THE REALITY PILL

(and why we need one)

(Scoper)

Take a "reality pill," and suddenly you will find that the so-called "rich" already pay a disproportionate share of taxes, that no U.S. Federal budget has ever been balanced "on the backs of the poor," and that politicians who claim that's the case are lying to you and they know it.

Take a reality pill, and find that no state is suffering from not collecting sales tax on Internet purchases, that government efforts to do so are yet another money and power grab. But they will start collecting from you eventually anyway, and put you in jail if you don't pay, under the nebulous mantra of "your fair share."

Take a "reality pill," and you will see that most owners of sport utility vehicles keep them cleaner than you keep your car, meaning they've probably never had an off-road adventure and never will, that you're forced to pull out of your parking space "blind," -- your view of traffic blocked by these behemoths -- so that their owners can convince themselves that somehow they're more than just working stiffs as you and I are.

Take a "reality pill, and it will burst upon you that for all the accusations, mud-slinging and pandering, the actual difference between Bush and McCain, or Bradley and Gore, is about the same as the difference between 1 percent and 2 percent milk.

Take a reality pill, and you will discover that gun-related violence appears to be much worse than it is because modern electronic media, with their "live shots" and 24-hour news cycles, milk each tragedy for every 10^th of a ratings point to be had. Never mind that if you're not involved in the illicit drug trade, its resultant gang turf warfare, or criminal behavior in general, it's extremely unlikely that you will ever be shot, shot at, or threatened by someone else with a gun.

Take a reality pill, and you will know that one reason so many air-travelers are frustrated is that there are so many more of them. Deregulation has put their flight within financial reach, when before, they might not have been able to afford the airplane ride at all.

Take a reality pill, and you will realize that under the Americans With Disabilities Act, which was passed with the best of intentions, (such as to make life a little easier for the wheelchair-bound,) that as much as 50 percent of the population can now be legally considered to have some type of "disability," forcing the other half to accommodate them under the threat of lawsuits. "I have 'attention deficit disorder', and need more time than you to take the SAT." "My child has a peanut allergy, therefore his entire school must become 'peanut-free', even if it means hand-searching every other kid's lunch to find the deadly Jif, Skippy or Peter Pan.

Take a reality pill, and it will become obvious to you that Curly really was funnier than Shemp, and that for you to know this, you've already wasted too much of your life watching the Three Stooges.

C'mon, pharmaceutical giants, get a move on! We need that reality pill today more than we ever have before!