what is your "pony"

[SwampG8r]

i recently have seen the return of the "pony" line.you know the one. where if you express criticism about the president or the actions of his administration you just "didnt get your pony".
i dont think anyone ever actually expected a U-Haul truck to pull up with a real live oatburning pony.
so the pony must be a metaphor for something you wanted to happen
i have to think we all have our own "ponies"
even those who so tirelessly defend and protect the president and his policies
your "pony" would be something you didnt really think would happen but would have made you so happy if it were to be addressed
my "ponies" are, a straight look at medical marijuana laws,marriage equality,no more war,bush tax breaks let to expire,gitmo closed,have dept of justice investigate war crimes by bushco.
several of my ponies died in transit but i still hope i get some of them
so what is your "pony"?





and i wish we could replace the "pony" thing i had a nice pony once he had a little wagon and i drove him all over town.

now i think clowns are kind of creepy (not that there is anything wrong with a clownocentric lifestyle i am not here to judge) so maybe it could be like

Poster 1: i wanted XXXXXX and so far i have seen no movement by this administration toward it

Poster 2:well,i guess you didnt get a clown at YOUR birthday party!
see the metaphor holds up
we should all work to not be so damn boring.i say mix it up.

i guess your lawnmower is out of gas
oh,no eskimo pies?
sure...but what would you do for a klondike bar?

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Fighting as hard for the 99% as for the 1%

Nice pony, BTW.

[SwampG8r]

10. thats not my pony in the pic

i just stole a picture
i guess i got caught i gotta do the time

there a stolen pic of my hanging:cry:
hang down your head tom dooly hang down your head and cry
hang down your head tom dooly poor boyy you gonna die

edited because it looked like i did not share the view i am responding to when in fact i fully support it
my poor proofreading

[MADem]

2. That's not the way I understood the pony metaphor. I saw its roots as being in the

tale of the overly optimistic child. Most people do not realize that this joke became popular because it was one of Ronald Reagan's favorites. I always got the sense that the "pony" originated here, and kind of evolved out of this story, from the overly optimistic child hoping for a pony, to anyone/everyone hoping for a pony:

: : The joke concerns twin boys of five or six. Worried that the boys had developed extreme personalities -- one was a total pessimist, the other a total optimist -- their parents took them to a psychiatrist.

: : First the psychiatrist treated the pessimist. Trying to brighten his outlook, the psychiatrist took him to a room piled to the ceiling with brand-new toys. But instead of yelping with delight, the little boy burst into tears. "What's the matter?" the psychiatrist asked, baffled. "Don't you want to play with any of the toys?" "Yes," the little boy bawled, "but if I did I'd only break them."

: : Next the psychiatrist treated the optimist. Trying to dampen his out look, the psychiatrist took him to a room piled to the ceiling with horse manure. But instead of wrinkling his nose in disgust, the optimist emitted just the yelp of delight the psychiatrist had been hoping to hear from his brother, the pessimist. Then he clambered to the top of the pile, dropped to his knees, and began gleefully digging out scoop after scoop with his bare hands. "What do you think you're doing?" the psychiatrist asked, just as baffled by the optimist as he had been by the pessimist. "With all this manure," the little boy replied, beaming, "there must be a pony in here somewhere!"

: : "Reagan told the joke so often," Meese said, chuckling, "that it got to be kind of a joke with the rest of us. Whenever something would go wrong, somebody on the staff would be sure to say, "There must be a pony in here somewhere.'"


http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/28/messages/718.html

[SwampG8r]

11. i did not know that

i think in practice my description of its useage may still hold up
but thanks i like to learn something new every day and that was nice
with links yet i appreciate it

[scarletwoman]

53. No, the actual ROOT metaphor is the desire of children to have a pony.

Reagan's joke wouldn't work if the desire of children to get a pony wasn't already a recognized phenomenon in itself.

[MADem]

59. I won't argue with that.....but Reagan got everyone talking about ponies in the context

of political life and challenges and setbacks.

