Random political rambling

[south carmain]

Fair enough. Would you say that a lot of people who make some of the more questionable decisions are somewhat disconnected from reality and make them with a complete emotional disconnection based on merely paperwork?

[Mr. Frozen]

People who are in the position to make important decisions are usually trained to handle certain situations. But, we are all humans and emotions do get in the way. I think it is rather common for one to see themselves as the good guy and the opposition as bad. People who get into that mindset get into the habit of doing questionable things because they are doing it for the good of their country.

I have personally seen others treat people like complete shit because they did not get close to their targets and just saw them as bad guys. This is when shit like poisoning the alcohol supply, or making prisoners do things like pose in the nude happens. If they are the bad guys, who gives a shit a bout em, right? It is a coping mechanism that allows people to do their job and if there is no outside party to regulate that, things can get really bad...

[St. Elmo's Fire]

About the Snowden thing, why was there such a reaction to that? 'cos just about everyone already knew that anything sent using a phone or using the internet was able to be seen by someone, somewhere? Didn't people already think that's exactly what the NSA could do, without having to hear it from someone who was there?

[streetwaves]

I've been spreading the word about Bernie to everyone I know. Really hope he wins the nomination, and it looks quite possible given the momentum he's been able to build. It's a shame about the lack of debates, but I do think he'll make a damned good impression in the few they are having. I think his authenticity will go a long way.

[Sonikku]

I'll be writing in Sanders come election time. A vote for Clinton or Bush is a vote for the status quo and right now the only people who are benefiting from the status quo are the elite. Sad thing is even if he could win, despite the full power of the establishment railing against him, he would preside over a house and senate wholly bought out and geared towards the enrichment of the few at the expense of the many. I don't think he can enact the change he speaks for one way or the other. The establishment would simply never allow it.

[Sean]

I recently moved out of Washington DC, but it is 100% bullshit that the people there have to pay federal taxes but have absolutely no representation in congress. Congress sets laws for the district, but the people have no say in this because they have no representative or senator in congress. It is maddening considering the united states of America was founded because we were being taxed by the British without having any say in the matter. Sure, the residents in DC are able to have a delegate, but that is basically a person that is allowed to listen to congress and do nothing else. If they want to have say they are basically told to shut up and let the adults talk.

I moved to DC about 2 1/2 years ago from CA and I am still shocked by the utter disregard by the federal government of the people who live in the District. When you consider all of the problems the city has and all of the taxes that people here pay it is just a joke and a microcosm of how inefficient and broken government is in the US.

Yep, there is a page on DC's official website about this, but the people of DC have been fighting for representation for quite some time now. DC came close to becoming a state about a decade ago but congress was like "We'll let you become a state... if you give up all your guns." That is just like saying no American can't eat any more hamburgers or drink beer, no one will agree to that. So of course the matter was dropped and DC is still stuck in their shitty position. I have no idea why congress hates the residents of DC so much, the original intention for the district was just to be a place to house Congress without anyone being able to walk in on their club meetings and causing a ruckus. I say just give DC back to Maryland and treat the white house and the capitol building like a military base. This way congress can have their protection, the people get a representative in congress, and we don't have to figure out how to arrange 51 stars on the flag.

Especially with congress having the final say on all matters regarding the District's budget...The House can basically screw with any legislation that the people vote for in each election and attach riders as they see fit to effectively render the legislation useless. Gun control is a big example and it just happened again last year with the pot legalization initiative that was passed on the ballot. It is simply hypocritical that that members of the house carry so much contempt towards the District and then proceed to exploit DC for purpose of making it their exclusive recreation enclave.

[mrslig100]

If the media says someone's bad, vote for em.
Well that’s how it works in UK anyway.

[Mr. Frozen]

For the people who want to vote for Bernie Sanders, be sure to know when your state's primaries start and if your state runs a caucus, or has open or closed primaries. In an open primary, you just need to be registered to vote, you can vote for anyone. In closed, you have to register as the political party you want. Caucuses are somewhat special and the requirements varies by state.

That feelthebern website links to a very easy to follow guide for the primaries, just find your state and follow the links:

http://voteforbernie.org

Registering to vote, or changing your political party is easy as hell these days, most if not all states streamlines this process online. I was registered as an independent and it took me only a few minutes to switch to Democrat online (my state has closed primaries). If Sanders doesn't win the primaries, you will not have a chance to vote for him as he said he will withdraw from the race if he doesn't get the democratic nomination.

It is also important to learn about your district representatives and senators who are running for election. These guys have 2 year terms so the American citizens can definitely make changes in a single term of a presidency. While the president can damn near do whatever he wants with executive orders, a congress that hates the current president will not allocate funds for any executive order he puts out.

