Counterbias: Ben Franklin Weighs In On George W. Bush

Ben Franklin Weighs In On George W. Bush

October 29 2004
Counterbias.com
by Jack Walters

In the annals of sales and salesmen, perhaps the most effective sales closing technique ever devised is the "Ben Franklin" close, also known as the "Balance Sheet" close. Used by salesman for decades, the essence of this sales technique is that it brings the prospect to a buying decision. By way of history, here's how it all started: Old Ben advised an English scientist friend how to make an important personal choice his friend otherwise couldn't seem to make-not unlike the decision many of us are struggling with this coming November 2nd. Franklin wrote that the difficulty in making an important choice is because "all Reasons pro and con are not present to the mind at the same time." Franklin suggested dividing a sheet of paper into two columns, designating one as "FOR" and the other "AGAINST". Then, over a period of time, filling in each column as thoughts occurred to him so that "when each reason is thus considered separately and comparatively, and the whole lies before me, I think I judge better and less likely to make a rash step."

Americans now face a crucial and perplexing decision in whether or not to send Mr. Bush back to the Whitehouse for another four years. If ever there was a time for careful evaluation, this is it! So, in the tradition of Benjamin Franklin, let's do a balance sheet on George W. Bush:

Should I Vote To Re-elect Bush?

VOTE YES	VOTE NO
George Bush is working hard fighting terrorism and bringing freedom to the Middle East .	The phony war on terrorism is a cover for attacking any nation with resources, and “freedom” cannot be enforced on anyone at the point of a gun.
George Bush punished Saddam for 9/11	Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11. This completely false insinuation by the media is, however, believed by over half the country.
George Bush talks to God: “God instructed me to strike at Saddam”.	Many tyrants throughout history have claimed divine authority for heinous acts. Apparently “Divine Right of Kings” is alive and well in Washington .
George Bush stopped Saddam from using weapons of mass destruction and launching chemical weapons in 45 minutes.	No weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq to date.
George Bush is fighting for America in Iraq and winning hearts and minds.	What? How is illegally invading and occupying a sovereign country, killing thousands in the process, and angering the entire world “fighting for America ”? And, if we were winning hearts and minds, why are we receiving over 80 attacks per day?
George Bush has made us safer here by fighting terrorism over there.	Our violent interventionist policy in the rest of the world means we are safe nowhere.
George Bush has given Iraq back a sovereign government.	We have no sovereignty to grant as the war was illegal. The puppet government Bush installed has even less support than Vichy France .
George Bush has created over 300,000 jobs.	Over 5 million jobs have been outsourced in the past four years by Mr. Bush’s corporate friends.
George Bush has cut taxes.	Yeah. For the upper 2%
George Bush wants smaller government.	Government has grown by a third these past four years.
George Bush wants amnesty for illegal aliens.	Great. First create a problem by wide-open borders. Then solve the created problem by granting amnesty, further burdening state and local governments with increased welfare and medical costs.
George Bush has given us the “best economy in twenty years”.	Oh Susanna, don’t you cry for me…
George Bush supports our troops.	By not attending a single funeral of a fallen soldier, not to mention cutting veterans’ benefits and keeping our wounded soldiers hidden away often in squalid conditions.
George Bush has made us safer with the Patriot Act.	A cleaver name often belies evil intent. This “Patriot Act” deceptively sold to the congress and America , is the greatest assault on our Constitutional freedoms ever undertaken and compares eerily to Hitler’s Enabling Act.
George Bush would never lie to us.	The justifications for attacking Iraq have been all shown to be complete lies. In fact, one is hard put to find any major issue this Administration has been truthful about.
George Bush is helping the “Chosen People” by fighting Israel ’s enemies, as millions of fundamentalist “Judeo-Christians” believe.	So is this the real reason for this war? Why haven’t we been told?

So there you have it, a Ben Franklin balance sheet on George W. Bush. Old Ben would be proud. But in actuality, what this sheet reveals is sinister and disturbing. You see, the fanatic Bush supporters, wearing their blinders proudly, believe only the information in the FOR column, while a few of us, willing to consider the whole of the vital issues expressed above, have seen through the looking glass and discovered that the AGAINST column is a damning assessment of this dangerous administration that is not only bankrupting our country but placing us in grave risk of world war. It is apparent, with armies mobilizing all over the world, that the Bush cabal has engendered a war cycle. Just as nations formed a coalition to stop Hitler from waging pre-emptive wars of aggression, nations could very well ally themselves against us for the same reason. Judging from the bellicose, war-threatening words against Iran and Syria, and talk of a new draft, Bush hasn't even begun to fight his planned wars.

When you vote November 2nd, remember Ben Franklin's sound advice and consider the "whole" of the matter.

Jack Walters (rapid.press@verizon.net) is a former GOP County Chairman who resigned March 10, 2003 to protest the Iraq war. His resignation letter was widely published, and can still be found on many websites.