The Doggy Diaries... gone to the dogs!

Michelle Malkin's Media Diversity Quiz

If you consider yourself a Conservative, listen to Conservative talk radio, or read online publications such as Townhall.com, NationalReview.com, or The American Spectator at Spectator.org, then you have likely heard of the outspoken and never-short-on-opinions Michelle Malkin. In addition to her column at Townhall.com and books that she's written, Michelle also dutifully maintains an online blog. One of her most recent posts is “Media Diversity Quiz.” You can read more about the premise of the quiz at her blog.

At this time, I'd like to present my answers to her quiz.

1. I have never voted for a Democrat in my life.
   Yep, I can proudly say that I have never voted for a Democratic candidate since the tender age of 18 when I first registered to vote.
   Points = 1
2. I think my taxes are too high.
   In spite of the fact that my honey bunny and I are considered “rich” by Federal standards (we are in the third highest tax bracket), we still cannot afford to buy a house in this god-forsaken state because real estate prices are too high. The fact that we can't get the mortgage deduction because we can't afford to buy a house puts us right in the middle of a vicious circle or a catch-22 because money that we could save towards a home is instead funneled to the Federal government because we don't own the house we would be saving for (and are not able to claim the mortgage interest deduction). Do you see the predicament we're in? Couple that with the fact that we are in the highest income tax bracket in California. Also, California has one of the highest sales tax rates of any state. Our gas taxes cause our gas prices to shoot through the roof, and there is a tax on just about everything else. Then there are taxes for programs such as Social Security and Medicare, neither of which my honey or I will see in our senior years because those programs will be bankrupt before either of us can even think about retirement. So do I think my taxes are too high? Well, let's add it up.
   Federal Income Tax = 28%
   State Income Tax = 9.3%
   Social Security = 6.2%
   Medicare = 2.9%
   State Sales Tax = 8.25%
   Gasoline Tax = $0.504/gallon = 25.2% when gas is $2.00/gallon (an average price in California)
   Total Taxes Out of My Pocket = 79.85%
   So, right out of my pocket, before I even see one penny of my paycheck, I must give 46.4% of my income to the government. Once I am finally graced by the government enough to receive 63.6% of what I've actually earned, another 33.45% comes out of my pocket for state sales and gax taxes. In actuality, I spend a lot more money on gasoline taxes than I do on sales taxes because of my long commute, so I would even go so far as to skew my taxes on a weighted average made higher by larger purchases of gasoline than items from a standard retail establishment.
   So, the final analysis indicates that HELL YES, MY TAXES ARE TOO HIGH.
   Points = 1
3. I supported Bill Clinton's impeachment.
   Absolutely. That man had no morals or scruples and was an embarassment to Americans. The Democrats are always so concerned about the rest of the world's opinion of America, but yet they were so willing to overlook or deny the fact that Clinton made us the laughing stock of the world when he was in office and this scandal was being aired.
   Points = 1
4. I voted for President Bush in 2000.
   No, I did not vote in 2000 because I had moved for college and hadn't yet updated my voter registration when I moved. I will be voting for him in 2004 unless he does something really stupid like reopen the discussion of granting amnesty to 8-12 million illegal aliens.
   Points = 0
5. I am a gun owner.
   Nope. I'd be too scared to own a gun in California. The way things are set up out here with our stupid, Liberal judges, someone could break into my house, shoot me with my own gun, then win a court case against me for being injured if the gun were to hurt him/her in some way. I will not own a gun as long as my sweetie and I are stuck in California.
   Points = 0
   An unabashed plea for help ... will somebody please help us get out of here?!?
6. I support school voucher programs.
   Absolutely. I was a public school teacher (middle school science), and I can say that school voucher programs are absolutely the best way to go. They will encourage accountability and increased standards and performance all around from teachers up through administrators.
   Points = 1
7. I oppose condom distribution in public schools.
