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[tryrar]

So, in other news, I was reading Newsweek and saw a sidebar on the GOP convention about security thereof; specifically about all the random shit(that could possibly be used as a weapon) that's ban banned to carry anywhere near the convention, from bb guns to chains to friggin lightbulbs. However, take a wild guess at the one item whose ban was blocked by our esteemed governor of Florida(hey, I didn't vote for the guy!); firearms. That's right, ACTUAL guns are ok to have at the convention according to Christ. *headdesk* *headdesk* *headdesk*

[Zangi]

Don't you worry... if someone starts shooting... others can shoot back.

[SalmonGod]

Mr. Schaden Freud esquire inside of me would find it interesting if Romney would win. The news are always more interesting with a dumbass republican in office.

I fear Obama more than I fear Romney. 

Obama is good at making people complacent.  He hides his dirty business well, and continues looking clean and hip.  He's made great strides in expanding the scope of the security/surveillance state, which will be ripe for abuse by his successors, and most progressive types don't even have a clue.

Romney is obviously corrupt.  Even his own base doesn't like him, and only support him as much as it takes to get Obama out of office.  Afterwards, I think even many republicans would turn right around and start fighting him.  Maybe that's wishful thinking, but at least progressives would be more mobilized again.  He would be treated by everyone like the enemy that he is.

Corruption in politics will continue marching on regardless of whether we elect the openly corrupt or the secretly slightly-less-corrupt.  What matters is the public's ability to unite in opposition outside of voting.


And now for something completely different.

[Eagle_eye]

eh, I feel like Obama is fundamentally trying to do good, just misguided. Most people, even very intelligent people, have extreme difficulty in ignoring the culture they exist in. Obama is a wealthy lawyer. You would hardly expect someone in that environment not to place too much confidence in government and law.

[SalmonGod]

There are too many examples of him saying one thing to the public and doing the exact opposite behind closed doors for me to believe that.  Most strikingly, he's proclaimed himself the most unprecedented champion of government transparency and whistleblower protection in the history of the U.S., when every word and action of his not from behind a podium has been to the exact opposite effect.  He even labeled ACTA negotiations a matter of national security in order to keep them a secret from the public for as long as possible.

[Mictlantecuhtli]

Obama isn't that bad; and saying he's "expanding the scope of a security/surveillance state" is ignoring the fact that he's just following the precedent the previous 40 or so years of administration set for him in this facet of governance.

You shouldn't fear your own president; that's conspiracy theory levels of paranoia. I fear Romney only because I know he doesn't give a damn about political office and his only goal throughout his life has been to make personal profit off of the suffering/loss of others. Not because I think he'll spy on me and kill my father. I just don't want my tax rates across the board to double to make up for his fiscal plan [much like Rand Paul's, which would obliterate our country in the mere scope of 10 years].

I've yet to see anything about Obama that shows me he's been exploiting out country for his own political/monetary gain, on the contrary, I think he's been doing a damn good job considering his circumstances. Fear him? I do not. Annoyed? Eh, it doesn't bother me that much as I know the president is only about as powerful as their congress; and our current Democrats in congress are some of the most spineless hacks I've seen.

I don't blame Obama for simply coming into office and taking on the role. It's not like the fucker set-up the entire anti-terrorism department [which works under the military but is allowed it's own free reign, now with it's own state department branch], I mean come on, I know you know more about that. The military-industrial complex which provides the firms that conduct "security operations" has existed independently of Obama for a long, long time before he was born and will continue to influence and even change security policy in our future. Not the president's fault; all he can really do is roll with it and hope noone tells the press.

The same people who blame him for things like this are the ones who blame him for gas prices; I'd bet.

[RedKing]

Don't you worry... if someone starts shooting... others can shoot back.

I....I kinda find myself hoping for that scenario.
I'm a bad person. 
But the Schadenfreude would be so moist and delicious, it could sell for $500/ounce.

[SalmonGod]

I'm basing my opinion of him exclusively on his personal words and actions.  I've made a couple posts on this thread way back with more details about that.  If it's a matter of being forced or "rolling with" pre-existing trends that he doesn't have the power to oppose, I would expect him to communicate openly about those things.  For instance, I understand the NDAA situation and don't hold him accountable for anything there.  On the other hand, publicly denouncing those things you point out as long-standing government trends, labeling himself the champion of opposition to those trends, and then willingly contributing to those trends in secret destroys his credibility from my point of view.

[Nadaka]

So, in other news, I was reading Newsweek and saw a sidebar on the GOP convention about security thereof; specifically about all the random shit(that could possibly be used as a weapon) that's ban banned to carry anywhere near the convention, from bb guns to chains to friggin lightbulbs. However, take a wild guess at the one item whose ban was blocked by our esteemed governor of Florida(hey, I didn't vote for the guy!); firearms. That's right, ACTUAL guns are ok to have at the convention according to Christ. *headdesk* *headdesk* *headdesk*

His name is Mr Medicaid Fraud. He stole hundreds of millions of dollars from senior citizens and the government, and then got voted in by the elderly voting block because he had an R after his name.

