Atlanta: Gets a bad RAP.WHY?! (Decatur: to live, horses, best place)

[WilliamM]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

Can't see that voting for a democratic ticket automatically makes one a free thinker. Seems to be a lot of kool-aid drinkers on either side of the red/blue divide.

Atlanta has prospered the last several decades with a liberal center and a conservative suburban donut surrounding it within an even more conservative state. Can't think how this argument has any validity.

Fair enough. I'm making a big assumption there based on my own personal beliefs. But I think maybe we can all agree that there's a benefit in having people who will at least consider a number of factors beyond straight party-line identification in deciding what candidate to vote for and not just vote based on who looks most like you or who promises to lower your taxes. (And in fairness, one might argue that perhaps the so-called "blue" states could stand being a little more open-minded too. But hey, New York City has twice elected Republican mayors. Can you imagine down-state Georgia electing a liberal Democrat these days?)

As for the core vs. outer layer theory, that's an interesting observation. But still, my question remains: how could any downstate be more conservative than what you find in NC or VA? Though I haven't sat down and crunched the numbers, I still don't get what it is about the city vs. down-state duality in GA that's different than what you have in those other states.

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by WilliamM

Fair enough. I'm making a big assumption there based on my own personal beliefs. But I think maybe we can all agree that there's a benefit in having people who will at least consider a number of factors beyond straight party-line identification in deciding what candidate to vote for and not just vote based on who looks most like you or who promises to lower your taxes. (And in fairness, one might argue that perhaps the so-called "blue" states could stand being a little more open-minded too. But hey, New York City has twice elected Republican mayors. Can you imagine down-state Georgia electing a liberal Democrat these days?)

As for the core vs. outer layer theory, that's an interesting observation. But still, my question remains: how could any downstate be more conservative than what you find in NC or VA? Though I haven't sat down and crunched the numbers, I still don't get what it is about the city vs. down-state duality in GA that's different than what you have in those other states.

The suburban core (painting with a broad brush here) is more conservative based on fiscal issues, lower taxes, smaller government. The down home part is more conservative on social values, abortion, gay marriage, etc. The inner city has younger voters and minorities that vote more liberal. There of course is some overlapping of these ideals for sure.

Don't know why North Carolina is leaning more blue than Georgia right now, would think that they are close to the same in growth and demographics. I think the huge growth in Northern Virginia is changing the demographics there. The rest of the state is solid red/bible belt.

I am conservative because first the fiscal ideal of less government, less taxes but I also hold to conservative ideals in the social realm. I have a Masters degree, am not a party line only follower. I am along the lines of Zell Miller, I didn't leave the democratic party, it left me.

I came of age when Jimmy Carter was elected, was so excited to have a native son as president, was crushed when Reagan won. But I graduated college and got my first job during Reagan's first term and it gelled for me what a conservative was and what a liberal was, and I realized my core beliefs were really conservative.

Holding a conservative belief system and then being labelled as a non-thinker is an afront to me. Because I don't believe the federal government holds the answer to all society's problems and don't want to vote for someone who does believe this, does this make me a lemming?

As I look at how Palin and McCain have been hounded by the media and how Obama has been hailed a savior by Oprah, and anyone else in the spotlight, it makes me think that side has more of the koolaid mentality.

OK, I know that was completely off topic, but my dander is up about all this and I am extremely afraid of a left turn that the country seems to be ready to take without thinking of the consequences.

Change for change's sake is not necessarily a good thing. Change can go in many different directions. Sometimes all a change needs to be is a fine tuning and a 5-10 degree shift, not a full 180.

Ok mods, I have obviously gone there, have shifted the thread to politics and the current election. Maybe its time to shut this thread down, tired of seeing "why Atlanta gets a bad rap" in the Atlanta forum everyday when the original OP had dubious reasons to label it this way anyway.

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by At1WithNature

Atlanta is not diverse...at all! That's why it gets a bad rep.

I'm black,one of my roommates in my house in downtown Atlanta are Belgian and Colombian.Before them I had an Korean,and and a white American.My first roommate 6years ago was Indian_American.We are all friends.I went out with a group of 10 friends from 4 or 5 different countries where we ate at a Ethiopian tapas restaurant in midtown Atlanta afterward we went dancing at the multi-ethnic club OPERA that is always filled with a large international crowd.I'm sure if you lived in Actworth 35 miles outside the city of Atlanta,diversity would be a problem but to say Atlanta is "not divers at all" is NONSENSE and I doubt you never spent much time here enough because you were probably close minded before you came.

[WilliamM]

Good points. You're quite right, we're now way off topic. I plead guilty.

[WilliamM]

Originally Posted by afonega1

I'm black,one of my roommates in my house in downtown Atlanta are Belgian and Colombian.Before them I had an Korean,and and a white American.My first roommate 6years ago was Indian_American.We are all friends.I went out with a group of 10 friends from 4 or 5 different countries where we ate at a Ethiopian tapas restaurant in midtown Atlanta afterward we went dancing at the multi-ethnic club OPERA that is always filled with a large international crowd.I'm sure if you lived in Actworth 35 miles outside the city of Atlanta,diversity would be a problem but to say Atlanta is "not divers at all" is NONSENSE and I doubt you never spent much time here enough because you were probably close minded before you came.

Good points. You notice we're still waiting for a reply from At1WithNature concerning his/her ridiculous assertion that Atlanta is "not diverse". Something tells me none is coming.

Hey, your group sounds like fun!

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by WilliamM

Good points. You notice we're still waiting for a reply from At1WithNature concerning his/her ridiculous assertion that Atlanta is "not diverse". Something tells me none is coming.

Hey, your group sounds like fun!

We hang out all the time and no one has any hang ups.It is fun!!As far as a reply i'll will not hold my breath!!LOL

[At1WithNature]

Originally Posted by WilliamM

On the issue of "Atlanta is not diverse" I refer to my previous post about the confusion of levels we get into when making comparisons of Atlanta. If you're comparing Atlanta to the average major American city, I would defy you to show me how Atlanta is not "diverse". I've lived in Minneapolis, to take one city as an example, and Atlanta's diversity without question compares favorably to what you find there. I haven't visited Denver, but from what I hear you could say the same about that comparison. Houson or Dallas? Not so much. Those cities are Atlanta's direct peers in terms of size and inflow and thus have comparable immigrant communities, but over and above that also have an advantage of Atlanta of having proximity to the border and a much longer history and higher volume of Hispanic immigration than Atlanta.

So the question is, what are you talking about when you say this, from what perspective?

if you want to compare Atlanta to Minneapolis and Denver, be my guest.

[WilliamM]

Originally Posted by At1WithNature

if you want to compare Atlanta to Minneapolis and Denver, be my guest.

And your point?

[LovinDecatur]

Originally Posted by WilliamM

And your point?

I think it's called "throwing in the towel"

[WilliamM]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

I think it's called "throwing in the towel"

Sorry, a little slow today. Guess you'll have to spell it out.