[Luzette]

darstar,

You would get my vote!

[detwahDJ]

Originally Posted by darstar

It's a way of life we can only understand, being there. So many good people have come and gone, following their ideales right out the Beltway, to be lost in a maze of agendas , mostly money driven.
I have considered running for office a few times, then,....I woke up to reality, and drifted back to slumber. In a more perfict world I would really enjoy trying to make a difference.......I am still considering it anyway.

Join with progressives even on a local level, build their numbers, publicize their aims over the rightist media-lock, and help get the money out of politics thereby restoring democracy. If you have the desire maybe that's your calling, eh?
I was wondering, what is the media like in the UP? What are most people hearing?

[darstar]

Originally Posted by detwahDJ

Join with progressives even on a local level, build their numbers, publicize their aims over the rightist media-lock, and help get the money out of politics thereby restoring democracy. If you have the desire maybe that's your calling, eh?
I was wondering, what is the media like in the UP? What are most people hearing?

Funny you should ask. I was discussing that very subject with our local Dem. County Commissioner.
If you take the UP as a whole, the numbers will come out higher on the Conservative side. There are many small towns and crossroads...religion IS entwined up here as part of the social fabric. The Western half has the most population along with the only hometown TV station , channel six, ( somewhat Liberal ) just outside of Marquette, the UPs largest city and Capital.Marquette is Liberal, quite refreshing considering what I have gone thru elsewhere around the Country.Our daily rag The Mining Journal is conservative, not so good. Some very nasty editorials.
The interesting thing around here is those who vote GOP, are not saying much with the current lineup on their side. Obama is very popular here. hes paid us a personal visit last February. We have a high percentage of retired people, yet with NMU a lot of Liberal minded young people as well as teachers and professors. Marquette County, Michigan's largest,did not suffer an economy down turn.Home building continues as always ( we are growing ) with little value lost in the housing market. We need Skilled workers all over the UP, there are many jobs, if, you have the skills.Very few Forecloses, and not enough apartments. I can not speak for the rest of the UP , except the Copper Country, which also tends to be progressive thinking. Many Yoopers who have endured life here for generations, seem to be religious, as Catholic is predominate.My thoughts are we have as a whole conservative people, who call themselves independents . That consideration goes along well as the native folks have always prided themselves as survivors, even under the worst conditions. The UP has 1/3r the land mass, and 2 per cent of the population. Finnish is the largest ethnic group, with more Fins than anywhere outside of Helsinki. They can be very stubborn, self reliant, beholding to no one, and are proud of their heritage.

[detwahDJ]

^^ I hope UP voters realize they will be asked for voter I.D.
This is a Republican initiative designed to combat "voter fraud" which doesn't exist. Why would Republicans want a solution to no problem? Because this could suppress the voting of college students, the poor and elderly who are apt to vote Democratic. The lower the turnout, the more Republicans benefit.
Since many may not be aware, you might want to publicize this fact and make sure all voters are "good to go" before November.

Voter Suppression 101: How Conservatives Are Conspiring to Disenfranchise Millions of Americans | Election 2012 | AlterNet

A.L.E.C. mentioned in the article is an organization which, at secret meetings, pairs corporate lobbyists with republican legislators for their mutual benefit.

[snoopygirlmi]

So, dead people voting isn't a problem? Why aren't you concerned about illegals voting in our elections? Then, again, I guess the people (or the non-alive) are voting for Democrats and that's your "team", so that makes it okay? Really?

Most people in either party aren't interested in actually listening to other opinions/respecting their concerns nowadays.

From what I've seen, Liberals believe that any idea is inherently bad if the idea comes from a conservative, even if it would be helpful to the community. Liberals don't have a monopoly on caring about the communities we live in.

Conservatives scoff at the notion that anyone w/a brain could be a Liberal. I know plenty of intelligent Liberals with whom I disagree.

The majority of people, however, ARE in the middle and actually want problems to be solved. Instead, both sides are looking at conspiracy theories to figure out who to blame for the mess. (Oh no - it's the liberal media....oh no...ALEC's going take over the world)....And you wonder why nobody's really listening to any of us......most people aren't interested in blame and talking points, but solutions.

Seriously, 99.9% of Republicans I know live in the 21st century and have no interest in suppressing anyone's vote. We really don't understand what kind of mentality you have to have to believe that because a lot of us look at the calendar and see that it's 2012, not 1965.

