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Democrats: The Gullible Party?

10/29/2013

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RICOCHET.COM

Those Tea Party types sure are dumb. While political elites were leading socioeconomic colloquies in Ivy League lecture halls, these uncultured proles were raising kids, building common businesses and(shudder) reading best-sellers. It’s a wonder such snake-handling hill people can find their way to a doctor’s office, let alone purchase their own insurance.

So how did the unsophisticated conservative rubes have Obamacare figured out from the start while our lettered elites fell for it hook, line and sinker? Many Tea Partiers don’t even carry a professional suffix, yet knew that the scheme would cost most people more money while providing worse care.


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From Old Glory to 'New Hope'

10/26/2013

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RICOCHET

Upset by the lack of unity in the United States, a Philadelphia graphic designer has redesigned all 50 state flags using a common design theme. Ed Mitchell of the Philadelphia design firm Bresslergroup limits the colors to red, white and blue, and features only bold, simple designs. Gone are those troublesome state seals, mottos and other text that might hint at divergence from the collective “we.”
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The designer explains:
I was immediately bothered by how discordant [state flags] are as a group, and I wasn’t surprised to learn they break just about every rule of flag design… When you look at them all together, there’s no indication they come from the same nation.

Unfortunately this is an accurate representation of where we are right now as a country. We can’t seem to get anything done. But we used to. As a tribute to the collective creativity that brought us this far — and, truth be told, to the “united-ness” I hope we adopt in the future — I embarked on a project to redesign all fifty state flags.
Emboldened by the Obama campaign’s elevation of graphic design over ideas or experience, Mitchell wants to eliminate partisanship with a top-down vexillological solution. Color me vexed.
To begin to create a cohesive group of flags I first stripped away everything (like Civil War symbols) that reminded me of a divided nation. I removed the numbers that indicated a state’s induction into the union. It might sound silly, but I aimed to get rid of anything that could point to rivalry, i.e., who came first.
It “might” sound silly? Don’t sell yourself short.
I used color as my unifying branding element. Color is commonly used to signify brand identity — even more than form, color can unite a product with its family. I brightened up the red, white, and blue. (I was okay with the colors being more reminiscent of the French flag than Great Britain’s.)
Mitchell calls the wimpier blue and red a change from “Old Glory” to “New Hope” which makes me want to cry. He also mandates that state flags must be smaller than New Hope, apparently just to shame them.

I’m sorry, but on what planet is this…
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…superior to this?
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He continues:
 love the idea that we can argue and fight with each other and that we have the freedom to redesign potent, historic symbols. Freedom of expression— of speech and ideas — is what makes this nation great. But…
You knew there was a “but” coming.
…But lately it feels like we’re off balance. I believe design can be used as a tool to challenge our current beliefs — in this case, to make people think about what we represent, what image we want to project, and how it will look when we’re all working together.
Since I am both a graphic designer and a proud federalist, I take this project as a personal insult. What do you think of your flag’s new design?
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Obamacare: The Game

10/23/2013

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RICOCHET

Ricochet member Nate posted on Obamacare's embarrassing new "Brosurance" ads (and I wrote about them here), but did you know that the same brain trust created an Obamacare game? Step away from Candy Crush and Words with Friends to play The Game of Obamacare!

In this online Life knockoff, your happiness is directly proportional to the amount of governmental intervention in your personal affairs. You start by choosing your game piece (in shockingly heteronormative colors of pink and blue) and spinning the digital wheel.


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In Colorado, ObamaCare Ads Look More Like Animal House M.D.

10/23/2013

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FREEDOMWORKS

Back when I was a wee li’l blogger just finding my way in the online world, I created a lot of Photoshops (like this, this and this). They were fun to make, but as we entered the Age of Obama, the actual photos became funnier than anything I could create (like this, this and this).

The deeper we fall into the President’s progressive rabbit hole, the more ridiculous the images get. Take Colorado’s latest effort to con encourage young, healthy Americans to sign up for Obamacare.

The Centennial State launched its “Get Covered” effort by paying nearly naked models to prance around downtown Denver in flesh-toned skivvies. How this stunt escaped the notice of ever-vigilant feminist groups is beyond me, but it apparently had little impact.


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The Reality of America's Finances

10/21/2013

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FREEDOMWORKS

When Washington raised the debt ceiling this week, the Beltway media breathlessly reported that the fiscal crisis had ended. Lawyers danced in hallways, bureaucrats twerked on the Metro, congressional aides kissed strangers in the streets — the Tea Party has been defeated! It was like VJ day for wonks.

As our political class exchanged high fives and reporters praised a return to “sanity,” I wondered how these odd creatures defined insanity. 

America’s fiscal crisis is not that our debt ceiling was too low, the fiscal crisis is that our debt is too high. When I mentioned this to left-leaning folks, they seemed indifferent. “Obama lowered the deficit.” “I think Bush spent more.“ “It’s Reagan’s fault!”

So I made this infographic:

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America's Finances

10/17/2013

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By popular request, here is a high-resolution version of a chart I created for Ricochet.com.
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You can find the actual column below the fold...

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Shutdown Burnout

10/15/2013

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RICOCHET

Like most Ricochetti, I'm a political geek. But this shutdown kabuki is taking all the fun out of it. Three weeks of DC sausage-making play-by-play makes me want to turn off the news, form a Smiths tribute band & tour Indian casinos.

One Hill reporter tweets, "the latest rumor of a possible deal must include a show vote on a 2.3-month exemption for 704b12.1 revenue receipts, according to an unnamed squash partner of a Tea Party-curious congressional staffer." Thirty seconds later, "Reid mocks trial balloon as 'suicidal schizophrenia,' compares staffer to 'Pol Pot on a bad day.'"


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EBT Outage Provides Opportunity for Real Compassion

10/14/2013

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FREEDOMWORKS

There was panic at supermarkets over the weekend. Low-income Americans in 17 states were turned away from cash registers due to a computer outage affecting their electronic food-stamp cards.

Outrage erupted in store aisles and even on Twitter.

Mom saw a bunch of women crying bc their EBT cards dont work & now they cant feed their kids. Breaks my heart. #governmentshutdown

— emily (@_emilyotero) October 12, 2013

Wow... Government shut down has started affecting people.. EBT (bridge cards are off)

Nationwide EBT shutdown...? Folks can't eat....This is about to be all kinda bad. Folks about to riot.

— RaShad (@ByRaShad) October 12, 2013

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BuckyBalls - Another Victim of the Ultimate Bully: Government

10/12/2013

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FREEDOMWORKS

October is Bullying Prevention Awareness Month, according to StopBullying.gov — a federal website that is suspiciously still operating during the government’s draconian 17% shutdown.

The official website defines bullying as “unwanted, aggressive behavior” that involves “a real or perceived power imbalance.” Instead of focusing on grade-school toughs administering swirlies and wedgies, government should focus on the far more sinister bullying from their own bureaucracy.

A businessman named Craig Zucker sold sets of small, strong magnetic spheres called BuckyBalls. In 2009 his creation became an Internet sensation and by the following year his company had $10 million in sales.


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Jon Stewart vs. Sebelius

10/8/2013

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RICOCHET

I'm not a Jon Stewart fan. And, after last night, neither is Kathleen Sebelius.

The liberal comedian eschewed his nightly routine of making funny faces after awkward Fox News clips and instead interviewed the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Stewart was armed with a couple of common-sense questions that left the star-struck Sebelius bewildered.

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