The Political Soap Box

[Melody]

None of these current presidents have done much of anything for the economy in my opinion. It's more of just the 'lesser of two evils' now...

[Neo]

Except for the fact that like 10 people were running for President.

[Melody]

Except for the fact that like 10 people were running for President.

I wanted to vote for Roseanne Barr...

[Neo]

>Not voting Gary Johnson or Jill Stein

What were you thinking?

[Kamina]

Let.s be honest, This place isn't getting anywhere but downhill on the political path, The way we're going, US has no chance of survival if we have people in office such as Obama because he wants to make the richer poor, and the poorer rich. I mean maybe if he finds a way to create more jobs other than the minimum wage ones he is creating while destroying business which support jobs with degrees. He so far has done nothing to make the economic situation we have stable but then again...No president has done decent since Clinton.

what....

None of the candidates want the rich to be poor so please expand more on that.

How is minimum wage jobs destroying businesses which support degrees?

It would seem like you were conservative but than you later post that you would have voted for Rosanne Barr so what is that all about.

[Melody]

what....

None of the candidates want the rich to be poor so please expand more on that.

How is minimum wage jobs destroying businesses which support degrees?

It would seem like you were conservative but than you later post that you would have voted for Rosanne Barr so what is that all about.

Do you not realize sarcasm in my previous post lol? And no, you're right they do not WANT it to be that way. But Obama has proven to be pushing for it. At least according to what I have seen. Clearly you misread it. I did NOT state minimum wage jobes were destroying degreed jobs. I said Obama is creating jobs like he promised but he is making more minimum wage ones and Obama Care is forcing many businesses into foreclosure. Hence limiting jobs of degree in place of what he creates. Making the economy at a stalemate like usual. Read it right next time please.

Edited November 21, 2012 by Light

[Maelstrom]

Copypasta from Facebook. Read and discuss. I'm interested in the points you do and don't disagree with.

ROBIN WILLLIANS MADE THIS SPEECH IN NEW YORK .

The Plan!

Robin Williams, wearing a shirt that says 'I love New York ' in Arabic.

Robin Williams' plan...(Hard to argue with this logic!)

"I see a lot of people yelling for peace but I have not heard of a plan for peace. So, here's one plan":


1) 'The US, UK , CANADA and AUSTRALIA will apologize to the world for
our 'interference' in their affairs, past & present. You know,
Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo, Noriega, Milosevic, Hussein, and the
rest of those 'good 'ole' boys', we will never 'interfere' again.


2) We will withdraw our troops from all over the world, starting
withGermany , South Korea , the Middle East, and the Philippines . They
don't want us there. We would station troops at our borders. No one
allowed sneaking through holes in the fence.

3) All illegal
aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together and leave. We'll give
them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder will be gathered up
and deported immediately, regardless of whom or where they are from.
They're illegal!!! France will welcome them.

4) All future
visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days unless given a
special permit!!!! No one from a terrorist nation will be allowed in.
If you don't like it there, change it yourself and don't hide here.
Asylum would never be available to anyone. We don't need any more cab
drivers or 7-11 cashiers.

5) No foreign 'students' over age 21.
The older ones are the bombers. If they don't att end classes, they get
a 'D' and it's back home baby.

6) The US, UK , CANADA and
AUSTRALIA will make a strong effort to become self-sufficient energy
wise. This will include developing non-polluting sources of energy but
will require a temporary drilling of oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The
caribou will have to cope for a while.



7) Offer
Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their
oil. If they don't like it, we go someplace else. They can go somewhere
else to sell their production. (About a week of the wells filling up the
storage sites would be enough.)



8) If there is a
famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not
'interfere..' They can pray to Allah or whomever, for seeds, rain,
cement or whatever they need. Besides most of what we give them is
stolen or given to the army.. The people who need it most get very
little, if anything.

9) Ship the UN Headquarters to an isolated
island someplace. We don't need the spies and fair weather friends
here. Besides, the building would make a good homeless shelter or lockup
for illegal aliens.

10) All Americans must go to charm and
beauty school. That way, no one can call us 'Ugly Americans' any longer.
The Language we speak is ENGLISH...learn it...or LEAVE. Now, isn't that
a winner of a plan?
The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying
'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses.' She's got a
baseball bat and she's yelling, 'you want a piece of me?'

[Shanco]

I love Robin Williams.

Anywho, this is a kind of grim way to look at it, isn't it? But I agree with every word he says. It's a tall order to keep peace in a nation that is almost always under watch by the world.

In all honesty, if any of you want "peace" at as best as it's going to get, I can lend you a pull-out couch for a few weeks.

[Maelstrom]

Pretending to take his plan semi-seriously...

1) considering that US action actually helped put Hussein into power directly... we kinda gotta apologize for that. But we fixed that one, didn't we.

2) kay, lol. lot of troops sitting around doing nothing. You could thin down the army since it's only got the US to really be stationed in and cover from... but those soldiers gotta be able to find employment after their contract is up too. Which ties into #1, where the government also acts with global influence to protect american companies (read as resources and manufacturing plants, etc) set up in those countries. Hmm, is this were them allegations of big business interests having too much say in government? mayhap.