However, 99.9% of Liberals keep acting like everyone who disagrees with them is a segregationist and the feminist movement never happened when that's not reality either. A lot of Liberals just come off as bullies. I'm not saying that conservatives don't have bullies on their side either, but I tend to notice it a lot more from the left.

A lot of people need to move into the 21st century and it's not just the "religious whack-jobs" (as they are not-so-affectionately called by the so-called tolerant and enlightened crowd).

I'll stop looking for conspiracies when you do. Truce? Maybe? Am I just being an idealist here? Is that really too much to ask?

[detwahDJ]

^^I make a distinction between traditional conservatism and Fox corporate neo-conservatism which is fascism. Traditional conservatives need to take back the Republican party. The reason that conservatives are seen as racists, homophobes, and the things you mention is because A) these types are embraced by the Republican Party and the conservative media, B) true conservatives refuse to publicly criticize them (this is why I continually tweak conservatives as being of "one mind" although I know they're not). Why tolerate them? For votes? When true conservatives start to denounce these people then perceptions will change.
Eisenhower was a true conservative and from that point on we have experienced a growing crony capitalist system - a lessening of democracy.
ALEC , for one, is real - and dangerous, and not to be ignored. You truly believe otherwise?
BTW there are reports of taxpayer money being used for junkets to ALEC meetings in some states. Don't know about Michigan.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by detwahDJ

^^ I hope UP voters realize they will be asked for voter I.D.
This is a Republican initiative designed to combat "voter fraud" which doesn't exist. Why would Republicans want a solution to no problem? Because this could suppress the voting of college students, the poor and elderly who are apt to vote Democratic. The lower the turnout, the more Republicans benefit.
Since many may not be aware, you might want to publicize this fact and make sure all voters are "good to go" before November.

Voter Suppression 101: How Conservatives Are Conspiring to Disenfranchise Millions of Americans | Election 2012 | AlterNet

A.L.E.C. mentioned in the article is an organization which, at secret meetings, pairs corporate lobbyists with republican legislators for their mutual benefit.

Yes you are right, its at the top of our list town,city and country hear in da UP.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by detwahDJ

^^I make a distinction between traditional conservatism and Fox corporate neo-conservatism which is fascism. Traditional conservatives need to take back the Republican party. The reason that conservatives are seen as racists, homophobes, and the things you mention is because A) these types are embraced by the Republican Party and the conservative media, B) true conservatives refuse to publicly criticize them (this is why I continually tweak conservatives as being of "one mind" although I know they're not). Why tolerate them? For votes? When true conservatives start to denounce these people then perceptions will change.
Eisenhower was a true conservative and from that point on we have experienced a growing crony capitalist system - a lessening of democracy.
ALEC , for one, is real - and dangerous, and not to be ignored. You truly believe otherwise?
BTW there are reports of taxpayer money being used for junkets to ALEC meetings in some states. Don't know about Michigan.

Your comeback is right on target, the truth. Why is it that the Conservatives ( I have many friends who are very intel people) are so afraid of the far right, the old Moral majority folks, many have come out of their lair are tea party/ NRA fanatics.I like you would like to see honest Journalism and not the hired fake media like Fox. I know the average GOP supporter does not believe or want a lot of the crap that comes down from these wing nuts, yet,they keep supporting them. It was not that way in the past, I guess most Conservatives think the far right is necessary to win on election day. The other observation I see is many Conservatives , when left alone and we can have a sane conversation, are really Libertarians.Yet they dumped on Ron Paul in the most shameful way. Its getting hard to tell who is really leading , I am afraid if things continue they will get what they really don't want, a country that's pure Fascism.

[zthatzmanz28]

The real silly question is WHY WOULD ANY STATE BE RED? Anyone on here making $20million per year? Anyone here making $15K per appearance? Anyone here in the below 15% tax bracket with earnings over $150K?

[detwahDJ]

* Red states get a whopping amount of return from the govt.
*This is a national story but could possibly bleed into Michigan under a like-minded governor. Several Republicans have signed a pledge to Grover Norquist to never raise taxes - meaning the wealthy will always pay the same or smaller tax rate. Some people think that our representatives' allegiance should be to the U.S. Constitution rather than to Norquist - A LOBBYIST. Probably many people didn't know about this from the "mainstream media" but there is a growing amount of info on the web.
Grover Norquist Anti-Tax Pledge Signers Want Their Names Removed