Sad but true! Even as a dyed in the wool conservative, there are very few republicans that I have any faith in and let’s not even get started on the dems! Where are all of the George Washingtons, John Adams, Abe Lincolns and Ronald Reagans today?
I agree Scott, seems politics of late is filled with the uninspired and the uninspiring. The only pol that has sparked any interest in me lately has been La. Gov Bobby Jindal. I heard part of an interview with him (I forget where) and I liked what I heard but honestly, don’t know much about him yet.
If anyone was to ask me, I would tell them that a big reason that folks are raising so much ruckus at town hall meetings is that nobody in D.C. is listening to the voters. It is not just health care/health insurance; it’s the whole idea of being told that the imperial federal government knows what is best for everyone.
And I can’t believe it, but I’ll defend the liberal side as well in that they are being betrayed on their values as well. Although I politically differ with their values, they don’t get what they expect or want either.
yes thats the truth about those bastards
Speaking of Libs, where are you Paul, I’d like to hear your thoughts on this post and the comments.
Gary – I agree with you too. Bobby Jindal seems to be a “true conservative”, however, his response to the State of the Union speech was a bit lackluster. I still like Sarah Palin because she seems to speak conservative values because she believes in them, not just because they are a means to an end. I just hope she can hold up under the public scrutiny.
Richard – You got it dead on! As I mentioned above, for most politicians, a political philosophy is a means to an end, not a sincere system of beliefs. Look at how quickly Bill Clinton changed his views when the Republicans took over the House and Senate in ’92. You would think that the whole Contract With America was his idea. When he began to adopt more conservative views, his poll numbers soared!
Revrick – You also got it right! Just consider for instance the town hall meetings with Barney Frank. Here you have people from the most liberal state in the union in the most liberal towns in the state coming together to fight against this healthcare bill that is being forced down their throats. If you listen to the Dems, it is a big Republican conspiracy! However, I am seeing just as many liberals at these meetings speaking out against this garbage. They have been betrayed and they are mad as hell!
(Another) Scott – Actually the Contract was in 1994.
I happen to have a Congressman who gets it. John Linder (R, GA) is the author of “The Fair Tax”. If you really want to poke the hornets nest at a town hall meeting, bring up fair taxes. Linder is absolutely opposed to any tax increases for any reason, so his get togethers are more like a love fest with everyone agreeing that instead of more government, let’s get by with a lot less, i.e. no more IRS in it’s present form.
Gary,
I don’t think there is a spits worth of difference between the Dems and the Repubs. I think we have one party in this country–the Money Party–and whether or not they call themselves D’s or R’s, they’re all in it for one thing–preservation of theirs, and the hell with the rest of us. They have been incredibly efficient at throwing wedge issues at us, such as abortion, gun control, health care, gay rights,etc., or distractions, such as celebrity deaths, the latest blonde girl gone missing, etc. So while we are arguing amongst ourselves, or staring blankly at at TV screen, they continue to work in concert with Big Business to insure that the quarterly profits of corporations take precedence over anything that would, could, or should benefit “we the people”.
The Money Party has such a stranglehold on us that there is no chance of a viable “third party” option in this country. Until the vast majority of us figure out how to evict those people, we are, and will remain, f*cked.
Paul you may be shocked that I agree with you ,screw the Dems and Repubs,vote Libertarian
Infi,
I’m not really shocked. However, since the Libertarian position seems to be no government at all, that is not practical. Who is going to build your roads, maintain the safety of your food, or protect you from crime? Some form of government is required to maintain a society as huge and as complex as ours.
One step we could take is to simply ban lobbyists from giving money to our elected officials. Make federal funding for elections mandatory, rather than giving them the option of taking federal money or “soft” (i.e., lobbyist) money. Restrict campaigning to a couple of months before an election. (We have people running for Pres in 2012 and we’re not yet in that decade.) Switch polling from the current Tuesday in November to the first weekend in November.
If politicians aren’t forced to constantly raise money to fund their next re-election and if they knew that they would have 22 months to work when elected to a 2 year term, or they had 46 months to work when elected to a 4 year term, just think, they could actually go to DC and do the job they are supposed to do.
Paul, let’s throw in term limits as well. Plus, I agree on the weekend voting. Sometimes it penalizes the employed to try to get away for several hours waiting in line. Personally, I use the early voting option, but not everyone is as well planned and structured as I am…(that sounds better than saying I don’t really have a life and look for things to do with myself)
Rev,
I’m torn on term limits because if we place a whole new bunch of people in office every X number of years, the learning curve on how to do the job might slow down the progress of passing legislation.
Jeez, I just read what I wrote, how can legislation get passed any slower than it is already?
As much as I would like to see weekend voting, there is a certain faction of the “Money Party” that does not want employees to get away for a few hours to vote…
Paul – Don’t forget to include the six year terms for Senators.
Is it really a bad idea to slow down legisation? It would help to keep more money in our pockets.
I like weekend voting, but advanced voting has really helped.
Is the “Money Party” the one with George Soros trying to run things?
Any effort to reduce campaigning time would need to be tied to term limits. An incumbent has an advantage if he’s any good!
Richard,
If the Money Party was a coin, one side would be George Soros and the other side would be Richard Mellon Scaife. Remember it’s all about preserving and enriching their own stash at the expense of you and me.
Paul – How did you know my name? LOL
Paul – For some reason you’re making some sense to me today (I better have my house checked for carbon monoxide leaks!). I’d be interested in your opinion on Senators and Representatives serving for decades..The despicable Ted Kennedy continues to serve though terminally ill; he was elected in 1962! Or Rep John Conyers from Michigan, who says he sees no reason to read legislation he votes on, was elected in 1965.
Isiah doesn’t think anyone over, what…40? 21? 11? should even be driving, but 28 of our 100 senators are over 70 years old (born before WWII, TV, space travel, jetliners, rock & roll)…4 of those are over 80. WV’s Senator Byrd is NINETY-FREAKING-TWO! He was born before the end of World War ONE!
In the House, 50 of 238 are over 70, 6 of those over 80.
Some of these guys can’t walk, drive, or keep drool on the inside of their mouths…Kennedy is reportedly nearly comatose now. Today’s problems, both domestic and foreign, are so complicated, and information flows so much faster now…Think of the 70, 75, 80 year old people you know…should they be deciding the futures of a country that is well into the 21st century?
DJ – Don’t forget that Supreme Court Justices are set up for life. Let’s let a judge who is over 75 making life or death (literally) decisions.
Sad but true! Even as a dyed in the wool conservative, there are very few republicans that I have any faith in and let’s not even get started on the dems! Where are all of the George Washingtons, John Adams, Abe Lincolns and Ronald Reagans today?
I agree Scott, seems politics of late is filled with the uninspired and the uninspiring. The only pol that has sparked any interest in me lately has been La. Gov Bobby Jindal. I heard part of an interview with him (I forget where) and I liked what I heard but honestly, don’t know much about him yet.
If anyone was to ask me, I would tell them that a big reason that folks are raising so much ruckus at town hall meetings is that nobody in D.C. is listening to the voters. It is not just health care/health insurance; it’s the whole idea of being told that the imperial federal government knows what is best for everyone.
And I can’t believe it, but I’ll defend the liberal side as well in that they are being betrayed on their values as well. Although I politically differ with their values, they don’t get what they expect or want either.
yes thats the truth about those bastards
Speaking of Libs, where are you Paul, I’d like to hear your thoughts on this post and the comments.
Gary – I agree with you too. Bobby Jindal seems to be a “true conservative”, however, his response to the State of the Union speech was a bit lackluster. I still like Sarah Palin because she seems to speak conservative values because she believes in them, not just because they are a means to an end. I just hope she can hold up under the public scrutiny.
Richard – You got it dead on! As I mentioned above, for most politicians, a political philosophy is a means to an end, not a sincere system of beliefs. Look at how quickly Bill Clinton changed his views when the Republicans took over the House and Senate in ’92. You would think that the whole Contract With America was his idea. When he began to adopt more conservative views, his poll numbers soared!
Revrick – You also got it right! Just consider for instance the town hall meetings with Barney Frank. Here you have people from the most liberal state in the union in the most liberal towns in the state coming together to fight against this healthcare bill that is being forced down their throats. If you listen to the Dems, it is a big Republican conspiracy! However, I am seeing just as many liberals at these meetings speaking out against this garbage. They have been betrayed and they are mad as hell!
(Another) Scott – Actually the Contract was in 1994.
I happen to have a Congressman who gets it. John Linder (R, GA) is the author of “The Fair Tax”. If you really want to poke the hornets nest at a town hall meeting, bring up fair taxes. Linder is absolutely opposed to any tax increases for any reason, so his get togethers are more like a love fest with everyone agreeing that instead of more government, let’s get by with a lot less, i.e. no more IRS in it’s present form.
Gary,
I don’t think there is a spits worth of difference between the Dems and the Repubs. I think we have one party in this country–the Money Party–and whether or not they call themselves D’s or R’s, they’re all in it for one thing–preservation of theirs, and the hell with the rest of us. They have been incredibly efficient at throwing wedge issues at us, such as abortion, gun control, health care, gay rights,etc., or distractions, such as celebrity deaths, the latest blonde girl gone missing, etc. So while we are arguing amongst ourselves, or staring blankly at at TV screen, they continue to work in concert with Big Business to insure that the quarterly profits of corporations take precedence over anything that would, could, or should benefit “we the people”.
The Money Party has such a stranglehold on us that there is no chance of a viable “third party” option in this country. Until the vast majority of us figure out how to evict those people, we are, and will remain, f*cked.
Paul you may be shocked that I agree with you ,screw the Dems and Repubs,vote Libertarian
Infi,
I’m not really shocked. However, since the Libertarian position seems to be no government at all, that is not practical. Who is going to build your roads, maintain the safety of your food, or protect you from crime? Some form of government is required to maintain a society as huge and as complex as ours.
One step we could take is to simply ban lobbyists from giving money to our elected officials. Make federal funding for elections mandatory, rather than giving them the option of taking federal money or “soft” (i.e., lobbyist) money. Restrict campaigning to a couple of months before an election. (We have people running for Pres in 2012 and we’re not yet in that decade.) Switch polling from the current Tuesday in November to the first weekend in November.
If politicians aren’t forced to constantly raise money to fund their next re-election and if they knew that they would have 22 months to work when elected to a 2 year term, or they had 46 months to work when elected to a 4 year term, just think, they could actually go to DC and do the job they are supposed to do.
Paul, let’s throw in term limits as well. Plus, I agree on the weekend voting. Sometimes it penalizes the employed to try to get away for several hours waiting in line. Personally, I use the early voting option, but not everyone is as well planned and structured as I am…(that sounds better than saying I don’t really have a life and look for things to do with myself)
Rev,
I’m torn on term limits because if we place a whole new bunch of people in office every X number of years, the learning curve on how to do the job might slow down the progress of passing legislation.
Jeez, I just read what I wrote, how can legislation get passed any slower than it is already?
As much as I would like to see weekend voting, there is a certain faction of the “Money Party” that does not want employees to get away for a few hours to vote…
Paul – Don’t forget to include the six year terms for Senators.
Is it really a bad idea to slow down legisation? It would help to keep more money in our pockets.
I like weekend voting, but advanced voting has really helped.
Is the “Money Party” the one with George Soros trying to run things?
Any effort to reduce campaigning time would need to be tied to term limits. An incumbent has an advantage if he’s any good!
Richard,
If the Money Party was a coin, one side would be George Soros and the other side would be Richard Mellon Scaife. Remember it’s all about preserving and enriching their own stash at the expense of you and me.
Paul – How did you know my name? LOL
Paul – For some reason you’re making some sense to me today (I better have my house checked for carbon monoxide leaks!). I’d be interested in your opinion on Senators and Representatives serving for decades..The despicable Ted Kennedy continues to serve though terminally ill; he was elected in 1962! Or Rep John Conyers from Michigan, who says he sees no reason to read legislation he votes on, was elected in 1965.
Isiah doesn’t think anyone over, what…40? 21? 11? should even be driving, but 28 of our 100 senators are over 70 years old (born before WWII, TV, space travel, jetliners, rock & roll)…4 of those are over 80. WV’s Senator Byrd is NINETY-FREAKING-TWO! He was born before the end of World War ONE!
In the House, 50 of 238 are over 70, 6 of those over 80.
Some of these guys can’t walk, drive, or keep drool on the inside of their mouths…Kennedy is reportedly nearly comatose now. Today’s problems, both domestic and foreign, are so complicated, and information flows so much faster now…Think of the 70, 75, 80 year old people you know…should they be deciding the futures of a country that is well into the 21st century?
DJ – Don’t forget that Supreme Court Justices are set up for life. Let’s let a judge who is over 75 making life or death (literally) decisions.