Liberalism and Conservatism are Viruses
I’m assuming that 90% of you out there don’t really know what liberalism and conservatism are. Judging by the two clowns running for president and how people divide themselves among these two positions, it wouldn’t surprise me. If you need a primer lesson, read What Is The Difference Between Liberal and Conservative, a post I wrote a while back.
The two political parties only serve to separate people, creating an enemy image for easily manipulated people to fight against. This is known as a “control”, one of the most ancient forms of social manipulation. It enables the government to corral people like cattle and divide them.
Divide and Conquer is probably the oldest form of social control - the purpose of the two party system, designed to control all of us.
If you are strictly liberal or conservative, you are the result of this process, perpetuating the perturbing perniciousness of political prolixity (gotta love that tongue twister). Please, learn to think as an individual and release these chains of political oppression - you are not an animal, so stop acting like one. The truth is, most people are not just liberal or conservative. It is far more complex than that.
I am extremely liberal on many issues such as gay marriage, stem cell research and abortion. Let people do what they want to do. Your sex life is yours, and none of mine or the government’s business.
From this perspective, I am a liberal…right? I am actually a conservative on fiscal issues. I want a small government. I am anti-war unless absolutely necessary. I think the government should be small. A small government reduces corruption and greed, allowing the people to make their own lives better. That’s what America is all about, getting off your ass and making it happen yourself, but it’s unlikely in the current economy for anyone to succeed like they could 20 years ago.
What do you call a person with my beliefs? I am closer to a libertarian than anything else, though I really don’t call myself one. I like how political comedian Stephen Colbert (my favorite political funny man) put it:
He said, “Liberalism is trying to twist the crooked timber of humanity into equality while giving up freedom to get there. Conservatism means we all live in a ‘freedom terrarium’ where we are free just like buffalo on the open range, hoping some scraps of wealth trickle down from the the top ten percent’s matted beard.”
The point is, none of it is working. We are moving into uncharted territory and the system is falling apart. I’d like to see an entirely new form of government, something where the people are much more involved and required to help make all decisions with a much more hands on and progressive approach. The president really doesn’t have the power to fix Wall Street and corporate greed. I find it amusing that people actually believe Obama or McCain will actually have any effect. The president is just a front man for the corporations even if they aren’t when they first get the job. Haven’t you noticed? Week to week, these weasels change their positions, saying whatever we need to hear at the time
Ask yourself this: Do you want to be bullshitted by Obama or McCain? It doesn’t matter because bullshit is bullshit.
Instead of watching the election race, you should be watching the awesome reality show, Man vs. Wild with survivalist Bear Grylls. He will show you how to survive in the wild, eating carcasses, trapping animals, eating insects, how to find water anywhere on Earth and so forth. It’s not for the squeamish, but is incredibly inspiring. This is information you may soon need…haha!
Albert Einstein said, “World War 3 will be fought with nuclear bombs, World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones.”
I’m ready, are you?
Global Warming
I don’t want to get in this ridiculous argument with anyone. I’ll just say this: We will experience a mini ice age long before global warming ever has any negligible effect. Another scientific fact (they are important) is a super volcano will erupt in the next hundred years that will pump more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than any theory of global warming could ever produce. By then, we will no longer be dependent on oil anyway.
Right now, I’m more worried about my next meal than I am spending billions on a theory that may or may not be true.
Mother nature controls things, not us. We will not be here forever. Eventually, human kind will be covered in crust and forgotten for all of eternity. So live for today and enjoy your life. We are mere specs in this thing called life, so live it up! I don’t live for the day, I live breath to breath.
I will say that having George Bush out of the White House is far more important than whoever gets elected. The best thing to happen to America is to collapse; only then, will the people come together. I am not afraid, and even in death, I will remain so.
Revolution is the Only Answer
When you call yourself liberal or conservative, it means you have proclaimed your inability to be intelligent because you’ve bought into the enemy image ideology - rendering yourself incapable of self-directed antithetical logic and critical thought. When you become either republican or democrat, you allow yourself to be controlled. Don’t you see the truth? It’s right before your eyes. It’s above all religious or political thought - and the truth shall set you free.
I have called myself conservative, but only personally conservative - meaning I don’t sleep around with any girl who’ll let me…lol. I’m not like Celine Dion’s pedophile husband who got her in bed at age 12 when he was 45. In that respect, I am extremely conservative…hahaha
As long as we the people live within the corrupted theater of this government and it’s two party prison, it will never be fixed and only get worse. We live in a country of self-help junkies trying to stay positive, watching Oprah and reading Eckhart Tolle books (which is simply plagiarized Hinduism already written thousands of years ago. Write something original Eckhart).
