Another Democratic President could lead to continued legislation blocking and disrupt

[Jhhnn]

Just an FYI the research actually shows the opposite. In the last 40 years or so both voters and politicians have become more radicalized and their opinions have become more homogeneous around accepted party positions.

The war on drugs is actually one of the few issues where there party is not a strong predictor of position. (Both the extreme left and extreme right want to end it, the middle generally likes it just fine)

Research shows a large increase in the number of people claiming to be independent but in practice they are simply closeted partisans. People like the mantle of independence but don't actually behave that way.

That's one dimensional thinking about the WoD. Think of it in terms of the political compass, with a liberty/ authority axis at 90 degrees to left/ right axis. The WoD is extremely authoritarian and also much more right than left, always has been.

Figure it out. Who's resisting sentencing reform & marijuana legalization, which is half the WoD?

Libruhls? I really don't think so. Nor are actual Libertarians, whom you represent as "extreme" in both instances.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Send a Republican to the White House and things will finally start getting done in this country.

so you agree that the republicans are obstructionists?

 

[fskimospy]

That's one dimensional thinking about the WoD. Think of it in terms of the political compass, with a liberty/ authority axis at 90 degrees to left/ right axis. The WoD is extremely authoritarian and also much more right than left, always has been.

Figure it out. Who's resisting sentencing reform & marijuana legalization, which is half the WoD?

Libruhls? I really don't think so. Nor are actual Libertarians, whom you represent as "extreme" in both instances.

They are extreme. They represent a small fraction of US opinion.

I believe all drugs should be legal so I agree with them, but they are extreme.

 

[Jhhnn]

They are extreme. They represent a small fraction of US opinion.

I believe all drugs should be legal so I agree with them, but they are extreme.

Support for marijuana legalization is a majority opinion, which will only grow stronger as the story unfolds here in CO.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/03/marijuana-legalization-support_n_5760462.html

Sentencing reform? Puh-leeze. Same old Party of No that we've come to despise.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/06/23/sentencing-reform-slowed-by-politics/

 

[Moonbeam]

Republican politicians are douchebags for the most part and I certainly don't want their crappy legislation. But I'm not entirely against gridlock.

Exactly. Liberals don't see this matter correctly. Imagine if the Republicans held the Presidency and the Senate and they wanted to allow children to work to ease the financial strain on families, or decided that slavery should be returned and called work for welfare or something like that. I would hope Democrats would obstruct and block such measures till the cows come home.

The Republican house is just doing the same, keeping liberal evil from happening. They are proud of it, as you can imagine

 

[fskimospy]

Support for marijuana legalization is a majority opinion, which will only grow stronger as the story unfolds here in CO.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/03/marijuana-legalization-support_n_5760462.html

Sentencing reform? Puh-leeze. Same old Party of No that we've come to despise.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/06/23/sentencing-reform-slowed-by-politics/

One drug of many.

 

[Jhhnn]

One drug of many.

And basically half the WoD. That's a lot.

 

[lopri]

Another Democratic President could lead to continued legislation blocking and disrupt

It is a total non sequitur because you can substitute "Democratic" with "Republican" (or anything else, really) and you will be right.

 

[boomerang]

Anyone who thinks Obama Valerie Jarrett and Harry Reid actually want to work with Republicans, raise your hand.

How Reid Doomed Democratic Senators.

 

[PokerGuy]

Anyone who thinks Obama Valerie Jarrett and Harry Reid actually want to work with Republicans, raise your hand.

How Reid Doomed Democratic Senators.

Thanks for linking that up, good read.

 

[fskimospy]

Thanks for linking that up, good read.

It's very odd that the author keeps mentioning immigration reform considering the fact that the Senate passed immigration reform that Boehner sat on and refused to bring to a vote in the House.

 

[doubledeluxe]

I voted for Bush both times and McCain. Then Obama. I'm now an independent. I will definitely never vote for another republican again. I got fooled 3 times but never again.

 

[BoberFett]

I voted for Bush both times and McCain. Then Obama. I'm now an independent. I will definitely never vote for another republican again. I got fooled 3 times but never again.

You claim you won't get fooled and vote Republican ever again, but you voted for Obama? I'd say you're more likely to get fooled by a Democrat. With Republicans you know what to expect. They'll support social conservatism (when convenient) and big business. Democrats will tell you one thing then do the opposite, just as Black Bush has done.

