Public Opinion

By Bill Maher

I think one of the basic, core problems with our politics is the fact that we use buzzwords -- and those buzzwords mean completely different things to different voters. So a politician says a word and, depending on your own ideology -- and if you successfully navigated middle school -- you picture something totally different than what Sean Hannity pictures.

Let's play a word association game: "Public Employees."

If you're in New York or Los Angeles, or a college town somewhere, or any place where at least one of your last three meals wasn’t fried, you just pictured a teacher or a fireman. Or a construction worker, or a garbage man or a prison guard.

If you're not in New York, or Los Angeles, or a college town, you just pictured Whoopi Goldberg telling you to fill out a form. And no, you can't borrow her pen.

Paul Krugman pictures school teachers and construction workers. The more the merrier, not just working, but driving the rest of the economy by buying hard hats and condoms.

Ron Paul pictures the Bell, California City Council, stealing everything. Because they did.

Ron Paul and Paul Krugman are worlds apart. They can't even agree on whether "Paul" is a first name.

Can they both be right?