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#1861 Re: The Garden » 2016 Presidential Election Thread » 559 weeks ago
Rubio just made a huge play for Bush's base with his speak today. He's started off praising the Bush family and wishing them the best, gave a speak about rebuilding the military, and then ending the speak promising a New American Century (a not so veiled nod to the neo-conservative doctrine). I think Kasich is going to drop out too, making Rubio the only establishment candidate left, he could pick up the majority of the Bush/Kasich support... could be enough to overtake Trump in Nevada.
Rubio reminds me of Dan Quayle. He's VP material at best, and not very bright. Good rehearsed speeches, but Hillary would eat his lunch. If he couldn't fend of Christie, he sure won't be able to handle Trump's onslaught either.
I'd imagine the establishment is starting to really panic right about now. Kasich would be smart to stick around and see if he can fight Rubio for those votes. Rubio could have another roboto malfunction, or Kasich a great night and that may be enough to push him into the establishment spot.
An attorney associated with Carson brought an eligibility suit against Cruz (birther karma) this week. They have allowed it to proceed. This is great for Trump because he didn't bring the litigation, and he can now pound Cruz with it. Trump really knows how to hit people where it hurts, he's brilliant at it. And you better believe that once they get to a certain point Trump is going to ask the GOP if they would risk putting up a guy who may not be legally eligible to be POTUS.
Speaking of which, Trump will really be difficult for Hillary in a debate. Much more than Cruz ever could be. He'll blast her with everything (legit or not) in ways that the status quo couldn't or wouldn't.
I do find it bizarre that Trump can retain support after some of the things he says and positions he's had. Especially with the tea party base. But given that their chief complaint was "no more taxes" during some of the lowest tax rates in five decades, I guess logic isn't their strong point.
#1862 Re: The Garden » 2016 Presidential Election Thread » 559 weeks ago
buzzsaw wrote:I was poor and white. These jobs aren't meant to be a career, they are meant to train you skills to do bigger and better things. If people choose not to work hard and learn as they go, that has nothing to do with being poor, or of any decent. That's a personal choice. Everyone has an opportunity to get out of poor, but not many choose to put in the effort necessary to do it.
Entry level/minimum wage isn't a life sentence unless you decide it is.
These arguments are pointless with people who think it's all a level playing field for everyone. Not everyone has the same opportunity. A kid in the ghetto or the Appalachians do not have the same opportunities as everyone else. Some people work two or three jobs, so it's not about hard work. They don't have the availability of good jobs to move up. It's stinkin thinkin.
These arguments are also pointless with people who are completely unaware that we're all quite different. Something may be obvious to us, but may never dawn on somebody else. We are all guilty of this to a degree We assume that people make choices/decisions as we might, and then we're perplexed why they "didn't just do X, rather than Y." We often apply our line of thinking to others, and are confused when they don't respond how we'd like them to.
In addition, life is hard. Period. It requires hard work, but it also requires luck. Many people don't like to admit this (especially when they're up) but it's the truth.
No two people are the same. No life story is the same. Conservatives argue from a purely black/white position, which makes it easy to call people lazy, unmotivated, "entitled" and so on. Some people can "work out of poor" while others never will be able to escape. Poverty is extremely complex, soul crushing and hopeless. It's certainly not a one size fits all solution.
Such is the way of the conservative mind. In my opinion, it's just another excuse to act like a selfish and ungrateful jerk, lacking any sense of empathy for their fellow American citizens. This is the new America, devoid of compassion and eager to beat up on the least among us. I'm so sick of hearing this shit...
#1863 Re: The Garden » 2016 Presidential Election Thread » 560 weeks ago
the gov't couldn't even enroll people in Obama care and that's a small fraction of what singe payer would be.
Except for about 21 million Americans. Are you doing Enron accounting by chance?
Likewise, the government already runs socialized healthcare plans for our seniors, our Vets, and for the poor. How many old people do you see marching in the street protesting their Medicare?
The VA does have issues, but it still provides quality healthcare for plenty of Vets. My wife has had two surgeries at the VA and they were both top notch. Her primary doctor is also with the VA. The doctor will even call her and talk to her on the phone.
