Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Sarah's Tanning

While some of you out there think that the new revelation that Sarah Palin has installed a tanning bed in the governor's mansion has nothing to do with her qualifications for vice president, I beg to differ. For those of you who know me, understand that I am fully aware of the irony in judging someone for their irresponsible tanning behavior. I am humbled and will think twice before next applying SPF 4 one time for an entire afternoon at the pool. Then again, if John McCain called me and wanted to put me on his ticket as the #2, I WOULD blink and turn him down and would not dream of subjecting the American people to my inept leadership!

My list of arguments below go towards general intelligence, lack of leadership abililties, possible ethics compromises and elitism. Here's why it's wrong:
  • Tanning beds have been proven to increase the chances of skin cancer so someone using one is either ignorant of this fact or is choosing vanity over health (neither which reflects very well on the user - apologies to all my tanning bed friends out there...and yes, I used them in college and it was STUPID for me to do).
  • She is setting a bad example for her children.
  • She is increasing the odds that she will not be there for her children should she develop skin cancer which is selfish. (ouch! see above reference to irony....)
  • She is a role model in Alaska and, in May 2007 declared it "Skin Cancer Awareness Month." She can't say one thing and do another and be a good role model.
  • It doesn't help with Seasonal Affective Disorder as noted in this article by the American Academy of Family Physicians where I pulled this quote: "It is important to note that no evidence indicates that tanning beds, where the eyes are generally covered and the subject's skin is exposed to light, are useful in the treatment of SAD. Furthermore, the light sources in tanning beds are relatively high in UV rays, which can be harmful to both the eyes and the skin."
  • It doesn't help with Vitamin D deficiency as cited in Wikipedia here where it says, "However, because tanning beds use bulbs that emit mostly UVA light (95% UVA and 5% UVB), tanning beds do not appreciably help the body produce vitamin D."
  • It's elitist. How many of you out there have a tanning bed in your house?
  • There has been no evidence put forward proving she used her own private funds to buy and install the tanning bed. Even if she bought it second-hand, if a discount of over $150.00 was given, it violates the gift limits to which all elected officials must adhere.
Show us receipts!!!!!!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

What is your definition of elitism? I looked up the official definition, but I'm just wondering what your definition is.

-your upside-down brother.

Life Junkie said...

I'm using the political definition that Hillary Clinton used and that John McCain is now using. Here's a good quote from another a freelance writers blog (http://chicagoargus.blogspot.com/2008/04/what-is-political-elitist.html):

"It is a standard part of ... strategy to try to drive a wedge between the working classes and those elements of society who have higher-than-average education levels"

Anonymous said...

So, what you are saying is that you are using the standard (Republican) strategy of trying to drive a wedge between the working classes and Sarah Palin, using the fact that she has a personal tanning bed?

-your upside-down brother.

Life Junkie said...

I am not using any strategy. I am just using their definition which doesn't fit exactly to my purpose because I don't believe Sarah has a higher-than-average education level. I'm just sayin' she isn't like all the "PTA Hockey Moms" out there like she claims.

Anonymous said...

I'm confused. Are you saying she's elitist or not?

-your upside-down brother.

Life Junkie said...

I guess I'm saying that owning a tanning bed is an elitist thing to do but I don't think she's elitist. I do think she's not as "regular" as she plays herself off to be. She's kinda got the Brittany thing going in that she's got more money than your average bimbo but underneath it all she's still a bimbo.

Not stop trying to get me to defend things I've said that I've given little to no thought about! :)

Anonymous said...

Feel free to stop defending your blog, but...

I just think equating owning a tanning bed to:
stupidity/ignorance
bad/selfish parenting
corruption
elitism
incompetence

is a little silly. When I first read this blog, I wasn't sure if you felt that passionately about it or if you were making a joke about the silly accusations coming from both sides.

So my point is, you're silly. Silly-head.

By the way, did you hear that Obama admitted he's Muslim? He used the words "my Muslim faith". Look it up.

Okay, now I'm being silly. I know that it was taken out of context.

Finally, just so you know, my goal in life is to be an elitist. The first thing I'm going to do when I get rich is buy Detective Comics #1. I think it's going for around $600,000 or so.

And I love you.

-your upside-down brother.

p.s. You meant "now", not "not" in your last sentence.

David A. Davison said...

As someone who works in the real estate industry from time to time (yes I do still sell homes) it would probably surprise you to know how many people have tanning beds in their homes, and how many buyers ask if they are willing to leave them. And these are homes in the $100,000 range, so probably not an elitist item, especially when they are driving 10 year old cars.

As for bad examples for children, don't get me started. I drink once in a while, even though it's bad for me. I own several motorcycles that could get me killed, and I play music through my guitar amplifier and ear splitting levels to this day. I guess if tanning makes her happy, she should go for it. I'm not going to stop doing the things I do just because I think it might be a bad example. I enjoy it, so I do it. It's not hurting anyone else.

Obama has a tanning bed as well, but that's just a rumor I'm trying to start. And I heard he recently bought Michael Jackson's sleeping chamber when Michael had a garage sale at Neverland Ranch to build a war chest for his next lawsuit.

Not your upside-down brother, but your goofy friend from Ohio.