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Obama pissed me off on a few things:

1.) Extending the Patriot Act
2.) Keeping Guantanamo Bay open (though someone made the point that he might have done this simply because he didn't know what to do with all those prisoners)
3.) Signing the NDAA into law while giving a copout statement "I'm not totally comfortable with this, but my administration will never abuse it"
4.) Some of his comments have been construed as anti-small business which I don't like. But most of that is just political spin working on me, I acknowledge that.
5.) The vilifying of the rich in his campaign - again, I think the rich should have to pay a little more, but I'd like a little less vitriol in the rhetoric coming out of his camp

Overall, I don't think that's enough for me to not vote for him considering the concerns I have about Romney are much, much more significant. Still the lesser of two evils.

I think the public good is beneficial and worth saving, not through handouts and entitlements, but through incentive to better oneself and by accepting some degree of personal responsibility. I'm not in the begrudged $250000 tax bracket, but I believe I could make it to that point some day, and when I do, that my hard work and efforts shouldn't be demonized for it. I believe that individual families, communities and states -- not the Federal government -- know what is best for them. I trust in individuals, families and even companies -- not the Federal government -- to know how to best manage their personal and financial affairs. When people fail to handle their personal and financial responsibilities, I don't think they should always be bailed out. I have faith in business and markets to provide opportunity for the people. I don't mind Federal taxation and regulation, but I think there is a point where too much of either is a determent to economic prosperity. I'd rather protect everyone's Constitutional rights and not restrict those rights based on the actions of a small minority, but restrict the rights of an individual (if needed) based on the individuals actions. I am mostly pro-life (with a few choice exceptions), not because of Religion, but because I'm aware that a cluster of cells growing in a woman's body will eventually turn into a human -- not a dog, dolphin, bird or fish -- and I think it's wrong to take a life, unless the life we're taking has shown a complete disregard for the lives of others. I'm a man who would prefer peace and I think violence and war shouldn't always be the first option, but I'm also not naive and I understand that war and violence are often a necessity. I'm an honest, kind and charitable human being who has consistently gone out of my way to help others when they're in need. Is there a minor party somewhere out there that's more in line with those views than the Republican party? Sure. Do they have a candidate running for president? RON PAUL 2012!

Wouldn't have letting the huge corps fail made the economy even worse than the one we're stuck with now and the one you guys are complaining about? Yeah, it would have been in line with your principles, but blindly following principle and not realizing the potential consequences is insanity.

And I say "you guys" because my family and I have really not felt the sting of the shambling economy. At the end of the day, who I vote for is going to be the one that benefits me and the ones I love. However, the degree to which I value benefits to myself versus the benefit of others is much lower.

Basically, I need to be more selfish before I can vote republican.

[✔] [item]Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker[/item] (Three)
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I'm not going to bother responding to Aestu because he is an idiot and not worth my time.

Kay, my heart absolutely goes out to you. The children I work with at Orangewood are often times so completely traumatized, so that you have come so far is amazing.

For a month each summer, no, I didn't get to go home. I lived alongside the people I was volunteering to serve. In Oregon I was stabbed, in Nicaragua I got seriously ill (and no, I didn't get to see a doctor) , in Mexico something worse happened. I don't get to run away from that. Just like you don't get to run away from your childhood.

The point is, I know. I know how bad it can get. And I don't just turn a blind eye. But I also know that the social programs we have don't work. They are full of corruption and waste and don't reach the people that need the help. Give a man food and you have fed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you have fed him for a lifetime.

Anyhow, I rarely get into topics like these because for the most part we have our own firmly rooted social opinions. When I earn a dollar I believe it is my dollar. When a socialist earns a dollar he believes it is everyone's dollar. We just won't agree here. Some project their worthlessness onto others (Aestu) and others want to save the world (Tuhl) and others want to live their life unencumbered by the rest of the world (usdk).

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

Callysta of Reverence

I agree with most of what you said except abortion. While I personally agree with your statement, I also don't presume that my point of view is the same for everyone else. Thus, I think people should make the choice for themselves.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

Callysta of Reverence

This is the biggest lie ever sold to the American middle class.

Really? My brother is halfway there and he's only 30.

This. The lottery mentality is a beautiful piece of propaganda.

RETIRED.
[armory loc="US,Bleeding Hollow"]Mayonaise[/armory]
[armory loc="US,Bleeding Hollow"]Jerkonaise[/armory]

How?



Why do you have this idea? As in, where did you get this idea?



Again - why do you have this idea? As in, where did you get this idea?

When and where has this worked?

Why doesn't it work in places like Haiti or Afghanistan or sub-Saharan Africa or South America?



So should masturbating be illegal?



According to what value system? How is that relevant in the here and now?
When and where has peacetime military spending brought lasting peace?

Aestu of Bleeding Hollow...

Nihilism is a copout.

How do you figure? Did you build the roads, hire the police, educate the workforce, build the power plants and infrastructure, plant the trees and sow the natural resources necessary for you to earn that dollar? No? Then how can you say you earned that dollar?

Aestu of Bleeding Hollow...

Nihilism is a copout.

Exactly.

Mark Twain had some great advice on why it is never a good idea to argue with idiots like you, Ethan. You will drag me down to your level and beat me with your experience.

Callysta of Reverence

Begs the question what one's definition of idiocity is, no?

Are you being beaten by an experienced idiot or a well-armed clever person?

Aestu of Bleeding Hollow...

Nihilism is a copout.

It'd be way to easy to point out that people do build businesses from very little, climb the corporate ladders or invest what they have wisely, and through that, they can become very wealthy. Instead, I'll pretend that never happens and I'll just ask that you assess yourselves; If not for the "lottery mentality", why did either of you attend any college classes, get internships, and start your careers with cooking? Why even bother working at all if you think all your efforts will amount to mediocrity and a poor paying job for the rest of your lives?


How were the roads built, the police hired, the workforce educated, the power plants and infrastructure built, the trees planted and whatever else without the taxes from an individuals earned dollar or the demand of a working/consuming public?

People win real lotteries too, but the odds are overwhelmingly against it and its a shitty model for success.

The answer is, Eturnal, God put those resources there, previous generations of rich people paid much higher taxes, public debt was floated and laws were passed to make the corps do things they didn't want to, such as provide universal power and telecom coverage, stop polluting public water and air, and stop cheating and poisoning their workers.

The viable "free" market doesn't exist and never has. The best economic system is a mixed economy with planned and market elements, defined and harnessed by a vigorous green democratic socialist government. Shifting the economic center of gravity downwards through mandated high wages and breakup of private fiefdoms always improves economies, and I can provide many examples in history, both ancient and modern.

Aestu of Bleeding Hollow...

Nihilism is a copout.