rachel on 7/11/2008 at 05:09
Quote Posted by ZylonBane
TL, DR, and irrelevant. That fact that you voted for McCain, knowing full well that his age and health practically dictated that at some point in the next four years we'd have ended up with President Palin, makes you... whatever that word is that means the exact opposite of a smart person.
To be fair, there are examples of Presidents who left the office just fine at 70+. Chirac was 76 for example, which would be McCain's age in 2012. (That said it was totally a concern, indeed)
demagogue on 7/11/2008 at 05:36
Quote Posted by BEAR
I cant help but be bemused that you could vote for Kerry and not Obama, it just confuses the shit out of me (although I think I'm coming closer to understanding you).
It's not that hard to understand. Kerry's opponent was W, who had people from his own camp (McClellan, Powell...) thinking him unfit to govern.
And as for McCain, I realize the "more of the same" argument is fun to make at McCain's expense, but after 20 years in the Senate McCain doesn't have the reputation of being an awful decision- maker on the epic scale that W got in less than 4 years following Iraq. McCain had consistently respectable poll numbers as a Senator, whereas W's poll numbers put him in the running for worst President in a century. And the awful legacy of W is more a result of terrible decisions than Republican policies per se ... to say nothing of Bush betraying a number of old-school GOP commitments like fiscal discipline & military readiness and prudence that McCain has a better reputation for ... I'm also upset that W pissed away the WTO in the Doha Round when he had a golden opportunity to do something really big for int'l trade (... and Kyoto, and the ICC, and the torture convention, and the NATO alliance, and disarming Al Qaida ... one missed opportunity after another grr!)
I might have voted for McCain in 2000, maybe even 1996 (I'd have to think about it more; I liked aspects of Clinton and Gore, too) ... But (and this is where I stop taking deathtoll's side) I think his time has passed, and McCain vs Obama 2008 is not McCain vs Gore 2000 or Clinton 1996. Now I'm looking at restoring the US's international image, getting a strong climate change regime set up, a better energy policy, beefing up some regulatory regimes ... And after that maybe we can swing back Republican once they're locked in. If we lose competitiveness in the meantime, 1) I don't think it will be as much as some fear (I'm not sure many people will be in a huge financing, expansion, risk-taking mood for a while
anyway), but 2) in cost-benefit terms I think it would still be worth it anyway to take care of those things now, when we need them, then get back to bread and butter policies on a stronger foundation later.
demagogue on 7/11/2008 at 06:29
I'll remember that the next time I feel like coming to your defense. :p
paloalto90 on 7/11/2008 at 06:30
Quote:
To flower: So, basically grab whats yours and let the rest of the world burn around you, eh?
Have you heard of private giving through charity?
Not everybody who wants smaller government is a greedy little ass.
Koki on 7/11/2008 at 07:48
Quote Posted by LancerChronics
To flower: So, basically grab whats yours and let the rest of the world burn around you, eh?
If everyone was taking care of his/her own ass, the effect would be same as if everyone would be taking care of everyone else.
Morte on 7/11/2008 at 08:24
Quote Posted by demagogue
And as for McCain, I realize the "more of the same" argument is fun to make at McCain's expense, but after 20 years in the Senate McCain doesn't have the reputation of being an awful decision- maker on the epic scale that W got in less than 4 years following Iraq.
Perhaps not, but he quickly demonstrated his awful decision making skills during the campaign when he picked Palin as a running mate.
Chimpy Chompy on 7/11/2008 at 10:14
Some people can't take care of their own ass. Or maybe they can, but they'd have done better with a bit of help.
Personal anecdotes about "well *I* made it!" don't overturn that.
[edit]This is probably enough of a megathread without launching into a Vs Libertarianland thing, I just find them a bit frustrating. Sensible principles (keep an eye on how big the government is getting) taken too far.
also it's been too long since we had a proper RBJ smackdown
LancerChronics on 7/11/2008 at 12:29
*Sigh*, I tried to break the drama, I really did. Oh well.
Quote Posted by dethtoll
Lancer you're a moron. I never said the world would end. All I said was that taxes would go up and people will lose their jobs. That's a far cry from mass flooding, ..., et cetera. Don't put words in my mouth.
Here we go again:
1) First off, I wasn't putting words in your mouth. Exaggeration is a form of generalization that is meant to encompass the highest level of something as well as every level beneath it.
Remember, I was talking about all republicans. Yes, I know several people who have said in real life verbatum-"Obama has won...God is Punishing ME... The World is going to end.". I also know republicans who said "Obama won, oh well. I wish him good luck". I tend to be more friendly towards the latter. I also happen to consider "Everyone will lose their jobs" to be the same level of a prediction(with the same practicality) as the "World is going to end".
2) Second, did you even bother reading my post. It sounds all you did was skim it for things that could potentially be insulting to you. This is what I was talking about before. You scanned the text, but didn't actually stop to think about what I meant as the big picture. I was holding both sides at fault for acting like babies when they lose. It wasn't a direct insult at you, but since you are blindly responding to posts because you think everyone of them is direct at you personally, I
am insulting you now.. quit being a whiny emo. If you think you might lose your job, update your resume, but quit telling people that they will to. God, your worse than the religious fanatic who stands in Turlington Plaza, who carries a giant cross, and runs up and yells in people's faces that they are sinners and are going to hell. (he's actually done this to children too)
(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN08jEthoB0&feature=rec-HM-fresh+div) A bit of Death by Randomness Watch your volume on that one. (remember, this is completely random, its not in reference to anyone.) Actually, maybe everyone should just skip to the last one.
(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LyiDcXlJ8w) An some good vibes to counter that.
Muzman on 7/11/2008 at 12:48
Quote Posted by Scots Taffer
I'm glad Queensland has a solid veto over some of that offshore real estate investment bullshit. Is that Australia wide?
I dunno. I suspect not. If it is it's pretty recent (and didn't make much difference to house prices either way). A couple of years ago it was said there was as much spent on advertising Perth real estate in SE Asia as there was domestically. And I got a bit of a close look when the parents of the Singaporean girl I was living with came to visit and they brought their brochures with them to go shopping for investment properties, as that was all the rage among the well-to-do over there.
