Political DiscussionA place to hold political debates and general discussion. Please remember to always respect the opinions of other members and above all else, be civil.
You're taxed on a vehicle for owning it? What state do you live in? I've never been taxed on my vehicle except for when I bought it and that was only sales tax.
Zap, you contradict yourself. You say that politicians only follow the money but then you say that they only care about being re-elected. Which is it? If the majority of the people are for one issue and he votes against it to get money for his re-election nobody will vote for him and he gets the shaft. You do have politicians who do that but it's on lesser issues, things people aren't passionate about. The only way to change that is to be passionate about the issues that matter to the public's well-being instead of being concerned about which one we like better, who's the cuttest, or which one is of the party we like the most.
If most people were passionate about, say, creating more anti-curruption legislation and a non-partisan team to head it, it would be done simply because the politician would rather skip on the money people in order to stay in office and have a chance to steal more money down the road on lesser important issues.
the money and being re-elected are the same thing. you dont get money voting on the big legislation thats in the publics face like gays, illegals, or schools. you get money from the items you tack on to these bills. have you ever seen a bill in its final form? it will read like a grocery list. the original theme could be mandatory computers with net in all state funded libraries and by the time its done theres money for repainting stop signs. it makes no sense. well right there someone just paid back the local painting company that made a contribution and can go back home and say he voted for computers in libraries not a job for his best friends company. then theres positions like the director of fema where every president appoints someone who has made massive contributions. if you look at the polarizing topics there is rarely anything atached to it. you will never see money for researching how much dogs like cows tacked on to illegal immigration funding. this way everyone can vote the way they can please their constituants without alienating their donors.
Yeah well here in CT we have wonderful car tax too! I paid $260 for the first 6 months, now I have another car tax bill for $330 for the second half of the year!
GOD I LOVE LIVING IN THE WEALTHIEST STATE IN THE COUNTRY!!!
the money and being re-elected are the same thing. you dont get money voting on the big legislation thats in the publics face like gays, illegals, or schools. you get money from the items you tack on to these bills. have you ever seen a bill in its final form? it will read like a grocery list. the original theme could be mandatory computers with net in all state funded libraries and by the time its done theres money for repainting stop signs. it makes no sense. well right there someone just paid back the local painting company that made a contribution and can go back home and say he voted for computers in libraries not a job for his best friends company. then theres positions like the director of fema where every president appoints someone who has made massive contributions. if you look at the polarizing topics there is rarely anything atached to it. you will never see money for researching how much dogs like cows tacked on to illegal immigration funding. this way everyone can vote the way they can please their constituants without alienating their donors.
I know what rider bills are, yes. I did take a few civics classes back in the days (also, anyone remember that School House Rock song about the bill?). You are right, they are a way for legislators to get funding for many things that wouldn't normally pass on their own.
Do you know why rider bills came about? As the country got bigger and needed more legislation, it became impossible for legislators to put every piece to a vote so they started including them in other bills. This, eventually, led to people taking advantage of the system.
This, however, doesn't mean that the important pieces of legislation won't get passed. These lawmakers want to keep their jobs so they tend to vote with the peoples oppinions on the big-issue items. That means that most of your big concerns, so long as they are voiced, will be addressed.
As for the director of Fema, this is not the first President to stick someone who had no experience in the slot, you are right. Bill Clinton, however, had James Lee Witt who had direct experience having served the previous 4 years as the director of emergency services for the state of Arkansas. Bill knew what he was doing. Bush decided to stick one of his cronies in the position and it came back to bite him in the arse.
please explain the question. because i have about a few justifications for my comments.
ok, i said everyone that posted is just complaining about the tax, and what it goes to and the government problems that we have. no one talks about how it affects them, how its hurting/helping them. i read about how others don't want to pay for this and that, but "can't" leave. from my personal experience, im not from here. i became a citizen of this country, and i love it here. like i said before, if you don't like it GTFO. and as soon as you do someone will take your place when they move and be grateful that they did. people talk about corruption, and they are a part of it. if they so choose they could go to another state. i don't get this, how does it affect you guys? you don't know what your taxes go to all the time. stuff happens. i bet that right now its going to katrina. you guys wanna know whats really messes up?
9/11 happened and everyone forgot. straight forgot. too worried about that moronic president and that damn hurricane. thats whats messed up, that the president is so "adment" about terrorism and yet they didn't even mention it.
the thing i hate about this country most is the white folks complaining about it so damn much. and its not being racist, its just the truth. no one else i hear ever complaings like white people. "gas is so much" "this country is going to hell" " danm mexicans taking all our jobs" ---this is what i hear all the time. and i hate it. they should be thankful, they just bitch. i can't stand it.
This, however, doesn't mean that the important pieces of legislation won't get passed. These lawmakers want to keep their jobs so they tend to vote with the peoples oppinions on the big-issue items. That means that most of your big concerns, so long as they are voiced, will be addressed.
Unfortunately, yes it does. It was just a few months ago, when illegal immigration was a really hot topic, congress (maybe it was just the senate, if memory serves me correctly) voted unanimously to approve some illegal immigration act or bill. It was all a show, though. Just a few weeks later, when the topic had died down a tad, they went right back to where they were before.
