Push Poll Fun

Back when Jenny and I more frequently occupied opposing sides of the political fence - she seriously considering herself a Republican and I seriously considering myself a Democrat - we regularly received all sorts of partisan hackery in the form of alarmist mail and robocalls.

After we became independent voters, we hoped that the onslaught would drop. Sadly, we were wrong.

Just yesterday, for example, Jenny received a Republican National Committee "2009 Obama Agenda Survey" in a loud yellow envelope. The survey, which warns "DO NOT DESTROY" five times in a single line, is really a fundraising pitch, complete with a gift guide starting at $30 (allowing cheapskates to swallow their guilt with an "option" option).

While all 15 questions are hilariously one-sided, there are two contenders for the most obnoxiously deceptive question:

• "Do you believe that the best way to increase the quality and effectiveness of public education in the U.S. is to rapidly expand federal funding while eliminating performance standards and accountability?"

• "Are you in favor of creating a government-funded 'Citizen Volunteer Corps' that would pay young people to do work now done by churches and charities, earning Corps Members the same pay and benefits given to military veterans?

But my favorite, the one belonging in the Push Poll Hall of Shame, is this question:

• "Do you support the creation of a national health care plan that would be administered by bureaucrats in Washington D.C.?"

Sounds more innocuous than obnoxious, huh? Well, imagine this alternative:

"Do you support the creation of a national defense force (including a group called The Army) that would be administered by bureaucrats (called Generals) in Washington D.C. (in a building called The Pentagon)?"

Some folks hate big government, until they love it. Give me a break.