Giving Thanks
I saw a story yesterday on Yahoo News that had to do with the difficulty of getting squatters out of a mansion for which they'd created a false lease. After a great deal of aggravating effort, made necessary by housing laws that even protected illegal squatters, they were finally evicted. I bring this up because the unfortunate headline of the story included an online quote from one of the angry neighbors: "Thanks, liberals."
Now, the thing is, whatever the reason for this law being on the books, I have no idea how long ago the law was written. Nor do I know who wrote it. Nor if it had bipartisan support. I don't even know what the law says, nor anything it covers. Nor, I'm sure, does the person who wrote "Thanks, liberals."
For all I know, the law might be an excellent one for the most part, a law that the online respondent would even support, but in things that properly need to be defended, there could be aspects of the law that allow its best and important intentions be abused. (Like, for example, how the appeals process is a necessary part of the legal system, but it can be abused to delay justice. And as the expression goes, "Justice delayed is justice denied.") Or yes, it might be an incredibly stupid law that went much too far. I don't know. I do know, however, that it's a law, part of the justice system, and "supporting illegal squatters on private property" is not part of any known liberal platform.
Mind you, it might well have been an issue pushed by liberals. But then, it also might have been a law pushed conservative business organizations -- like, perhaps, an association of realtors who wanted protections and this issue with squatters could have been an unintended consequence. I don't know.
But for the sake of argument, let's say this is a law pushed by liberals, and it's a stupid one, poorly written on behalf of helping homeless people that has far too many loopholes. Hey, liberals do occasionally make mistakes and sometimes pass laws I disagree with. For the most part, I think liberals do excellent things, and when they do err it's on the side of helping the public when it requires protections. Just like conservatives make mistakes, too -- and when they err, because everyone does, it's on the side of giving billionaires tax breaks, taking away health care from people in need, banning books, banning the teaching of black history, blocking the giving of water to people standing in line to vote and...well, things like that.
So. as long as we're going to "Thank liberals" for doing something -- again, for the sake of argument -- that maybe, possibly was stupid in an effort to support people from eviction that went too far, let's offer thanks to conservatives in warm and kindly return.
"Thanks, conservatives" for substantially -- or often even unanimously -- trying your best to block the passage of:
Social Security
Medicare
The Civil Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act
The 40-hour workweek
Child labor laws
FDIC banking protection
TVA electrification of rural America
GI Bill of Rights
Americans with Disabilities Act
Food Stamps
The Peace Corps
Freedom of Information Act
The Affordable Care Act
Oh, and while we're at it --
Abortion
Gay marriage
Affirmative Action
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
The American Rescue Plan
The Inflation Reduction Act
The Build Back Better Bill
The Infrastructure Bill
The CHIPS and Science Act
Aid to Ukraine
Gun protection laws
LGBTQ health rights
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion laws
And oh so much more.
Thanks, conservatives!
Thanks for your part in trying to make the United States a cold, selfish, mean-spirited. racist, homophobic country on behalf of the wealthy. Who get visited by three ghosts every Christmas, but never seem to learn.
Thanks, conservatives!
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