So now we have the $64,000 question. How do we change it? Third parties lack the funding and resources to get their message across and the two parties are so entrenched and corrupt it is impossible to beat them. Bush had his ties through Cheney to Haliburton, and Obama is a puppet of the unions, so where does that leave the rest of us? We need term limits, but there isn't a politician out there who will let us have term limits. We need controls on spending, but no politician wants to limit their ability to bring home the bacon and buy votes with it. Any suggestions????
Has "experience" really helped us so far? I say us as we're having some of the same political issues you guys are. Basically no one votes for the best candidate any more.. we vote for who we think will do the least damage. And hell... do you REALLY want someone with a lot of experience in politics... which basically means they can lie to your face and make you feel better after they screw you over? All parties lie. All parties steal from the taxpayer. All parties will say anything about they other parties to get you do keep them in office. So what we're ending up with here is a draw. Obama is spending huge cash on Healthcare and what-not. The alternative would have probably been many more years in Iraq and huge cash spent there or somewhere else. what I guess I'm saying is you're damned if you do damned if you don't.
As I see it, Twini, we as a people have to become better human beings. Governments seldom rise in quality above that of the people they govern. With Reagan, we got permission to cast off the idea that government could be expected to perform well, and accomplish good: it became acceptable to view government as "the problem", as if it were not a part of us, and who we were, for good or evil. This allowed us to begin to take a hostile view of our own government, and to feel justified to deprive it of needed revenue, in the form of tax collections, and substitute borrowing in its place- even to the point of financing two wars with borrowed money, with never a hint at any American contributing financially to this effort through the purchase of bonds, or otherwise. It became acceptable to look at the government as a source of free money- if not in the form of direct subsidies of our lifestyle, then in the form of reduced taxes, and to coat this with the balm contained in the oft repeated refrain, "It's your money!" (It was "your government", too, but nobody bothered to point that out.) Until we become better people- less materialistic, less warlike, less selfish- we cannot realistically expect better government, as I see it, and just changing horses, regardless of what color that horse is, will not improve the situation. _________________
I think the biggest reason that things are the way they are is that we are not informed before we vote and we don't vote for something or someone, but we vote against someone or something. A prime example of not know what someone is about is none other than the United Auto Workers. They consistently vote democratic and the flow of imports just keep on coming. Should they look at the candidates and then make the determination reagrdless of the union stance? Absolutely, but will they? Nope. My father in law hates government and paying taxes. Which way does he vote. Why democrat of course. He once belonged to the United Steelworkers and they told him to vote for the democrat so he still does. Admittedly when I voted I voted for McCain because I thought Obama would be worse. I was voting against Obama more than anything else. Sadly Obama has fulfilled my greatest fears. Mostly we lack leadership in this country and my guess is the same in Canada from what I see. We need someone to stand up and say, "Sorry, but taxes have to go up and spending has to go down. If we don't then we don't have a country anymore." I don't see anyone with the BALLS to do that. We need someone who will stand up and say that we have to change social security and reduce or eliminate benefits for the wealthy and raise the taxes for the program. My comments about experience had to do with McCain actually being a commander in the military as well as his business experience. Experience as a politician is just as Ian stated...it makes for a better liar, nothing more.
You're very right about the not being informed. While people themselves are at fault for that, Media and the parties are again responsible too. When do you ever hear a political commercial talk about what the candidate is standing for? It's always bashing the other guy and taking things out of context. No one gets information there. The media focuses so much on selling airtime that they don't bother to come up with any real information or its heavily biased one way or another. People we tend to believe what we hear, read and see. No matter if it's Fox, the internet or Michael Moore. We're too lazy to do our own research so we believe what other tell us.
rdubnpk Perhaps all is not lost. I am hearing some grumblings and talk about voting the incumbents out. If both groups of folks with party affiliations and the independents will do that we will at least have some new blood. A career politician is a career politician because he has learned, first and foremost, what it takes to be a career politician, which is, of course, how to get reelected. They will tell you what you want to hear to get reelected then head straight back to the special interest trough from which they all feed. The special interests feed them money to get reelected and the cycle starts all over again. Nothing changes and though we feel we have some control through our votes (if we bother to vote), we are, in fact, being controlled.
We have the same thing going here. I know that is the way I'm voting this year. I don't care about the party. If you've been there before you are part of the problem. The politicians don't want term limits then we should impose our own term limits.
When speaking of the bottom of the barrel let's not forget... Obama. Somehow Americans elected a Junior Senator who's only other significant public service experience was that of a community organizer – WTF? Now Obama's lack of experience is a serious liability to the country and his promises of change are empty & hollow. At least G.W. Bush had executive experience and was Governor of Texas. As for Palin, I don't think she's a serious candidate for President. BUT… I absolutely love the fact that she induces a spitting-mad derangement reaction in most liberals !! :icon_cool:
I never thought so either until I saw a news piece on voting along gender lines. The outcome of the news item was that there seemed to be many women out there that would vote for Palin because she was a woman, even if they knew nothing about what her platform was. SCARY.
rdubnpk In case anyone is interested, the ex-crook...er CEO of the hospital company that was indicted and paid a large settlement for Medicare fraud is now officially the Florida Republican candidate for governer. Guess at least that way you know how crooked someone is going in and don't have to wait for them to prove it to you. More news later after the general election...................