3) Seems bad. Keep what we got and sever it at that? Just cuz illegal, doesn't mean bad, and if you close down the borders mentioned in #2, you wouldn't have to worry about any more coming in.

4) Actually, that's a damn fair point, what with ideas like democracy and self-determination: allowing other countries/people to decide the way their country runs... Well, do we play the advanced alien species and leave them to their own devices until they're advanced enough to make contact? There's really the whole dichotomy of self-determination and "with great responsibility..." going on here and who can say which one is more correct?

5) What? I thought he was gonna keep them out with the border security stuff.

6) Seems good. Dunno what the plans would be for the drilling and the pipelines but I imagine they COULD be done with pretty minimal impact to the local wildlife.

7) We consume all that shit. Their own countrymen and neighboring countries just don't have the demand or the capability to compensate for sale losses if we really worked on becoming more energetically self-sufficient. Watch them oil sheiks sweat it out.

8) Self-imposed responsibility vs self-determination again. It's damn harsh, but maybe it would get them to get shit done.

9) w/e

10) silly comedian. =P But yeah, come at me bro. We'd be keeping to ourselves then. See how many wars start without the US to back one side or another. On the downside... the plotline of Homefront could happen if the US did NOTHING to stymie the actions of nations hostile to it. English is the primary language, but if they don't want to learn/speak it and can get away with it and still make a living, etc, then let them at it. It's stupid to expect everybody to know english when the origins of so many people are so recently foreign. It's merely for your convenience for them to learn english but to their advantage to learn english and broaden their ties, both social and business... And so free market economy will dictate the degree to which english is learn all over the world, just as it does now.

[Maelstrom]

Since I created this topic, I can take it out too. But I'd rather repurpose this as a random news topic. Like these things.

Not sure who is taking advantage, the rich or the handicapped.

Doctors sued for deciding a gender at birth (an Ame must read?)

[Maelstrom]

The official website for the Republican party has a link to what they call the "Republican Principles."

I suspect that many Americans who are independents, or even members of

other political parties, also agree with all but the last item on this

list.

______________________________________…

Republican Principles

I'm a Republican Because...

I BELIEVE the strength of our nation lies with the individual and that

each person’s dignity, freedom, ability and responsibility must be

honored.

I BELIEVE in equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, sex, age or disability.

I BELIEVE free enterprise and encouraging individual initiative have

brought this nation opportunity, economic growth and prosperity.

I BELIEVE government must practice fiscal responsibility and allow individuals to keep more of the money they earn.

I BELIEVE the proper role of government is to provide for the people

only those critical functions that cannot be performed by individuals or

private organizations, and that the best government is that which

governs least.

I BELIEVE the most effective, responsible and responsive government is government closest to the people.

I BELIEVE Americans must retain the principles that have made us strong

while developing new and innovative ideas to meet the challenges of

changing times.

I BELIEVE Americans value and should preserve our national strength and

pride while working to extend peace, freedom and human rights throughout

the world.

FINALLY, I believe the Republican Party is the best vehicle for

translating these ideals into positive and successful principles of

government.

Source(s):

http://www.gop.com

Just posting this as a guidepost for now. Later, we'll discuss how this translates into actual Republican policy.

http://prntscr.com/159w42

All the hyperbole. It hurts.

[Maelstrom]

reviving cuz called in to work to wait an indefinite amount of time for people who screwed some simple thing up.

Some of you may remember me making a short rant while in character as my alt Lucifer on the server. It goes something like this.

What did I do wrong? I merely revealed right and wrong to man. why am I the one punished? what about that god guy? he's summoned pestilence, disease, wars, flooded the whole world and ccaused more deaths than i ever have. where is HIS prison? I once goaded god into testing a believer who had everything a guy could want in life. what did he do? he killed his or was it wives?) and children. Do they mean nothing? did the first born children of egypt deserve to die for the pharoh's folly? how does he judge the souls of infants and the unborn?

iif i was the snake in eden who lead eve astray, why did you curse all snakes to live on their bellies when i am in fact an aangel? but hey, look at them living it up in spite of you: there are snakes that swim, that climb, that glide, that dig, that live well without limbs.

II could go on but it would get repetitive.

oother questions i have. did god give angels free will or not?

how could adam and eve be blamed for doing wrong if such a concept of right and wrong did not exist for them? without morality there is only the choice to do or not do.

[Maelstrom]

SMH

And not running for re-election. < I feel better already.

[Maelstrom]

I was just thinking of that time some kid I knew said he couldn't watch pokemon because his parents said they were the devil.

Maybe they weren't so far off. Pokemon are creatures, based on actual animals for the most part. But then they are anthropomorphized- given human characteristics and personalities, the capacity and tendencies for good or evil, etc. Then they are given superhuman abilities and control over aspects of nature. And yet weak, puny humans are somehow able to use mysterious, unexplained methods to conjure and control them.

Sure sounds like a lot the world's mythologies of deities and demons to me.

