Every day I visit tons of website, forums, and social networks for all types of topics, most of which are technology based in some sort of form. This election cycle has really brought out the best of the liberal “group think” mentality regarding Obama. On just about every social network Obama is praised as “the one” and any hint of disagreement with his policies or ideals is immediately responded with accusations of racism, or just plain insults. Anybody who wants to claim that liberals are tolerant to others, please give me a shout because I can quickly debunk that. Even here on our network of sites, there have been insults tossed at the slightest hint of either supporting McCain, or being against Obama. I’m certainly not saying conservatives don’t dish out their fair share, but the mentality of liberals has once again bordered on the insane and hateful.
It’s tough being a proud conservative, as I will say what I think regardless of what the group and mob mentality is. The real shame is so many people, especially bloggers in the tech area, are afraid to do the same. I have received so many private notes and comments in support of standing up for conservatism, it’s almost crazy. The best comparison I can make is how conservative actors in Hollywood are often ridiculed or turned down for roles because of their conservative beliefs, and the same mentality is going on right now in the blogosphere. Conservative bloggers, some of which can be considered A-list are having to remain silent about their thoughts on Obama and McCain, simply because they are afraid of retribution from their employers or just not being able to pickup work from other sites. It’s a shame, and it’s more telling about liberals than it is anything.
I am a conservative, I don’t like Obama, and I will never let anyone intimidate me because of that.
True with that comparison.
Obama's own words on redistribution of wealth in the US.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iivL4c_3pck
I'd qualify that slightly to wit our problem is the same as with the financial markets: Not supervising our Government enough.
Which, therefore I agree with. The question is HOW CAN WE SUPERVISE THEM ADEQUATELY? How can we get the transparency needed to keep the politicians (of BOTH parties) under adequate surveillance?
Your statement is true....but how is that put at the feet of the current administration? The only part of the whole thing tied to government is fannie mae/freddie mac which precipitated the whole mess. The credit default betting was not regulated or created by our government. Since it's a process common to all world financial institutions how does that make the US responsible?
Why is government to blame when people or companies bet on performance and end up loosing money? Is the government to blame when someone bets their life savings that the sky will turn green? Should we adopt laws to make sure that idiots don't bet the sky turns green? Maybe we should just collect all their earnings and provide for them as we see fit........
Personally, I believe in individual responsibility. If I make a bad choice in getting a sub-prime mortgage I can't afford..how is that YOUR problem......
Wow, I have to say ID, you definitely ruffled up some feathers with this article of yours. There's that saying, "the truth hurts" and most people don't complain unless the truth is not something they like.
Now, like ID, I am a Conservative and will not be voting for Obama. Why? Simple, I am not going to mindlessly vote for a guy just because he's no Bush. Now, I am not a McCain fan, the guy lacks balls in a way to me. However I do find it ironic that while Obama screams change, McCain seems to be the one less like your usual politician. He has avoided every oportunity to take Obama and grind him down, instead he has let Obama (who claimed would not do thinsg business as usual) put out so many ads about him and Palin that TV stations should be making a fortune thanks to him.
Anyways, at this point McCain is least likely to do any more harm since we are already in a lot of trouble, but it's my opinion that Obama's plans will only make things worse at a time when things are already bad. But I am not so much concerned with Obama's policies as I am about how people are blindly voting for him just because he is not Bush. I mean, if Obama was winning because people actually understood what he plans on doing and totally agreed with his policies, then I would have no choice but to accpet him winning. But to think that Obama is winning, not because he's better, but because he is not Bush is a very scary concept. At this point, the Democrats could have put Jesse ventura to run and would probably be having similar numbers considering people just don't wan't Bush.
I would much rather vote for a third party at this point, but then I would simply be doing that which I am currently criticizing, voting out of ignorance.
At this point in time Obama's got victory in his pocket. Everything that could have gone wrong for McCain has and at this point only 1 of 2 things can save him:
1) a Miracle, some weird reason that he would somehow pull this off, maybe the polls were wrong or maybe the Midea was so biased that they never truly showed McCains real numbers.
2) That at the last minute people will think before chosing and wonder if Obama truly is the right choice and possible change their minds because, again, ignorance and pressure will take control.
I don't expect much from 1 though it wouldn't surprise me one bit. On 2, in a way I would hope, but then, again, I would be going against my criticism of voting thru ignorance.
That statement blew me away!
Are you kidding? Do you really believe the FEDS can do anything truly productive without it blowing up in their face?
They have always been too short-sighted. We all see how well Social Security turned out, the ultra-wasteful Medicare programs, Immigration policies, or how about the billions that get lost all over the place without accountability during natural disasters.
One example of your "FDR type" program would be the National Medical Coverage program that Obama wants.
Sure a simple mind would say, "Yeah, it sure would be nice to see EVERY american have medical coverage", who in their right mind could disagree with that. NO ONE.
BUT, the point is... do you really want the FEDS to be in charge of it. Hell NO!