Each party has their purported candidate. You may believe it’s the citizens that choose these candidates, but it’s really determined by money and which one has the backing of those who actually finance their campaigns. Once determined, the bright eyed candidate falls into the abyss of being deconstructed, and reurrescted into something out of their own control. That’s just the way it is.
Revolution is the answer, and not a term I throw around lightly. The entire government must be destroyed (not necessarily by violence) and rebuilt from the ground floor. The old government is crushed, lying on the side of the road and the new bright and shiny. Anything less, is not revolution. Right now, the only person capable of this revolution is Ron Paul. He is truly not a Washington insider; therefore, he will never get the mega financing to become president.
Because it is inevitable that either Obama or McCain will be president, I may vote for Obama. Here’s my thinking: I already know he will not fix anything. People are sick of the republicans and electing an extremely liberal democrat may offer proof that in four years, Ron Paul must be elected at any cost (I have truly lost my grasp on reality). With Obama’s plan to overtax small business, perhaps seeing the effect will wake people up. Remember, shit rolls down hill. When you overtax the small business owner, the people to suffer are the poor and middle class. I’m joking. I’m voting for Donald Duck.
The trillion dollar band-aid the Bush administration just threw on our backs is simply delaying the inevitable: total economic collapse. Ron Paul has been warning us for years, and now everything he predicted is coming true. Many people may think I’m just being negative, but I am not. The truth hurts and is frightening - we cannot turn a blind eye and live in lala land.
Once this collapse occurs, a military police state will be interdicted to quell the panic. I am certain I will see this in my lifetime. Dan from DCR blogs wrote an great article about the renter mentality so prevalent in our society. He’s right. Most people own less than 50% of everything in their possession; however, the idea that people will stop buying stuff they don’t need will never happen unless it crashes down and they become homeless. it’s not just the renter mentality, it’s credit in general. I haven’t bought a single item on credit in over 10 years - I refuse to. Let’s face the truth, America is broke…period.
Get laid all you can and party down dude!!!
Be sure to read Jasmin’s article To be or not to be for Barack Obama. A great post from a Bosnian point of view. It’s so interesting to see how people not from the U.S. actually know more about American politics than Americans do.
Another great and hilarious article is On the 2008 RNC Convention from People in the Sun. His humor cracks me up, and you must see the great “cultish republican drone” picture, it’s easy to find.
Check out Paisley’s vicious rant - I can feel her angst in Political Freak Show. She sums it up perfectly!
The North American Union
As the North American Union progresses towards fruition, most of us have never even heard of it. The United States, Mexico and Canada are being combined into one entity with a new form of currency called the Amero. Read Euroyank’s article The American Fourth Reich for a detailed look at this situation. This is not fantasy, it is already underway, right under our noses.
In Cessation
I write this stuff because it’s important and relevant, something that is lacking in the blogosphere these days. It may not be great, but at least it’s actually about something. This may be offensive or even sound condescending, but it needs to be said. The reason most bloggers don’t write or read about truth in politics is because they don’t know anything about it or are blindly entrenched in partisan benightedness, and that is one of our most considerable dilemmas (shut the fuck up Bobby, you stuffy self-righteous moron…throw yourself off a cliff and be done with it)
I don’t care about cell phone reviews, making money on line, how to blog or the fabric selection on your new couch. These subjects are redundant and have been written to death. I suppose politics has been too, so I’ll shut up now! Blah blah blah. From now on, I will watch MTV 24-7 and all future articles will consist of meaningless drivel and sugar shrouded fluff.
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I don’t think I am voting this time around… and I don’t want to rehash my reasoning over and over on this. I might make a real comment on this after I read the links. I don’t follow any of the political drivel online however, because most people are just big baby whiners and don’t do anything to change their own personal lives… they want the government to fix everything. Which is crap- we actually do have some control over our lives- just have to get off the couch and do something about it. If you are in debt- stop buying on credit and work harder to get out from under it, don’t wait for the government to bail you out. There really are ways for people to take control of their lives but people just don’t want to.
Interesting that you mentioned overtaxing the small business owner, I was just discussing this the other day with a friend. Small businesses are supposed to stimulate the economy- yet we are forced to pay more taxes then the 40 hour a week joe blow worker… I think it’s because the government fights innovation at every step and actually works to hinder people who might make changes. Easier to control the worker then the entrepreneur and innovator… it might sound elitist but I believe it with my whole heart.
