Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
All of which takes us back to two previous topics: the importance of both voting and critical thinking to get our nation back on the correct path.
American Complacency And Government Corruption
- Thread starter PoliTalker
- Start date
All of which takes us back to two previous topics: the importance of both voting and critical thinking to get our nation back on the correct path.
ThatOwlWoman
Leftist Vermin
Agree!
Here is what has happened though, at least in my opinion. People still vote. The younger people and the middle-aged ppl have the most votes of all. How is that possible? Because they vote with their wallets. America is no longer a democratic republic. The people with the most power are the plutocrats, and their base are the people who have the most spending power.
ThatOwlWoman
Leftist Vermin
I agree with this 100%.
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
Will Rogers also said he didn't belong to an organized political party....he was a Democrat.
ThatOwlWoman
Leftist Vermin
Well said.
History has shown us that the best economic system in human existence, so far, is well-fettered capitalism. You don't want to stifle it completely (communism), or severely (socialism) -- but you don't want it to run free either (laizze-faire) or -- as you said -- you end up like we are currently, with a huge "underclass" and a tiny 1% holding most of the wealth.
A large segment of our citizenry has been convinced that taxes are bad, our (horribly high) taxes go to support lazy urban slackers, illegals are living off our taxes, taxes stifle business and job creation, and so on.
Why is that, and who would want them to believe that this is true?
PoliTalker
Diversity Makes Greatness
Hello ThatOwlWoman,
If the oligarchy doesn't create scape-goats the populace will focus attention on THEM.
If the oligarchy doesn't create scape-goats the populace will focus attention on THEM.
ThatOwlWoman
Leftist Vermin
I love the topic of critical thinking. It's vital to an informed person's daily life, as well as to her public life and all the decisions she will make. I'd like to offer my definition of that cherished concept, and hope to hear yours.
Critical thinking: The ability to discern whether what is on your plate is manure, or manna.
How does one learn critical thinking? Question authority. Always. Doesn't matter whether the authority is your mom and dad, a teacher at school, the info packet you get when you sign up for a new job, your drill sergeant, your spouse. Question it, even if you have to do it internally.
Your one-word mantra should be: WHY?
ThatOwlWoman
Leftist Vermin
Yep.
I'm not going to claim that I'm immune because I am not. I have my own life-long beliefs and values. I'd like to believe, though, that thanks to my "liberal" education, I am still capable of discerning when I'm being played.
christiefan915
Catalyst
Well said!
ThatOwlWoman
Leftist Vermin
Exactly. That's my whole point about the current internal civil war in the U.S.
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
Scapegoating is an ancient means for TPTB to stay in power by distracting the masses. It's one reason to avoid populism and to be for a Republic over a pure Democracy.
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
I switched on DirecTvs "news mix" about 20 minutes ago. It defaults to CNN. Don Lemon was on and I can only take so much of him so I slid the sound over to Fox with Laura Ingraham. She's just as annoying but I overheard her make an interesting comment supporting populism. A RW talking head flip flopping to supporting giving into to the desires of Low-Information voters? WTF?! It wasn't that long ago they were against such a thing. The world really has gone topsy-turvy.
PoliTalker
Diversity Makes Greatness
Truck Fump / h1b
Verified User
right, because selling out to china is such a great intellectual achievement.
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
True, but up to the last 20 years, up was up and down was down, not all topsy-turvy head-over-tails.
PoliTalker
Diversity Makes Greatness
Hello Dutch Uncle,
Good way to put it.
We never had a president who appeals to extremists until now.
Presidents used to try to bring the nation together, not drive it apart.
Good way to put it.
We never had a president who appeals to extremists until now.
Presidents used to try to bring the nation together, not drive it apart.
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
Agreed about Presidents and extremists. We, the People have been heading in that direction for over 25 years. Trump isn't a freak accident on the road of American politics; Trump is the logical progression of what both parties have been doing since 1992. Trump is an extreme swing in Pendulum Politics.....a swing, IMO, that is so far, it's inevitable to swing back the other way. Like pendulums (or bouncing golf balls), the extremes will slow down to find equilibrium.
If the extremes in American politics weren't bad enough, We, the People have suffered through economic downfalls, major terrorist attacks and a Federal government so dysfunctional that all they can agree upon is to increase the national debt: https://www.crfb.org/blogs/budget-projections-debt-will-exceed-size-economy-year
This author puts the national political situation more eloquently than I:
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2018/11/07/a_way_out_of_pendulum_politics__138578.html
..P.utting a check on President Trump may be the only positive outcome of this election. Who believes that voters’ desire for change is satisfied by putting the speaker’s gavel back into the hands of (presumably) Nancy Pelosi? Who thinks dysfunction in D.C. will subside under divided government? How are we any closer to solutions on pressing problems?
While the pendulum swings, there is a growing group of Americans –– described in a recent study as the “Exhausted Majority” and estimated at 67 percent of the electorate –– who are tired of the political oscillation and are in search of a productive equilibrium.
This equilibrium is not a utopian absence of polarizing forces, but a balance between them. It’s not a mythical “middle ground” found by splitting the difference on any particular policy issue, but a higher ground found by using facts, reason, and common sense to address our biggest challenges...
