The Audacity of Matt

I heard an interesting analogy the other day.  It was told as an actual story from an actual university.  I tend to think it was a story made up to prove a point, but it does create an interesting  question….  The story begins with a college professor discussing attempts at income redistribution.  He was obviously against such measures and was continually interrupted by a student of his saying that it was not fair that some had so much and others did not.  She thought that it was the government’s responsibility to equalize people’s outcomes by taking from those who have a lot and giving to those who do not. The professor asked the young lady to stay after class to discuss this further.  He asked her for her GPA and was told that she has a 3.8.  He seemed pleased by this and informed her that the university was implementing a program that would take GPA points from those with high GPA’s and use them to boost the GPA’s of failing students.  She would go from a 3.8 to a 2.8 so that two students with 1.8 GPA’s could now receive a passing grade of 2.3.  Needless to say, she was not of supporter of redistribution when it came to GPA.

Of course, GPA is not the same as income or wealth.  But there are enough similarities to warrant discussion.  GPA, like wealth, is usually EARNED…not given out for no reason.  There are exceptions (for GPA there are the naturally gifted or those with connections in the schools, and for wealth there are family connections and inheritances) which give certain people a leg up.   This does not justify vilifying them.  The vast majority of people with high GPAs have them because they have worked hard for them.  Those who have low GPA’s do so for various reasons…..putting partying before schoolwork, not applying themselves, skipping classes and more compassionate reasons…having to work while in school, lack of support from family, less preparation  after attending an inferior high school.  Some failure earns your compassion, some failure earns your scorn…but does either warrant taking away GPA points from the top achievers to “level the playing field”?

Hello and welcome back to The Audacity Of Matt!  This week we will discuss hate crime legislation and whether the punishment should fit the crime, or if it should fit the motive.  As always, please keep on topic and don’t attack a particular party or person.

This is an issue that is very difficult for me because I see validity in both points of view.  On one hand,  murder is murder and assault is assault….that is the crime being committed.  If I had a loved one murdered and the guilty party got 20 years in prison while another murderer got 50 years because he yelled racial slurs while committing the murder, I would feel that my loved one did not see the same amount of justice.  Would we not be putting more worth on those protected classes by giving stricter sentences for crimes against them?

On the other hand, I don’t think that a person who gets caught vandalizing an abandoned warehouse by spray painting “Chris loves Amy” should be given the same sentence as someone caught putting swastikas on a synagogue.  While murder is murder and a life is lost in either of my earlier scenarios, in this case the motive of the crime lives on in the fear and the possible intimidation of the members of the synagogue.

Finally, while it sounds preposterous, wouldn’t the same logic lead us to “love crime” legislation, mandating lesser sentences for those who are committing a crime to help someone…….stealing to support their family in rough economic times, assaulting drug dealers that come into their neighborhoods?  If motive has the power to increase the seriousness of a crime, should it also have the power to decrease the seriousness of a crime?

My mind is not made up on this issue and I would love to hear your thoughts…..keep it nice!

Yes, my politics lean decidedly to one side, but I want to hear all sides of the issues and understand why people believe what they do.  I have friends on all sides of the political spectrum, some of whom I can discuss our differing views.  Unfortunately, I have other friends that the mere mention of politics, religion, or college football could spell the end of our friendships.  I would like to open certain subjects for conversation and discourse….share your views and reasoning without vitriol or animosity.

Today’s question is this….Does President Obama deserve the Nobel Peace Prize that was given to him this morning?

In my opinion, to present a Nobel Peace Prize to an individual who has spent such a short time dedicated to the pursuit of peace is a slap in the face to others who dedicated their lives to their causes such as Mother Theresa or Nelson Mandela.  He has spent a very short time in Congress and an even shorter time as President.  Regardless of how you feel about his politics or his apologetic attitude to the rest of the world for America’s perceived sins of the past, he simply has not had time to make any impact on peace, either on the domestic or global stage.  He has reached out to the Muslim world at the same time as he has weakened relations with Israel.  He has come into office with grand promises of changing not only the United States, but the world.  He may very well issue in a new era of global cooperation and peace, but that will not be seen for some time.  Awarding one of the worlds most prestigious awards to someone simply for pomises made, not for results delivered diminishes the meaning of the award as well as the legacy of those who have accepted the award in the past.

Please share your thoughts……..

Hollywood has done it again. This time it is Susan Sarandon holding America hostage with the threat of leaving the country if John McCain is elected. Although this tried and true strategy almost changed the course of history once before, the question remains whether the “Baldwin Gambit” is still viable.

This made me think………

Please , oh please, do not abandon
a country that needs you, Susan Sarandon.
For we would all be quite bereft
to lose you like Baldwin (oh wait, he never left)

Thank God for Rosie and Charlie Sheen too
For setting our compass and keeping us true.
The do so much more than just entertain.
They also look down on us with disdain.

Everyday Americans, too stupid to choose
Need your guidance lest the wrong person lose.
So Susan please tell us, so we don’t go astray.
We’ll elect who you want, if only you’ll stay.

I am a man, I am white.

I tuck my kids in every night.

I am a woman, I am black.

My husband’s serving in Iraq.

I am America.

I am poor, I am young

And I have stories yet unsung.

I am rich, I am old.

I too, have stories yet untold.

I am America.

I am Christian. I pray each day

For my Lord to guide me on my way.

I am Jewish, my faith is strong.

My heart is filled with David’s song.

I am America.

Atheist, Christian, Muslim, Jew,

I am those, to name a few.

Poor and rich, white and black,

I live in a mansion, a trailer, a farm, a shack.

Man and woman, boy and girl

I hold my heart when I see the flag unfurl

For there is nowhere I would rather be.

I am America. I am free.

Ted Turner, billionaire, social activist, and arguable nutcase recently made the following comments about global warming, overpopulation, and their possible effects.

“If steps aren’t taken to stem global warming W.e’ll be eight degrees hotter in 30 or 40 years and basically none of the crops will grow,”

He further elaborated with this.

“Most of the people will have died and the rest of us will be cannibals,” said Turner, 69. “Civilization will have broken down. The few people left will be living in a failed state — like Somalia or Sudan — and living conditions will be intolerable.”

This made me think…………

So Teddy has a theory

That we all will die quite soon,

But don’t you dare dismiss him

As another left wing loon.

Sure, the planet’s almost burning

And the glaciers are no more,

But Teddy is a businessman

Who is looking for a score.

So please don’t just attribute this

To Teddy’s leftward lean,

Just check his stock portfolio

For shares of Soylent Green.