There you have it. The State of the Union is in the history books and the obligatory social media pontifications have begun.
For clarification, pontification is "the act of speaking out for the purpose of hearing oneself speak.
Posturing...speaking to people that don't really care what you say one way or another since you're speaking solely to front yourself as "someone in charge"'. (source: Urban Dictionary)
In fact, this article may, in fact, be classified by some as a pontification; but, I digress.
As the pundits from both sides of the aisle start dissecting and analyzing last night's speech; let's remember that as the insults and accusations begin to fly on social media there are issues closer to home that we all can be advocating for without alienating our social media friends.
There are those in the south; many of whom who spent the night trapped on icy highways in their cars fighting to stay warm. There is the senior citizen down the block wondering if the frigid cold and icy roads are going to keep the "meals on wheels" volunteer from delivering what would probably be their only hot meal for the day. There is the single parent sending their child off to school this morning worrying if he or she will be warm enough at the bus stop.
The examples above are just the tip of the iceberg. They serve as reminders that, while we each have a right to express our personal opinions regarding the President's speech, we should not lose sight of what is happening in our own backyards. They are just as important as the president's proponents and refuters arguments over the national political and social issues. However, insulting our social media friends over these issues is serving no purpose other than adding more fuel to an already raging firestorm.
Binghamton radio airwaves recently played host to an in-depth interview with Donald Trump. The former GOP Presidential hopeful is currently being rumored as a potential opponent against New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo in November. You can listen to the full interview here: WNBF Trump Interview
Several of the points made by Mr. Trump need to be addressed.
1. New York State has the highest taxes in the nation. This couldn't be further from the truth. Currently, Maryland ranks highest of the top 5 states nationwide. (source: Bloomberg via MSN Money). New York does rank at #3 highest. However, the bipartisan proposals being touted in Albany should help to reduce the current personal and corporate tax burdens across the state.
2. They want to take away all of New Yorkers' guns under the SafeAct. Again, this is a flat out fallacy. While the law may still need some tweaking, one thing is for certain; it does not state anywhere in its current form that New Yorkers will have to give up all their legally registered firearms. On December 31, 2013, Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny, of the Federal District Court in Buffalo, upheld most of the New York SAFE Act, saying that its provisions "further the state's important interest in public safety.... it does not totally disarm New York's citizens; and it does not meaningfully jeopardize their right to self-defense". (source: New York Times "Federal Judge Upholds Majority of New York Gun Law" 12/31/2013)
To be fair, there was one statement made by Mr. Trump which cannot be disputed. People are fleeing the State of New York. However, there are a variety of reasons for this as there are for every other state in the Northeast experiencing the same phenomenon. To bluntly place the blame on the current administration and the governor does a disservice to those listening to Mr. Trump.
No matter where you personally fall on the political spectrum, you owe it to yourself to check out the "facts" before believing or sharing. It is only going to get worse as we move forward in this important election year.
Please excuse me for interrupting your comments and online posts for just a second. I understand that your negative rants are just as important as the "feel good" posts that I share with my online connections; however, does that mean you have the right to hijack my positive outlook on the world and, in turn, ruin my entire day?
We all have our opinions when it comes to politics, social issues and, yes, even cats. If you post something I do not agree with, I make the conscious effort to either reply with facts that substantiate my opinion or simply scroll right by your post. I do not go out of my way to post a comment that is disparaging or outright mean spirited.
Maybe I am naive to think that adults are capable of having an intelligent online conversation without the name calling and vile comments. This was not how I was raised nor was it how I was taught to carry on conversations with people I may disagree with.
Yes, debate is important and a fact of life. I am not discouraging it by any means. It you disagree with something I post, then state your case as to why. Simply calling a third party out in your reply does not help to advance your case.
All too often, there are those (myself included) who have been forced to delete a post because the comments posted in response have gone rogue. These forced deletions go against the whole purpose of social media.
We can be social without being mean spirited.