[Neo]

Whether their claim has validity of any sort or not holds no weight. Imposing religious beliefs of any type upon a child is child abuse.

I'll allow the Science Guy to better explain my point:

[Shanco]

Whether their claim has validity of any sort or not holds no weight. Imposing religious beliefs of any type upon a child is child abuse.

Absolutely.

But, you know, people are arrogant as always. You ain't stopping them.

Sadly.

[Maelstrom]

So much respect right here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2012/09/18/chuck-feeney-the-billionaire-who-is-trying-to-go-broke/

[Maelstrom]

40 Maps that Explain the World

Ambitious little title, isn't it?

I'm still looking through them and stopping to read about some of the maps more in depth, but let me tell ya, I'm on #11 and it's pretty funny. And yet not at the same time.

[Neo]

I've gotta say that John McCain has gained quite a bit of respect from me lately. He's a different man than what we've seen in the past few years. I feel like he's realized that appealing to the absurd beliefs of the rather loud, nonsensical spectrum of the Republican party isn't going to get him anywhere. You could say that "He's just changing to get votes", but I see it as someone finally coming to their sentences

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/john-mccain-maybe-we-should-legalize-marijuana

McCain: "Maybe we should legalize. We're certainly moving that way as far as marijuana is concerned. I respect the will of the people"

He's listening, which is a big step up from what's going on over on Capitol Hill.

[Maelstrom]

"I respect the will of the people." In one way, it's really kind of a weak argument for switching sides. Well more people agree with this so I'm gonna support it based on that... I don't like it much. Kinda wish he'd clarified that more, with something like "I saw all this support and I had to stop and just re-evaluate my reasons and position on this matter." He just kinda leaves is open for both positive and negative interpretation.

If you'll remember Tommy Lee Jones' role in Lincoln as Thaddeus Stevens, he has a bit about continually being elected to his position by not giving a damn about what the people want- he is there to lead and to make the decisions for them. Which is certainly true to a great degree. But even he knew that he had to listen a certain amount. There is always that delicate balance between leading and ruling, especially when one is elected based on the desires of the people.

As far as the Alluh Akbar thing, McCain's right. You gotta remember that in a LOT of Muslim countries, the law and religious law are one and the same. Their religion is in every part of their lives. Not just sundays. They stop EVERYTHING throughout the day to pray at the appropriate times, not to mention the food and alcohol prohibitions, fasts, dictates for clothing, etc. It doesn't surprise me that Allu Akbar would be a pretty common victory exclamation. It's almost as innocuous as some football tool kneeling and praying after getting a touchdown. Fox is just so closemindedly ethno-centric hearing them talk makes me cringe.

[Maelstrom]

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-october-10-2013/medican-t?xrs=synd_facebook_101113_tds_45

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-october-10-2013/medican-t----taker--states

Daily show segments, the first one will automatically transition to the other, and the second transition into immigration issues.

[Maelstrom]

It's like cliff notes of WWI, but way funnier.

[Maelstrom]

This is pretty much the military version of The Onion that I thought I'd share with you all.

Now take those sunglasses off your head, your hands out of your pockets, that 550 cord bracelet off, stop walking and talking on your cell phone, stop smoking while walking, and get back over to the drill field to practice your left-flank march. Because darnit, marching in a formation designed for warfare before automatic weapons is going to save your lives.

No really, we aren't allowed to wear sun-glasses except when driving our own cars. At most we can use ballistic eye-wear with the tinted lenses in instead of the clear lenses if we're in uniform/ on duty. Which used to be a lot worse but now they've adopted to issuing Crossbows, which are actually pretty good. And all that other stuff really are thing we aren't allowed to do, among many others.

You also aren't allowed to be in uniform and walk hand in hand with your significant other, married or not. Just sayin'.

Freedom isn't free, and a lot of small and not so small freedoms are given up on a daily basis by the armed forces in the name of discipline and security.

[Jory]

"I respect the will of the people." In one way, it's really kind of a weak argument for switching sides. Well more people agree with this so I'm gonna support it based on that... I don't like it much. Kinda wish he'd clarified that more, with something like "I saw all this support and I had to stop and just re-evaluate my reasons and position on this matter." He just kinda leaves is open for both positive and negative interpretation.

Hang on a tick. I'm sorry, but I think the biggest problem with American politics is that we all believe that our politicians need to have one firm set of beliefs and that they're not allowed to "flip flop." The whole thing is patently ridiculous. Anyone who's studied economics or even sociology for three seconds should know that one policy will not always work. I for one think it's quite admirable that he's putting himself out there as someone who's willing to piss off one of the fuhrers parties in order to do what he feels best represents the will of the people he was elected to govern and benefits the state of the country he has pledged to protect. A person's ideas are allowed to evolve, especially a person who has dedicated the majority of his life to trying to make the United States a better place to live.

[Maelstrom]

Well in this instance it is not clear at all that his position on the matter has evolved based on perceived merits as much as going with what has become popular. His particular choice of words seems to indicate the latter rather than the former. I'm glad he's turning a viewpoint more like my own, but I believe the reason behind the change to an important component to judging his leadership.