August wrote:It seems you don't have much of a clue about anything. If your opinion is swayed by the removal of three letters then you seem to be pretty weak-willed
With all due respect, you obviously have no idea how much unconscious processes influence our everyday decisions and behaviour. In this case, as an example, the word "Democratic" directly connects with the very highy esteed word "democracy", and unconsciously forms the connection between the Democratic party and "the people" (
demo-cratic). Now, if we replace the word with a meaningless phrase like Democrat, it effectively prevents people from, in the unconscious, making the connection. It might also have something to do with the fact that it ends in "rat", and since people dislike rats this might actually change the meaning from a positive one to a thorougly negative. And, if I may, the question I proposed wasn't a rhetorical one. I can make plausible psyhocological hypothesis any day of the week, but I really want to know why many conservatives change the word democratic to democrat. However, this is a somewhat irrelevant point, unless this change is brought into common everyday lexicon.
Oh really? The problem is a spending problem, not an income problem. But I guess that more government spending of the people's money is the solution to the problem for any socialist. It was not a problem under Bush and a Republican congress (see graph above).
It's genuinely interesting that you'd hint at me being a socialist (if I understood right), when I actually have indicated quite the opposite. Although I consider the Communist Manifesto (among others) to be very good, sophisticated books that deal with the orchestrated exploitation of proletariat by the bourgeoisise, the solution to the problem (state-organized socialism) to be misguided. It's good that the books highlighted the problem that had existed for the entire history of civilized humanity, but I don't agree with communism (however beautiful it might sound). I think the governments we have here in the Nordic contries are quite good (a mild version of social democracy). I won't address the straw man since I see reason for it, but I'll just note that everyone understands that increases in spending have to be met with increased taxes. However, many American conservatives seem to think that taxes don't have to be raised (ans shouldn't be), and that becoming a minarchist pseudo-state is the only solution to America's problems. And to expand further, Obama just agreed to cut spending by several
trillion dollars even though he got no tax increases at all. How is this not satisactory?
That's right, we should just let terrorists attack whomever they want without consequences, and let dictators kill and murder their people while supporting those terrorists.
You're not fighting a conventional war. This is no second world war. The "war on terrorism" can't be won by conquering countries, unless you decide to conquer the entire world (and even then it wouldn't be 100% effective). What's more effective, conquering random countries that had done nothing against America (Iraq), or de-radicalizing those who are in danger of being recruited into terrorist organizations. America has gathered many enemies around the world because of its
very interventionist foreign poliy, and I'd actually say that America is actually helping terrorist organizations by turning potential allies (young muslims) into bitter enemies with an unquenchable hatred for "The Great Satan". However, the recent uprisings in the Middle East (particularly in Egypt) have given me hope that young muslims around the world are turning away from violent attacks against any perceived enemies and have instead begun following the example set forth by Gandhi, among others. Also, it's interesting to note that there have been far more terrorist attacks conducted by
far-right radicals than by muslim terrorists on American soil since 9/11.
You are so cute with your words there, I feel so insulted. And if you think that the current economic policies are in any way conservative, you are delusional.
You should note, each of the adjectives I used has been used on numerous occasions to describe Obama by some conservatives (I forgot the obvious Hitler/nazi, my mistake). Also, even though argumentum ad hominems are easy to do, I would stick to hard facts and statistics in a debate of any sort. Like I said, "he extended the Bush tax cuts and gave Republicans everything they wanted and more while getting nothing in return during the debt ceiling fiasco, just to name a few examples." I didn't even go into how much of an utter weak failure the health care "reform" bill was, but that is another debate for another time.
Typical foreigner viewpoint which just gets all the liberal news. So let me understand this, at a time when unemployment is at its highest in many years, there are record numbers of bankruptcies and loan defaults, government spending and deficits are out of control, the best solution is to raise taxes, and take even more money away from those who actually create jobs? Anyway, removing the tax cuts will have a very small effect on the deficit. Spending needs to be controlled.
"Putin, this is alpha delta. The American is on to us. What should we do?" On a more serious note, I actaully base my opinions on any given subject on facts, and I never believe anything (from a liberal or conservative) until I see some objective evidence to support it. But even if "the liberal news" had brainwashed me, that wouldn't change the facts. "As we all know, reality has a well known liberal bias." Also, I'd like to note that the word "millionaires" has been, rather cleverly to be honest, changed to "job creators". I think this was a brilliant application of psychology, although it was perhaps a little unfair. We're mostly talking about millionaires here (most of which have inherited at least a portion of their fortune), and even the "job creators" (CEO's) aren't going to stop creating jobs because their personal tax rate goes up a bit. How does the CEO's (or any other millionaire's) personal tax percentage extend into an unwillingness to create more jobs to get more money? Also, I think Warren Buffet raised an interesting point in the article he wrote, when he said his tax percentage (17.7%) is
lower than his receptionist's (30&). I'm not an expert in American tax codes, but from this and other cases I've heard of it seems you actaully have a regressive tax (Warren Buffet has actaully flat out stated this many times). I view this as grotesque, but many American apparently do not. Also, why is your payroll tax capped at a fairly low point?
Like Obama and his congress destroying America's credit rating and setting record deficits? Whoever the next president is will have to deal with that mess.
Well, technically he's not destroying America's credit rating. Since his precidency only one rating agency has downgraded America's standing, and that was from an AAA to an AA+. It's worth noting that before the econoic crisis the same firm willingly and knowingly deceived Americans by giving false AAA ratings to many that didn't deserve them.
Ron Paul is a nutcase, but that says a lot about you. Imperialism? Really? If America was imperialist we would maybe have the 57 states that Obama referred to.
I like honesty, so I'll be honest here. There are really only two things I agree with: 1) Full drug legalization. 2) Stopping America's interventionist foreign police. But on another note, America has gotten way too involved in the affairs of foreign nations. In the 1900's alone, America materially supported many violent overthrows all around the world with fairly sinister and selfish motives. As a fairly obvious example, they trained rebels in the Middle East (like Afghanistan), and what came of that?
But in many ways he's a nutcase and, imo, could do some (actually) irreversible damage to America. His views flirt often with anarchy. But there's one thing that makes me respect him very much, that being that he's not corrupt like almost all other politicians in your contry.