US Presidential Elections 2008 (1 Viewer)

[Mormon Nailer]

It's not like here but unemployment is still very big there. Even if you have a job most (especially in cities where it's more expensive to live) you'll get governmental aid.

Take college for example, my parents combined made too much money to me to get free aid for college. However, they were just getting by and had no savings and a mortgage to pay. In many cases, you're better off not having a job than having one.... especially in the cities. Most small towns are comprised of very proud people, like my dad. He'd work long hard hours to put food on the table than to take a hand out.

People always go visit the big cities in the US, I swear spend a few weeks in some small little towns and it becomes understandable albeit depressing. Beautiful places with good people but it's so misguided. People who get out and can see it don't move back. There is nothing there for them to move back to.

The thing that strikes me is that there is absolutely no concept of a social contract here. The notion that we pay taxes in order to fund basic common goods that benefit all is completely lost on americans.

I guess this stems a lot from their fromtier mantality and the value thay place on being self reliant.

Still though the idea of a social contract - which is as naural as breating to a european - just baffles them. And it's not like they have a devil take the hindmost attitue, they are great to help each other out. They will happily row in together to assist each other, far more than we would in Ireland, yet would balk at a small tax increase to improve any kind of social service. It's a bit wierd.

The other thing is their attitide to taxes in general, which they see as a polite form of theft.

 

[Jill Hives]

The thing that strikes me is that there is absolutely no concept of a social contract here. The notion that we pay taxes in order to fund basic common goods that benefit all is completely lost on americans.

I guess this stems a lot from their fromtier mantality and the value thay place on being self reliant.

Still though the idea of a social contract - which is as naural as breating to a european - just baffles them. And it's not like they have a devil take the hindmost attitue, they are great to help each other out. They will happily row in together to assist each other, far more than we would in Ireland, yet would balk at a small tax increase to improve any kind of social service. It's a bit wierd.

The other thing is their attitide to taxes in general, which they see as a polite form of theft.

I blame this on what I said before.... years ago everyone was working to better the next generations life. Whereas over the last 30 years, (after they made that better life happen) it switched to living that better life and then off to I want to better MY life.

The rural US is so spread out. The state of NY alone is bigger than all of Ireland. Most of the state is just little tiny towns of low income families. When you are poor it's hard to think of your tax money (money made from hard work and crap jobs) going to NYC to pay for public assistance, which appears never to come back to your tiny little hamlet.

I know from the outside it makes perfect sense, but live there and you'd understand the mentality. Go to any small town and watch the evening news. You'll be able to tell how that town votes. Go even further, most don't even bother to watch the news.

It's one thing I noticed straight away when I moved here. Even local news shows have a broader scope of the world than the local US shows. The only time you'd get any news outside your state and almost even small county is if it's a huge story like school shootings and stuff. No way would my local county news have anything like say, the Lisbon Tready upset vote. You'd need cable and to watch CNN or something.

Want to take a guess how many homes in middle America watch CNN? It's work, pick up the kids, some shit TV for the kids, then wife swap. People want to relax after running around all day. Of course I am generalizing here but for the most part I think it's true. People read headlines and don't exactly know what is going on. It's how Bush got elected twice.

People who generally have a curiosity of the world and what it can offer leave rural America. They go to college and move to cities. They don't go back and if they do, those are the teachers and doctors of these small places that vote blue and are in the minority.

 

[the strange guy]

I still think they should let us vote seeing as US policies
affect our lives almost as much as EU policies.
I'd vote Schwarzenegar.
All he needs are my boots, my clothes and my motorcycle.
It's plain sailing from there.

 

[Unicron]

Cover story on McCain in the next rolling stone.

It's a hatchet job but a compelling read.

oops would help if I posted a link

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain

 

[flashback]

I still think they should let us vote seeing as US policies
affect our lives almost as much as EU policies.
I'd vote Schwarzenegar.
All he needs are my boots, my clothes and my motorcycle.
It's plain sailing from there.

