Most People Say Trump's On Santa's Naughty List

He's making a list

And checking it twice;

Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice

Santa Claus is coming to town

Those song lyrics are by Haven Gillespie in "Santa Claus is Comin' To Town".

So, who's on those naughty and nice lists? Which list would Donald Trump be on? If the public is right, Donald Trump will be getting a lump of coal in his christmas stocking, because by a 26 point margin they think he's on Santa's naughty list this year.

The frivolous chart above is from the new Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between December 16th and 18th of a national sample of 1,500 adults, with a margin of error of 3.2 points.

Most Americans Say Santa Claus Is A Democrat

This poll tossed this rather humorous question into their latest survey. They asked whether their poll's respondents thought Santa Claus was a Republican or a Democrat. They said Santa was a Democrat by a huge margin (59% to 41%).

But while the question is a humorous one, it can also be viewed as one more indicator of just how unhappy Americans are with the Republican Party.

The numbers are from the newest Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between December 10th and 12th of a random national sample of 1,500 adults, with a 3.5 point margin of error.

Americans Say Trump Belongs On Santa's Naughty List

Thought I would bring you this humorous poll -- although it could be taken as just another opportunity for the public to express their displeasure over Donald Trump. The poll asked respondents whether Santa should put Trump on his naughty or nice list. Except for Republicans and those over 65, Trump didn't do well (with most thinking he should go on the naughty list. Among all people, 35% want him on the nice list and 65% think he belongs on the naughty list. It looks like Trump gets a lump of coal this year!

These results are from the new Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between December 10th and 12th of a random sample of 1,500 adults, with a margin of error of 3.5 points.

Is This The Season For Santa Or Jesus (Or Neither) ?

(This image is from the Photobucket page of Matthew Yankush.)

Chart is from a Rasmussen Poll -- done on December 8th and 9th of a random national sample of 1,000 adults, with a 3 point margin of error.

As the holiday season approaches, we once again hear the tired old christian whining about the "war on christmas". Christians, especially the fundamentalists, want to claim the seasonal holiday as their own -- and they resent anyone celebrating it in any way other than a christian religious holiday. They will probably then be disappointed by the results shown in the chart above. It shows that while 60% of Americans do see this as a religious holiday, another 40% do not. About 20% just view it as a fun secular holiday celebrating the mythical Santa Claus, while another 20% are just happy to have a holiday and don't care about either Santa or Jesus.

This is not indicative of any kind of "war on christmas". No one resents the christians celebrating the holiday as a religious one -- as long as they don't try to force others to also recognize it as such (by injecting their religious beliefs into public schools or on government property -- both of which are shared by people of other faiths, or no religious faith).

The truth is that since the dawning of civilization, people have celebrated the winter solstice season in many different ways. This was going on for thousands of years before the invention of christianity (or any other modern religion), and I'm sure it will continue far into the future -- both as a religious and a secular celebration.

Celebrate this wondrous time of the year in whatever fashion you wish. Just respect the right of your fellow humans to do the same, even if they wish to do it differently than you do.

The Stupidest Argument Of The Season

A few days ago a couple of Americans displayed their stupidity for the world to see. Megyn Kelly of Fox News, and a teacher at Cleveland High School in New Mexico decided that Santa Claus had to be a white person -- and both shot down the dreams of non-white youngsters.

These two incidents have initiated a firestorm of protest, probably much more than they deserved. Is Megyn Kelly a stupid person? Yes. But we didn't need her idiotic statement about Santa's color to know that. Was that teacher wrong to hurt a student's feeling by insisting he could not be Santa because he was not white? Of course. But he has been made to apologize and has been disciplined.

We need to stop and remember what the argument is about -- a made-up, fictional, mythical character. There is no Santa Claus. There is no toy shop at the North Pole. And no jolly old elf in a red suit flies all over the world on x-mss eve to bring toys to children.

And because Santa not real, we can make him any color we want (as the cartoon above shows from allhatnocattle.net). If Kelly and the teacher want Santa to be white, I have no problem with that -- the problem comes in their trying to tell others they are wrong for wanting Santa to be a different color. Anyone can have any color Santa that they want. Hell, it's even OK if you want Santa to have green skin with purple polka dots.

You have to admit that its really silly for so many people to argue over the skin color of a mythical character. I just wish that many people would get upset over real problems -- like poverty, homelessness, unemployment, war, etc.

Texas State Police Arrest Santa Claus

If anyone had any doubt that the officials of the state of Texas are stupid, narrow-minded, and mean-spirited, then you can put that last doubt to rest. Last Friday Texas state troopers, at the request of a Texas State Preservation Board employee, arrested Santa Claus (see picture above). What was Santa's great crime? He had written "Santa's Wishes" on the south steps of the Capitol, and was passing out chalk to children and adults so the could write their wishes for a better world. It was a peaceful scene and everyone was having a good time writing those wishes -- wishes that could easily have been washed off with a garden hose (so no property was being damaged or defaced).

But that didn't sit well with the stuffed shirts running the Capitol complex, so they called state troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety (who are tasked with guarding the Capitol). The troopers asked Santa to stop handing out the chalk, and when he didn't they arrested him. Onlookers asked why he was being arrested, and were told it was for criminal mischief (writing on the sidewalk with chalk). They then informed the troopers that everyone had been writing on that sidewalk with the chalk, but the troopers weren't interested in arresting all of the other "lawbreakers" on the scene -- just Santa Claus. They tacked on a charge of Evading Arrest because Santa demanded to know why he was being arrested before submitting to the troopers.

Santa was a member of Occupy Austin named James Peterson. But I have to admit here that I don't understand why the arrest had to happen. Peterson was hurting no one, and no property was being damaged. Why couldn't state officials just let the people have their fun, and then wash the chalk off after everyone left? Wouldn't that have been a much more reasonable way of handling this situation, especially during this holiday season? All this ridiculous arrest did was spoil a visit to the Capitol for those in the peaceful crowd, and make Texas officials (and troopers) look like disciples of the Grinch. And the whole thing was taped by onlookers and now is on YouTube -- making the state a laughingstock around the world.

As a native Texan, I am getting very tired of the government buffoons in Austin going out of their way to embarrass the citizens of the Lone Star State. But I guess I'd better get used to it. The new legislative session will start in January, and I'm sure their antics will be even worse.

Difference Between Santa and God

The excellent website Unreasonable Faith has, as a public service, decided to show us the difference between Santa and god.   Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any difference.   There is absolutely no evidence that either exists outside of our imagination.   People believe in Santa because they want to do so, and those who believe in god do so for that same reason.   It is their right to believe in any kind of fantasy they wish to, but they really should stop trying to force their own myths on other people.