I understand why you don’t want to vote. I made the mistake of voting for Bush in his first term and the guilt isn’t worth it. I’m over politics and said all I can say. If I keep writing about it, it will just be rehashed same old same old.
I cannot let this stuff drive me crazy, and for the first time in years, I feel relieved. I’ve been trying to write one political article that says it just right, and this is it…finally.
I’m already writing some lighthearted humor and going to get more connected to my friends here in the blogosphere. I’ve been alienating myself from people and I’m done with it.
Here’s to happiness, joy, fun and life. I’m going to enjoy my life no matter what this stupid government does to us. Have a great night Michelle:)
I lived in England when the corrupt Conservatives gave way to a young leader from the Labor party. This was a new age in English life. There was hope. No more corruption, no more hypocrisy, no more unnecessary colonial wars.
Well, apparently Blair fooled everyone.
So I am admittedly apprehensive about Obama. But I still have to hope for the best. And not because he tells me to hope.
The Bush years have been so horrible and so many people died for nothing, that hope is all I have left.
It could also be refreshing to have someone who is, I have to say, smarter than me in the White House. I don’t worship him, and I don’t think he represent the revolutionary figure this country truly needs, especially after the Bush years, but any lost vote is a vote for the other guy, and a vote for more wars.
So for now, I’m going to keep on hoping.
And thanks for the link! Glad you liked it.
@Peopleinthesun: I have to hope also, and Obama is a smart guy and certainly light years beyond Bush. I think Bush was just a puppet. Honestly, the entire system is so confusing, it’s nearly impossible for any of us to understand anything.
I am a Ron Paul supporter because he’s the ONLY politician with an unblemished voting record and an economic understanding beyond anyone in modern politics. The economic collapse is definitely not just American. It’s in your country, Australia…ok, it’s everywhere.
If Obama is elected, I hope he changes my outlook and proves something great to the world. I know he is probably in a state of disbelief already as he gets more and more sucked into Washington. Maybe a democratic congress will be good. Who knows, but anything has to be better than Bush. I hope Bush is imprisoned for war crimes.
Yes, Blair is like the British George Bush, both having the neo-con political stance. I’ll hope right along with you!
I think you touched on something that rarely gets recognized. Liberal minded ideas have many branches … as well as conservative ones.
Many people are like you, liberal in one arena, and consevative in the next.
I’m conservative in fiscal areas, taxes, wasted government money, etc
I am also conservative in my life viewpoints … although I do not thrust them upon people. I believe that we are all flawed sinners, whether you are a believer or not. I am no better than any another human.
So, where to draw the line, and distinguish??
There is not a cut and dry right and wrong. Take this example: Is abortion ok after birth? Is it ok during birth? How about 10 days before birth? 20? 60?
Where is that split second that divides right and wrong in your eyes? In others?
I would like just one person to tell me when that “exact” second happens.
I cannot see abortion laws changed anyway. Realistically, they will stay the same. Some will vote on this issue alone.
Jumping back to BIG government … I just can’t imagine wanting more waste and govermental control than what we have now. To me, that is the biggest issue. I am just a regular working Joe, and put in overtime just to survive. The taxes I have now kill me. I am a mere mover. Guess what I see …. people that do not work, do not pay taxes, living on the ones I pay, getting moved by the state - again with taxes from me. Funny, they have better tv’s, and more food in the house than I. What happened to our countries work ethic??
Gripe session over
Hi Eric! The truth is, I am not personally in favor of abortion, but I think a woman has the right, it’s her body. It should not be used except in certain cases, but the law will remain the same. Issues like that are not going to affect how I vote. It’s a religious argument, and I believe in separation of church and state. If I get a woman pregnant, an abortion is out of the question - I would fight tooth and nail against it, but that’s me.
I agree 100% with your view on the economy, which is really the only issue for me. Without a prosperous economy, none of the other issues will matter anyway. What kills me is that republicans have long been the party of small government…and then Bush changed that. I’ll survive no matter what happens. I can live on fish and wild berries…hahaha. I just need a cave woman to keep me company
… actually, fish and wild berries sounds pretty good!
If it wasn’t for all them darn greenhorns out there, I might get a Mule and roam the countryside.
Haha! I can live without electricity, grocery stores, money or any other modern convenience - we all can. I’ll see you on the open range!
Bobby thanks. I think that worst that can happen to people now is a state of political indifference. My country consist of two entities - one of them is Republica Srpska, you may heard about it. That entity is build on ethnic cleansing and war crimes. All the masterminds, or almost all - of this savage project are now in Hague, on International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. But again, that entity is a political reality now. Nobody is even thinking remotely about a new war. So all that we have left is politics. If necessary we should negotiate for the next 200 years to establish equality and all the necessary rights for the refuges - we should do everything by the means of politics.
Sometimes one must choose from the two evils. To choose the less evil is what politics is all about.
I see a lot of comments from Americans about political indifference and not voting on upcoming elections. I think it’s a wrong approach. It’s the least that one could do.
Hi J.C.! One thing I am hopeful about is that Americans are interested in change. I think this election will have the biggest turnout in history. Also, we are impatient and our next president must perform well, or they will be gone in 4 years.
I will vote and most Americans will too. After the upcoming debates, people will decide who they want. Voting should be required by law here like it is in Australia.
I don’t know a lot about your politics except that there’s so much needed to be done. Ever since I met you, I have been paying attention to International news, especially your country.
Ethnic cleansing sounds so horrific. Most Americans are so afraid of losing this great country and the freedom so many take for granted.
I do not believe that McCain is just another Bush, but it’s looking like he is behind in the polls. I think Obama will be the next president and I hope he can handle the job. I think we need a new approach…a new government.
Take care of yourself over there. I don’t really know what life is like there. I hope and pray your country progresses into the light and improves.
I love ya bobby, but that has to be one of the most specious litany of arguments I’ve ever read.
For instance, I find it a difficult proposition that you can, on one hand, describe yourself as a libertarian and then propose in the above comment that voting should be required by law.
P.S. - Obama is smart? Time and again he’s proven himself to be a blathering idiot. Don’t you think a man running for president should know exactly how many states over which he would like to preside? Here’s a hint, it’s NOT 57, 58 or 60. You can google that, because the media simply fails to make an issue out of it.
Or know a little bit about some recent history, so as not to describe Iran, Cuba and North Korea as little nations that pose little threat compared to big nations. Perhaps a review of the Cuban missile crisis would be in order.
Obama is a dunderhead propped up by an overwhelmingly biased media who forgives and barely reports any of his serious gaffes. And McCain is little better.
We need a return to a protection of our constitutional liberties and a strong defense.
I admire you for putting your jewels out there. Few people would.
Thanks so much Jon! I’m only part libertarian and my view shifts because the country needs different political leanings at different times - a constant ever changing flux of motion - a moving carpet of political harmony. It’s much like the interrelationship between a jazz solo and the chords it plays through. But, you’re right. The constitution holds all the answers and should be the root of all government. I know they’ll never pass a law for enforced voting, but it was a thought.
As far as Obama’s intelligence, he’s smart in some ways, but has been infected with liberalism; plus, I was just being nice. Oh yeah, I heard his gaffe on how many states there are…lol!
I play around a lot, but I’m going to do a write in vote for Ron Paul…I do need to sleep at night. I admit I’m a political junkie, and right now, I have to be. This country is diseased. Thanks for reading and it’s great to hear from you
Well, now I understand the name of your site much better.
The only way out I see is also revolt. Oh, and my sofa is aubergine (that’s eggplant to us common folk). 
Hi Teeni! Revolt or revolting? I always thought revolt meant to get electrocuted, and after surviving it, purposefully doing it again; thus, being revolted. Aubergine? My couch is zinnwaldite with a hexspherically inverted crescent print…haha!
1) We are animals first, humans with imaginations second. We live in a dangerous world, in an unsure world where death is just around the cornor. Try to remember your own anxiety as an infant or notice the fearful stages of growth in your children, especially when they realize how dependent they are on the adults. Humanity was also in this state of anxiety in our early history. Tigers were big and all we had were spears. Part of us feels this all time. We feel vulnerable in our animal natures and limited. We strive for growth, mastery and propagation just like every living thing that has ever existed. We crave and greed for anything that represents more abundant and secure biological life - even when it is actually taken care of in our advanced civilization. In the following essay remember we are animals. Thinking animals but animals nevertheless.
2) However, we are social animals - like some herd or pack animals but not at all like big cats, sharks, or hawks. We need each other and the group to compete against other animals and nature. But we also compete with our fellow humans for mastery and status. Knowing our place allows us take on specific jobs in the group and to feel purpose and meaning. We test and gauge our status wihin the group. We constantly compare ourselves (and judge others) by cultural standards of mastery. Early in history and our physical skills were the important measure but that soon turned to social skills. The function of out direct perceptual senses is guage our level of security, protection and worth within the group. Getting our fellow humans approval and esteem enhances this protection because somebody is literally watching your back. In a sufficiently advanced civlization, when the food supply, healthcare, shelter and education are taken care of the impulse to grow - to have more abundant life - does not go away. That is because the emotional part of us knows we are still limited and vulnerable without our cultural and group protections. So we unconsciously compare worth, significance and power in our society - to find our place in it and to gather as many protectve affliations around us as possible.
3) As our brains evolved and abstraction and symbolic abilities developed we imagined we could be gods! Our situation was so perilous in the wild we tended to make false correlations in nature, thus creating “magic” to allow us to feel more in control. Eventually, our egos created complex systems of symbols representing physical skills. We created institualized ritual to control the environment and its ceremonies to control each other. Magic turned into religion. Religion turned into divine states. Divine states turned into secular society and political philosophies. Thus, magical ritual, religion and its decendent instutions allowed for defined heirarchy, castes, classes and organizational efficiencies. Our egos do not like to hear we have weaknesses or are simply competing status seeking animals, or we are the cause our own suffering or that we are vulnerable, limited and will one day die. So we seek ways of removing our guilt and feelings of vulnerability by latching on to anything or anybody who can make us feel secure, safe and confident that all will be well, and in their care that we will prosper, grow, be significant and live a much fuller life. This is the “heroic impulse”. It is pervasive within all cultures except the most simple and egalitarian. We value and acknowledge those symbols (not reality) that which will make us feel safe or make us feel like winners. Of course, this had loads of survival value in the forest because some did have real heroic skills - as hunter gatherers - but the impulse to affliate with the “heroic” has been distorted to an absurd point. Acquisition of possesions, titles, status, large families, and attachment to symbols far and long divorced from actual survival needs is what drives our culture and politics. The impuluse for more, more, more drives our economic systems. In fact, it is OUR need for MORE LIFE and our unconsciousness of why we desire MORE LIFE that creates the economic system - a system that depends on 4% growth per year despite that fact that we live in a finite world with finite resources. Unbridled and un-reflective thinking in service of the fear of death is what makes the human animal insane in comparison to other species. The fundamental confusion is taking mere words or concepts to be reality.
4) Biologically, abstracting egos arise from the left hemisphere of the brain. The symbolic processors of the left brain take fear arising from the amygdala and rationalizes an insulating symbolic defense - many of which are words or concepts. The left hemisphere also tends to mask perceptual realities of the right hemisphere since this holistic part does not harbor linguistic processors. The right hemisphere cannot argue for itself even though it harbors many intelligences! This effectively removes feelings of vulnerability and fear from our thinking selves but it also veils broader realities and perceptions that could have survival value. This is a necessary condition for mental health and negotiation in a highly symbolic environments which most people live in. Cultures are systems of symbols that reinforce a consensual strategy against this fear of death. Or, at least, a “social symbolic death” with insignificance or loss of approval among our fellows. Cultural values change as the demands of survival from the environment change. We create complex symbolic absolutist views and cultural sanctioned rituals, rules and behaviors that institutionalize the strategy against death because total faith brings the most confidence. That is why suicide bombers say they love death as much as we love life - they are assured at place in paradise. These emotional displacements provide order and sense of meaning to our world and provide confidence. The value of the concept of immortality, gods and single great hero, God, has provided the greatest sense of relief for many cultures.
5) Furthermore, We create conflict and suffering through mutual exclusive competing symbols within and between our arbitrary rule-bound cultures. Thus, individuals will constantly compare who’s up and who’s down, one street gang will fight another over graffiti, how clothing is worn, territoral encroachment; soceer games will erupt in violence over a game, republicans and democrats will demean and “symbolically” fight each to other’s social death (the inability to influence others). Our egos constantly strive to strengthen its stature compared to others. Our egos are willing to defend, belittle or even fight to the death any symbol or person who threatens our unconscious immortality symbols because our ego’s imaginary life is at stake. The impulse to prove oneself right and the other wrong is simply the defense of the ego against imaginary death.
6) Whether it be God, Nirvana or our imagined legacies on earth, or our political philsophies our egos find something to latch on to, no matter where we live. Cultures, religions and all absolutist philosophies exist to provide approval-seeking humans ways of organizing, encouraging, coping, prospering, staving off fear of death and moving civilzation forward toward some imagined good life - even at the expense of present happiness. We are social beings that create our own environments whose need for a sense-of-belonging and self esteem is universal so convienently adopt the prevailing notions that imply worth. The need for human-connection and approval is primary and real, cultural values are secondary and imaginery. This is a very important point!
7) Our egos can be exploited, controlled and abused by those who use our needs, hopes and dreams to suit their own agendas or by those that insist to withdraw their respect unless we tow the cultural line. We all, quite naturally, give our loyalty and our lives to those who best can communicate to our emotions the symbols that promise security and strength but most importantly - a sense of belonging. The success of leadership is proportional to the level of alignment of culturally adopted values to the real demands of the environment. Blind following often leads to disaster. Following, a worldview, hero or personal expression is only useful to the extent that it actually haromonizes with the reality of others, other cultures and the physical environment.
9) We could spend our time much more profitably by recognizing more when our ego’s comparative and defensive functions operate and instead look to our fundamental common needs - food, health, education, need-for-belonging and personal expression. So, we could look to our common problems and working together to make a difference, rather than defending our egoic coping belief systems or sense of status and worth or defending out-dated cultural systems and pet idealogies. We should allow space of personal belief that does not tramp on the fundamental needs. I believe that the competitive principle is being challenged by the cooperative principle in our institutions. That is why, all things seem to changing. Comparison of status and worth of individuals and groups is the root of all evil. The secondary affect is greed and inability to share.
10) Ultimately, all human activity is “religious” or “political” in that any activity that provides a sense security, of mastery of life over death or superority over our fellows tends to held on to. But this balanced by our need for a expansion of sense of belonging, cooperation, love and compassion - equally powerful organizers to our behavior. Our financial institutions must see the profit to be made in engendering these values. We must be vigilant in the tendency for our human psyche to attach to absolutist concepts or worldviews. The unconscious denial of death is the primary motivation for humanity up to now - its up to us to get beyond it.
“I see a lot of comments from Americans about political indifference and not voting on upcoming elections. I think it’s a wrong approach. It’s the least that one could do.”
I want to respond to JC - I am not voting- not because of indifference, I am not voting for two very strong reasons. One I think Obama’s ticket is based on emotionalism and nonsense. I hate emotionalism in any form- it goes against logic and reasoning. SO how can I vote for him.
Too I don’t normally let abortion rights fuel my vote- but I heard that in the Illinois senate Obama threw down the gauntlet when he voted against allowing pain and medicine to babies that are outside the womb dying from botched abortions. Not all abortion goes smoothly- whatever that means. To deny a living person pain meds and comfort while dying is disgusting.
I won’t vote for McCain either- I don’t want to throw away my two oldest boys to a guy who might be 100x the war monger Bush is. My oldest son is draft bait in less then two years.
So anyone who says Americans aren’t voting because they’re indifferent is clueless. Not every American is an idiot.
@Michelle: Vote for a 3rd party candidate Michelle. If enough people do, it’ll at least help get the ball rolling even more. Overall, Obama is probably the least qualified candidate in U.S. history. I know a lot of people are scared of Palin replacing McCain when he dies soon, but Obama is the one they should truly be frightened of.
I live in a red state, so no matter who I vote for, McCain will get our electoral votes (from the electoral college).
I believe the election is “fixed” anyway
i was here and read yesterday,, but held off commenting as my a political understanding is not based on what i know about politics,, but rather what i know about people…
i cannot tell you who is the best man,, or woman for that matter,, i cannot innumerate their individual stand on any of the issues at hand,, but i have been a keen observer of the masses for many years,, and i can tell you what i think is really coursing thru the veins of the american people despite what we hear coming out of their politically correct mouths…
i am so glad you had an opportunity to read my rant… i have a new piece of short fiction up on …why paisley as well you might enjoy….
thanks for the linky love bobby….
Hi Paisley! I’ll tell you this: Neither of the two candidates are good choices and their running mates are even worse. Right now, America needs a champion of the constitution. Until that happens, this country will be mired in ignorance and socialism.
I’ll definitely read your new short story
So many points I’d like to touch on Bobby but I’ll limit them since I’m in a really “cranky” mood this morning.
The president really doesn’t have the power to fix Wall Street and corporate greed.
Bingo! The president may have the “big stick” but it’s not nearly big enough to give all the goofs in congress and the senate the “attitude adjustment” the sorely need. Take a real good look at all of these folks that get elected. Want change? Carry your own “big stick” and use it.
Small businesses… I’ve been a small business owner for more than 2 decades. I’ve been having to adapt, change, rethink, and struggle at times, BECAUSE of congress and our political system. Try asking what their definition of “small business” is if you want a good laugh or cry. Take automotive repair as an example. Up to $7 MILLION in annual receipts qualifies you as a small business. How many $7 MILLION operations do you think are “small”?
Wall street… I really don’t want to get started. Precious metals, actually metals in general, are a joke. Folks stealing the catalytic right off of cars because platinum is the catalyst. The price driven by speculators and Wall Street. Copper being stolen from construction sites. Exchange traded funds driving the price of gold and oil through the roof. For what? Not the demand for actually using the product.
A friend of mine who is a homicide detective always told me to find the “culprit” you follow the money. Take a good hard look at where the money ends up. Anything that has “value” or is perceived to have value will be bought and sold.
This political race in the US? How about Mc Cain and Obama having raised nearly $1 BILLION dollars between them to spend. That’s right, BILLION. How much of that do you think goes to “small business” or the average “Joe” working hard trying to take care of their family?
Obama scares me. Mc Cain only to a lesser degree. As I mentioned in another of your posts Bobby, it has come down to who’s likely to do the least harm and not neccesarily the most good. I hate that. If change is going to happen, change for the good, its going to have to start at the bottom, with the people.
Hey Cranky Dave!
With Obama’s plan, a rich person is defined as earning $200,000.00. If that encompasses a business, it’s definitely not rich.
His message of “hope”, is nothing more than empty promises, playing to people’s heartstrings. I hate to see the “rockstar” effect actually influence people’s decisions. Elections are bought, not earned.
The media and college campuses are breeding bias and it’s spreading like wildfire. ABC, CBS, NBC and especially MSNBC are liberal networks. Hollywood is also liberal. It drives me insane to think about. Fox is the republican network. I just want plain news…lol!
Follow the money - that’s so right! On another matter, the 911 commission said it was of no significance who financed 9-11, and left it out of their report. This is why I believe the U.S. government is involved in the finance. Maybe I’m just another conspiracy theorist, but I’m not dumb enough to believe everything the media says. I don’t believe in what America is becoming. Hell, I don’t even feel American anymore.
The changes needed do start with the people, but until something like economic collapse occurs, people will ignorantly perpetuate this ongoing stampede towards socialism - it’s what many people want, and they don’t understand the implications at all.
I would personally prefer McCain to Obama, but I cannot vote for either - like it’s going to make a difference anyway.
@Jasciu: I thought your comment was a spam comment when I first saw it (because of it’s length). It seemed unlikely that someone would write such a long comment. It reads like a college term paper, but is worth reading and filled with great logic. I don’t have a rebuttal but I do thank you.
Very well put, Bobby. Like you, I’m liberal on some issues…pretty much the social issues. One, because I don’t tell people how to run their lives, and I don’t want people telling me how to run mine. And two, because I’m not brainwashed in to believing and following many of the moral/social codes that were concocted by a bunch of Bronze Age goat herders trying to make sense of the world around them.
On fiscal issues, I’m very conservative. I want limited government and limited intervention. All one has to do is study up on history to see that the path we’re on now will lead to certain doom. It has for all empires, and the US is no different.
As for the current election, it’s a total joke. Once again we’re left with a choice between two evils. Both have a severe lack of understanding of the world and the economy, and both of have policies that will fail miserably. Sure, I believe they have good intentions and believe in what they have planned, but many a bad thing has happened due to policies that were well-intentioned. Again, history shows us.
What’s inevitable is more economic collapse and probably more government bailouts. The dollar will continue to devalue unless we take but bull by the horns and fix things the right way. NOT by adding more government, more regulation and printing more money out of thin air.
All empires and great nations fall due to fiscal, financial reasons. And what we’re seeing right now are the first signs of a falling empire. And I am very concerned. And if there’s anything we have learned in this last year, it’s that we need Ron Paul (and more like him) now more than ever.
Hi Aaron! By the time people realize that Ron Paul is right, it’ll be too late. The main reason he isn’t the republican nominee is because people think his foreign policy is lunacy. I happen to agree with his foreign policy. America protects America and nobody else - that’s what we need right now. I don’t mind helping other countries, but right now, we cannot afford it!
I say bring most of the troops home from every place on Earth and protect OUR shores, not everyone else’s. It’s not that I don’t care about other countries, but pretty soon, we won’t even be able to defend ourselves aside from nuclear warfare. I’m kidding…perhaps not that extreme, but we do far too much policing around the world.
All this concern over Iran is ridiculous. Iran is a tiny country that doesn’t even have an air force - to send in troops would be absolute stupidity.
You are right about our falling empire. It’s rotted from the inside out, much like the Roman empire. I have become convinced that liberalism is a brain defect over the past year. I just don’t understand it and don’t want to either.
Soon, the value of the U.S. dollar will become worthless on a worldwide scale, and that’s when our collapse will occur. I’m over being optimistic about America’s future. I’m just going to live the best I can and not worry about it.
With Obama’s plan, a rich person is defined as earning $200,000.00. If that encompasses a business, it’s definitely not rich.
Personal income.
Now what I want to see is not all these “programs” that tug on the heart strings, but a viable means of stopping all the spending.
The banking industry is a joke. Add the oil industry to comedy line up as well. Health care… headliner at the economic joke fest.
Tell me why it is health care providers can provide a service for a thousand different prices depending upon who your insurance company is?
Tell me why it is health insurance companies can provide coverage for one price to a large employee group but requires 2X as much or more for an individual or small business owner for the exact same coverage?
Tell me why it is some cars used to get 40-50 miles to the gallon but getting half as much now is “better”?
And finally, tell me why it is that hot dogs and hot dog buns can’t be packaged in the same quantities? Where’s the ear mark for that?
I wish I could answer your questions Dave, but they are insoluble mysteries! Here’s my question:
Last week, Treasury secretary Paulson said the economy was fine. This week he says it’s falling apart and today, suddenly needs 700 billion dollars! How can we be expected to respect him? Do ya think he knows what he’s talking about? Hahaha
And, we all know the first thing to die in any war???
The Truth
Unfortunately, the truth isn’t profitable in the political warfare between liberals and conservatives. As one example, Al Gore profited from his Inconvenient Truth which fueled his alleged political crisis of Global Warming. Seems both sides now want a piece of Gore’s pie.
Hi Debbie! Aw come on, Al Gore can’t even cook a pie…lol! You’re right though. Between all the left/right infighting and money, the truth of everything is lost. Of course less pollution and the search for clean, non-polluting fuels are important, but the entire green movement has become another over politicized, farcical load of crap.
If you’re really green, you won’t drive, fly, use electricity, eat at restaurants or buy products of any kind. You would live in the wild, growing your own food, riding a bicycle, walking, drinking river water and never bathing; otherwise, you’re just another environmental terrorist like everyone else…hahaha
Last week, Treasury secretary Paulson said the economy was fine. This week he says it’s falling apart and today, suddenly needs 700 billion dollars! How can we be expected to respect him?
This is simply ludicrous. Not only that but in a nutshell, he’s saying trust me I know what I’m doing.
The figure I heard this morning is that as proposed it will cost every man, woman, and child $2K. How many “K” do you think the CEO’s and executives who orchestrated the failure made?
Another disturbing thing is that this “plan” includes bailing out foreign banks without any assistance in tow from their own governments.
Who else are we going to get to pay for?
Well Dave, the way I see the bail outs are like pawning your own house to get money for your house note. Doesn’t it seem logical? I am no economist and really just a concerned American trying to learn and understand all this mess.
How does creating more debt and printing more money cure debt? I just cannot seem to wrap my mind around the proposals being considered - it makes no sense to me.
Who else will we pay for? Eventually, China might want that 500 billion back. I foresee the taxpayers paying it!
Well Bobby, the first thing I hope everyone understands is that this problem started back in 1999 under Clinton. Requiring banks/institutions to loan to folks that would otherwise not qualify. Let’s not kid ourselves that this is a “new” problem. Also let’s not forget it was under Clinton that deregulation of the US financial system was passed.
Now, this is not “Clinton bashing” just putting into perspective when the mess we are in started, that it’s a decade in the making, and gives some insight into why it is the government is talking bailout. The started the problem to begin with.
First off, if you cannot afford a home you cannot afford a home. Deal with it. Changing the system to meet the needs of those who cannot afford it was/is simply a bad idea.
Next, raise the tax rate for short term capital gains and extend the time frame to qualify for long term capital gains. This should help to stave off all the wild speculation that I believe has become too much of a driving force.
Wall street… End the speculation triggered buying and selling. If someone wants to gamble, go to a casino. There’s no reason in the world to make it so easy for speculators to swing the market so drastically. It’s just too damn easy for speculators/speculation to command and drive the market rather that “real demand”. This needs to stop.
Thanks Dave! I’m continuing this on a new post.
“Divide and Control” that is what happened it poor Africa in the 50-60s -Colonialism, it still happens today anyway, and the main reason is illiteracy. That’s the word “illiteracy”. In America, it is well disguised, because when you’re rich, everyone thinks you’re learned. Americans have to go back to school. maybe we all have too, if we want better surrogates
Hi Kanute! You’re right. Being rich is thought of as success in America (as well as most other countries). A teacher of children isn’t rich, but in my book, they are successful and doing an important job. Also, if you’re famous, people look up to you.