[Frumple]

Hey, if there's one thing the majority of the American voting population is united in, it's voting against their own interests.

Incidentally, I'm looking at the sample ballot (which is, so far as I remember, physically identical to the actual ballot) for my county (senate, congress, some local stuff) and I'm noticing... no space for write-ins. At all. Also precisely zero third party candidates. Particularly amusing is that both state attorney candidates are republican (for what it's worth, anyway). Bleh. Early voting's next week (Well, technically starts on Saturday, so it is going on through the weekend), then main voting day th'week after.

Probably spend the weekend figuring out who the hell these people are and which of them are least scum. Not looking forward to that, heh.

[RedKing]

Oh hey! Remember that asinine bill that the North Carolina legislature made that would forbid state planners from using !!SCIENCE!! to project rising sea levels??

Well, the bill is no more. IT'S A LAW NOW, BABY!

F*** my state. >_<


The only saving grace is that they amended it to allow local planners to commission their own studies and follow those. But the state is not only forbidden from using the study that was already completed, but bars it from even commissioning any more studies for the next four years. The stupid is so thick, we may actually be able to use it to fill the sandbags we're going to need to hold back the ocean.

[Jervill]

*Adds North Carolina to states I refuse to work.  The list now includes all 2008 McCain states, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.

I am an urban planning student myself and just have to facepalm at that.

[GreatJustice]

There are people going into space without taking other people's money to do so, and with safety standards far better than those of NASA.

What is this "other people's money" you refer to. I agree with many of your points but if you have evidence that nasa are guilty of theft you should probably pass it on to the fbi.

Yes I am being facetious, but I find the debate in the US about taxes has really gone off the deep end. I saw a guy on slashdot who had the sig 'taxation is legalised theft, no more no less', and I just found myself needing to throw up. Needless to say I did not read anything he posted. Here are a list of just some of the things that taxes (should) pay for: Education, police, healthcare, justice system, administration, fire brigade, public transport, roads, bridges, dams, communications infrastructure, defence, social welfare, prisons, grants for new businesses... the list goes on. Lets envision a country with none of these things. Then envision a country with all of these things privatised.

If you advocate minimising taxes you are advocating minimising public services and infrastructure. Please defend that position, the position 'I don't want to give my money to the government' is not relevant.

How do you propose to have the above services and infrastructure without taxes, alternatively, how do you propose to have a functioning society without them.

Sorry if I am jumping in a conversation with too little context and saying something stupid, but it is almost 300 pages and I don't even get to vote.

I'm actually an anarchist, but I prefer not to go off the deep end and start on that tangent because its so far off topic that we'd probably loop around and start talking about pie or something.

Anyway, seeing as how that little discussion is over, back to the US election!

Obama isn't that bad; and saying he's "expanding the scope of a security/surveillance state" is ignoring the fact that he's just following the precedent the previous 40 or so years of administration set for him in this facet of governance.

You shouldn't fear your own president; that's conspiracy theory levels of paranoia. I fear Romney only because I know he doesn't give a damn about political office and his only goal throughout his life has been to make personal profit off of the suffering/loss of others. Not because I think he'll spy on me and kill my father. I just don't want my tax rates across the board to double to make up for his fiscal plan [much like Rand Paul's, which would obliterate our country in the mere scope of 10 years].

I've yet to see anything about Obama that shows me he's been exploiting out country for his own political/monetary gain, on the contrary, I think he's been doing a damn good job considering his circumstances. Fear him? I do not. Annoyed? Eh, it doesn't bother me that much as I know the president is only about as powerful as their congress; and our current Democrats in congress are some of the most spineless hacks I've seen.

I don't blame Obama for simply coming into office and taking on the role. It's not like the fucker set-up the entire anti-terrorism department [which works under the military but is allowed it's own free reign, now with it's own state department branch], I mean come on, I know you know more about that. The military-industrial complex which provides the firms that conduct "security operations" has existed independently of Obama for a long, long time before he was born and will continue to influence and even change security policy in our future. Not the president's fault; all he can really do is roll with it and hope noone tells the press.

The same people who blame him for things like this are the ones who blame him for gas prices; I'd bet.

He's been pretty enthusiastic about extending the influence of Bush's little surveillance state, extending the PATRIOT act, continuing wars, etc. The NDAA is an entirely unacceptable law for anyone with even the pretense of believing in civil liberties, and I'm rather surprised that I'm not hearing outrage like I would have heard if it was Bush passing it. So yeah, I don't like Obama very much and its hard to believe that I thought he might change things once upon a time. If he didn't want people to be angry when he supported pro-war/pro-surveillance legislation then he damn well shouldn't have campaigned on being against all of that.

[darkrider2]

And now for something completely different.

The most disturbing part about that is that they were even able to hack into the IRS database. Unless this news site is like the onion and just there for subtle subtle laughs.

Personally I think America needs more political parties, two is just, well it really is the absolute minimum number while still giving people a "choice".

[FearfulJesuit]

Y'all are aware that site is a hoax, yes?