I also like how both Bush AND Kerry dodged the whole "outsourcing jobs" issue during the election. virtually the entire nation is against it, and we still are stuck, with our voices being heard, but ignored.
Politicians will only act in our interests when it is THEIR interests. They don't support the american people. And when we finally get their attention, the try to screw us with some phony act to placate us, then it's back to (big) business as usual for them.
Reminds me of Yassir Arafat, when he would give a speech in engish asking his people to stop bombing israel, and then he would give a speech in arabic saying he's willing to sacrafice 40 suicide bombers to kill a single jew. It's all a show to please the people or the UN, and they go back to doing what they are doing.
Sorry to say... the control of American is not in the hands of Americans. There's an elite cadre of very rich people in the drivers seat and they aren't giving up. They seem to think that most americans are stupid and won't vote for a reform party because then the Dems would take over and make everyone accept sin!!! Or the Reps will take over and make everyone go to church!!! Please. The 2 party system works great for the 2 parties.
Unfortunately, yes it does. It was just a few months ago, when illegal immigration was a really hot topic, congress (maybe it was just the senate, if memory serves me correctly) voted unanimously to approve some illegal immigration act or bill. It was all a show, though. Just a few weeks later, when the topic had died down a tad, they went right back to where they were before.
I also like how both Bush AND Kerry dodged the whole "outsourcing jobs" issue during the election. virtually the entire nation is against it, and we still are stuck, with our voices being heard, but ignored.
Politicians will only act in our interests when it is THEIR interests. They don't support the american people. And when we finally get their attention, the try to screw us with some phony act to placate us, then it's back to (big) business as usual for them.
Reminds me of Yassir Arafat, when he would give a speech in engish asking his people to stop bombing israel, and then he would give a speech in arabic saying he's willing to sacrafice 40 suicide bombers to kill a single jew. It's all a show to please the people or the UN, and they go back to doing what they are doing.
Sorry to say... the control of American is not in the hands of Americans. There's an elite cadre of very rich people in the drivers seat and they aren't giving up. They seem to think that most americans are stupid and won't vote for a reform party because then the Dems would take over and make everyone accept sin!!! Or the Reps will take over and make everyone go to church!!! Please. The 2 party system works great for the 2 parties.
Did you know that outsourcing brings more money into the country than it would if the jobs stayed in America? It is because you save more money when you buy your good and the companies saving the money are American companies so the money they save stays here in the country. So, it is more economically beneficial ,not only for the corporations, but for the government and the public at large for some jobs to be outsourced.
Also, I'm one of the biggest cynics I know but I still think there is hope in legislation. I agree that most polititians are there only for personal reasons and personal gain, but I refuse to believe they are all like that. That is why I have applied to the FBI Academy so I can be a Special Agant investigating government corruption. That is one of my biggest concerns; not terrorism, not drugs, but curruption. If we end curruption we are more than half-way there to eliminating the other problems that plague this country.
Did you know that outsourcing brings more money into the country than it would if the jobs stayed in America?
Also, I'm one of the biggest cynics
Did you realize that by outsourcing jobs to other countries, less American's have jobs here? We are, in essence, outsourcing our standard of living. Sure, it's selfish of America to live the way it does while much of the rest of the world exists in squalor, but that's a seperate issue.
What businesses don't realize (because they don't have long term focus) is that every worker that gets outsourced can no longer spend his large salary on things HERE, and since the american market is so much larger than, say, the indian market, then companies are really only shooting themselves in the foot. The only thing that matters to a CEO is "How is the stock price, how did we do this quarter". There's no long term focus.
And if anything, I would never peg you as a cynic. I would consider you to be far more of an idealist or activist... IMO.
personally i love outsourcing! its capitalism in action. sucks when it bites ya but if your constantly making yourself bigger strong faster smarter cheaper it wont bite you.
as far as white people complaining all the time its because we dont like others we just dont. no white guy is glad when 1 black/islamic/mexican family moves onto our block or when we go into movies and see a bunch of blacks hell when i see that i go look for another theatre. the one thats getting really bad now is russians moving in everywhere and dragging schools test scores down. and you just cant find a good all white anything these days.
personally i love outsourcing! its capitalism in action. sucks when it bites ya but if your constantly making yourself bigger strong faster smarter cheaper it wont bite you.
It is short-term capitalism in action. Read what I just posted. If so many companies in the USA fire so many workers and move the production to overseas, guess what happens? Some americans can't get as good jobs. That translates to them not spending as much money, so that the people they buy from can't spend as much money, and it soon affects the whole country, gradually. American gets poorer. Soon those companies that expected to make huge margins because they are selling to the american customer base (largest market on earth) will start losing more money because the american customer base isn't as large thanks to constant layoffs.
Yes, it's capitalism. But our form of Capitalism is... stupid. It's based on quarterly profit-loss reports. There is no long term thinking, it's all "how are we doing right now". They don't put into account that if you outsource jobs, you are killing yourself because the same people you are laying off are the same people that buy your product.
It's plain out greed. And it's sad. But it'll keep going until the system crashes...
took the words right out of my mouth. Only thing I'd change is that the actual bills look a lot worse. There's spending allocated for EVERYTHING.
