INTENSITY²
Politics, Mature and taboo => Political Pundits => Topic started by: McGiver on April 17, 2013, 04:04:41 PM
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Who cares about all the political distractions. A shiny object her an slight of hand there.
Fuck all that.
My opinion is that people need opportunity. They need good paying jobs to raise a family in peace and relative comfort.
labor issues are my main political concerns.
What is your #1 voting issue and why?
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Education. I'm not into a nation full of entitled idiots. It is a mess.
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Education. I'm not into a nation full of entitled idiots. It is a mess.
many would argue that our (US) education system is an indoctrination towards consumerism.
Is that ok with you? What needs to be changed?
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It's certainly indoctrination. I don't think consumerism is the only result. There's also religious indoctrination, self-esteem indoctrination, cheating-via-the-internet-at-the-expense-of-actual-thought indoctrination....
I think education needs to be individualized as much as possible. We should invest in it as a country because of how much it pays off down the line. No Child Left Behind needs to die a miserable death. Standardized testing needs to die a miserable death. Recess, art, gym and music should be brought back, in the places where they've been abolished in order to teach to the test. Free thought, creativity and logic should be rewarded, not just in students but in teachers. Spurious lawsuits that sap resources and make teachers too frightened to break the rules need to be heavily penalized. Basic life skills such as checkbook balancing, project management, navigating government and medical systems, job searching, and investment 101 should be more commonly taught at the high school level.
That would be a start. :zoinks:
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Many of the extra curricular activities have been gutted. Teachers are demonized and the public us being told it is their pensions which are bankrupting the states.
How do you get good teachers when there is a war on them?
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Pay them more, which would attract more skilled and intelligent people to the profession.
And yes, good point about the extracurricular activities.
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Though i agree they should get more....refer to my view of labor politics. but, We can't pay them more in today's political climate. People hate them. People believe that the teachers pensions are what bankrupting states.
How do we change people's opinions?
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It's news to me that people blame teachers' pensions for bankrupting states.
I guess step one would be to get some numbers. How much do states spend on teacher pensions compared to other functions.
And what is the reasoning behind giving a teacher a pension, instead of paying them more during their life and having them save in a 401k and take social security like everyone else?
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The problem is that teachers have bargained for pensions. Oft times giving up wages now and accepting future payments. Generally when states are struggling. It's a good faith bargaining agreement.
Pensions are pre funded, weekly, monthly or yearly. But politicians like to borrow against them to pay for other projects. Now that hey can't pay them back they decide to demonized the pensions. It's theft.
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Interesting.
I would pose the same question to the people who think the teachers are responsible for the bankrupting of the states. What do they propose to do, break the contract that was made with the teachers? If a contract was made it should be honored. Maybe a different contract could be made going forward for the next generation of teachers. But it sounds like another case of lack of foresight on the government's part, or maybe the voters' part.
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My voting issues?
Well, i think the way revenue is generated and distributed is paramount. Stop squeezing the poor to cough up and tax people who can actually afford it. Invest in poor areas. Treat people like scum - they will eventually act like scum.! Give people something to be proud of then they are likely to look after it ie. housing, jobs etc.
Any government that imposes cuts to education or nhs are fucking crazy.
Will someone please stop this nonsense of increasing the retirement age to 67! Should be lowered instead.
Keep prison for criminals who are a real danger to society. No one should be thrown in jail for not paying fines, taxes or for petty stuff like shoplifting.
More referendums. We are capable of making important decisions.
Make police wear jackets that say 'POLITE' not 'POLICE' :zoinks:
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Interesting.
I would pose the same question to the people who think the teachers are responsible for the bankrupting of the states. What do they propose to do, break the contract that was made with the teachers? If a contract was made it should be honored. Maybe a different contract could be made going forward for the next generation of teachers. But it sounds like another case of lack of foresight on the government's part, or maybe the voters' part.
they would say yes. Break the contracts. People are sheeple, easily distracted and led.
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My voting issues?
Well, i think the way revenue is generated and distributed is paramount. Stop squeezing the poor to cough up and tax people who can actually afford it. Invest in poor areas. Treat people like scum - they will eventually act like scum.! Give people something to be proud of then they are likely to look after it ie. housing, jobs etc.
Any government that imposes cuts to education or nhs are fucking crazy.
Will someone please stop this nonsense of increasing the retirement age to 67! Should be lowered instead.
