Democrats and Republicans

1. 58

   Pr0metheusposted 14 years ago

   Democrats can't do crap.  They're too busy arguing amongst themselves to actually get anything done, even when they had a "super majority".
   
   Republicans won't agree with anything Obama says.  They are trying so hard to make it seem like Obama is failing they can't see through the issues, and actually make decisions that help the people they represent.
   
   Meanwhile, American's are suffering.  We're enslaved by a banking system that is making money off every dollar that passes through our economy.  We're enslaved by the insurance companies that can drop coverage for virtually no reason, or increase rates to upwards or $700 a month.  We're enslaved by a justice system that holds the highest incarceration rate (1 in 37 Americans) of any country in the world.
   
   This country was founded on freedom, yet we've sacrificed freedom in the name of profit and security.  Wake up, slaves!
   
   It is so frustrating watching everyone bicker about health care when something obviously needs to be done.  Both parties are so obsessed with making the other one look wrong that they can't get together and draft up a bill that the majority of both parties agrees with.
   
   When, if ever, are WE going to wake up and free ourselves from the binds of a failing dual partisan system?

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   1. 69

      rhamsonposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I think key to the issue is taking business out of politics.  Whether it be term limits for career politicians that seem to get richer and richer the longer they "Serve".  Or campaign financing that breeds corrupt collusion with lobbyists.  Politicians that get fat checks because of their unique "Access" to former collegues drive up the price of no bid contracts.  The simple answer is to take the money out of it for them so they are forced to do the work of the people or move on to the private sector.
      
      The two party system is merely a vehicle for them to carry out their individual aspirations.  I really don't think this is the way it was supposed to be when the founders of the country set it up.  From what I have read it was a great imposition on the forefathers of the country to be elected and could not wait for their term to be over.
      
      The money is at the root of the two party system debacle and if you want to start somewhere it should be there.

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      1. 58

         Pr0metheusposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I agree completely.  I guess the next question is what steps can we take (if any) to counter this problem.  How can we defeat a corporate sponsorship when it will fight tooth and nail with all of its power to keep its grubby little hands in politics?
         
         We can't even let greed go unrewarded...

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         1. 69

            rhamsonposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            I keep voting out the "Old Guard" whenever I get a chance.  When a newer member shows his personal aspirations by voting against the best interests of the country I axe him too.  This is the only way I can fight them as an Independent so I try.
            
            Converse and educate people on the issues as most of the electorate don't know or understand what is going on.  Of course you run into those who listen to the pundits and are hopelessly lost in the politicians clutches of devisive tactics.  But point this out to them and try to find some middle ground.
            
            As with any politician I don't care for everything they do but I try to vote for the best of what they have to offer without letting the worst of what they offer prevail.

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   2. 68

      MikeNVposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Nothing can be done until the Monetary Sytem we use is absolved and a new system backed by something of tangible value is put into place.
      
      I was at the grocery store today... they had whole grain wheat bread for $4.79 a loaf!!!  That's insane.
      
      Control the money supply and you control everything.
      
      Watch the Haitians fight for food and tents.  Watch it closely.  When our financial system grinds to a halt and finally collapses... food will be a major issue.  Riots will ensue.  The Government will enforce martial law and from there who knows what will happen.
      
      One thing for sure... the banks will hold title to all the property.  And Americans will have nothing... but they will have guns and there will be plenty of death to go around.

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2. 74

   Arthur Fontesposted 14 years ago

   When, if ever, are WE going to wake up and free ourselves from the binds of a failing dual partisan system?
   
   
   Every time I read a post like this I think WE are waking up!!

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   1. 69

      rhamsonposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Here is one I like.
      
      In politics you must always keep running with the pack. The moment that you falter and they sense that you are injured, the rest will turn on you like wolves.
      R. A. Butler (1902 - 1982)
      
      And another:
      
      The more you read and observe about this Politics thing, you got to admit that each party is worse than the other. The one that's out always looks the best.
      Will Rogers

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3. 58

   Pr0metheusposted 14 years ago

   I honestly hope so...

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4. 0

   Poppa Bluesposted 14 years ago

   When are we going to realize that all government is bad, that most of our problems have been caused by government regulation and restrictions of freedom? When are we going to realize that no one has a right to a job, to shoes, to a house, to health care, or to anything else except life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
   
   Health care shouldn't even be discussed by congress! They don't have the constitutional authority to address it. It is up to the states to create universal health care for their citizens, if that is what the people want, as MA has already done!
   
   If you think you're enslaved by the banking system wait until carbon cap and trade are passed! Carbon is the fastest growing commodity in the world and the big banks are lobbying hard to pass that bill. There are trillions of dollars at stake and plenty of millions in campaign contributions to force this scam upon Americans!
   