Overall, I am idealogically conservative, but I don't trust any one of those (insert curses here)! ALL of them will tell you ANYTHING you want to hear to get your vote in the power struggle. They are all puppets! Example, how many times has your congressman held a "town hall" meeting to get in touch with his constituents. They don't listen to "us" the people. It's a GRAND ILLUSION. Slight-of-hand, so to speak. While the people are DISTRACTED, debating, consumed with "choices" and arguing our different points of view. The agendas of the campaign donors and special interests are being put into effect.
I could go on and on, but I don't like to dwell on negative thoughts. I'm going sky-diving, see ya!
Lantec please watch the 60 Minutes Video link I posted. Credit Default swaps were illegal and a felony by law since 1906 and classified as an illegal form of gambling. Furthermore, these types of derivatives came about as a result of Legislation passed by Congress in a unanimous vote by the Senate in 2000. This act also prohibited New York and all other States from enforcing their own statutes prohibiting credit default swaps and charging those who were wanting to trade in them with felonies under anti-gambling laws.
If you wish to know more about credit default swaps, the legislative history, the historical wall street going back to the early 1900's and the huge impact this has had on global markets view the 60 Minutes video.
To make it easy:
CBS 60 Minutes credit default swaps link
I would then ask you how many financial markets existed in 1906...further do you think the Japanese give a rat's patooty about US laws or the Chinese, etc. 60 Minutes tells a lot of the story but (since they are in no way biased) don't give you the full story. Do you think MAYBE congress was trying to put the US on level playing ground with world markets in 2000? I imagine they just intended to screw the populace out of any additional dollars we might have under our mattresses.
How does one uncorroborate a hypothetical? Just curious.
Aside from the fact that they have nothing to do with each other, you mean? Again, a hypothetical non-sequitor.
And thanks for ceding the rights to 'GWB & the Replicans' - could end up being useful.
No. I think they gave in to Wall Street who pushed for it and legalized gambling for them. Such gambling would be attractive to Wall Street and hedge fund managers as a means to try and drive profits and performance. Keep in mind please that one hedge fund manager quite literally made $3.7B in just his hedge fund performance fees during one year from these type of derivatives. Is that kind of compensation for one person really from economic growth and competitive markets or unbridled greed and gambling?
It is pointless for me to communicate any further in this matter Daiwa. Henceforth you will receive no further responses from me. Figure it out for yourself.
The way I remember it....Clinton said it was needed to keep our capital from going oversees where this was common in other markets and Greenspan backed him up. Regulation IS needed but the lack of regulation is NOT due to the current administration.....The people running the big 3 involved didn't even know they were in trouble until the shit hit the fan....how was GWB supposed to know?
Hind sight is always 20-20
There's a HUGE difference between a properly vetted and facted check news organization's main articles and the politico blogosphere who are writing simple OPINION-EDITORIAL pieces.
If someone can't be bothered to discern the difference between FACT and OPINION, then it's no surprise they have trouble reading between the lines to determine the TRUTH from SPIN.
....this is probably where we'll disagree the most....
Do you remember the Pet Rock? Is it right that someone picked up a rock, put it in a box with some hay and then became a multi-millionare selling that kind of thing......I think anyone smart enough to take advantage of a unique idea deserves exactly what he gets....either way.
edit: sorry ID if I caused this to veer off topic back to being a Conservative......
The only people who trot out that old right wing talking point trope are people who actually don't know just how well health care works in the rest of the free world. You've bought into a LIE based on FEAR meant to keep YOU from changing the status quo.
Actually, the government is doing just fine with Medicaid and Medicare. All the same doctors participate, get paid, same medications, etc. etc. AND as a person who has actually traveled and lived abroad, I can tell you our health care is no better AT ALL than that found in the civilized world.
In fact, thanks to the HMO scumbags, we're all paying THEM to tell US what we can and cannot be treated for, etc. etc. If you got rid of them entirely, and the monstrous administrative costs we engender in our thoroughly broken system, we'd be doing just fine compared to the rest of the world in quality of care and cost per person...instead of being #38 behind, um, Columbia.
The HMO profits and administrative costs come directly out of YOUR premiums and cost American lives every day in this country.
If the HMOs had kept patient care their top priority WHILE keeping costs in line, our entire nation wouldn't be in the state it is in right now. So, as for me, I say they had their chance. Revoke the Nixon era law that Kaiser had created the HMO with and bid them adieu.
But I'm kind of radically anti-HMO. As an employer, I've seen what they've done to businesses (large and small) and every hard-working American citizen.
So, a BLACK man, disenfranchised as a youth, was somewhat more liberal 7 years ago than he is today, now that he's had experience at the national level. Say it isn't so?! I'm shocked SHOCKED.
Puh-lease.
My favorite hypocrisy of the current GOP spin cycle is this whole "redistribution of wealth" malarky. I guess it's okay to take $6 trillion in taxpayer funds and redistribute that to cronies of Cheney and Bush, but Heaven-forbid the taxpayers see ANY advantage of their own tax dollars in their own lives!
