# "How's that hopey-changey thing workin' out for ya?"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [April 1, 2010, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563 "2010-04-01T12:18:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/61 "2010-04-02T00:39:51Z")

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> [@NOLA\_Cajun](#):
>
> I HOPE that someday this country will CHANGE to a pure Libertarian society and toss out all of the republicans and democrats.

“Welcome to Somalia!”

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**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/62 "2010-04-02T02:09:12Z")

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> [@Equipoise](#):
>
> Yeah, it’s weird. Libertarians and right-wingers want this country to be like Somalia (and India, where millions of poor live in shanty towns and scavenge mounds of garbage piles) but they never come right out and say so.

I doubt they want it to be much like India. The highest marginal tax rate there is 30% or just 5% lower than it is here. India has the second-largest uniformed military in the world, and spends 2.5% of its GDP on defense.

Oh, and it was a socialist democracy until the early nineties and still has some nationalized industries.

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**Author:** ![NOLA\_Cajun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea666f/32.png) [@NOLA\_Cajun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NOLA_Cajun)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/63 "2010-04-02T03:39:20Z")

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“Ah likes mah kittehs and puppehs in a sammich” \<----I just want to know how I got that tagline under my name. I’m honored. Very funny too. Thank you to whomever did that.

Somalia? India? Apparently, our views on libertarianism differ. But since this isn’t the forum for debate I’ll just say you probably molest goats. Too, I hope and pray to one day take away your grandmas social security and medicaire so she can see how much YOU truly love her as you watch her die in the streets. Personally, I helped take care of my parents in their last days and didn’t shirk that responsibility off on the government so I could have my precious flat screen tv, sattelite dish and 2 new cars. Fucking welfare queens forcing me to take care of your goddamn responsibilities. May your mouth be filled with bat gauno and your eyes plucked out by a rusty nail wielding rabid ape.

p.s. And I do love a good sammich!! You must have ESPN!

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**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/64 "2010-04-02T03:57:37Z")

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> [@NOLA Cajun](#):
>
> Personally, I helped take care of my parents in their last days and didn’t shirk that responsibility off on the government

:dubious: You’re telling us that your parents had NO social insurance benefits such as Social Security and Medicare AT ALL? You and they paid for ALL their living and care expenses out of private income?

Uh-huh. Let’s see, that means that either:

– Your parents didn’t live in this country (or didn’t live here long enough to get SS and Medicare eligibility)

– Neither of your parents ever worked long enough to qualify for SS eligibility (i.e., they paid FICA taxes on wages for less than 10 years), which sure doesn’t sound very independent or self-reliant to me.

– Both your parents died while they were still too young to qualify for benefits (as did my own father, btw, but you don’t see me whining about having to pay taxes help support other people who are fortunate enough to live to retirement age, such as my own mother for example).  
Or, more realistically, what it probably means is that your parents **did** actually receive at least some government benefits but you don’t mention it because it would spoil your libertarian pose of sturdy independence. :rolleyes:

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**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/65 "2010-04-02T04:12:43Z")

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> [@NOLA\_Cajun](#):
>
> Fucking welfare queens forcing me to take care of your goddamn responsibilities.

What are you going to do about it?

The one thing I like about libertarians is they hate like hell to be poor, so no matter how high we raise their taxes, they just work like beavers to maintain their standard of living.

You’re working for us now. How’s it feel?

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**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/66 "2010-04-02T04:26:40Z")

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“Welfare queens”? That is just so _quaint_! Sounds like something off _Antiques Road Show…_

“Well, what you’ve got here is a recycled styrofoam scapegoat, the Cadillac Welfare Queen, from the early 80’s. Note how carefully the tiny little food stamps are rendered, the precision is very impressive for $1.22/thousand crap produced by slave labor in Singapore… On the open market, you’d have to pay to have it hauled away, but **NOLA** will give you a couple bucks for it…”

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**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/67 "2010-04-02T04:46:22Z")

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> [@NOLA\_Cajun](#):
>
> Fucking welfare queens forcing me to take care of your goddamn responsibilities.

I can smell your soul rotting from here.