   If you want Washington to be effective, they need to be made efficient by making government smaller and restricting their powers in accordance with the constitution.

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   1. 69

      rhamsonposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      It's not going to happen.  Get rid of government is too general a description.  There are things that the Federal Government need to exist to survive.  What you are suggesting is an isolationalist type of set up that operates as 50 different entities with nothing to tie them together or draw support from.
      
      Look at how the Federal Government works now and its' segmented camps plotting their agendas.  What would it be like when you had to go back to the states to get any kind of coalition to do something for the whole nation.
      
      I agree that the Federal Government needs to be reduced in size and function but your take on it is way too radical and destabilizing.

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5. 68

   goldenpathposted 14 years ago

   I don't believe it's the two party system that is to blame nor the republic in which we live.  We have got to remember the incredible advancements and improvements both domestic and abroad due simply to the kind of set up we currently have.  The system is not at fault.  The people that WE have placed there are at fault.  It is US that needs to remember that we give them authority and power - on loan.  It is up to us to band together to relinquish that loan.  I have seen remarkable things take place through the government both while in the military and also in my political life.  It is truly an inspired system.  Yet the people manning the posts have become corrupt.  It only takes US to remove them.  After that, elected officials would be hard pressed and scared to falter in the face of the American people.  We have the right to be well represented and we have the right and responsibility to remove representation if they are not holding up to par.

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   1. 69

      rhamsonposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Absolutely!

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   2. 68

      Hmrjmr1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Dittos

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   3. 75

      FitnezzJimposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Yup.  Agree.  It's not the system itself that's broke.  It's the people WE elect to represent US, the people WE elect to represent our states, and the people WE elect to preside over the country.  WE feel the elected are not fulfilling those selected roles, and it's up to US to elect folks that will.

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6. 92

   habeeposted 14 years ago

   What would happen if we all stopped paying taxes?

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   1. 68

      Hmrjmr1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      The Federal Prisons would get even bigger..

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   2. 61

      Ron Montgomeryposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      The CPA's would declare war on the TeaBaggers

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7. 92

   habeeposted 14 years ago

   I think the Teabaggers are probably better armed.

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   1. 67

      Jeffrey Nealposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I was watching Chris Matthews last Sunday, and not one of his panelists or him called them teabaggers. They were "TEA Party people" or "tea party-ers." Funny how an election doesn't go the way they think it is supposed to and suddenly they respect the "movement." Nothing better than seeing Rachael Maddow have to nearly choke to get the news out that Scott Brown won. I'm going to start calling progressive democrats douchebaggers, and see if they find that offensive.
      
      And to OP, both parties are going to have to figure something out. I hope we don't run into the arms of Palin, though, because the next round of Progressive control freaks after that will play for keeps.
      
      I'll vote for a representative of either party who can prove they've read the Constitution and the BOR, and are willing to abide by it. So far neither party gaining majority has been doing that very well.

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      1. 61

         Ron Montgomeryposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I highly doubt any TeaBaggers will actually be offended by being called TeaBaggers in print.
         
         Now if TeaBaggers ever learn to read...

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         1. 67

            Jeffrey Nealposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Damn, Ron, as much as I dislike the term, you have to go and make a funny. Why do you make me laugh...WHYYYYYYY?!!!

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8. 59

   EWSposted 14 years ago

   I cannot believe that America has been reduced to two loser parties.  When the country was first founded there were several of them.  Wigs, Federalists, Republicans, and much more.  They each actually stood for something.  Now, we have two that cannot get anything done.  They are the same.  Dems pander to the poor and blue collar.  Republicans pander to the upper class.

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   1. 71

      livewithrichardposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      We need more options here in the US.  We need a CONTRACT with the men and women we send to represent us. They need to sign on stating they will do the job we sent them there or resign. There is a huge movement to replace all 435 Reps.  Check this out for more info:  http://goooh.com/

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   2. 64

      Ralph Deedsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      The Dems do their share of pandering to the Banksters and other malefactors of great wealth. Former Tennessee Dem Congressman Harold Ford and now Vice Chariman of Merrill Lynch and N.Y. Dem Senator Kirsten Gillibrand are competing for money from the Wall Street Banksters in their race for the Dem nomination for the U.S. Senate. Some Wall Street moguls are hedging their bets with contributions to both candidates.
      
      http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/nyreg … amp;st=cse

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9. 67

   shazz01109posted 14 years ago

   Well, the people in Massachusetts clearly woke up, if only for a little while!

