-Faux-News-tells-him father-in-law. Well, this morning I was dropping my kids off at his house and he confronted me in the driveway. Normally these conversations remain pleasant, and we talk about sports and other things and that's all it is (mainly because after having many the knock-down-drag-out with him over the years, I've just stopped trying to change his mind and flat refuse to talk about politics in his presence, because he's unable to have a conversation about it without losing his temper).

Well, after the usual pleasantries, the conversation takes a turn. He says, "Oh, I see that your dad got a new pacemaker." My dad has had a pacemaker/defibrilator unit for several years and they just recently replaced it. I simply said that yes, he did have it replaced recently. Then I get this little gem: "It's a good thing he had it done now because with this new healthcare law, they're going to start refusing to give medical procedures to people if they're too old." Then he continued with, "And they're going to have this panel of people who aren't doctors making cuts to the medical care, and if they determine you're too old, they won't let you have things like artificial knees and things like that."

I just kind of stood there and smirked and didn't say anything, but inside I was like, "OMG!!! The old 'Death Panels' argument is back!!!"

So, based on this exchange, I've gathered a few things. First of all, my father-in-law must have spent either last night or this morning, or both, sitting around watching Faux News (because usually when he wants to inject political talk into the conversation, it's because he heard something on Faux News, which he always believes without question, and wants to repeat it to his "heathen" left-wing daughter and son-in-law in order to "show us the light" or something). Second, the old "Death Panels" argument, which was thoroughly debunked shortly after Sarah Palin made it TWO YEARS AGO must be back in circulation by the right-wing noise machine. Third, Republicans DO believe in recycling, because they're recycling all the old, failed arguments that didn't work the first time around. I figure it's only a matter of time before Dick Cheney shows up to tell us that if Obama gets re-elected the terrorists will attack us again like he did in 2008 (assuming he hasn't already done so--he's been poking his head up out of the cesspool a lot more lately).

So let it never be said that right-wingers don't believe in recycling, because I have proof that they do. The only difference is that the garbage they recycle doesn't help the Earth get any cleaner.