The GOP are such defeatists. Nothing can ever be changed, nothing ever accomplished, nothing new can be implemented. Everything is a pipe dream.
We could have never built this country with that kind of attitude! If they're not capable of moving us into the 21st century, they could at least quit obstructing the rest of us. Or better yet, get out of government altogether. I never understood anybody who despised government, but also wanted to be an active participant in it. Not surprisingly it doesn't seem to yield very good results.
#1864 Re: The Garden » 2016 Presidential Election Thread » 560 weeks ago
misterID wrote:RaZor wrote:Dubbya had a lot of great ideas, he could have saved social security in his first term if the Democrats hadn't sabotaged him.
He wanted to privatized social security, and we would have lost that money in the market crash. The people who live on their ss would have lost everything. He was a fucking idiot who nearly ruined the country. Social security is okay, and it can be saved in the future with a few tweaks.
Bush neither wanted to privatize social security nor invest it in the stock market. And benefits would have stayed exactly the same for those already retired or close to being retired.
Bush wanted to take the first step towards privatization. At the end of the day it's what the conservatives want, disband SS entirely along with Medicare. Given the paltry average sum most Americans have in retirement, the outcome will be disastrous if they ever get their way.
#1865 Re: The Garden » 2016 Presidential Election Thread » 561 weeks ago
Single payer is not the answer. I've yet to hear of a country anywhere near our size with socialized health care that likes it.
Everybody on the right in America says that. Those with socialized healthcare that actually reside in those countries, say much differently.
#1866 Re: The Garden » Man Tries To Trade Kidnapped Baby For 15 Big Macs At Arkansas McDonald » 561 weeks ago
McSatire.
#1867 Re: The Garden » Donald Trump running for President » 561 weeks ago
Cruz peaked last week. That's it for him.
Rubio (Roboto) fucked up, and it's over.
Big move up for Kasich. I like him the best. I don't agree with 50% of what he says, but I find him to be an honorable man.
Christie would do better if this race didn't include Trump. He's the "strong man" persona, but Trump is even more so. So no room for two of those. Same goes for the evangelical types. There are enough of them to go around, so only one can suck up all the votes (Cruz at the moment.)
Carson is a disaster.
Carly executes well, but is a pathological liar and has no chance. She'll get great speaking fees and book sales from this.
Bush seems to be inching upwards, but it sure doesn't seem like a very good ROI for all those big money donors.
If Trump can lock down the next one, then...
Hillary Clinton, always a bridesmaid and never a bride. If Sanders beats her again, then she's in big trouble IMO.
#1868 Re: Guns N' Roses » Big Surprise - We're almost all on the same side! » 561 weeks ago
Page 6...has a schism developed yet? haha
#1869 Re: Guns N' Roses » Why Guns N’ Roses shouldn’t be reforming *BBC Article* » 561 weeks ago
I can't argue with number 6.
#1870 Re: The Garden » 2016 Presidential Election Thread » 561 weeks ago
Cramer, I posted 2 articles and 3 videos. Are they all wrong?
Yes.
Don't forget too, we had a supply and demand issue. Supply exceeded demand. Which is why many builders went under. Also the banks collapsed and we went into a recession. They all were impacted by each other.
I certainly would not argue with that. There was a domino effect for sure. Supply shot through the roof once the financing was yanked out from under everybody. Prior to that, the only way the majority of buyers could afford these price points was through "creative financing" (liar loans etc.)
The 5 year and 10 year arms with no money down caused a lot of problems. Though good for people with a lot of cash bad ideas for people who are cash poor.
No income verification. No job verification. No normal debt to income ratio consideration. None of it mattered, since it was repackaged and sold with thousands of other loans as a mortgage backed security. They were playing hot potato and they knew it.
I knew plenty of people who had cash back then, who utilized these loans and ended up losing it all. They'd flip one house, pocket the money, then run out and get three more. These were middle-upper middle class people.
I'd also argue that MOST Americans, overwhelmingly, are cash poor. If the stipulation (even today) was that a home buyer must have six months of income in the bank, little to no credit card debt, and zero delinquencies, then nearly everybody would be renting. I also find that when people make more money, they're still broke, they just have nicer shit. Such is the American mindset, conservative or liberal, makes no difference.
