AJC bans the word "SPRAWL" (Atlanta: houses, contractors)

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by AcidSnake

The real question is whether or not it is still possible to agitate for progressive politics & forward-thinking while being able to make a profit at the same time. For the moment, all signs point to no.

LOL. "Progressive" and "forward thinking" is in the eye of the beholder. I think the country has gotten a taste of so-called "progressive" and "forward thinking politics" and rejected it. Today, the people who are progressive are people like me who want the insane government spending and borrowing to stop, and for a return to sane tax policy. Gov't as a percent of GDP has grown by 6% just since Obama took office. The country does not approve.

[bizchick86]

Originally Posted by AcidSnake

The AJC's agonizing journey to appease the working & middle class conservatives I think, is but a small reflection of the southern strategy's penultimate conclusion. On a more broader philosophical note however, I feel that our state & country are steadily regressing to the days of Oliver Twist.

Most of our manufacturing capability has been sent overseas, unionism has slowly eroded away & with it a working man's ability to challenge bad working conditions, and many of the hard-fought social programs that we now enjoy are in danger of being legislated away if this so-called pro-corporatist Deficit-commssion has its way. We Americans are essentially killing our own middle class as a result.

This is the reform that the Tea-Party & Tea-bagger movement was/is trying to achieve?

It is so hard to believe that there are working men & women who are in the same economically precarious position that I am in, but is somehow guided by this specious logic that if they defend Corporations and the wealthy to their deaths that everything will be just fine and dandy. How did these folks come to think in such a way?

Lord help us. Lord help us all...

By painting recipients of social services as lazy "others" even while receiving, and expecting, their own security nets and handouts.

By playing up fears rooted in racism and drawing upon a social construct that for 300+ years allowed the majority of whites to ignore the class issues that affected all races and resort to some sort of white privilege to feel deceptively aligned to rich white interests.

This tactic has worked very well indeed, and this country is steadily reverting back to the type of wealth gaps and class inequalities that the wealthy have long aspired to.

Did you know our income inequality in this country exceeds that of every industrial nation outside of Mexico and, I believe, Brazil? The economic dynamics of this supposed world leader and beacon of free market enterprise resembles those of developing countries, and yet nary a peep of discontent is heard by the masses.

I'm sure that question was somewhat hypothetical but I couldn't help but to answer.

[bizchick86]

Originally Posted by neil0311

LOL. "Progressive" and "forward thinking" is in the eye of the beholder. I think the country has gotten a taste of so-called "progressive" and "forward thinking politics" and rejected it. Today, the people who are progressive are people like me who want the insane government spending and borrowing to stop, and for a return to sane tax policy. Gov't as a percent of GDP has grown by 6% just since Obama took office. The country does not approve.

No, the policies were watered down in an attempt to appease conservatives and reactionaries rejected, not "the country." With a small fraction of the voting age public going to the polls it was hardly a massive rejection of those so-called "progressive" policies, but rather apathy that not enough was changing, with many believing that not enough was done.

Of course the government is going to grow after a disastrous financial meltdown! There are but so many options out of years of policies eroding the financial system, either the private sector will change course of the government does. Considering the private sector had NO solutions and was steadily declining, yes, the government has to intervene. The fact that people can expect it to not grow when the private sector clearly isn't working is absurd.

[AcidSnake]

The question I posed was somewhat rhetorical, but at the same time a device to spearhead a conversation. I didn't expect anyone to respond as I had posed similar questions before with little or no results. I am very pleased though that you were willing to pick up the ball and run with it, unlike others who seem taken to simply repeating mainstream media talking points.

Originally Posted by bizchick86

By painting recipients of social services as lazy "others" even while receiving, and expecting, their own security nets and handouts.

By playing up fears rooted in racism and drawing upon a social construct that for 300+ years allowed the majority of whites to ignore the class issues that affected all races and resort to some sort of white privilege to feel deceptively aligned to rich white interests.

This tactic has worked very well indeed, and this country is steadily reverting back to the type of wealth gaps and class inequalities that the wealthy have long aspired to.

Did you know our income inequality in this country exceeds that of every industrial nation outside of Mexico and, I believe, Brazil? The economic dynamics of this supposed world leader and beacon of free market enterprise resembles those of developing countries, and yet nary a peep of discontent is heard by the masses.

I'm sure that question was somewhat hypothetical but I couldn't help but to answer.

[AcidSnake]

I don't supposed you know how much government grew as a percentage of GDP when President Reagan took over from President Carter, do you? Or how much government grew as a percentage of GDP when Bush 2 took over from Clinton?

Amazing how our collective American memory spans are getting shorter and shorter these days. Pity...

Originally Posted by neil0311

LOL. "Progressive" and "forward thinking" is in the eye of the beholder. I think the country has gotten a taste of so-called "progressive" and "forward thinking politics" and rejected it. Today, the people who are progressive are people like me who want the insane government spending and borrowing to stop, and for a return to sane tax policy. Gov't as a percent of GDP has grown by 6% just since Obama took office. The country does not approve.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by bizchick86

By painting recipients of social services as lazy "others" even while receiving, and expecting, their own security nets and handouts.

Unfortunately there are a lot of lazy people who are receiving handouts of social services. I can name probably a dozen by name and am personally aware of many more.

[AcidSnake]

There are several known politicians who receive welfare as well, corporate welfare in fact. They call them "farm subsidies." But I guess that type of welfare is okay, eh?

Originally Posted by arjay57

Unfortunately there are a lot of lazy people who are receiving handouts of social services. I can name probably a dozen by name and am personally aware of many more.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by AcidSnake

There are several known politicians who receive welfare as well, corporate welfare in fact. They call them "farm subsidies." But I guess that type of welfare is okay, eh?

I completely disagree. It's a different kind of rip-off, but what makes you think that's okay?

[AcidSnake]

It's not okay, but the only welfare that is widely discussed in the mainstream media and by your rank & file American is the welfare utilized by your typical lower income citizens, i.e. section 8 vouchers, food stamps, and heating assistance.

I guess wealthy corporate farmers and people who purposely build houses on hurricane proned beach-front property are off-limits.

Originally Posted by arjay57

I completely disagree. It's a different kind of rip-off, but what makes you think that's okay?

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by AcidSnake

I don't supposed you know how much government grew as a percentage of GDP when President Reagan took over from President Carter, do you? Or how much government grew as a percentage of GDP when Bush 2 took over from Clinton?

Amazing how our collective American memory spans are getting shorter and shorter these days. Pity...

If you notice, I didn't blame or single out any party, other than using Obama's ascent to office as a milestone to measure the recent growth in gov't spending. The total failure of a "stimulus" bill was one $850 billion boondoogle that the Republicans said woud fail, did fail, and can be laid right on the Obama/Pelosi/Reid doorstep.

The Republicans under GWB spent like drunken sailors too. Some of it was necessary for defense, and some was not. I didn't lay blame, only making the observation that no rational person today thinks it can continue. If you assume that the "rich" will pay all the bills while we try and spend our way to prosperity, then you know little about either economics or human nature.