[Mr357]

Umm, why exactly do you guys want Bernie Sanders to be our president? I'd take him over Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden in a heart beat if those were the only choices, but that doesn't mean I like his campaign platform or his ideas.

[Sonikku]

Umm, why exactly do you guys want Bernie Sanders to be our president? I'd take him over Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden in a heart beat if those were the only choices, but that doesn't mean I like his campaign platform or his ideas.

Because he isn't beholden to massive donors and the backers of Super Pacs. The words that leave his lips are his own and not that of the corporate elite. His views have also been consistent for the past half century making it easy to know exactly where you stand with him.

[south carmain]

Yeah but he's a fucking commie.

Better dead than red! (Isn't it odd that those 2 words rhyme)

[Mr. Frozen]

Umm, why exactly do you guys want Bernie Sanders to be our president? I'd take him over Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden in a heart beat if those were the only choices, but that doesn't mean I like his campaign platform or his ideas.

I want him to be president mainly because of his plans regarding healthcare and education. What are some things dont you like about Sanders?

[Mr357]

Umm, why exactly do you guys want Bernie Sanders to be our president? I'd take him over Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden in a heart beat if those were the only choices, but that doesn't mean I like his campaign platform or his ideas.

I want him to be president mainly because of his plans regarding healthcare and education. What are some things dont you like about Sanders?

Those two are good examples. Neither should be influenced by the federal government and neither is more important than our massive national debt, the tens of millions of illegal immigrants currently inside of our borders, and the very real threat of war in the Middle East. What are his plans for dealing with those issues? All I've heard indicates that he wants to create more useless programs which will only put a heavier burden on the taxpayers and increase our national debt.

I understand that he wants to make college free, which completely undermines the point of having colleges in the first place. First off, education is not a federal concern, it's a responsibility of the states. More importantly, making college free would require an insane stimulation of taxation (like I said before), and would further devalue the already underwhelming degrees people are earning.

[streetwaves]

Umm, why exactly do you guys want Bernie Sanders to be our president? I'd take him over Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden in a heart beat if those were the only choices, but that doesn't mean I like his campaign platform or his ideas.

I want him to be president mainly because of his plans regarding healthcare and education. What are some things dont you like about Sanders?

Those two are good examples. Neither should be influenced by the federal government and neither is more important than our massive national debt, the tens of millions of illegal immigrants currently inside of our borders, and the very real threat of war in the Middle East. What are his plans for dealing with those issues? All I've heard indicates that he wants to create more useless programs which will only put a heavier burden on the taxpayers and increase our national debt.

I understand that he wants to make college free, which completely undermines the point of having colleges in the first place. First off, education is not a federal concern, it's a responsibility of the states. More importantly, making college free would require an insane stimulation of taxation (like I said before), and would further devalue the already underwhelming degrees people are earning.

Whether the issues of education and healthcare are "less important" than the debt, illegals or the Middle East is quite debatable. Plus, you appear to be attacking the idea of single payer and free tuition in general rather than Sanders' plans specifically and how he plans to pay for them. These aren't even particularly exotic ideas in the grand scheme of things, and they've been proven to work in other places.

And why do you think there are "tens of millions" of illegals? I think the number is probably a hell of a lot closer to ten million, and I don't think it's readily apparent that that should be much more important to me than the fundamental matters of the country's health and education.

[Mr. Frozen]

Umm, why exactly do you guys want Bernie Sanders to be our president? I'd take him over Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden in a heart beat if those were the only choices, but that doesn't mean I like his campaign platform or his ideas.

I want him to be president mainly because of his plans regarding healthcare and education. What are some things dont you like about Sanders?

Those two are good examples. Neither should be influenced by the federal government and neither is more important than our massive national debt, the tens of millions of illegal immigrants currently inside of our borders, and the very real threat of war in the Middle East. What are his plans for dealing with those issues? All I've heard indicates that he wants to create more useless programs which will only put a heavier burden on the taxpayers and increase our national debt.

I understand that he wants to make college free, which completely undermines the point of having colleges in the first place. First off, education is not a federal concern, it's a responsibility of the states. More importantly, making college free would require an insane stimulation of taxation (like I said before), and would further devalue the already underwhelming degrees people are earning.

Sanders on immigration
Sanders on the debt
Sanders on foreign policy
Sanders on how to pay for education (scroll down to the part that says "But nothing is “free”! How are you going to pay for this?")

I must also remind you that the federal government stepped in on colleges a long time ago, by basically allowing anyone to get a federal loan to pay for college. This is what caused tuition to soar and the ridiculous way colleges handle textbooks. Sanders wants the rich to stop evading taxes and give back to the country that allowed them to become so rich. The richest of Americans are ridiculously rich and if they started paying their taxes, these programs would easily be funded and then some. They sure as hell can afford it. The average person will not have to pay a cent extra in taxes.