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PoliGAF Interim Thread of cunning stunts and desperate punts

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thefit

Member
JayDubya said:
It's not as if the average Democrat disapproves of adding new and varied powers to the executive branch, it's just that they just want their guy (or gal) in charge of said branch.

Probably the only time I'll agree with you, this administration has set some real precedents and before Obama was where he is the powers that be in the Democratic party where salivating at the thought of inheriting some if not all these powers.
 
JayDubya said:
It's not as if the average Democrat disapproves of adding new and varied powers to the executive branch, it's just that they just want their guy (or gal) in charge of said branch.

Well, if they are supporting the expansion of executive powers (which doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense since they control the legislative branch far more than they control the white house, and expanding executive powers causes a de facto weakening of the house and senate), they do a far shittier job of bringing it about. The Supreme Court justices who want to turn the president into the King are all Republican appointees.
 

Gaborn

Member
thefit said:
Probably the only time I'll agree with you, this administration has set some real precedents and before Obama was where he is the powers that be in the Democratic party where salivating at the thought of inheriting some if not all these powers.

Which is why Bush is so scary, and why any President running on "making government 'cool' again" as Obama said during that 9/11 service forum absolutely rips at my libertarian soul. A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.
 

Hitokage

Setec Astronomer
Gaborn said:
Which is why Bush is so scary, and why any President running on "making government 'cool' again" as Obama said during that 9/11 service forum absolutely rips at my libertarian soul. A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.
You don't need a social program to take, only a military, and last I checked libertarians were in favor of such things.
 
Gaborn said:
Which is why Bush is so scary, and why any President running on "making government 'cool' again" as Obama said during that 9/11 service forum absolutely rips at my libertarian soul. A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.

Getting more people involved in their government and making informed decisions?

Good thing, yeah? If people weren't so apathetic, we'd probably see half of the Bush administration indicted.
 
FlightOfHeaven said:
Getting more people involved in their government and making informed decisions?

Good thing, yeah? If people weren't so apathetic, we'd probably see half of the Bush administration indicted.

I've come to realize Gaborn is scared of Obama not because he is incompetent. But because he fears he is too competent.

He seems to have less fear of incompetence hence less Mccain attacks...
 

Deku

Banned
Gaborn said:
Which is why Bush is so scary, and why any President running on "making government 'cool' again" as Obama said during that 9/11 service forum absolutely rips at my libertarian soul. A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.

Meaningless Libertarian talking points as neither of the candidates are libertarian. Bush and the Republicans centralize and wield their power that should make Libertarians throw up.

I'd choose the one who actually has a plan to put Imperial America back on course to ruling its empire, rather than one hell bent on turning it into the next Athens. you know the part when they fucked themselves and imploded.
 
Gaborn said:
Which is why Bush is so scary, and why any President running on "making government 'cool' again" as Obama said during that 9/11 service forum absolutely rips at my libertarian soul. A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.
Holy fuck he wants to set up universal healthcare, something that damn near every other civilized country in the world has. He's not fucking Stalin.
 

Gaborn

Member
Deku said:
Libertarian talking points. Bush and the Republicans centralize and weild their power that should make Libertarians throw up.

See above. I'm not going to defend Bush, and would never defend him. He is arguably the worst president in the history of the country from an economic perspective, and it's not really arguable he's been the worst from a civil liberties perspective (ok, the Alien and Sedition acts under Adams were pretty bad too...)

As for the other things, again, Obama's too willing to give too many powers to government in my opinion. It does too much as it is and Obama's not exactly clamoring to cut back in problematic areas (has he called for the repeal of the PATRIOT Act like he should?)

Hito - Fortunately military powers are currently limited by constitutional constraints. It is currently illegal to use the military against the civillian population except under very limited emergency circumstances.
 

kevm3

Member
Gaborn said:
See above. I'm not going to defend Bush, and would never defend him. He is arguably the worst president in the history of the country from an economic perspective, and it's not really arguable he's been the worst from a civil liberties perspective (ok, the Alien and Sedition acts under Adams were pretty bad too...)

As for the other things, again, Obama's too willing to give too many powers to government in my opinion. It does too much as it is and Obama's not exactly clamoring to cut back in problematic areas (has he called for the repeal of the PATRIOT Act like he should?)

What is it that you like about McCain/Palin, or is voting for them more like a vote against Obama?
 

Gaborn

Member
kevm3 said:
What is it that you like about McCain/Palin, or is voting for them more like a vote against Obama?

I'm not voting for McCain/Palin. McCain/Palin are a more vocally warmongering continuation of Bush's failed interventionist foreign policy. Just about the only advantage to McCain over Obama is that McCain would deal with a Democratically controlled congress which would hopefully lead to more gridlock. Still though, I'm voting for Barr/Root.
 
perfectchaos007 said:
Elvis is dead, but I still see lots of his photos.

I assume you haven't been looking then because at the DNC convention they showed photos of his mom in video tributes alot. They always show his grandparents a lot also. Just curious but why does it matter anyway?
 

Huzah

Member
Argueably a dem president with a dem congress will lead to faster expansion of power than a divided president and congress.
 
Huzah said:
Argueably a dem president with a dem congress will lead to faster expansion of power than a divided president and congress.


That didn't stop our current president when he had either a Republican or a Democratic congress from rapidly expanding the powers of the executive branch along with increasing spending.
 

devilhawk

Member
polyh3dron said:
Holy fuck he wants to set up universal healthcare, something that damn near every other civilized country in the world has. He's not fucking Stalin.
Well if the government's universal health care plan pays what they pay now for Medicare, there won't be a single primary care doctor left. Also, the US and New Zealand are the only two countries that allow pharm mass marketing. We should start with that.
 
No I didn't watch the DNC, nor did I watch the RNC. I watched Ron Pauls convention on C-SPAN though. Anyways I would have thought they would show his parents on the mainstream media.
 

kevm3

Member
Nothing wrong with voting for Barr.

Another curiosity, however. Which administration do you see as more competent, or rather, the least disasterous (if you hold a more cynical view)? McCain or Obama?
 

devilhawk

Member
kevm3 said:
Nothing wrong with voting for Barr.

Another curiosity, however. Which administration do you see as more competent, or rather, the least disasterous (if you hold a more cynical view)? McCain or Obama?
The obvious answer would be the administration that is of the opposite political party to congress. This taken from a very cynical view.
 

Gaborn

Member
kevm3 said:
Nothing wrong with voting for Barr.

Another curiosity, however. Which administration do you see as more competent, or rather, the least disasterous (if you hold a more cynical view)? McCain or Obama?

I really think it could go either way. I see troubling signs with both. With McCain I fear his foreign policy more than his economic policy. With Obama I fear his economic policy and his attitude that government can essentially solve many of the problems in our society if we just do it right. I'm also not convinced that Obama is a non-interventionist. Obama correctly thinks that Iraq was an immoral war and the wrong place, wrong time to go in. Unfortunately I'm not convinced that he would absolutely not go to war against a different target. I don't think he'd do so as eagerly as McCain would but I still don't trust him entirely.

at the same time, I'll repeat that some of the worst of McCain's excesses would be beaten back by a Dem congress, and some of Obama's worst tendencies would be fed by a Congress eager to approve a newly elected Dem's policy. I also rather famously believe Obama's separate but equal* treatment of gays is more harmful to the marriage equality movement than McCain's denial of gay rights but you can search the thread for the rationale (or just let someone distort it for you). In the end I can't choose between them, they're both bad on issues I care about.

With that said at 3:30 I need to get some sleep.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
I also rather famously believe Obama's separate but equal* treatment of gays is more harmful to the marriage equality movement than McCain's denial of gay rights but you can search the thread for the rationale (or just let someone distort it for you).

I actually brought up your theory to a gay friend of mine and he said, "oh god a fucking log cabin."

I said you were Libertarian and he said, "they must have some crazier, more primitive cabin. Maybe it's a teepee."
 

devilhawk

Member
OuterWorldVoice said:
I actually brought up your theory to a gay friend of mine and he said, "oh god a fucking log cabin."

I said you were Libertarian and he said, "they must have some crazier, more primitive cabin. Maybe it's a teepee."
Link to said theory?
 

Mandark

Small balls, big fun!
devilhawk - Short version:

By legalizing civil unions, the push for gay marriage will lose urgency and take much longer than would happen if supporters adopted an all-or-nothing approach.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
devilhawk said:
Link to said theory?


He basically posits that Civil Unions will halt all progress towards gay marriage forever, and that the Republican policy of denying both is better in the long run. If it sounds really fucking retarded and backward, you have to hear with better ears.
 

Cloudy

Banned
Unfortunately I'm not convinced that he would absolutely not go to war against a different target. I don't think he'd do so as eagerly as McCain would but I still don't trust him entirely.

Unlike Bush/McCain, Obama's not an ideologue though. If he did go to war, it'd be based on facts.

He obviously prefers the diplomatic approach and I think it would improve foreign relations a great deal..
 

Huzah

Member
Stoney Mason said:
That didn't stop our current president when he had either a Republican or a Democratic congress from rapidly expanding the powers of the executive branch along with increasing spending.

I would say the same is true for republican, but I was commenting on the context of this election.
 

Mandark

Small balls, big fun!
Obama is more hawkish than I am but I'm out of the mainstream on this.

His pimping of aggressive diplomacy warms my heart, though. He seems to understand the importance of creating long-term multilateral frameworks for peace and stability and recognizes that other countries are operating based on their own perceived interests.

I'm less worried about the wars McCain would start (checked by a Democratic Congress and bogged down in two conflicts already) than I am about the ones he would make likely down the road.
 
OuterWorldVoice said:
It's apparent you don't know too may single mothers holding down two jobs then. And you should measure the scale of their efforts, versus the compensation.

And let's look at compensation versus profit, since you're in the US auto industry.