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/68 "2010-04-02T04:51:27Z")

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Just so I understand what’s going on here… The OP is telling us that he’s not as sharp as Sarah Palin, and can’t think of a pithy response to her “hopey changey thing”. Or is it that he’s so intellectual, that he can’t bring himself to stoop to her level of catch-phrase? Of course, one alternative he might want to consider is to just ignore her.

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**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/69 "2010-04-02T05:20:51Z")

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Okay, but she’ll cry. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

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**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/70 "2010-04-02T05:48:18Z")

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Frankly, the “y’s” in “hopey-changey” make the question sound kind of immature and silly, even if its intent is serious.

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**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/71 "2010-04-02T06:03:51Z")

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I take it thats the point, playing off the tried and true tighty righty image of themselves as the hard-headed and mature ones.

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**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/72 "2010-04-02T06:10:14Z")

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> [@NOLA\_Cajun](#):
>
> Fucking welfare queens forcing me to take care of your goddamn responsibilities.

There’s no such thing as a welfare queen. Welfare (TANF) is only available for 60 months now, and has been since 1996.

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**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/73 "2010-04-02T11:49:37Z")

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> [@John\_Mace](#):
>
> Just so I understand what’s going on here… The OP is telling us that he’s not as sharp as Sarah Palin, and can’t think of a pithy response to her “hopey changey thing”. Or is it that he’s so intellectual, that he can’t bring himself to stoop to her level of catch-phrase? Of course, one alternative he might want to consider is to just ignore her.

What the OP is telling you is that he’s come up with some ripostes, both serious and clever, but he’s sure that his fellow Dopers have devised their own clever and to-the-point responses, and he’d like to hear them. Do try to keep up.

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/74 "2010-04-02T12:12:44Z")

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WTF are you talking about?  
There are no American indians in Singapore!

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**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/75 "2010-04-02T14:09:51Z")

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> [@Squink](#):
>
> WTF are you talking about?  
> There are no American indians in Singapore!

A picture of a kachina doll wearing a Singapore Airlines-logo’d shirt, with the caption ‘Hopi-Changi thing’ would make a great obscure t-shirt.

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**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/76 "2010-04-02T14:27:18Z")

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> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#):
>
> There’s no such thing as a welfare queen. Welfare (TANF) is only available for 60 months now, and has been since 1996.

Not only that, but people who receive welfare must either be working or actively seeking employment.

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**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/77 "2010-04-02T14:57:17Z")

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> [@NOLA\_Cajun](#):
>
> Too, I hope and pray to one day take away your grandmas social security and medicaire so she can see how much YOU truly love her as you watch her die in the streets.

What, public streets? You socialist bastard!

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**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/78 "2010-04-02T20:16:33Z")

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> [@Kimstu](#):
>
> :dubious: You’re telling us that your parents had NO social insurance benefits such as Social Security and Medicare AT ALL? You and they paid for ALL their living and care expenses out of private income?
> 
> Uh-huh. Let’s see, that means that either:
> 
> – Your parents didn’t live in this country (or didn’t live here long enough to get SS and Medicare eligibility)
> 
> – Neither of your parents ever worked long enough to qualify for SS eligibility (i.e., they paid FICA taxes on wages for less than 10 years), which sure doesn’t sound very independent or self-reliant to me.
> 
> – Both your parents died while they were still too young to qualify for benefits (as did my own father, btw, but you don’t see me whining about having to pay taxes help support other people who are fortunate enough to live to retirement age, such as my own mother for example).
> 
> Or, more realistically, what it probably means is that your parents **did** actually receive at least some government benefits but you don’t mention it because it would spoil your libertarian pose of sturdy independence. :rolleyes:

You forgot to add: “bee-atch”.

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**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/79 "2011-10-13T20:04:27Z")

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How is that laughing stock thing going for you?

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**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-that-hopey-changey-thing-workin-out-for-ya/534563/80 "2011-10-13T20:10:08Z")

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> [@msmith537](#):
>
> How is that laughing stock thing going for you?

I’d like to note that nowhere in this thread are the words “laughing” or “stock” other than in your post.

Is there a point you were trying to make with an 18-month zombie?

-Joe

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