 

[doubledeluxe]

That's true. Thus ind

 

[unokitty]

Trend seems pretty clear. Also, seems independent of major political parties.

Almost seems like over time people are figuring out that the politicians don't work for them but for themselves and the people that fund their campaigns.

Unless, of course, you think that the people that gave the billion dollars to Obama's presidential campaign didn't expect anything in return.

Uno

 

[BoberFett]

So how do we fix that? One can repeat platitudes about the evils of money in politics and campaign finance reform, but as long as the government is in charge of spending trillions of dollars, you cannot get money out of politics.

Politics = Money

So what's the answer?

 

[doubledeluxe]

The eye opener for me was living in other countries. Seems crazy when I can get more for my tax dollars and better representation in what we put down as developing nations or in just about any country in Europe. Then I just started keeping track of what our politicians were saying. They must truly think we're stupid to try to pull the wool over our eyes repeatedly.

 

[doubledeluxe]

The answer is real leadership. It's not happening though. I personally think the government needs to be thrown out to change. It boggles my mind but we're at a point where we are dropping in just about every measurement of prosperity yet our leaders aren't doing anything. You would think that when everything I'd trending down they would stand shoulder to shoulder and put aside petty political differences.

 

[BoberFett]

The eye opener for me was living in other countries. Seems crazy when I can get more for my tax dollars and better representation in what we put down as developing nations or in just about any country in Europe. Then I just started keeping track of what our politicians were saying. They must truly think we're stupid to try to pull the wool over our eyes repeatedly.

That is truly crazy. Europeans seem happy with their levels of taxation and government service. The US government just seems incredibly wasteful. We pay relatively high taxes, and get very little in return.

Then the solution from one side is lower taxes, so at least they have less to waste, while the other side thinks the answer is higher taxes. And then the poo flinging begins because both think the other side is pure evil.

Frankly, I think it's time to dissolve the US, and be a more loosely federated group of states.

 

[doubledeluxe]

Taxes are great when you get a lot for them. We get nothing. Just ask yourself if you're willing to spend an extra 10% for tons if benefits. 95% of people would come out ahead but alas those people have no real power in politics.

 

[Moonbeam]

That is truly crazy. Europeans seem happy with their levels of taxation and government service. The US government just seems incredibly wasteful. We pay relatively high taxes, and get very little in return.

Then the solution from one side is lower taxes, so at least they have less to waste, while the other side thinks the answer is higher taxes. And then the poo flinging begins because both think the other side is pure evil.

Frankly, I think it's time to dissolve the US, and be a more loosely federated group of states.

Well, one thing that I think is true of Europe in general, and particularly the Scandinavian countries, is that they are not only more liberal than we are, but proud of it. They don't have the inequality in their system that we do, nor all the problems that go with it. So much of the fear and hatred created in our dog eat dog system, they don't have as much of creating political unrest. Here the dogs rule and work to keep dog eat dog rules in place. In the US, man at his worst is in the fore. Who can really be proud of that?

The answers to America's problems aren't political, they are spiritual. Psychological evolution doesn't happen unless the soul feels a need.

 

[fskimospy]

That is truly crazy. Europeans seem happy with their levels of taxation and government service. The US government just seems incredibly wasteful. We pay relatively high taxes, and get very little in return.

Then the solution from one side is lower taxes, so at least they have less to waste, while the other side thinks the answer is higher taxes. And then the poo flinging begins because both think the other side is pure evil.

Frankly, I think it's time to dissolve the US, and be a more loosely federated group of states.

We pay very low taxes by first world standards. According to OECD US taxation across all levels consumes 24% of GDP. The OECD average is 34%, almost half again higher than that, and Europe frequently pushes towards 40% or even higher.

It might seem like we get "very little" in return in part because we are paying vastly less in taxes than they are.

 

[BoberFett]

So you think paying 24% of every dollar and getting little in return should make us want to give them even more?

 

[norseamd]

So you think paying 24% of every dollar and getting little in return should make us want to give them even more?

Not if our government is unwilling to start to do the same shit as European governments.

 

[lopri]

Trend seems pretty clear. Also, seems independent of major political parties.

Umm.. maybe my eyes are failing me but I do see a correlation with presidents' parties along with aberrations caused by wars.