When we moved in to our subdivision on Amelia Island, Florida, 11 years ago, our neighbors told us we were a “target” neighborhood for Halloween. We learned what that means is that even though we do not have many children who actually live in our subdivision, it is a quiet, low-traffic, non-gated community with nice people who give treats to children on Halloween.  In other words, in the great American tradition, we are ripe for exploitation and extracting a profit, in this case measured in candy and other treats.  So parents figuring it’s a good deal, import their kids in vans to our subdivision for the evening. 

When I was a kid, (and I know people hate seniors talking about the “good old days,”) those of us between say five and 12 years old walked around our own neighborhood  dressed in costumes and our neighbors played the “Oh who is this little ghost?  Is that little Billy?” And we giggled and got a piece of candy.

Now today where I live, Halloween has become the candy/treat extraction industry.  We know absolutely none of the kids who come to the door since they have been imported from elsewhere by their parents, we can’t play the “Oh who is this?” game?  The kids just walk up hold out their bag and when prompted by their parents standing in the background mumble “say thank you,” and scoot off.

No one will really believe this today, but our parents didn’t come with us.  The 12-year olds escorted the younger kids because everybody in the neighborhood knew everybody else.  Now the parents transport their kids to neighborhoods where nobody knows them and I seriously doubt some of those parents’ motives.

Last night, Halloween, four toddlers in strollers showed up at out door pushed by their very fat parents. (Fat, in America, seems to be the new “attractive” but that is a different subject.) The oldest baby was 18 months and the youngest was sucking on a bottle of milk so it was really young and had no idea of where it was nor what was going on.  Now do you think the parents of those kids were trying to give them an enriching holiday experience or were they looking for a stash of candy for themselves?

Between 6:00 p.m. and 6:50 p.m. we gave out 100 treats my wife bought, to 100 kids we did not know and who do not live any where near us, then we turned out the lights and shut down Halloween.  I think I should add, this time for good.

The Republicans have shut down the government because their extortion plan did not work.  In the opinion of two out of three Americans, shutting down the government over Obamacare was a dumb thing to do.  Coincidently or not, the enrolment in the Affordable Care Act opened the same day the government closed which prompted a Facebook friend to declare “now the left wing Propaganda Wars begin.”  Interesting.  The right wing Propaganda Wars have been waging ever since the ACA (a.k.a. Obamacare) became law.   (Yes, Tea Partyers it is the law.)  Ever since the law passed, Republicans have been telling us Obamacare is a “train wreck.”  It is a “disaster.”  It’s a “job killer.”   Some Congressmen have soared to new heights of hyperbole.  One said, “The worst thing that could happen to America.”  Another shreiked, “we’re discovering new horrors every day,” and yet another added, “it’s the greatest threat our country has even known.”  In philosophy, rhetoric and logic, these are called “fallacious arguments.”  They are meaningless. They appeal to your fears and ignorance because they give you no information about why Obamacare is all these horrible things. Unfortunately, a lot of people fall for them. I believe what my Facebook friend was expressing is the right wingers’ fear that as enrolments in the ACA go forward, Americans will discover that it might actually be good for the millions of people who can’t get health insurance because of pre-existing conditions or can’t afford it because premiums are too high.  It will be interesting to see if Americans will see through the right wingers fallacious arguments and recognize them for what they are, bullshit.