Obama. Hillary. Guiliani. Paul. It won't matter, I truly believe that. For the same reason that it didn't matter when the Democrats took control of congress. Think of it: Has your day-to-day life changed at all since 2004? When you wake up and go to work in the morning, does anything Bush or Congress has done affect what happens in your average day? It hasn't for me, or really anyone else I know. And that's the story for a majority of Americans, it would seem. Politicians don't rock the boat. No one, no matter what party, likes the status quo. Ron Paul may want to actually shake things up, but would anyone else let him? No. So the cycle continues even if pigs start flying and we get President Paul. Discuss?
Rosencrantz- My assessment is much more bleak than that. I've come to the conclusion that there's an elite of high ups who have decided that the natural and inevitable course of governments is to grow into totalitarianism, and that given this, the only conflict left is to wrestle over whether it's going to be right-wing or left-wing totalitarianism. Of course, totalitarianism is inherently rightist, so even the left-wing totalitarianism will become plain old totalitarianism. So, the only conflict REALLY left at the core of the struggle of right/left is who will get to set the agenda and stand above us peons, lifted out of the flaming garbage and smokestack hell the rest of us will live in. Of course, that whole class of people will be lifted out no matter what, so the real struggle is who gets to be boss. Course, when democracy dissolves, they'll all be in the little club together, so all "boss", will mean is who gets the nice parking spot, and the sauna, etc. A petty thing to destroy civilization as we know it over? Hey, in another life, these people would kill you for your shoes.
Neither of which has much to do with the president. I know you're young, but I remember gas prices beginning to rise during my junior year in high school, well before Bush was even considered a contender for the presidency.
They're called "authoritarians", sadly it appears it's what people want. Elwood/Evenflow '08 "We really don't give a shit."
I agree, pretty much. I'm sure we'll get a lot of if Hillary or whoever becomes president, but the only changes will be superficial.
Didn't the President appoint the most recent Chairman of the Fed, and didn't the Senate confirm him? Didn't Bush want to go to war in the Middle East, and didn't the Congress support him?
The differences between the candidates will be small. The political spectrum is much too narrow, and the powers that be have insulated themselves against any significant change. However, I'm not so pessimistic. People can change the system if they want. Cynicism and despair will not accomplish anything.
I realize that gas prices tend to fluctuate, but in a period of less than 5 years, the prices nearly tripled. When is the last time that happened? The late 70s/early 80s?
Ten-story, Acre-wide libraries everywhere, hot guys running amok, zombies, new world order, green tea everywhere by the truckloads, and continuous showings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show?
What, the blue-green approach? Heck no. I plan on releasing zombification chemcials as a party drug. I'm going to create jobs, limit the dollar, and blow up a few things in the process. Oh, and I'll institute a voluntary coliseum.
No, no, of course not. RHPS every other night, three live shows in every major city. The rest of it's pretty accurate, TKO.
I assume that RHPS will be shown on screen as big a football fields? Green tea is good...make it green bubble tea, and I am in!
Prices for gasoline have been rising for decades. Just as the price for clothing, food, housing, and everything else has been rising.
The price of food and clothing has been falling in real-terms. The price of "gasoline" has been rising way faster.
I would like to see, ya know, someone who, unlike Bush and Cheney, doesn't see Big Brother or the High Chancellor (in "V for Vendetta") as a role model for good leadership.
Very much so. Software, DVDs, books both original and translated, and most of all business trips to the US have become incredibly cheaper, we're getting more highly qualified colleagues from the US looking for jobs in our country, and several of my investments have skyrocketed. Wait a second. Why do I keep harping about Bush? Er, any Americans who read this, forget I ever said anything. Go and voto Giuliani, will you?
No it doesn't matter, one man can't change all of America's policy. As much as people love to harp on Bush, he is limited by the system. Now, if I was elected president, I would do away with democracy for a while, quite simple, people are too stupid to elect someone in their own best interests. I'd install myself as dictator. The war on drugs would be over and instead would be set up in a government system where people would be taxed. The department of education would be severely cut, and it's only job would be enforce accreditation, all education programs would now be the job of the state. FEMA would be severely cut, and its responsibilities and budget folded into the National Guard, with a special provision for the president being able to immediately take control of the National Guard during a multi-state disaster. Abortion would be decided at the state level. Department of Health and Human Services would serve only as an enforcement agency, and would maintain the CDC and the NIH. The American Medical Association would be disbanded, and Medical Schools would become the responsibility of higher education institutions, creating a free market system for doctors. The Department of Defense would likely get a larger budget, for increased pay to our nations soldiers. Young men who put themselves in harms way for our country should not be paid barely minimum wage. All troops in non-mission critical positions would be recalled (see Korean DMZ for example). These troops would then be installed along borders to prevent illegal immigration. I would end citizenship for anchor babies. The new stipulation would be the requirement that at least one parent be a citizen. The Medicare system would undergo major changes, as well as the health insurance system. Health insurance companies could no longer deny for pre-existing conditions, and medicare would be a low cost national insurance buy in system, with varying levels of care dependent on how much you're willing to pay. This system would mostly be paid for by premiums instead of taxes, with special exemptions to those who are already covered by systems like the Social Security Disability system. The federal budget would be required to maintain at least a $200 billion surplus every year for the purpose of paying off the national debt, and then eventually for loaning out to other countries to become a loaning nation instead of a debtor nation. The Armed Services would be modified, the Air Force, Navy, and Army command structure would be left mostly intact; however, the Marines would be folded into the Navy and no longer be their own branch. More emphasis would be placed on Defense rather than Counter-Terrorism. NASA would most likely be folded into the Air Force. Space Travel, as awesome as the prospect is, is impossible when everything on earth is so fucked up. The Department of Energy would see additional monies for funding grants for Alternative Energy research and implementation. The Department of Homeland Security would be disbanded, and its respective departments folded into the Department of Defense. The TSA would be removed altogether. Finally, Social Security would be gradually phased out, not to be replaced by anything. With all the money people pay into social security, we could have non-government managed retirement funds. EDIT: I forgot to add that with all this money being saved, Federal Income Taxes would be lowered.
Considering the President has power over troop deployments, I'd say that's certainly a difference between the candidates. Also, the Prez can fire Bernanke.
