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Old 05-06-2012, 11:26 AM
 
1,635 posts, read 1,589,747 times
Reputation: 707

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Remember the book,"What's The Matter with Kansas"by Thomas Frank? In it,he complains about his own native state of Kansas wrongly voting for Republicans who's policies favor the wealthy. He complains Republicans have used wedge issues to distract voters away from their alledged self interst. As if big government is in the best interest of people.
Anyways,it got me to thinking. Could you not argue trhat many Democrat/Obama voters are voting against their own self interst? After all,look at high income areas like the Silicon Valley,the northshore suburbs of Chicago,the Philly suburbs. They include many wealthy or at least higher income people. Are they simply supporting Dems because it's considered fashionable? Are they that obsessed with social liberalism they will support candidates who will raise their taxes and could regualte them out of business?
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Old 05-06-2012, 12:10 PM
 
Location: USA - midwest
5,944 posts, read 5,571,036 times
Reputation: 2606
Lightbulb Look...

Lots of eligible voters in America pay almost no attention to the issues. Analyzing positions and sizing up policies requires some thought and effort.

The GOP has convinced millions of these "low information" voters that every election is about god, gays, and guns. It's a tactic that works with folks who'd buy (or gratefully receive) a singing bass as an x-mas gift.
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Old 05-06-2012, 12:29 PM
 
Location: Lost in Texas
9,827 posts, read 6,917,204 times
Reputation: 3415
Quote:
Originally Posted by wade52 View Post
Lots of eligible voters in America pay almost no attention to the issues. Analyzing positions and sizing up policies requires some thought and effort.

The GOP has convinced millions of these "low information" voters that every election is about god, gays, and guns. It's a tactic that works with folks who'd buy (or gratefully receive) a singing bass as an x-mas gift.
Stereotype much??
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Old 05-06-2012, 12:34 PM
 
Location: Great State of Texas
86,052 posts, read 84,268,389 times
Reputation: 27718
Well, for example, take a look at Apple. They have always been based in CA.
Yet now they are expanding in Austin. Even doing development work there now.
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Old 05-06-2012, 12:42 PM
 
Location: Pluto's Home Town
9,982 posts, read 13,724,386 times
Reputation: 5689
To speak to the OP, I would wager this.

Highly educated tech professionals tend to see the big picture, and they realize that government has a place in creating stability, enforcing regulations, national security,etc. They see the greatness of a country as more than maximum profit and minimum regulation. Also, they realize that short-term profit at the cost of ruining the environment is not wise. More generally, I think they get the notion that part of quality of life is a vibrant, safe society with a clean environment and broad middle class. You can think of the best places to live in the world, and they will almost always have higher, progressive taxe rates and less inequality (most of N. Europe, Australia, Canada, NZ,etc.) than the poorest or most political conservative countries (the USA primarily). Giving about a fifth or quarter or even a larger share of GDP in taxes to support the government is part of the recipe for a strong middle class in nearly all those countries. Sharing the wealth a bit make a richer society. And if you have means, why not give, as all indications are that a strong public sector yields benefits too. We need to raise our families in the larger society, and all the wealth and tax breaks in the world would not make me want to live in, say, Somalia. In contrast, if a job opened up in Norway or Sweden, I would consider it, even with much higher taxes.
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Old 05-06-2012, 12:53 PM
 
10,875 posts, read 13,780,878 times
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Those that are very wealthy and vote democrat aren't voting against their own self interest, as they stand up for what the founding father's wanted to allow everyone the opportunity to the american dream, not just the very rich.
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Old 05-06-2012, 12:54 PM
 
9,848 posts, read 8,263,213 times
Reputation: 3296
"Thou Shall Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Goods"

That pretty much sums it up.
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Old 05-06-2012, 01:08 PM
 
Location: Unperson Everyman Land
38,619 posts, read 26,282,218 times
Reputation: 12634
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trampass View Post
Remember the book,"What's The Matter with Kansas"by Thomas Frank? In it,he complains about his own native state of Kansas wrongly voting for Republicans who's policies favor the wealthy. He complains Republicans have used wedge issues to distract voters away from their alledged self interst. As if big government is in the best interest of people.
Anyways,it got me to thinking. Could you not argue trhat many Democrat/Obama voters are voting against their own self interst? After all,look at high income areas like the Silicon Valley,the northshore suburbs of Chicago,the Philly suburbs. They include many wealthy or at least higher income people. Are they simply supporting Dems because it's considered fashionable? Are they that obsessed with social liberalism they will support candidates who will raise their taxes and could regulate them out of business?

Regulations are for the little guy and those not connected to powerful Democratic politicians. Look at the number of Obama donors (unions) who got Obamacare waivers. It's the others who will foot the bill. Obama's friends won't shed a tear when their competition is regulated out of business.

As for taxes on the wealthy, be sure to let me know when democrats stop talking about taxes on billionaires and actually raise them. Last I heard Democrats waited until after the midterms to extend those evil, economy destroying Bush (now Obama) tax cuts for billionaires.
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Old 05-06-2012, 01:24 PM
 
Location: USA - midwest
5,944 posts, read 5,571,036 times
Reputation: 2606
Quote:
Originally Posted by freightshaker View Post
Stereotype much??
I'm not in Arizona, where stereotyping is the law.
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Old 05-06-2012, 01:39 PM
 
Location: US Empire, Pac NW
5,003 posts, read 12,331,630 times
Reputation: 4125
Typically highly paid professionals live in cities.

In cities, you need social services that don't exist or are needed less in the rural and suburban areas.

For example, in cities, you need trash, sewer, police, fire brigade, road, utilities, etc. This is all needed in greater quantities, and typically greater cost, than in suburbs and rural areas.

You also need libraries, parks and recreation (can't just be all concrete jungle), the administration to manage them, public transit to move people around, tourism / advertising agencies to hawk the location, health, safety, and environment agencies, planning agencies, courts, etc.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

People in the countryside and some suburbs don't comprehend that all this is necessary in cities. They wonder "well why can't ya just do it all for $1.50 and such?" Well it isn't possible.

With all these services breeds a typical Democratic outlook because of all the open minded ness that needs to go on.
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