Keep prison for criminals who are a real danger to society. No one should be thrown in jail for not paying fines, taxes or for petty stuff like shoplifting.
More referendums. We are capable of making important decisions.
Make police wear jackets that say 'POLITE' not 'POLICE' :zoinks:
much I what I am reading seems to be a reaction to the last thirty years of failed trickle down economics....supply side.
Basically it's crony capitalism, invest heavily with the rich and some will trickle down to the poor. It's laughable, really, like greed is never considered,
I completely agree with you. I believe that labor creates wealth and consumers are job creators. How do we redistribute the wealth back intro the hands of its rightful owners?
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Interesting.
I would pose the same question to the people who think the teachers are responsible for the bankrupting of the states. What do they propose to do, break the contract that was made with the teachers? If a contract was made it should be honored. Maybe a different contract could be made going forward for the next generation of teachers. But it sounds like another case of lack of foresight on the government's part, or maybe the voters' part.
referendums, like bodie suggested, would work.
Also, the whole notion that the rich should have tax breaks and supply side economics is the problem. The politicians cannot help themselves, hey have to give favors to those that fund heir am pains.
They are unwilling to increase taxes on the rich, and the teachers pensions are the scapegoat and he distraction.
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I'm for the dismantling of a ruling class institutions.
Governments AND corporations.
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I'm for the dismantling of a ruling class institutions.
Governments AND corporations.
that is complicated.
Though I do believe that the current system cannot be reformed.
How do you propose we proceed.
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You won't like the answer.
First strike would be against L.A. Power & Water.
The major cities have to be brought down.
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You won't like the answer.
First strike would be against L.A. Power & Water.
The major cities have to be brought down.
so your first strike would be to hurt people who are just like you?
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My voting issues?
Well, i think the way revenue is generated and distributed is paramount. Stop squeezing the poor to cough up and tax people who can actually afford it. Invest in poor areas. Treat people like scum - they will eventually act like scum.! Give people something to be proud of then they are likely to look after it ie. housing, jobs etc.
Any government that imposes cuts to education or nhs are fucking crazy.
Will someone please stop this nonsense of increasing the retirement age to 67! Should be lowered instead.
Keep prison for criminals who are a real danger to society. No one should be thrown in jail for not paying fines, taxes or for petty stuff like shoplifting.
More referendums. We are capable of making important decisions.
Make police wear jackets that say 'POLITE' not 'POLICE' :zoinks:
much I what I am reading seems to be a reaction to the last thirty years of failed trickle down economics....supply side.
Basically it's crony capitalism, invest heavily with the rich and some will trickle down to the poor. It's laughable, really, like greed is never considered,
I completely agree with you. I believe that labor creates wealth and consumers are job creators. How do we redistribute the wealth back intro the hands of its rightful owners?
Good question.... Robin Hood?
I will come back to this. School run.
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I'm for the dismantling of a ruling class institutions.
Governments AND corporations.
:agreed:
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Alternatives to Robin Hood.
Child Trust Fund - This was a labour initiative. The urchin was lucky. All babies born between 2002 and 2011 received a voucher of £250. The parent or guardian could chose how to invest it, from risk free to fairly risky investment options. The parent can also chose to add upto £3k per annum. Upon the childs 18th birthday they have access to this money.
The urchins voucher is now worth nearly £2k and he is only six. The hope is, that by the time he is eighteen he will have a fairly substantial amount of money. All kids, rich or poor who were born during these times have the same opportunity.
Now i know that some of it will be wasted, pissed up the wall or misused in some way. The point is, the opportunity is there.
Of course, the scheme was closed by the tory government. boo hiss
I would like to see this scheme set up again. It gives kids hope.
...........
Another thing that happened during the last Labour govt - Every single child of school age was given a computer at school. It was theirs to take home. Nothing fancy, most of them were mini notebooks. Another opportunity for poor kids to keep up the pace. Many kids had no access to a computer before and little hope of being supplied by their parents.
It was heavily criticised by the right, and was stopped when they became government. They would rather keep the poor as low down the food chain as possible. the have and the have nots.
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I really like these schemes. It seems logical to me that a society whereby all kids have access to excellent resources, and where all kids have excellent opportunities to succeed and excel is going to be a society that we will all benefit from.
.........
I live in Longbridge. We used to make cars. For a hundred years the Longbridge plant was the main employer round here. It started with Austin, Austin Morris, Morris Motors, Austin Rover, British Leyland, Rover, MG etc. It was at one time the biggest car factory in the world. The plant produced the first iconic mini. Aeroplanes, too, such as Hawker Hurricane. It had it's own railway. Then, one day, it was no more. Longbridge became Scumsville. I used to look out of my window and see the shut down factory. It was vandalised. Looted. Eventually most of it bulldozed. It stayed like this for years. Not even a Labour government risked investment. It is now transformed. Thanks to an initiative from the European Commission. We have a new college, shops, supermarket's and offices and homes. The money came from Europe. The point is, it is working. International Business is occupying office space and creating jobs. It's .... nice. It is proof that places like Longbridge need investment. Not writing off. No area should be written off.
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It's like Scrap says: nothing will ever change for real, as long as governments and big companies exist.
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It's like Scrap says: nothing will ever change for real, as long as governments and big companies exist.
concentrated wealth?
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I support marijuana legalization.
That's actually probably #1 on my list.
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It's like Scrap says: nothing will ever change for real, as long as governments and big companies exist.
concentrated wealth?
Yes. The system is a Catch 22.
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I'm for the dismantling of a ruling class institutions.
Governments AND corporations.
Yeah. I hate sandcastles too. :)
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You won't like the answer.
First strike would be against L.A. Power & Water.
The major cities have to be brought down.
so your first strike would be to hurt people who are just like you?
No.
Uproot and disperse them. The powers that be want people concentrated in mega-cities because they're easier to control that way. They accomplish this with aquaducts. They take water from where it should naturally be, and therefore where people should naturally live and divert it to where the know they can control you. People who are dispersed throughout the countryside along natural rivers and streams are far more difficult to control. The mega-city is the ruling classes power base.
Not long after the Goths and Vandals destroyed the aquaducts of Rome, Rome ceased to be a dominant power and the city of Rome no longer controlled the Mediterranean the way that it did for close to 500 years.
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That's the most interesting thing I've heard you say in a while.
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You won't like the answer.
First strike would be against L.A. Power & Water.
The major cities have to be brought down.
so your first strike would be to hurt people who are just like you?
No.
Uproot and disperse them. The powers that be want people concentrated in mega-cities because they're easier to control that way. They accomplish this with aquaducts. They take water from where it should naturally be, and therefore where people should naturally live and divert it to where the know they can control you. People who are dispersed throughout the countryside along natural rivers and streams are far more difficult to control. The mega-city is the ruling classes power base.
Not long after the Goths and Vandals destroyed the aquaducts of Rome, Rome ceased to be a dominant power and the city of Rome no longer controlled the Mediterranean the way that it did for close to 500 years.
A reasonable enough plan of attack. If it ever did come to that.
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You won't like the answer.
First strike would be against L.A. Power & Water.
The major cities have to be brought down.
so your first strike would be to hurt people who are just like you?
No.
Uproot and disperse them. The powers that be want people concentrated in mega-cities because they're easier to control that way. They accomplish this with aquaducts. They take water from where it should naturally be, and therefore where people should naturally live and divert it to where the know they can control you. People who are dispersed throughout the countryside along natural rivers and streams are far more difficult to control. The mega-city is the ruling classes power base.
Not long after the Goths and Vandals destroyed the aquaducts of Rome, Rome ceased to be a dominant power and the city of Rome no longer controlled the Mediterranean the way that it did for close to 500 years.
i want to argue this point, but nothing yet occurs to me.
Give it time.
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i want to argue this point, but nothing yet occurs to me.
Give it time.
In the mean time, read this, it will give you some perspective on how the modern L.A. came to be.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Water_Wars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Water_Wars)
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You won't like the answer.
First strike would be against L.A. Power & Water.
The major cities have to be brought down.
so your first strike would be to hurt people who are just like you?
No.
Uproot and disperse them. The powers that be want people concentrated in mega-cities because they're easier to control that way. They accomplish this with aquaducts. They take water from where it should naturally be, and therefore where people should naturally live and divert it to where the know they can control you. People who are dispersed throughout the countryside along natural rivers and streams are far more difficult to control. The mega-city is the ruling classes power base.
Not long after the Goths and Vandals destroyed the aquaducts of Rome, Rome ceased to be a dominant power and the city of Rome no longer controlled the Mediterranean the way that it did for close to 500 years.
i want to argue this point, but nothing yet occurs to me.
Give it time.
McJ needs to come back and argue this. :M