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A Utah smoothie shop charges liberals more than conservatives

When you think of a good smoothie shop name, what's the first name that comes to mind? Don't tell me - it's I Love Drilling Juice and Smoothie Bar, right? That's what I thought. I was thinking the same thing. While we're on the same wavelength here, let me tell you more about this smoothie shop.

I Love Drilling Juice and Smoothie Bar is actually the name of a smoothie shop in Vernal, Utah. It's owned by pro-oil and gas activist (go figure, right?) George Burnett. So what has Mr. Burnett done to anger so many? Here's how the prices of his 16 oz. smoothies line up:

"Conservatives: $4.95

Liberals: $5.95

Crew Team Members: $3.95"

No, that's not a misprint. The guy charges liberals a dollar more per smoothie than conservatives.

As Burnett says: "I'm very open about it, very public about it, that I'm going to charge them a little bit more, and I have liberals come in and pay the extra dollar surcharge. And actually all three liberals have been happy to pay it. We had a husband and wife come in - he was a conservative and she was a liberal - and he paid conservative for himself and liberal for her."

He added that the dollar difference between conservatives and liberals was to get people talking about "the fiscal differences between big government/small government and liberal ways" and the extra charge for liberals was to "help make that point."

A conservative customer of his said, "For him to do this kind of puts a face out there on people who are, in my opinion, in the wrong. 'In the wrong' being liberals. To see them being charged a little bit more, it makes me happy."

Alright, first off, how many self-described liberals are going to call themselves such if it means they have to pay an extra dollar for a fricking smoothie? Seriously? Also, how do we know they're liberals? Mr. Burnett donates the extra money he makes from smoothies to conservative organizations such as the Heritage Foundation. What's more likely - a self-described liberal referring to themselves as such to pay an extra dollar for a smoothie which will be used as a donation to a conservative organization or a self-described conservative paying an extra buck for the smoothie since the money will go to an organization they likely support? In any case, I'd walk up to the guy and call myself a moderate, a liberal conservative, or a conservative liberal and see what he does. My guess is his head would explode in approximately 3.29 seconds.

Also, it makes me laugh to hear the guy talk about his "reasons" for the price difference. Really? He's trying to start conversation about the "fiscal differences between big government/small government and liberal ways?"

After two terms in office, Republican President (and God) Ronald Reagan increased the debt by 189%. Republican George W. Bush increased the debt by 86%. Democrat Bill Clinton increased the debt by 37%. Republican George H.W. Bush increased the debt by 55% in just one term.

If Burnett was talking about taxes, I find that to be rather humorous as well. Under Republican President Dwight Eisenhower, taxes for the wealthiest among us was between 91 and 92%. Under Republican President Richard Nixon, those tax rates were between 70 and 77%. They stayed at 70% under Republican President Gerald Ford. For most of the Ronald Reagan years, those taxes were between 50 and 69%, before dropping to 38.5% in 1987 and 28% in '88 and '89. Under President Obama, those tax rates have been at 35% - far less than they were under Republican Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, or even Reagan for most of his presidency.

So, please, Mr. Burnett, tell me more about this big-government spending and high-taxing by the Democratic Party and small-government saving and low-taxing by the Republican Party. I'd really love to hear more about this. If I may lend some advice, though - you may want to charge conservatives a dollar more than liberals, if you are trying to be at all accurate about government spending, high taxes, and with that, prompt conversations revolving around those topics. Just a suggestion...

As far as the conservative who gave credit to Mr. Burnett for charging liberals more because it "kind of puts a face out there on people who are, in my opinion, in the wrong," I seriously wonder if someone tells him to look right, he looks up and if someone tells him to pull a door, he walks right into it. Really? So, it's good, decent, and moral to charge people more or less based on the subjective notion that their ideals are finely-tuned or flawed?

Well, if that's how it has to be, I'll start my own smoothie shop and list the prices of our one-of-a-kind 16 oz. smoothies as follows:

Evangelicals: $ (the price is unknown and can't be seen - faith will make it known)

Pro-lifers: $5.95 (following a mandatory transvaginal or pelvic ultrasound in the back area of the shop)

Assault rifle owners: $47.00 (and a free extra-small condom)

Birthers: $18.84 (a birth certificate is required)

Mitt Romney: $10,000

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/01/15/1448801/utah-smoothie-shop-charges-liberals-more-donates-surcharge-to-conservative-causes/

http://www.snopes.com/politics/politicians/nationaldebt.asp

http://ntu.org/tax-basics/history-of-federal-individual-1.html

http://americanhistory.about.com/library/charts/blchartpresidents.htm

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