Infinite Monkeys

Mother Doesn't Know Best

I just switched off Michael Medved's show. He was interviewing two of the founders of a group called Mothers Opposing Bush (or MOB). The ladies were attempting to make the point (one of many, I might add) that mercury levels in tuna should be a more visible issue in the current presidential election campaign than it is. Because kids eat tunafish sandwiches, moms want their kids to eat food that's relatively mercury-free, and what not.

Now, here's why I turned off the radio: mercury levels in tuna may very well be a problem, but—and this is a big but—it's not as vital a problem as, say, beefing up America's intelligence capability in order to prevent a nuclear weapon from being detonated in the middle of a major U.S. city in the name of Allah. Get it? What does John Kerry say about that? I don't know, but his Senate record is less than stellar on the subject. On the other hand, if Kerry wants to run on the mercury-in-tuna issue, more power to him.

Take a look at MOB's website, particularly the reasons "why we oppose Bush." It's sophistry, for the most part. For example, under talking points about the war, they refer to a report from the far-left Institute for Policy Studies suggesting that the $121 billion spent so far on the Iraq campaign could have paid for the salaries of 3 million elementary school teachers or bought 678,200 fire engines. The problem? The federal government doesn't pay elementary school teachers' salaries, or buy firetrucks for cities and towns.

Another example: MOB refers to a National Education Association piece that criticizes the Bush Administration for failing to "properly implement and fully fund" the No Child Left Behind law. The problem? President Bush's FY 2005 budget proposal asks for $57.3 billion in education spending—"representing a 3 percent increase over 2004 and a 35.8-percent gain for education programs since the president took office," according to the U.S. Department of Education. In other words, George Bush makes Bill Clinton look like a cheapskate. (By the way, this is nothing for Republicans to crow about.)

I'm not a sexist, but sometimes I think the 19th Amendment was a bad idea.

Posted by Ben at September 20, 2004 02:10 PM | TrackBack