I think they tried that.
The Amercaners didn't seem entirely enamoured with it though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War

 

[Jill Hives]

Clinton did well because he seemed like a good old boy. He had that whole county bumpkin thing about him. Obama is way too slick, which makes him seem untrustworthy. He put down all the people he should of had voting for him. He doesn't bring a sense of community. There was not enough of the working man againt the rich. It's so spread out, it's really all you can go for. The democrats dropped the ball again in providing that for people. So people will cling to low taxes, more money in my pocket, and god.

As for Palin, I don't even think her stupidity has put many off. Look how dumb Bush was... and he got in twice. I honestly think many Americans don't believe the president does much... it's the cabinet of people close to them that calls the shots. So what difference does it make if she is dumb or he dies? Someone will tell her what to do and say.

I need to stop clicking this thread, it makes me depressed. I truley hope I am wrong but I see McCain winning this fucking thing.

 

[Mormon Nailer]

It's work, pick up the kids, some shit TV for the kids, then wife swap.

Do you have a particular state or post code you can point me towards here?

 

[Jill Hives]

Do you have a particular state or post code you can point me towards here?

Ha! I meant the crap TV show... not actual wife swapping. It was the first terrible adult TV show I could think of... but come to think of it, it happened a few times here 13815.

 

[Mormon Nailer]

Ha! I meant the crap TV show... not actual wife swapping. It was the first terrible adult TV show I could think of... but come to think of it, it happened a few times here 13815.

Wow
75 year old men in Norwich NY must have to have a big shitty stick to fend the women off.

 

[Jill Hives]

Wow
75 year old men in Norwich NY must have to have a big shitty stick to fend the women off.

My dad has something to look forward to in the next couple years.

 

[the strange guy]

My dad has something to look forward to in the next couple years.

McCain and Palin in the White House and impotence.
How ironic!

 

[billygannon]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20081010/bs_prweb/prweb1452414

 

[pete]

(CNN) -- With recent polls showing Sen. Barack Obama's lead increasing nationwide and in several GOP-leaning states, some Republicans attending McCain-Palin campaign rallies are showing a new emotion: Rage.

"When you have an Obama, [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and the rest of the hooligans up there going to run this country, we have got to have our head examined. It's time that you two are representing us, and we are mad. So, go get them," one man told Sen. John McCain at a town hall meeting in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Another man was more pointed.

"And we're all wondering why that Obama is where he's at, how he got here. I mean, everybody in this room is stunned that we're in this position," another man said at a rally.

"I'm mad. I'm really mad. And what's going to surprise you, it's not the economy. It's the socialists taking over our country," one asked.

Later in Minnesota, a woman told McCain: "I don't trust Obama. I have read about him and he's an Arab."
McCain shook his head and said, "No ma'am, no ma'am. He's a decent family man...[a] citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues. That's what this campaign is all about."
The audience then applauded McCain.

In Wisconsin, McCain urged his supporters to be respectful of Obama.
"We want to fight and I will fight. But we will be respectful," he said. "I admire Sen. Obama and his accomplishments. I will respect him and I want everyone to be respectful and let's make sure we are."

CNN contributor David Gergen said that the negative tone of these rallies is "incendiary" and could lead to violence.

"There is this free floating sort of whipping around anger that could really lead to some violence. I think we're not far from that," he told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Thursday. "I really worry when we get people -- when you get the kind of rhetoric that you're getting at these rallies now. I think it's really imperative that the candidates try to calm people down."

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/10/mccain.crowd/index.html

 

[Dktr. Faustus]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[flashback]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/10/palin.investigation/index.html
double post.... but yeah. They aren't coming back from this one.

Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin abused her power as Alaska's governor by trying to get her ex-brother-in-law fired from the state police, a state investigator's report concluded Friday.

For the reasons explained in section IV of this report, I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) provides

“The legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust.”

Hate. That.
​

 

[therealjohnny]

120 pages in

I still think her " hey by golly you betcha" attitude is impressing a large number of people

and...probably way too late , I'm just going to check if i'm in time to vote on this thing, having been born an american pig-dog

 

[flashback]

You are too late.

Great Satan. Global Zionist. Imperialist Dog.

 

[therealjohnny]

ach

 

[pete]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[pete]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies