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NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Political Discussion Thread

michaelskis said:
On a more local note, there is a state ballot measure that would restructure the gas tax and increase the general sales tax by 1% to go towards "Transportation Costs". Sad part is the amount of pork in the bill for other things and the way transportation costs are defined results in very little of the money going towards actually fixing the roads.

Personally, I voted no. I know of at least one other cyburbian who voted yes.
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You can count me in as another Cyburbian who voted yes on that one.

I agree that it is a horribly constructed ballot measure and it will probably fail in epic fashion but most of the impartial and independent analyses of it that I've seen demonstrate it having a net positive impact on both roads and schools. For me, the real sad part is that I wholly expect 0 meaningful action on the sorely needed road funding by our current legislature once this is voted down.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
You can count me in as another Cyburbian who voted yes on that one.

I agree that it is a horribly constructed ballot measure and it will probably fail in epic fashion but most of the impartial and independent analyses of it that I've seen demonstrate it having a net positive impact on both roads and schools. For me, the real sad part is that I wholly expect 0 meaningful action on the sorely needed road funding by our current legislature once this is voted down.
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If the bill had been structured differently and there was set percentages that would go towards road repairs and towards schools, then I might have been more willing to vote for it. But the way the total bill is structured and the whole 'transportation costs' the way it was defined back in the 90's makes this bill a total mess.

The only reason that the bill is even being considered at this point in time is because it was a compromise. One group wanted to fix the roads. The other group wanted money for 100 other things. So they agreed with fixing the roads and 100 other things, if the first group also got 100 other things too. In the end, we would not have seen any change in the condition of our roads for up to 5 years. The school system thing is a whole other frustration. Admin people are over paid and teachers are way under paid but too much of it go towards the unions.
 
mendelman said:
Don't forget the millions and millions to be made after being President from paid appearances and speaking engagements.
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Yes, but if I just campaign in the beginning I can get the post President speaking engagements without the being President part. I would just go around calling myself a Presidential candidate! Plus I can armchair President. If you had elected me this is how I would have done things different makes for some good Fox/CNN commentary (I'll go with whoever pays me more, but Fox has more T&A which is a bonus).
 
WSU MUP Student said:
You can count me in as another Cyburbian who voted yes on that one.

I agree that it is a horribly constructed ballot measure and it will probably fail in epic fashion but most of the impartial and independent analyses of it that I've seen demonstrate it having a net positive impact on both roads and schools. For me, the real sad part is that I wholly expect 0 meaningful action on the sorely needed road funding by our current legislature once this is voted down.
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And fail in epic fashion it did.
Detroit Free Press said:
With all counties reporting, 1.4 million Michiganders voted no on Proposal 1 while less than 351,000 voted yes, according to the Michigan Secretary of State's office. The 80-20 rejection was the most one-sided loss ever for a proposed amendment to the state constitution of 1963, records show.
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LINK
 
Well.....

Our President still has purdy words:

"The top 25 hedge fund managers made more than all the kindergarten teachers in the country," Obama said at a panel discussion on poverty at Georgetown University. He advocated for a higher tax rate on the fees that hedge fund managers collect.
"If we can't ask from society's lottery winners to just make that modest investment, then, really, this conversation is for show."

then he turns around and says this: Obama agreed that economic growth fueled by free markets is the best antipoverty program:lmao: Yeah because it has shared the wealth SOOOO WELLLL over the last 40 years......NOT:-{ What I think he meant to say is that economic growth fueled by free markets is the best middle class program!!

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politi...ion-shifting-from-whether-to-help-poor-to-how
 
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The Rich are Heavily Subsidized

Those over a million in income could survive on $18,000 with the rest going down the line......Greed is the reason and hoarding is the disease.

Take a look at:
http://cfed.org/assets/pdfs/UpsideDown_final.pdf

qdzKLXk.jpg
 
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...8-billion-five-plead-guilty-to-market-rigging

The scheme was a “brazen display of collusion,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement. “This Department of Justice intends to vigorously prosecute all those who tilt the economic system in their favor, who subvert our marketplaces, and who enrich themselves at the expense of American consumers,”

She says that and then turns around and allows for a settlement.....I wonder if she said it with a straight face??

Poster child for moneyed interests getting away with economic murder.....while the rest of the sheep get sheered!!
 
The One said:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...8-billion-five-plead-guilty-to-market-rigging

...

Poster child for moneyed interests getting away with economic murder.....while the rest of the sheep get she[a]red!!
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Back in the day, bankers used to be treated as if they were criminals and couldn't be trusted. Their leashes would be loosened, they'd ruin something, they'd be leashed in. People would forget, loosen their leashes. they'd ruin something. Etc etc etc. We need to heel these dogs and stop them from cr@pping all over the floor. I wish I knew how to do it after they've bought so many politicians.

As my signature says...
 
Nice....

ColoGI said:
Back in the day, bankers used to be treated as if they were criminals and couldn't be trusted. Their leashes would be loosened, they'd ruin something, they'd be leashed in. People would forget, loosen their leashes. they'd ruin something. Etc etc etc. We need to heel these dogs and stop them from cr@pping all over the floor. I wish I knew how to do it after they've bought so many politicians.

As my signature says...
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Appreciate the spelling change.....it proves I'm not a Sheep....:r::-$
 
Mastiff said:
The tweets to the POTUS show what we've known all along.
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The One said:
Appreciate the spelling change.....it proves I'm not a Sheep....:r::-$
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Hink said:
It just makes racists have easier access to a platform. I know why they put off twitter for the President for so long.
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ColoGI said:
Oh, yes.
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In recent conversations with my son about racism, homophobia and mysogyny problems in the old USA, he has asked me why some people are like that. I pointed out that things get better every day. The USA is a lot different than it was when I grew up in the Deep South in the 1960s and 1970s. I tell him, not really so tongue in cheek, we just have to wait for the Old Guard to die. It is going to take two decades I suppose, but eventually most of those prejudiced asshats will all die out. And then Fox News will die out or change into an edgier CNN. :D
 
otterpop said:
In recent conversations with my son about racism, homophobia and mysogyny problems in the old USA, he has asked me why some people are like that. I pointed out that things get better every day. The USA is a lot different than it was when I grew up in the Deep South in the 1960s and 1970s. I tell him, not really so tongue in cheek, we just have to wait for the Old Guard to die. It is going to take two decades I suppose, but eventually most of those prejudiced asshats will all die out. And then Fox News will die out or change into an edgier CNN. :D
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I say the same to my daughter. Think minds great alike!

Nevertheless, social scientists are starting to deconstruct some of this phenomenon and are now calling it white fragility.
 
otterpop said:
In recent conversations with my son about racism, homophobia and mysogyny problems in the old USA, he has asked me why some people are like that. I pointed out that things get better every day. The USA is a lot different than it was when I grew up in the Deep South in the 1960s and 1970s. I tell him, not really so tongue in cheek, we just have to wait for the Old Guard to die. It is going to take two decades I suppose, but eventually most of those prejudiced asshats will all die out. And then Fox News will die out or change into an edgier CNN. :D
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I have been raising my kids to realize that people are people. Since we moved here we found our apartment complex to be extremely diverse and I am happy to say that my kids appear to make friends with everyone, despite their color, religion, ethnic background, or other label. I think many people are doing the same these days. I helps when the pope says things like, "love people for who they are" and "who are we to judge".

As for Fox New and CNN... my kids have no idea what those are. We may have internet, but the only TV we have is hulu and netflix.


On a side note, I find the "to informed to vote republican" website funny. Yes, most of what is posted there is true... but those same things are true about the democrats too. I have said it before and I will say it again, I don't trust any of them because they are all in the pocket of big corporation and the wealthy. Society voted for Hope and Change and for a while the Democrats had the house, senate, and WH... and almost nothing changed. *although now that Obamacare is being exposed for what it really is... a scam.
 
Hink said:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/22/politics/josh-duggar-molestation-2016-conservatives/index.html

And yet ask Huckabee about gay marriage, and "those" people are going to hell. How do staunch religious conservatives not always feel hypocritical? That has got to be hard with all the double speak and inconsistency of message.
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Yes, let me stand next to this admitted sex offender we shouldn't prosecute for my own personal gain and because he says he's a Christian.
I'm sure it's just this one guy in the family, but WTF. You hurt children and this should never be tolerated. Send him to jail so he can learn how they deal with chomos there.

Just to stir up TO even though I know the numbers are way wrong.
main-qimg-1bea9d49050e1ab2c6a644c5872eee1a
 
Hmmmm......

dvdneal said:
Yes, let me stand next to this admitted sex offender we shouldn't prosecute for my own personal gain and because he says he's a Christian.
I'm sure it's just this one guy in the family, but WTF. You hurt children and this should never be tolerated. Send him to jail so he can learn how they deal with chomos there.

Just to stir up TO even though I know the numbers are way wrong.
main-qimg-1bea9d49050e1ab2c6a644c5872eee1a
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You are preaching to the choir buddy.....

http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinio...cle_f9ec5ce5-6d25-579c-973a-1c69540e7695.html

Another way to look at it: McDonald’s posted $1.5 billion in third-quarter profits. Taxpayers paid $1.2 billion last year for public assistance to the McDonald’s workforce. That’s $300 million per quarter, a 20 percent contribution to the company’s bottom line.
 
Gedunker said:
I'm wondering if you could elaborate on the idea that the party is "too fragmented". Thanks.
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Just look at the number of republicans running for president and bashing each other. Some are extreemest, others are moderate, they all have different ideas, and there is very little in unified direction.

The democrats have a very small pool running for president and most of them are saying the same thing.
 
michaelskis said:
Just look at the number of republicans running for president and bashing each other. Some are extreemest, others are moderate, they all have different ideas, and there is very little in unified direction.

The democrats have a very small pool running for president and most of them are saying the same thing.
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And yet there isn't a decent candidate in either party.
 
disaster relief hypocrite

Ted Cruz — who voted against Hurricane Sandy aid — calls for federal relief following Texas floods
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ted-cruz-calls-federal-flood-relief-texas-article-1.2238227

Ted Cruz, Foe of Hurricane Sandy Relief Package, Praises Federal Aid for Texas Flood Victims
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/a...e-praises-federal-aid-for-texas-flood-victims

When The Levee Breaks: Why Partisan Politics Threatens People's Lives
http://ivn.us/2015/05/28/levee-breaks-partisan-politics-threatens-peoples-lives/
 
JNA said:
disaster relief hypocrite

Ted Cruz — who voted against Hurricane Sandy aid — calls for federal relief following Texas floods
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ted-cruz-calls-federal-flood-relief-texas-article-1.2238227

Ted Cruz, Foe of Hurricane Sandy Relief Package, Praises Federal Aid for Texas Flood Victims
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/a...e-praises-federal-aid-for-texas-flood-victims

When The Levee Breaks: Why Partisan Politics Threatens People's Lives
http://ivn.us/2015/05/28/levee-breaks-partisan-politics-threatens-peoples-lives/
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Yes, it is only pork if it is on the other guy's plate. When it is on your plate it's just plain delicious.
 
Scarlett O'Hara, um. I mean, Lindsay Graham has announced he's running for President. The late night talk show hosts rejoice. Could there be a better retirement present for Jon Stewart than a few months to skewer Miss Fussypants.
 
New Sanders T-Shirt

I'd like to see a new Bernie Sanders T-Shirt that says something like:

It's time to get back in line
yhiaBpL.jpg


and

Visualize Greed:
s0vwHAH.jpg
 
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I know many people in here vote for the Democratics and some others vote for the Republicans. My question to both groups is do you honestly think that any of the candidates running will actually reduce income inequality, improve foreign relations while keeping us safe, and improve the quality of life for all Americans?

I personally don't think any of the candidates on either side have the ability or desire to do that.
 
Agreed.

Many people live in a fantasy land where all their ideal president has to do is to pass a few laws and bam, goodbye inequality, hello rising wealth for everyone blah blah blah.

The markets dictate the salaries we make and the market is ruthlessly competitive and the market is based on a billion and one economic factors, globally. As time goes on, our political leaders are increasingly irrelevant. It's the market that rules. And the market isn't one conspiracy of bad billionaires but the collusion of EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US.

michaelskis said:
I know many people in here vote for the Democratics and some others vote for the Republicans. My question to both groups is do you honestly think that any of the candidates running will actually reduce income inequality, improve foreign relations while keeping us safe, and improve the quality of life for all Americans?

I personally don't think any of the candidates on either side have the ability or desire to do that.
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PennPlanner said:
Agreed.

Many people live in a fantasy land where all their ideal president has to do is to pass a few laws and bam, goodbye inequality, hello rising wealth for everyone blah blah blah.

The markets dictate the salaries we make and the market is ruthlessly competitive and the market is based on a billion and one economic factors, globally. As time goes on, our political leaders are increasingly irrelevant. It's the market that rules. And the market isn't one conspiracy of bad billionaires but the collusion of EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US.
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Don't get me wrong, there is still a lot that a president can do. However despite the wide range of people running, I don't think that any of them actually that the knowledge, ability, to desire to do what is right for the Aperican people. Instead they will focus on keeping tops doners happy and their party popular.

I agree with your assessment that change needs to come from us. Our shopping habits, our actions, our day to day decisions are what can change the future. Not checking a name next to a box in November 2016.
 
michaelskis said:
I know many people in here vote for the Democratics and some others vote for the Republicans. My question to both groups is do you honestly think that any of the candidates running will actually reduce income inequality, improve foreign relations while keeping us safe, and improve the quality of life for all Americans?

I personally don't think any of the candidates on either side have the ability or desire to do that.
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I think Bernie Sanders is the only one that comes close at least as far as income inequality & quality of life goes. Heck, probably foreign relations as well. He seems like the only one that tries not to be in anyone's pocket. He at least means well. I tend to question the motives of any other candidate.

Otherwise, I'm reminded of an Avett Brothers song...

There's a darkness upon me that's flooded in light
In the fine print they tell me what's wrong and what's right
And it comes in black and it comes in white
And I'm frightened by those that don't see it

When nothing is owed or deserved or expected
And your life doesn't change by the man that's elected
If you're loved by someone, you're never rejected
Decide what to be and go be it
 
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I'm not thrilled by any of the candidates yet. I'm expecting another vote for the lesser of two evils kind of election, but I'll reserve my political ranting for when the fields thins out a little.
 
michaelskis said:
I know many people in here vote for the Democratics and some others vote for the Republicans. My question to both groups is do you honestly think that any of the candidates running will actually reduce income inequality, improve foreign relations while keeping us safe, and improve the quality of life for all Americans?

I personally don't think any of the candidates on either side have the ability or desire to do that.
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I think Bernie Sanders is the real deal and would do what he could to address income inequality. I have seen him speak before and I think he really hits the nail on the head as far as identifying the core issues of importance right now (and I agree with much of how he proposes to address them). But is he electable? Probably not, though I would definitely support him were he to miraculously win the primary. I might even vote for him in the primary. But I still think it is good that he is in the race at this point. It creates the right kind of conversation that needs to happen on the D side right now. Between Bernie and Elizabeth Warren I think there are some powerful voices that are keeping the conversation focused on the issues this election should be about. I know Warren is not running but she is vocal enough and enough of a thorn in Clinton’s side to force discussion of some uncomfortable but important topics.

I don’t have any confidence in any of the R candidates at this point. Marco Rubio seems the most likely to me as far as capturing a wide enough swath of voters to be competitive. But I am not hearing much from him lately. Jeb seems to be crashing and burning and not well received by conservatives. The rest are too far to the right to be viable IMHO. But it’s a fun clown show!
 
I am beginning to think there should be a limit to how many times you can run for president. I think three times, max. Just to clean out the clowns that don't have a chance in Hell and just are looking for a forum to talk cray. You know, like, Donald Trump. Who apparently has a foolproof solution to defeating ISIS but won't tell anyone because, you know, he is either full of it or he's a dick. Actually, in his case, both.

We could also get rid of Rick Santorum. Who is more full of sh*t than a Port-A-John and who held an event in Iowa attended by 1 person.

On a different note, I am warming up to Bernie Sanders. He seems real. I like his lack of polish. Okay, he is a lot more left than I am, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
 
Yeah....

otterpop said:
I am beginning to think there should be a limit to how many times you can run for president. I think three times, max. Just to clean out the clowns that don't have a chance in Hell and just are looking for a forum to talk cray. You know, like, Donald Trump. Who apparently has a foolproof solution to defeating ISIS but won't tell anyone because, you know, he is either full of it or he's a dick. Actually, in his case, both.

We could also get rid of Rick Santorum. Who is more full of sh*t than a Port-A-John and who held an event in Iowa attended by 1 person.

On a different note, I am warming up to Bernie Sanders. He seems real. I like his lack of polish. Okay, he is a lot more left than I am, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
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Plus he LOVES guns and the Gun Lobby......so he should be even more "real." to fly over voters.
 
The One said:
Plus he LOVES guns and the Gun Lobby......so he should be even more "real." to fly over voters.
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Sitting in this flyover state I can say they won't vote for him. Love guns all you want and say your anti abortion and support family marriage (or whatever they call that now). You're not getting the vote without an R after your name. That's all they look for around here. Plus they won't vote for women, minorities, or intelligent people that can balance a state budget.
 
I would be surprised if Kasich could even win Ohio. So why wouldn't Bernie Sanders get some votes from us?

I have no idea who will end up as the Top 10 for the R's and make it to the debates, but I am looking forward to August!! ;):r:
 
Hink said:
I would be surprised if Kasich could even win Ohio. So why wouldn't Bernie Sanders get some votes from us?

I have no idea who will end up as the Top 10 for the R's and make it to the debates, but I am looking forward to August!! ;):r:
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Those debates will make for awesome drinking games and bullshit bingo cards.
 
dvdneal said:
Sitting in this flyover state I can say they won't vote for him. Love guns all you want and say your anti abortion and support family marriage (or whatever they call that now). You're not getting the vote without an R after your name. That's all they look for around here. Plus they won't vote for women, minorities, or intelligent people that can balance a state budget.
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That Gov. of yours is absolutely insane.
 
hilldweller said:
That Gov. of yours is absolutely insane.
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No, he's just very sure the failed economic policies of the '80s will work for Kansas. Unless you're talking about the requirement for judges to rule in his favor or he'll cut their funding statement.
 
Political Party by Occupation

Saw this and thought I'd throw it out for fun discussion. Sadly planner is not a listed occupation, but I love architect and home builder.
original.jpg
 
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