Trump banners on McMansions in NJ (Clinton: renting, school districts, approval)
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It is exactly that. I've been saying that for months now--what I think is a good reason to vote for her, given our choices, is also a good reason to be wary of her.
I was at an inn in Vermont at the beginning of October. There was a group of four people from The Netherlands there, and we talked about our political systems a bit. They are a very small country, but they have four or five political parties to choose from each election cycle. Very different agendas for each, but they allow themselves more choices. I would like to see more viable parties rise so that we have more than two bad choices and also so that our government is not just split into a two-party "Us v. Them" system that gets nothing done because of that mentality.
I feel the same way. But the RNC and DNC are such powerful machines, I dont see much hope in a 3rd or 4th party being successful. Any serious contender goes through the 2 major parties first. They go 3rd party as a last resort because the various other parties dont have the support system to get them elected.
As it is now, the Democrats answer to everything is to raise taxes, and the Republicans are hostages to the religious right. I would love it if we had a major party that let people live their lives as they see fit, and at the same time, is fiscally responsible. I am tired of having to hold my nose vote for religious zealots in order to not have my pocket picked.
The only way is to vote for an independent senator or congressman to fill more seats in the legislative branch and have more voting power in order to block certain legislation.
If you followed legislations you know that regardless who is in power and which party controls the senate they've always catered to business wanted legislations.
The Republican controlled white house + senate + house have not produced any middle class relief neither did the Democrat controlled era. You look at Obamacare, it is a huge take hike for everybody.
Some poor people are smiling that they got health insurance, but they've always had it through the state's system. Obamacare is simply a price hike and forces everybody to pay the insurance companies or the Federal government in penalty. Where's the real improvement for the middle class?
I've always had health insurance and it jumped the highest under Obama.
It is exactly that. I've been saying that for months now--what I think is a good reason to vote for her, given our choices, is also a good reason to be wary of her.
I was at an inn in Vermont at the beginning of October. There was a group of four people from The Netherlands there, and we talked about our political systems a bit. They are a very small country, but they have four or five political parties to choose from each election cycle. Very different agendas for each, but they allow themselves more choices. I would like to see more viable parties rise so that we have more than two bad choices and also so that our government is not just split into a two-party "Us v. Them" system that gets nothing done because of that mentality.
THIS in a nutshell . I was also up north at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge MASS and one of the big things to do is sit on their front Porch of the Inn and watch time and things go by. Well while my wife made me stay out of it there was a pretty good conversation going on about your point and getting big money out of the elections which I would love to see.
not fair? from all that I have read from you, I see it as accurate. I certainly cannot imagine you supporting the US going to war when it did in WWII -- that would be contrary to all that you have said. And when the rest of Europe fell,you would still say it wasn't any of your concern and the Europeans should deal with the ash coming from those ovens -- not your concern.
you realize that no country has attacked american territory since ww2 right? so dont you think its fair to question wars that America has gotten involved in thousands of miles away while still being willing to respond to actual attacks on american land?
I feel the same way. But the RNC and DNC are such powerful machines, I dont see much hope in a 3rd or 4th party being successful. Any serious contender goes through the 2 major parties first. They go 3rd party as a last resort because the various other parties dont have the support system to get them elected.
As it is now, the Democrats answer to everything is to raise taxes, and the Republicans are hostages to the religious right. I would love it if we had a major party that let people live their lives as they see fit, and at the same time, is fiscally responsible. I am tired of having to hold my nose vote for religious zealots in order to not have my pocket picked.
I'm a little confused about that statement. How do you expect to get anything done that requires, labor materials, management without somebody paying for it.
Every year I hear the same things from Republicans and this year is no different.
We're gonna build this, we're gonna fix that, we are going to have the greatest country again and we are going to get all this done plus cut everybody's taxes.
Are we going to build great things and then not pay for them?
Do we have extra money in the Treasury to buy new things, fix stuff?
We have more people in the country not paying any income taxes but we are going to get great things done.
How?
We can ignore the religious right.
But we can't ignore that if you want stuff done, somebody (the tax payers) will have to pay for it.
I'm a little confused about that statement. How do you expect to get anything done that requires, labor materials, management without somebody paying for it.
Every year I hear the same things from Republicans and this year is no different.
We're gonna build this, we're gonna fix that, we are going to have the greatest country again and we are going to get all this done plus cut everybody's taxes.
Are we going to build great things and then not pay for them?
Do we have extra money in the Treasury to buy new things, fix stuff?
We have more people in the country not paying any income taxes but we are going to get great things done.
How?
We can ignore the religious right.
But we can't ignore that if you want stuff done, somebody (the tax payers) will have to pay for it.
It's the same mentality I get being on the condo board. "We don't want to raise the monthly fee/Why can't the landscaper trim the bushes on demand instead of twice a year?" in the same minute.
So...the question becomes "what are we paying for NOW that you'd rather use the money for to get XYZ?"
But with her history, the fact that she "knows the system" so well, is as much a negative as it is a positive. I would feel much better about her familiarity with the system if she was a more honorable person. But for her, knowing the system means she will be better at working the system..