He told that pony poop story a lot. He'd always laugh like it was the first time he told it.

Good acting, or memory issues?

[SammyWinstonJack]

3. If Obama and his cat food commission prevail, my 'pony' will starve.

:shrug: I am my pony.

[Enthusiast]

29. Me too

I wanted this pony.

But I got this pony.

[The Doctor.]

4. Heh... my pony is a big fat "fuck you" to the established powers.

Which makes it a fantasy pony.

[Amonester]

5. Same ^^^^^^^^^

I realize there's 24 hours in each day, and the admininstration is in overload mode.

Nice clown too.

[SwampG8r]

12. nice clown?

he is one evil brooding bastard
the only redeeming qualities of clowns is they are the natural predator of the mime

[Amonester]

39. nice try (and I can prove you wrong) here : :o)

ta-dah! :hi:

[SwampG8r]

40. looks like a creepy space clown

nice try tho

[Bonobo]

6. Stopping wars of choice and spending money on citizens' basic needs, nt

[SwampG8r]

18. that is a fine damn pony!

amazing the amount of wealth we routinely hand over instead of using it for ourselves

[Hardrada]

7. Manned space exploration.

[SwampG8r]

14. my dad worked mercury geminii and apollo

so i agree with this

[Angry Dragon]

8. Raising the top marginal rate to 70% and progressive

tax from there on down
that is the only thing that will save this country

[SwampG8r]

16. i saw someone recently

saying the repeal of the bush tax cuts would have refinanced the country faster than any other measure
i have no link to it

[Smarmie Doofus]

9. I'm a teacher. My pony is being allowed to practice my profession

....while being duly compensated at a rate commensurate w. my qualifications and experience and without fear of harassment and arbitrary or capricious dismissal.


I know that bugs the *shit* out of Republicans and Obamacrats but that's too fucking bad.

[SwampG8r]

13. what really kind of makes me sad is

more that you are in what was once progressive NY
i am in florida and we really dont offer educators any reason to be here other than we have kids here
so i feel you
mine are all out but i still get the class list at cvs for the locals and do what i can
i can only imagine how thankless it is and what i costs financially and emotionally to do your job but i do know the reaction i get when i bring in 20 bucks worth of loose class stuff or a box of pens or pencils
i swear to god i almost had a teacher cry over about 20 of those color pen packs with like 10 pens in them
and paper if you want to help a teacher get them paper they need paper
and i am not in the boonies i am in a minor metro area

[Igel]

37. Pens or pencils.

I know people that would prefer your situation. They have the opposite problem. It's a nearly paperless campus.

Departments have scanners, not printers. Printers/photocopiers are a resource shared by a cluster of departments. Want more than 5 copies? Get the dept. chair's permission.

Every student has a tablet computer with stylus. Every teacher has one, too. Every classroom has a smartboard, document camera, LCD projector, speakers, extra networked computers, student response system. Science classrooms have the old, obsolete TI-84s and the math classrooms have Nspires. Teachers have drive space, students have their own private social networking software. There's online course webpages/management systems.

PowerPoint? Pshaw, that's so 20th century. The software's way past powerpoint.

You print out and sign a document that was electronically delivered? You get a frown. You should sign it using the stylus, save the image, and email it back.

The only problem is that you can't access the smartboard when you're walking around the room or school. Then again, you do control the kids' desktops, can push/pull stuff to/from their computers and run software remotely so you can just present *everything* by wifi. Write on your screen, it's on their screen. They can still have their private notes, as well as mark up their screens. If you present a lesson on tablet, you can record it with your audio and put it on the course webpage for the kids who are absent, along with any notes or other materials.

If you tell them they have 5 minutes to complete something, after 5 minutes you retrieve their work. "Okay, your work's collected, hope you finished." The first time there's stunned silence--they can't whine for a few more minutes or delay turning in their work, it's already on your hard drive. The second time they complain, and you just shut down the software running on their tablets and move on to the next thing. The third time they look at the clock and in 5 minutes they're done.

The textbook and other "stuff" is all online.

The only official duty you need a pen or pencil for is to fill out hall passes and sign yearbooks. (Discipline forms? Online.) If they need a pen, they have an office-supply store account.

Thing is, part of their evaluation is on how they use the technology. There are teachers who would really prefer a pen/pencil shortage to drowning in hardware and software. At every tech training they look like deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming big rig.

This isn't in progressive NY. It's in regressive TX (in a fairly (R) area, actually).

[SwampG8r]

41. wow

i knew we were getting the....used end of the stick here but i didnt realize how used our stick was
it sounded like you were posting from the future
we are so screwed here

[Brother Buzz]

15. A big ass chub of Gubment Cheese

[SwampG8r]

17. is that

the hard block of govt cheeze or the old school commodities cheeze in a can?
i could never get the block stuff to melt without a gallon of milk

[Brother Buzz]

19. Block - I've never experienced cheese in a can

Milk is a critical ingredient of macaroni and cheese, and a gallon would be used for a huge roasting pan bake, for say, a dozen or more hungry people.

[SwampG8r]

20. when i was a child

we got what were called commodities
a train would come and we would meet it at the tracks
the basic ingredients for baking and rice ,canned meats, peanut butter, and cheeze
a 30 day supply for the number of people in your family
all in #10 cans the super big ones
the cheeze was like velveeta and would meld almost at room temperature
good stuff

[Brother Buzz]

21. Cheese & Butter was all that fell my way

That butter made pounds and pounds of Almond brittle for the holiday gifts. The almonds were free, albeit labor intensive to hull, shell, and blanch them. Sugar was the only out of pocket expense. I got real good at making it, and it was therapeutic.

[pampango]

22. National Health Service like in the UK. n/t

[dipsydoodle]

28. That's easy

Just go back to 1948 and do it.

[pampango]

33. Unfortunately your "time machine" solution is more likely to work than

getting something like the NHS enacted into law with our current crop of politicians. :)

[xchrom]

23. ...

equal rights

guantanamo closed

ending the wars -- and not starting any new ones.

cut the MIC

tax the rich

close corporate loopholes -- force the off shored money back into the u.s.

prosecute the banksters & fianancialists

get a damn public option


***it's a right light little herd of magical ponies.

oh & last but not least -- see the democratic party have a Come to Jesus moment w/ it's neo-liberals -- & boot them the fuck out.

[Lyric]

24. Equality, relief from suffering, and choosing compassion over greed.

I know, I know...I shouldn't be so unrealistic.

[TBF]

25. I'd love to see capitalism GONE, but I might settle (for awhile) for Universal Health Care for All.

and no fracking.

[Exilednight]

26. I have a few ponies I would like to see, but one I would love to see is the promise of no more

access to the White House of corporate lobby groups. The president is elected by the people, and no matter what the supreme court says, corporations are not people.

[dipsydoodle]

27. £25

although you might need to be English to grasp that.

http://www.aldertons.com/money.htm

[rucky]

30. Justice.

Especially for the financial and war criminals.

I don't think we can "move forward" in a positive direction without resolving this first.

[treestar]

31. Never expect the political process to deliver anything to you

Just because you voted for one particular person. That is the unreasonable position that the "pony" statement is meant to criticize. If people can't take that criticism, it's no surprise they expect the government to deliver them things, too.

[Starry Messenger]

32. There is no such thing as "ponies"

The whole concept assumes that we are a world of isolated individuals instead of a society of interdependent beings.

[hootinholler]

34. Ponys are boring? Maybe not this one?

Otherwise I'm holding out for a unicorn that farts rainbows.

-Hoot

[SwampG8r]

36. ponies arent boring

but using the same cliche every time is im saying DU has better that this
but i guess you didnt get bananas with YOUR cereal


like that ^^^^ it means the same but shows a little imagination

[H2O Man]

35. Mine would be

the John Lennon song "I Dig a Pony."

[cliffordu]

38. thanks for the comment about a clown centric lifestyle...

I feel included now.

:rofl:

Howa ya doin' swampG8r???

Long time no see.

:hi:

[SwampG8r]

42. just able to post more now

been coming and reading it is quite a sideshow
read some discussions that frankly made me confused
tried to post some things but the shit toss in here is too wild for any real discussion
too busy in the real world to waste too much time on people who will not listen
or just love the sight of their own typing
wife was in bad car bangup last feb
she isjust back up and more or less independently mobile now
how you been i have seen you in a few of the above mentioned dustups and i should have tossed you a howdy
it would probably started a subthread that would devolve into a rich vein of pure stupid
but you know me i piss everyone off eventually and i dont remember whose shitlists i am on this week


edited to add i am real about full equality for clowns i do not understand the clownocentric lifestyle but jesus does not mention clowns
what 2 or 3 or a car full of clowns do in their private life is not my business
clown rights are human rights

[ClassWarrior]

43. A vigorous, passionate defense of Democratic values?

NGU.

[SwampG8r]

46. i agree

i am going to put the fire in my area for better candidates at the start off level
we allow the inept to rise up the electoral ladder
all these asshats started as tax collectors or court clerks in their hometowns
i have decided the only way to change it is to reinfect the party with liberals from the bottom

[ClassWarrior]

48. Yup. Ironically, the "Obama hardliners" have been saying, "If you want..."

"...a more progressive government, elect a more progressive Congress." And now that I think about it, they're right. So I'll be campaigning for Congressional Dems instead of a Presidential Dem this time around.

NGU.

[SwampG8r]

54. i figure these people

who know so much must have the cash to back up their talk let them send it to DNC
i will support my hand chosen candidates directly
they are right we need to change the party from the bottom up
if we dont send crooked bastards we wont have crooked bastards
or at least the percentage will drop

[AsahinaKimi]

44. My pony would be

To have enough money to go back to school! I miss it, and my language skills need improving.

[SwampG8r]

45. i cannot understand a thing you said but i fully support it!!

just kidding with you
that is a fine pony and i hope you get to ride it

[AsahinaKimi]

49. me too..

I seriously want to be totally bilingual. Hell, maybe even learn Korean too!

[shintao]

47. My favorite Ponies

Rain Cloud & lil one

[pa28]

50. I actually got my "pony". It was Elizabeth Warren.

Unfortunately some guy from the bank came along and repossessed it.

[WillyT]

51. Frog-Marching Some Wall Street/Bankster Types To Prison Would be Wonderful...

:shrug:

[SwampG8r]

58. i would love to see

a wall street perp walk set to that bennie hill song

[scarletwoman]

52. I think clowns are creepy & icky. Not getting a clown for my birthday party would be a GOOD thing.

Washington DC is infested with clowns - creepy icky evil clowns. I want fewer clowns, not more.

[SwampG8r]

56. oh well i guess

some one got sand in HER bikini bottoms
i am totally enjoying making up new ones lol
you are right clowns are evil did you see the space clown up thread
now the damn things are in space

[scarletwoman]

55. My "pony" would be a government that takes the side of working people instead of the Owners. (nt)

[SwampG8r]

57. thats a fine pony

[Odin2005]

60. UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE FOR EVERY AMERICAN.

[SwampG8r]

61. another fine pony

[krispos42]

62. That we'd get real wealth redistribution

That we'd cut income taxes on the bottom 90% and raise them sharply on the top 10%. That we'd drop the income limit for Social Security. That we'd tax unearned income like earned income. That we'd put in a STEP tax to slow down Wall Street a little and self-fund future bailouts for when they implode.


That we might see the top 1% only get 20% of the nation's wealth, instead of 35%. That the top 10% only gets 40% of the nation's wealth, instead of 70%.



That's my pony.

[Raine]

63. Protecting the environment, this pony seems to be getting weaker and sicker

minute by minute and with no help on the way it's probably going to be dead in a short time. :-(