How about THIS for a "redistribution of wealth"? Bring up on felony fraud charges and seize the assets of all of these financial company scumbags who gamed the system and have nearly bankrupted the world economy? While corporate law would allow them to declare bankruptcy and keep their ill-gotten gains, criminal law (since they are clearly guilty of all manner of fiscal malfeasance involving hiding these losses from the shareholders, regulators, etc.) would be a great way to punish the guilty and obtain some restitution for the American taxpayer.
It worked for Enron and Kenny-Boy, how about for these corporate gold-collar criminals? Or do the right-wing ideologues not believe in crime and punishment now?
Regardless, Bushco just privatized the military (re: blackwater) and socialized the banks. The only thing we haven't nationalized is our country's own OIL...ahem.
Hmm, is it just me or did you just contradict yourself here? The Gov't is doing fine but our healthcare is not better at all? WTH, were you trying to say here?
Actually, that minority legal opinion has since been thoroughly discretid.
Regardless, the right of habeus corpus is one of the founding principles of Western Law for 400 years. And like the Geneva Conventions regarding torturing prisoners of War, they were established and agreed upon by all civilized nations specifically to keep TYRANTS from throwing away inalienable human rights in the name of FEAR, convenience, and expediency.
And I believe our society is based on the rule of law, which applies to all people, even terrorists. If we can catch, try, and incarcerate serial killers and mass murderers, we can do the same with Osama bin Laden.
A free society is always at risk of being kicked in the shins by the occasional nutter. It's why Christ preached turning the other cheek after all. It's one of the prices we pay for being a true society. It doesn't mean we shouldn't close security loopholes, etc. but what's been done to our nation in the name of "protecting" us has made this country LESS free and therefore more fascist.
And I refuse to let FEAR of the inevitable random nutter rule my life or restrict my freedoms, thank you very much.
Wow, be careful, your genus is showing. you seem to be in the belief that any tax cuts given to rich people or corporations somehow belonged to someone else. How is taking less money redistributing the wealth? Where did you learn math?
If person A pays, say, 28% in taxes and you give them a 6% tax cut they now pay 22% in taxes. Tell me was this giving them money or was this letting keep more of their own money?
Now, lets say person B pays 28% in taxes but gets 28% back when he files his tax return, on top of that he will get an extra 6%. Now tell me how this is not distribution of wealth when this person is not only getting every penny they paid in taxes back but they are also getting 6% more from somewhere else.
I love it when people complain about tax cuts as if evil corporations where taking money from the poor.
It's just you.
Are you incapable of seeing that the government run healthcare represented by Medicare/Medicaid is an entirely different system from the Insurance/HMO industry?
My point is simply that we already have a government run health care system that works, and could work A LOT better if it was just expanded to cover all Americans. That would END the HMOs and the health insurance industry as it exists today, though ANYONE who wanted to could still pay for PRIVATE INSURANCE as an add-on. That's how it is done in Britain, etc. The rich and those who are better off have a private system in addition to the baseline healthcare provided to all citizens, regardless of income.
I hope that is clearer.
Um, nowhere in my post was I referring to tax cuts. Did you mean to respond to someone else's post?
The $6 trillion Bushco has handed to their cronies was borrowed from China, Russia, and Japan and taxpayers will be paying off those graft loans for decades to come.
It has nothing to do with tax cuts. I'll just assume you were misquoting.
Hmm, when you say tax payers, are you talking about the same wealthy people who pay most of the countries taxes or the ones (like me) who don't pay crap and get money back on top of that? BTW, if we gonna punish people for cheating the system then maybe we should arrest the homeowners who took loans they new they couldn't afford as well and decided to default on and are part of this whole mess, talk about irresponsibility. I mean, after all, the banks screwed up for making the loans, but I seriously doubt they had guns to the peoples heads when they were signing the loans. Typical to point fingers at one side while ignoraing the whole picture. No wonder this country is so screwed.
Pretty much have already, but thanks for the tip.
Actually while the wealthiest top percent pay more per person, the vast majority of actual total tax revenue comes from the millions of middle class taxpayers. So while they pay less per person, they make up for it in volume.
Either way, the majority of the graft went to Bushco cronies who moved their companies overseas in preparation for these events early this decade. They don't pay anything in taxes to the good old US of A.
Do you blame the patient when the doctor misdiagnoses your illness or do you blame the doctor who went to school and was supposedly an expert in the field, paid BY YOU to advise you on this issue?
And yes, in actuality, 1/3 of the foreclosures are wealthy home "flippers"...amateur real estate speculators who deserve whatever comes to them, but the worst cases where entire subdivisions are being destroyed were due to fraudalent applications prepared with fraudulent information prepared without the homeowner's consent. A number of the largest home builders are facing federal charges for falsifying information in order to get homeowner's approved.
So yes, lock em up.
But what about the RENTERS? There is a huge problem right now with people who have been paying their rent but the owners of the properties have not been paying their mortgages, so all of a sudden, without warning, you're on the street.
You want to blame the honest renters for that too?!
Oh, that's rich. Lemme have some of what you're smokin', dude.
In preparation for these events? Good grief.
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