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10. 64

    Ralph Deedsposted 14 years ago

    What do you make of this recent comment by the Republican candidate for governor of South Carolina?
    
    ``He'' is South Carolina Lt. Gov. André Bauer, running for governor on the GOP ticket. Speaking of those who receive public assistance, he recently told an audience, ``My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed. You're facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don't think too much further than that. And so what you've got to do is you've got to curtail that type of behavior. They don't know any better.''
    
    You read that right. The would-be governor of one of the poorest states there is likens the poor to stray animals.
    
    And though it drew some newspaper notice, a riposte from The Daily Show and rebukes from Bauer's opponents, it never quite rose to the level of national controversy, as it would've had Bauer compared, say, women or Jews to the dogs one feeds at one's back door. The relative silence stands as eloquent testimony to the powerlessness and invisibility of the American poor.
    
    Leonard Pitts in the Miami Herald:
    
    http://www.miamiherald.com/living/colum … 54250.html

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    1. 0

       sneakorocksolidposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       How would you propose to break the cycle of poverty? Their are families who for two or three generations have never completed their education or held a job. Stop poverty but not at the expense of those who work hard and have their whole life.

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       1. 64

          Ralph Deedsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Well, I wonder about the Evangelical "Christian Family Values" folks who are so opposed to doing anything for the poor.

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          1. 56

             Sab Ohposted 14 years agoin reply to this

             Who is opposed to doing anything for the poor? Do you mean doing things for the poor just in the way the liberals want? That's different.

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       2. 64

          Ralph Deedsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Health care reform would help, including prenatal and post-natal care for mothers and children, more money for pre-school activities, paid paternal leaves, more money for retraining and income maintenance for the workers whose jobs have been sacrificed on the altar of "free" trade. There is no silver bullet. A variety of measures would be required. All would be easily affordable if we stayed out of unnecessary, costly wars and took the cookie tray away from the military-industrial complex.

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       3. 69

          rhamsonposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          The idea that you can group all of the plight of the poor into one size fits all is very convenient.  It is like it being a big ball of crap then.  Where ever you pick at it the smell is the same.
          
          Poverty is not relagated to the uneducated only.   The odds are greater for you if you have a good education but the area you come from or any trouble you have been in as a youngster or social prejudice also places many restrictions on your ability to arise from the gutter.
          
          Politics and heredity as well as nepotism keep many on the lower tier of opportunity.  When you come from a wealthy beginning your ability to stay within that element is greatly enhanced.
          
          Are there welfare cows who breed to get paid?  Of course there are and the people that support her in her endeavors but is that the only way to look at the problem.
          
          With good jobs these people could be employed at going overseas at an alarming rate and the demand for much more technical jobs, the jobs marketplace is shrinking at an alarming rate and squeezing the poor into a spiral that is more and more difficult to climb out.
          
          The government has so far kept this problem the same because while you can't improve their plight, you can control its' affect by paying them and thereby keeping most of them out of jail which is much more expensive then solving the problem.

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11. 61

    prettydarkhorseposted 14 years ago

    how about in a multi-party system like in other parts of the world more confusion hehe

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    1. 69

       rhamsonposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       How about no parties and the electorate vote for who ever they please without elimination rounds?

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12. 60

    dfagerposted 14 years ago

    I agree with Prometheus, good post. 
    
    What the lieutenant governor of South Carolina said is just plain prejudice; comparing the poor to stray animals.  I hope the poor in South Carolina bite him in the polls.  It’s predominantly the poor who volunteer to join the military.  If he wants to promote these values for America, then he can send his own children into the military to protect our right to consume foreign oil.  People don't become too poor to vote.

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13. 64

    Ralph Deedsposted 14 years ago

    A little humor from the Internet
    
    Sitting together on a train (work with me here folks!) were Obama, George W.Bush, a little old lady, and a big busted young blonde.
    
    The train goes into a dark tunnel and a few seconds later there is the sound of a loud slap.
    
    When the train emerges from the tunnel, Obama has a bright red hand print on his cheek.
    
    No one speaks.
    
    The old lady thinks: "Obama must have groped the young lady in the dark, and she slapped him."
    
    
    The blonde thinks: "Obama must have tried to grope me in the dark, but missed and fondled the old lady and she slapped him." 
    
    Obama thinks: "Bush must have groped the blonde in the dark. She tried to slap him but missed and got me instead."
    
    George W.Bush thinks: "I can't wait for another tunnel, so I can smack that S.O.B. again. They're all going to blame me anyway!"

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14. 64

    Ralph Deedsposted 14 years ago

    Obama meets with GOP leaders following State of Union address.
    
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAmeDWjmpt0
    
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I535ohbRPYM

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