   Although I was the science teacher (and therefore the sex ed teacher), I would never, ever dispense condoms in my classroom, even as part of the curriculum. If children consider themselves mature enough to handle sex, then they can be mature enough to buy condoms in the drugstore like any adult would. 'nuff said.
   Points = 1
8. I oppose bilingual education.
   Grrr. You don't want to get me started on this one. Take a brief look at some of my posts under the category of “Conservative Thinking,” especially this post about immigrants failing to learn English, and you will see that I would never in a million years support bilingual education. I supported California's “English for the Children” Proposition 227 in 1998. This Proposition won with 61% of the vote and dismantled California's 30-year history of bilingual education in public classrooms.
   Points = 1
9. I oppose gay marriage.
   What has gone on in San Francisco, with the city's mayor openly defying California state law, is appalling. I have no problem with gay civil unions, but I do have a big problem with gay marriage.
   Points = 1
10. I want Social Security privatized.
    Yes, this is a good idea, especially when I am fully aware that I will never see a dime of my Social Security money unless I am allowed to control it myself rather than rely on the Federal government.
    Points = 1
11. I believe racial profiling at airports is common sense.
    For my answer to this one, please see the discussion that took place in the comments section of a post I wrote titled “Dry Run Hijacking Practice” about Annie Jacobsen's article from the Women's Wall Street Journal.
    Points = 1
12. I shop at Wal-Mart.
    I have in the past, and I would again if (1) the store were within a decent driving distance for me, and (2) if the people in the store freakin' spoke English. Goodness, if you go into a California Wal-Mart anymore, you feel like you've stepped out of the United States and walked into a Wal-Mart in Tijuana, New Delhi, or some other country in the Far East. Nobody freakin' speaks English any more!
    I get so frustrated that I eventually walk out, especially when you see that the lines are 20 people deep. (Did I mention that I hate the hordes of people in California?!? We're packed in like sardines out here, and it really, really, really sucks.
    Points = 1
13. I enjoy talk radio.
    This would be an understatement for me. I listen so much (in the car, streaming at work, and streaming when I get home) that my honey bun finally reprogrammed all my radio presets because he was tired of hearing me go on and on about how stupid Californians, Liberals, Greenies and Democrats are and how crappy it is to live here because of the taxes, high cost of living, the fact that nobody speaks English any more, traffic, etc. (Need I go on?)
    Points = 1
14. I am annoyed when news editors substitute the phrase “undocumented person” for “illegal alien.”
    You betcha! I start screaming at the radio or television when they do that. One day I even threw a pillow at the TV because I was so angry. Hey, at least I was mindful enough to throw a pillow rather than something that would break the TV!
    Points = 1
15. I do not believe the phrase “a chink in the armor” is offensive.
    I don't know what this phrase is supposed to mean, so I guess I can't consider it offensive.
    Points = 1
16. I eat meat.
    Yes, but I will admit that I was a vegetarian for seven years. I wasn't a vegetarian for philosophical reasons, however. I just couldn't afford to buy meat at the grocery store. I still ate eggs and dairy products when I could afford to, though.
    Points = 1
17. I believe O.J. Simpson was guilty.
    Oh, come on now. Who in their right mind though he was innocent? The DNA evidence only proved O.J.'s guilt with odds of something like 1 in 4 million.
    Points = 1
18. I cheered when I learned that Saddam Hussein had been captured.
    Yes, I did, even if only internally.
    Points = 1
19. I cry when I hear "Proud to be an American" by Lee Greenwood.
    Well, I don't cry, but I do like the song. However, because I cannot say that I actually cry, I will not give myself any points for this one.
    Points = 0
20. I don't believe the New York Times.
    Didn't they just come out and claim to be liberally-biased? Or was that the Washington Post? Oh well, who cares? I don't believe either of them, so I guess I can claim points for this answer.
    Points = 1

So, how did I do? It looks like I scored 17/20. Hey, that's a respectable 85% ... not bad, if you ask me!