grawk

The worst period in american history? You've got to be kidding me. The great depression, the vietnam war, the late 70s, the civil war all pop to mind as times that were significantly worse than today. Aside from having a press that has battered him at every turn, things haven't been that bad. It's not Bush's fault that Katrina hit new orleans, or that the people didn't evacuate when given plenty of opportunity. It's not Bush's fault that the housing market was as crazy as it was, or that companies gave bad loans. The war in Iraq has gone on longer than it was predicted, but shit, we still have troops in Germany, Japan, and Korea. The bad gets exaggerated because the rhetoric is so divisive. There aren't riots, there's no food shortage, there's no draft, there's nothing that would historically count as a big negative. We had a stock market correction that has more to do with how the stock market operates than any indication of real problems in the economy. Yes, American automakers are struggling. Big shock there, they've been making poor decisions and turning out poor products for 40 years. Yes, the real estate market is struggling, because too many people were convinced they could afford to buy a house when they couldn't. There was some corruption that's being dealt with. As corruption goes, it's fairly minor when viewed through the eyes of history.

That was aimed at jeepster, not you. And it's true. This is a site that's supposed to be friends, not a liberal pileon site. I've made similar comments on the other side suggesting freerepublic. If you can't be civil and respectful, don't participate. I can't say I find a gay site implying that condi wasn't a vp choice because she's gay reliable, no. And from google, every sitesuggesting that was either a liberal blog, or the gay media.

It's reasonable for a president to pick people he agrees with as his cabinet. And again, I'd bet that Bush's cabinet is at least as diverse in opinion as Obama's will be.

Now of every source I've seen used in a debate, THAT one takes the cake. Congrats. If Condi'd wanted to run for either VP or President, she'd have been welcomed with open arms. My guess is that Barak's cabinet will be a lot less diverse than Bush's was.

Perhaps you should participate in the debate over at huffington post or the daily kos? I am not going to put up with comments like that here. Except from Aerius.

I voted for Bush in both of the preceeding elections. I felt like he'd be a better president than Al Gore and John Kerry. I still believe that. I'd make those votes again. I definitely believe that John McCain would be a better leader for this country today than Barak Obama. I voted for McCain instead of Bob Barr for that reason. Do I think George Bush was the best possible president we could have had for the last 8 years? No, but he was better than the alternative the opposition provided. I don't have the "all possible outcomes" crystal ball to look at. And I don't blame the president for every problem in the world.

There are lots of fair taxes. None of them are currently employed by the government because the government uses taxation for manipulation in addition to usinig it for revenue. I do think that "refunding" taxes to people who didn't pay taxes isn't right. It's just disguising that it's a hand out. Whether handouts are ok or not is debatable, but it's certainly not a refund if you didn't pay it to begin with. I believe that they should eliminate payroll deductions. Make each person write out a check for their taxes in april. People would get a better understanding of exactly what their government costs them. Then maybe they'd make smarter choices with what the government is responsible for.

I like him a lot more now that he's not trying to set faramir on fire.

Blind tests are a pain in the ass. There have been lots of comparisons done by people who aren't biased, and the prettiest amp doesn't always win. People often overestimate the value of a portable amp, but there are differences, and they're not always apparent. It all depends on the source, amp, and headphones.

Steve here summarizes my views pretty succinctly I wish Condi didn't hate politics so much.

I enjoyed the movie tonight.

She's pretty solidly pro-gay rights

Shared property is one of the key tenants of the legal side of marriage. It could easily be handled in contract law, tho.

Churches are just groups of people. What we have is freedom from the establishment of a state religion. You can't stop churches from voting for the things they believe in and against the things they don't, or spending money in that direction.

The cynic in me says the issues get attention to distract voters from the fact that in terms of how they actually govern, both parties are basically the same, doing what their corporate backers tell them to do.

I'd say it's blowback from pushing too hard on the issue via the courts. I would prefer it if marriage wasn't an issue for the government at all, really.

a smarter campaign meaning he had $600 million when McCain had $84mil.

I'll reopen it before too long. I was just stopping the pissing match. I don't believe in removing content, unless they're selling something as a newbie

I dunno, I followed the same standards I always do. When people are being good natured, it stays open. Calling everyone who isn't excited for the obama administration an ignorant racist steps over that line...

I know you know better mike. No ones' posts were "disappeared", and the thread went from being reasonable to rediculous quickly.

That's fine, that's not part of the pissing contest

fiber one + costco cranberry and macadamia nut cereal

I think it's obvious why this thread is closed. Stop with the pissing contest.

George Bush wasn't either of the candidates in this election. I honestly hope that Barak turns out to be what his supporters hope he will turn out to be. What scares me is he's never done anything but run for office. He reminds be of another bright shining beacon elected for his charisma who got us into vietnam, the bay of pigs, the cuban missile crisis, and who was then assassinated. It's historic that America voted a black man into office. I hope that turns out to be enough. That he rises to the occassion. I believe his supporters are generally sincere. I'm not so big on charismatic politicians, but I do get the appeal. He's a great blank slate for people to pin their hopes and dreams on.

ooh, you found a unicorn, eh?