I think its best if you continue your little circle jerk here in the paddock without my input.
I'm tired of trying to explain that there are two sides to each discussion. I'm tired of six against one attacks and and I'm very tired of third graders making fun of my name. Goodby!
Ok Jim you see, an insult "circle jerk".
As I seem to be the genesis of what is going on here, some thoughts on this.
Jim I think its great to have another voice a corntrarian view. As you say there are two sides. Do you not see that you are unable to see or even acknowledge the other side. When challenged with things you know to be right you resort to insult because logic provides you with no answer you would like.
If you think about it, your area of divergence with mine is purely over economics, not social issues. You go beserk over detroit because its the very economics and the patterns behind it that ruined the place. Surely an open mind can see that the same attitudes and policies are writ large all over the USA with potentialy similar results.
I am not for Republicans or Democrats. I am most definitley against blind aherance to the dogma of either party.
Republicans are stuck in the a 1950's leave it to beaver social fantasy, which was not realistic then and completly untenable now. Democrats are stuck in some glory day fantasy of the late 60's early 70's when they brought about significant social change and change in attitudes. Those changes were largely wrought and those days are also long over.
As a nation we need to move on with maturity. That means understanding that social change social aceptance are agiven. Programs need to fit within what is realiticaly eaconomicaly possible, killing the goose that lays the golden egg as in the case of Detroit and latterly california is not a viable answer, just look at Europe. All these programs on theoir present course will do is bankrupt the system ending the benefit of the programs int he fiorst place. Even if social anger say punish the billionaires, there are not enough rich people wealthy enough to fix this, in fact not even close.
The only way to afford all those good things we want to do is to earn it as a nation, 120k of debt per family(and thats just on a federal level) is not going to acheive that, its taking us backwards.
Saying corps need to pay more salaries is on its face a great populist idea. The facts for minimum wage earners are this. 46% work for small business, these are 10 employees of less, probably your gardening service. Of the balance take Mcdionalds as an example. Most of these are franchisess, the average operating profit is 2.6%. The answer to higher wages is product cost goes up.
Flipping burgers is not a career, its a sucky transitional job, its bad and pays bad, great motivation to work hard at getting out of there to something better. True in many cases these days there is not something better because people are either dependant and things comming to them, or more likely the economy and opportunity sucks.
Governemnt cannot mandate opportunity, what gov can do is allow opportunity to flourish, more taxes and innapropriate regulation is not the way to have opportunity. These are economic rules, they run on math, regulation is not bigger than math, it may cause distrotion and weird prifits somewhere but ultimatly decline.
So the question is how do we have an equitable society in terms of opportunity, with economic vibrancy and opportunity for those who wish to avail themselvs of it. I would suggest that more of the same from either party is not he answer.
The world has changed, the dogma needs to move on. On may Social issues despite some excesses the Dems are on target. Socialy the repubs lost the plot, they need to get off gender issues and gay rights. If late term abortions are offensive and the latest poll says 68% of people believe they are lets adress late term abortionbs, but not the concept entirely.
Gun rights like abortion rights are constitutionaly protected, if people dont like either they shoudl take it up with the court or go for a constituitiuonal convention, otherwise accept that enough people like one or the other or both that those rights are here to stay, and lets move on.
Yes some companies are abusive, hell even that darling of the left apple has 85 billuion ofshore tax free. But its not 1920 anymore, unions did their job, worker rights and decent pay in most industries is enshrined, more demands are just destructive.
Mostly as a nation we need to find a way of getting rid of ossfied beuracracy and progarams, these are parasitical and consume more than the 30% deficit. So far I dont see either party with a plan on this. In fact the latest bipartisan budget talks are all about how to get from under the sequestor for pet programs be they military or social welfare, with no reform. For shame I say.