Everyone keeps slinging mud at HRC, the mud slinging seems to have started in 1992 when Bill got elected. I don't understand, where did all this outrage go between 2000 and 2008? There was a war started based on LIES, proven LIES, where was the outrage when a CIA agent was "outed"? Embassy attacks? the economy ruined, torture, which Trump still advocates? a Vice-President shot someone, yet there was NO investigation. I'm sure if Joe Biden accidentally shot someone there would have been at least 5 Senate subcommittees. Emails lost, using an unsecure server available to how many people?
Yet it seems the current administration or the Clintons can't even fart without an uproar how they polluting the atmosphere and an FBI investigation.
I'm a little confused about that statement. How do you expect to get anything done that requires, labor materials, management without somebody paying for it.
Every year I hear the same things from Republicans and this year is no different.
We're gonna build this, we're gonna fix that, we are going to have the greatest country again and we are going to get all this done plus cut everybody's taxes.
Are we going to build great things and then not pay for them?
Do we have extra money in the Treasury to buy new things, fix stuff?
We have more people in the country not paying any income taxes but we are going to get great things done.
How?
We can ignore the religious right.
But we can't ignore that if you want stuff done, somebody (the tax payers) will have to pay for it.
I want the broken system fixed. For as long as I have been alive, we have seen the government buy hammers for $30,000 each, bridges to nowhere, and an endless list of other pork barrel projects that only enrich the politicians and their supporters. No matter which side of the aisle you are on, you cant tell me that there isn't government waste and corruption. Then there is foreign aid and foreign wars. I want the government to first seek the money from all of these places before asking me for another dime. And, btw, I dont hold the democrats solely responsible for wasteful spending either. The republicans certainly have their share.
Everyone keeps slinging mud at HRC, the mud slinging seems to have started in 1992 when Bill got elected. I don't understand, where did all this outrage go between 2000 and 2008? There was a war started based on LIES, proven LIES, where was the outrage when a CIA agent was "outed"? Embassy attacks? the economy ruined, torture, which Trump still advocates? a Vice-President shot someone, yet there was NO investigation. I'm sure if Joe Biden accidentally shot someone there would have been at least 5 Senate subcommittees. Emails lost, using an unsecure server available to how many people?
Yet it seems the current administration or the Clintons can't even fart without an uproar how they polluting the atmosphere and an FBI investigation.
It's not mudslinging it it's true. If you are trying to make a case for more scrutiny of republicans, I've got your back. I want our politicians to be as fearful as possible of the consequences of corruption. But if you are trying to use republican corruption to somehow excuse Hillary's corruption, this is where we disagree.
Ooo, ooo, (raising hand), I can tell you how the $30K hammers thing works. I spent the best part of the past two decades in public procurement, although not federal.
That was not necessarily corruption on the part of the government, but rather lack of checks and balances and criminals who know where the holes are. The simple version is that you, the buyer, order hammer model ABC, which costs $10. I, the shady supplier, know that once you the buyer approves the order and sends it on to accounts payable, it's out of your hands and off your desk. I wait a bit, then I call you back and say, 'Hammer ABC is no longer available. We have Hammer XYZ, which is the comparable replacement. OK if I send you that one?" You say yes and send your approval through to pay for Hammer XYZ in lieu of ABC, thinking it's the same price. I know that Millie in Account Payable handles the tools account, and she isn't too bright, so I send her a bill for $30,000 for Item XYZ, and she sees your approval on it, and she pays.
Now, of course that is over-simplistic, but the point is that the entities ripping off the government knew where the weaknesses in the bureaucracy were and how to work them. They still do, but they have to be more sophisticated now, especially now that technology is here and systems have been developed with tight restrictions as to how things can be bought. And yes, sometimes the ripoffs could only occur with inside help. That's why there are several levels of approval now and procurement has been centralized in most agencies.
Since the late 90s, huge changes in procurement best practices have occurred. Joe in Bridges is not allowed to go out on his own and talk to his favorite contractors about building a bridge. He has to go through the impartial channels in his organization and arrange for a fair and competitive process. Bids are opened publicly with several witnesses signing off that it was done fairly. Proposals are evaluated by committees from different areas who do not have any reporting relationships with one another. Staff, including and especially high-level staff, who have connections to a potential bidder or proposer have to recuse themselves from the process. There are exceptions. NJ, incredibly, still allows pay-to-play for smaller contracts up to $25,000, which just boggles my mind, but this is NJ.
I am pretty sure corruption still happens in public contracting, but it is the rare exception rather than the rule. Trust me, when you've lost sleep nights and weekends working on a major project to ensure that it's being done in accordance with the rules and then see some ignorant schmoe say "Oh, the politicians just gave that contract to his buddies", you just want to punch him in the face. Or when you hear the Vice President of the United States say an airport looks like a third-world country and his good buddy in Albany izza gonna fix it when you know that he knows that the planning and design is already two or three years in process, you want to punch him in the face, too.
What is truly amazing is how much gets done DESPITE the politicians.
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