A RITZY RESORT AND THE RICH REPUBLICAN RESIDENTS
I attended the annual Christmas Party for members of a ritzy resort in Horseshoe Bay. A member invited me, so off I went.
The community's median household income is $76,000, which doesn't account for the money held in IRAs, retirement, offshore banks, etc. It's a wealthy community with an average age of well over 65. Most of the residents vote Republican and live in homes worth, on average, nearly $700,000. Several famous people are living in the community.
My friend loves discussing politics. It doesn't matter if they don't agree with her or not. She has the patience of Job and will try her best in a friendly, patient, and calm manner to listen to the opposition and try and convince them to see things her way. I admire her for her approach.
After a few drinks at our table, the discussion drifted to politics. I dreaded it. I knew the audience (wealthy Republicans) and didn't want to engage in anything less than pleasant on this night of dinner, dancing, and drinking. You haven't lived until you look out on the dance floor with about one hundred people, all considerably over 60, dancing to beat the band. This is what my life has come to.
Ordinarily, I stick to my tribe; women who describe themselves as "progressive" or "liberal." Like me, they are all retired from professional careers. They hate the direction Trump has led the country and are fighting like hell to reverse his racism, misogyny, and outright impulsive stupidity.
My friend led us into a lengthy discussion with the gentleman sitting at the table next to us. He is a retired executive with Time Warner and hates CNN and MSNBC. He should return his pension checks to them. He supports Trump's stance with North Korea and thinks that China is worried that Trump will start a nuclear war with North Korea and is working with North Korea to "calm them down." When I asked him for evidence of his statements, he could not give any examples that this, in fact, is occurring. He furthermore indicated that Japan would intercept it if North Korea actually launched a nuclear missile. Wishful thinking.
Yet, he believes CNN and MSNBC are full of fake news. When asked about Fox News, he responded that they sometimes "don't get facts right." He furthermore feels that Roy Moore, the candidate for Senator from Alabama, is a "fine and wonderful man" who has been the target of a hatchet job from the DNC. When I asked him if the RNC was behind the hatchet job on Al Franken, he said, "No."
When you get into discussions with men like him, the conversation always moves to disparaging comments about Hillary. He absolutely hates her and feels she should be in prison. I responded, "Of course you hate her. You're a white male." He ignored my comment and continued describing Hillary as a murderer, and if she were President, we would no longer have a country. He thinks Trump has made our country great again, although he could not articulate precisely what he's done for us.
He started criticizing "ObamaCare." When I asked if he read the ACA, he asked what I meant. I explained that "ObamaCare" was actually the Affordable Care Act. He then indicated that he had read a few pages. He started talking about how fantastic the House and Senate Tax Bills were. I asked if he had read them. He responded that he had not. I shared with him that I had read the bills, and they favored the wealthy. When I inquired if he were rich, his response was, "I live in Horseshoe Bay, so of course, I'm wealthy."
Welcome to my town. This describes the average man (and wife who enjoying the wealth) in Horseshoe Bay. It's a bunch of wealthy people, ill-informed, brain-washed by Fox News, and lacking empathy for those less fortunate.
I'm returning to my tribe.
The community's median household income is $76,000, which doesn't account for the money held in IRAs, retirement, offshore banks, etc. It's a wealthy community with an average age of well over 65. Most of the residents vote Republican and live in homes worth, on average, nearly $700,000. Several famous people are living in the community.
My friend loves discussing politics. It doesn't matter if they don't agree with her or not. She has the patience of Job and will try her best in a friendly, patient, and calm manner to listen to the opposition and try and convince them to see things her way. I admire her for her approach.
After a few drinks at our table, the discussion drifted to politics. I dreaded it. I knew the audience (wealthy Republicans) and didn't want to engage in anything less than pleasant on this night of dinner, dancing, and drinking. You haven't lived until you look out on the dance floor with about one hundred people, all considerably over 60, dancing to beat the band. This is what my life has come to.
Ordinarily, I stick to my tribe; women who describe themselves as "progressive" or "liberal." Like me, they are all retired from professional careers. They hate the direction Trump has led the country and are fighting like hell to reverse his racism, misogyny, and outright impulsive stupidity.
My friend led us into a lengthy discussion with the gentleman sitting at the table next to us. He is a retired executive with Time Warner and hates CNN and MSNBC. He should return his pension checks to them. He supports Trump's stance with North Korea and thinks that China is worried that Trump will start a nuclear war with North Korea and is working with North Korea to "calm them down." When I asked him for evidence of his statements, he could not give any examples that this, in fact, is occurring. He furthermore indicated that Japan would intercept it if North Korea actually launched a nuclear missile. Wishful thinking.
Yet, he believes CNN and MSNBC are full of fake news. When asked about Fox News, he responded that they sometimes "don't get facts right." He furthermore feels that Roy Moore, the candidate for Senator from Alabama, is a "fine and wonderful man" who has been the target of a hatchet job from the DNC. When I asked him if the RNC was behind the hatchet job on Al Franken, he said, "No."
When you get into discussions with men like him, the conversation always moves to disparaging comments about Hillary. He absolutely hates her and feels she should be in prison. I responded, "Of course you hate her. You're a white male." He ignored my comment and continued describing Hillary as a murderer, and if she were President, we would no longer have a country. He thinks Trump has made our country great again, although he could not articulate precisely what he's done for us.
He started criticizing "ObamaCare." When I asked if he read the ACA, he asked what I meant. I explained that "ObamaCare" was actually the Affordable Care Act. He then indicated that he had read a few pages. He started talking about how fantastic the House and Senate Tax Bills were. I asked if he had read them. He responded that he had not. I shared with him that I had read the bills, and they favored the wealthy. When I inquired if he were rich, his response was, "I live in Horseshoe Bay, so of course, I'm wealthy."
Welcome to my town. This describes the average man (and wife who enjoying the wealth) in Horseshoe Bay. It's a bunch of wealthy people, ill-informed, brain-washed by Fox News, and lacking empathy for those less fortunate.
I'm returning to my tribe.
Comments
Post a Comment