Two of my sisters are. and coming from a poor background and mostly poor family, i know plenty about it. But Ive seen both sides, and im telling you all sides work just as hard in a majority of circumstances. its not easy like you think, in fact try starting a company and then come back and talk to me. Maybe big business arnt as good as an example, but at a smaller company like i work for, its unbelievable how much work the higher levels of the company put it. They hold nearly all of the responsibility and also the most risk. And nearly any CEO will tell you that if you plan on working for less than 60 hours a week and on weekends that it wont work out for you.

Talking about compensation versus effort is probably never going to be an area where we agree. IMO our compensation directly stems from the amount we contribute. Sure there are examples of overpaid/ underpaid people, but in the overall sense i wholeheartedly believe that.

government never will be the answer to my problems. I dont need them telling me where to send my future child to school, how to save for my retirement, where to buy my health care, and forcing me to pay for all these things. I believe in personal responsibility for our lives, not government direction. And any able minded person should realize that a tax on business is going to be directly transferred to the customers in terms of the products pricing. Of course business needs oversight to keep them in check, but they aren't the evil enemies who take advantage of working America. Business pays nearly all of the tax burden in this country, and provides nearly all the jobs. And its the only way government can sustain itself. So when i hear all this talk painting business as the bad guy and government as the answer it amazes me. I want less government, less spending, and fair oversight. unfortunately both parties are getting father away from this. but i do believe that the Democrat party is more of a tax and spend party then the Republican party is.
 
AndyIsTheMoney said:
but i do believe that the Democrat party is more of a tax and spend party then the Republican party is.
Democrats = Tax & Spend
Republicans = Borrow Money From China, Tax & Spend us into debt
 

Mandark

Small balls, big fun!
AndyIsTheMoney said:
Business pays nearly all of the tax burden in this country, and provides nearly all the jobs.

Unless you're counting income and FICA taxes as paid by business, that's just not true.
 
devilhawk said:
Well if the government's universal health care plan pays what they pay now for Medicare, there won't be a single primary care doctor left. Also, the US and New Zealand are the only two countries that allow pharm mass marketing. We should start with that.
Seriously. Those dicks spend far more on marketing and advertising than they do on drug development. But if you dare mention how expensive drugs are they'll whine endlessly about research & development costs.

Perscription advertising is wasteful, causes unnecessary self-diagnosis by people. If I can't buy the drug myself don't advertise it to me.
 
polyh3dron said:
Democrats = Tax & Spend
Republicans = Borrow Money From China, Tax & Spend us into debt

democrats=increase taxes on companies which is in turned passed down to the consumer through pricing being the same as if they increased taxes on everyone, also causing further outsourcing and less development...and spend
republicans=Borrow Money From China, Tax & Spend us into debt

damned either way i guess
 
Mandark said:
Unless you're counting income and FICA taxes as paid by business, that's just not true.

the wealthiest of this country carry its tax burden. Im not stating this as being right or wrong, but they do.

speculawyer said:
Seriously. Those dicks spend far more on marketing and advertising than they do on drug development. But if you dare mention how expensive drugs are they'll whine endlessly about research & development costs.

Perscription advertising is wasteful, causes unnecessary self-diagnosis by people. If I can't buy the drug myself don't advertise it to me.

i think its the doctors fault for accepting basically bribes from these companies for pushing the drugs on people, not advertising.
 

Mandark

Small balls, big fun!
"If you tax corporations/rich people they'll just pass it down." I hear that a lot from conservatives.

What's the reasoning behind this? Assuming the tax is raised across the board and affects all competing corporations, and assuming the market actually works based on supply and demand (surely a conservative would stipulate to this?) then prices won't go up, at least not proportionally.

In a market the companies will have found the price point that brings in the most total revenue. Their costs are independent of the market demand.

Now if the costs were increased so they were taking a loss then they'd have to raise prices and either sell less volume or hope that everyone else also had to raise prices and the demand curve would shift.

But that won't happen because corporate taxes are levied on profits, not revenues, so they'll never put a profit-making corporation into the red. See?
 

LCGeek

formerly sane
AndyIsTheMoney said:
the wealthiest of this country carry its tax burden. Im not stating this as being right or wrong, but they do.

They also do not pay not a fair share in terms of percentage or scale like everyone else does. They pay more in terms of amount but in terms of whose wallet gets hit harder it those who aren't able to escape the crappy tax code we have.
 

Mandark

Small balls, big fun!
Plus we've already had an increase in the corporate and highest income marginal tax rates in the 90's, and wound up with rising median income and very low inflation. So it seems like the costs of taxation weren't passed on.

Andy: You said "business" not "rich people".
 
AndyIsTheMoney said:
Business pays nearly all of the tax burden in this country,.
damn you are clueless.. . . .try 14.4%

Percent_Distribution3%20copy(2).jpg
 

Cloudy

Banned
Educational resume of all 4 candidates...

Obama:
Occidental College (Los Angeles) - 2 years studying Politics and Public Policy.
Columbia University (New York) - B.A. Political Science with a specialization in International Relations.
Harvard Law School - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude, Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Law Review.

Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and a B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank 894 of 899.

Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester - Business Administration.
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - General Studies.
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - Journalism.
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester.
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism.

The difference is a bit staggering lol But Americans want someone they can have a beer with. Good grief...
 
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