Truck Fump / h1b
Verified User
Agreed about Presidents and extremists. We, the People have been heading in that direction for over 25 years. Trump isn't a freak accident on the road of American politics; Trump is the logical progression of what both parties have been doing since 1992. Trump is an extreme swing in Pendulum Politics.....a swing, IMO, that is so far, it's inevitable to swing back the other way. Like pendulums (or bouncing golf balls), the extremes will slow down to find equilibrium.
If the extremes in American politics weren't bad enough, We, the People have suffered through economic downfalls, major terrorist attacks and a Federal government so dysfunctional that all they can agree upon is to increase the national debt: https://www.crfb.org/blogs/budget-projections-debt-will-exceed-size-economy-year
This author puts the national political situation more eloquently than I:
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2018/11/07/a_way_out_of_pendulum_politics__138578.html
..P.utting a check on President Trump may be the only positive outcome of this election. Who believes that voters’ desire for change is satisfied by putting the speaker’s gavel back into the hands of (presumably) Nancy Pelosi? Who thinks dysfunction in D.C. will subside under divided government? How are we any closer to solutions on pressing problems?
While the pendulum swings, there is a growing group of Americans –– described in a recent study as the “Exhausted Majority” and estimated at 67 percent of the electorate –– who are tired of the political oscillation and are in search of a productive equilibrium.
This equilibrium is not a utopian absence of polarizing forces, but a balance between them. It’s not a mythical “middle ground” found by splitting the difference on any particular policy issue, but a higher ground found by using facts, reason, and common sense to address our biggest challenges...
its not extremist to put ones own countrymen above the ccp.
PoliTalker
Diversity Makes Greatness
Hello Dutch Uncle,
There have always been extremists in both parties, but the Democratic Party has never allowed the extremists to dominate their Party since FDR. Bernie came close in 2016, but the old guard of the party would not allow it. The Democratic Party has a built-in mechanism which acts to prevent an extremist take-over. The Super Delegate System. The Republican party does not have the same setup. There were no Super Delegates in the Republican Party to prevent the DT hostile takeover.
I didn't like it in 2016. I was a Bernie fan. I wanted him IN. And I think he could have beaten DT. Who knows what would have happened, because he would not have had the support of the House nor Senate. He probably would have been sort of a 4 year lame duck and not gotten reelected because he would not have been able to pass any of his proposals. and then the political pendulum would swing in 2020, handing another ten years of reapportioning to Republicans. Yikes!
So there's a silver lining for me if DT loses as big as the polling currently indicates. He is starting to drag down some down-ticket races for Republicans. Biden could have a fully supportive Congress if he wins in November, and the coat tails could reach all the way down to States and once-every-ten-years District reapportionment. About TIME...
Agreed about Presidents and extremists. We, the People have been heading in that direction for over 25 years. Trump isn't a freak accident on the road of American politics; Trump is the logical progression of what both parties have been doing since 1992. Trump is an extreme swing in Pendulum Politics.....a swing, IMO, that is so far, it's inevitable to swing back the other way. Like pendulums (or bouncing golf balls), the extremes will slow down to find equilibrium.
If the extremes in American politics weren't bad enough, We, the People have suffered through economic downfalls, major terrorist attacks and a Federal government so dysfunctional that all they can agree upon is to increase the national debt: https://www.crfb.org/blogs/budget-projections-debt-will-exceed-size-economy-year
This author puts the national political situation more eloquently than I:
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2018/11/07/a_way_out_of_pendulum_politics__138578.html
..P.utting a check on President Trump may be the only positive outcome of this election. Who believes that voters’ desire for change is satisfied by putting the speaker’s gavel back into the hands of (presumably) Nancy Pelosi? Who thinks dysfunction in D.C. will subside under divided government? How are we any closer to solutions on pressing problems?
While the pendulum swings, there is a growing group of Americans –– described in a recent study as the “Exhausted Majority” and estimated at 67 percent of the electorate –– who are tired of the political oscillation and are in search of a productive equilibrium.
This equilibrium is not a utopian absence of polarizing forces, but a balance between them. It’s not a mythical “middle ground” found by splitting the difference on any particular policy issue, but a higher ground found by using facts, reason, and common sense to address our biggest challenges...
There have always been extremists in both parties, but the Democratic Party has never allowed the extremists to dominate their Party since FDR. Bernie came close in 2016, but the old guard of the party would not allow it. The Democratic Party has a built-in mechanism which acts to prevent an extremist take-over. The Super Delegate System. The Republican party does not have the same setup. There were no Super Delegates in the Republican Party to prevent the DT hostile takeover.
I didn't like it in 2016. I was a Bernie fan. I wanted him IN. And I think he could have beaten DT. Who knows what would have happened, because he would not have had the support of the House nor Senate. He probably would have been sort of a 4 year lame duck and not gotten reelected because he would not have been able to pass any of his proposals. and then the political pendulum would swing in 2020, handing another ten years of reapportioning to Republicans. Yikes!
So there's a silver lining for me if DT loses as big as the polling currently indicates. He is starting to drag down some down-ticket races for Republicans. Biden could have a fully supportive Congress if he wins in November, and the coat tails could reach all the way down to States and once-every-ten-years District reapportionment. About TIME...