Bellingham area sitings of Confederate flag while visiting (Republic: home, vs.)

[rantiquity]

Originally Posted by west seattle gal

Just for reference, and since the typical Confederate waving racist tends also to vote Republican, I want to point out that Bham is strongly Bernie country (and I'm not saying all Republicans are racist, just addressing one subset). Bham feels like one large Seattle neighborhood, the people are the same. Many in Bham have moved here from Seattle to escape the traffic and high cost of living, in fact. The community is equally liberal, educated, outdoors-loving, community focused, organic embracing, generally fit, coffee loving, dog loving, crazy bike loving, etc... I saw my first Trump sign ever in an adjacent rural area, around Ferndale.

You do know that the KKK was originally started by democrats in both the north and south after the civil war don't you?

(And personally I am for Clinton!)

Why?

[rantiquity]

Originally Posted by mhays25

Wow the schools must be pretty bad in your area.

You're talking about the parties of generations ago. The parties have changed positions and position dramatically since then.

The democratic party is still the democratic party only wrapped in a different cover.

[rantiquity]

Originally Posted by west seattle gal

I'm sure you are aware that the "democrats" of old are the heritage party of the republicans today? They switched their name/platform. Explanation:

Why Did the Democratic and Republican Parties Switch Platforms? | Democrats & Republicans

Democrats and Republicans Switched Platforms - Fact or Myth?

When I grew up in N.C., I knew many then Jesse Helms type democrats who always voted Republican. Their registration Democrat per their heritage, but the ideology was racist, Bible thumping conservative. Obviously today's party does not reflect racist ideology -- look at our candidates....and compare that with the Republican contender.

Okay...Hillary the queen of corruption and bald faced lair. Tax evader, Email scandal, Clinton foundation slush fund, White water, travel gate, Chinagate bribery scandal, filegate, cattle-futures miracle ($1K into 100K in less then a year), Lootergate, Yung Yuen Hsu scandal, Rose law firm double billing scandal and do nothing Sec of State...wait she gave us Libya, Arab spring, Yemen and Syria not to mention give away the Crimea to the Russian without a whimper.

Yeah...Hillary is quite the prize.

On March 28 Hillary was leading Trump 50-38 and today its down to 45-42 with Trump leading in two polls.

On top of that Trump defeated 16 other republican candidates and Hillary couldn't even beat one old man. Priceless....

RealClearPolitics - Election 2016 - General Election: Trump vs. Clinton

hillary laughing - Bing video

[west seattle gal]

Rantiquity, your views are definitely shared by certain rural pockets in this country. Fox news polls agree with your cited info, too.

[rantiquity]

Originally Posted by west seattle gal

Rantiquity, your views are definitely shared by certain rural pockets in this country. Fox news polls agree with your cited info, too.

Why is that? What is it about the urban areas that seem more liberal than in rural areas? Why do city people flee urban areas for rural areas when they retire...do they grow wiser intellectually as they grow older?

[bartonizer]

Originally Posted by rantiquity

Why is that? What is it about the urban areas that seem more liberal than in rural areas? Why do city people flee urban areas for rural areas when they retire...do they grow wiser intellectually as they grow older?

Okay, I'll bite, but not about your completely nonsensical insinuation that it's been conservatives that have historically cared about equality and civil rights. Give me a break.

People do tend to get more conservative with old age as they have a tougher time, understandably, dealing with a changing and evolving society.

But the biggest reason people flee to rural areas when they retire is simply economic. It's generally far less expensive to live in rural areas than the city, and when your earning years are over, you're generally on a fixed income and need to live more frugally. Then you (hopefully) cash out on your equity and enjoy a slower paced and less expensive lifestyle. Does that help answer your question?

[Seacove]

Originally Posted by bartonizer

Okay, I'll bite, but not about your completely nonsensical insinuation that it's been conservatives that have historically cared about equality and civil rights. Give me a break.

People do tend to get more conservative with old age as they have a tougher time, understandably, dealing with a changing and evolving society.

But the biggest reason people flee to rural areas when they retire is simply economic. It's generally far less expensive to live in rural areas than the city, and when your earning years are over, you're generally on a fixed income and need to live more frugally. Then you (hopefully) cash out on your equity and enjoy a slower paced and less expensive lifestyle. Does that help answer your question?

Can't rep you again so

[rantiquity]

1. Originally Posted by bartonizer

   Okay, I'll bite, but not about your completely nonsensical insinuation that it's been conservatives that have historically cared about equality and civil rights. Give me a break.

Big shocker to you...people are more concerned about the economy and terrorism then about equality and civil rights. Try to catch up!

CBS Poll: dated April 8-12, 2016
The economy, jobs 19
Terrorism, Islamic extremism, ISIS 7
Immigration, illegal immigrants 5

People do tend to get more conservative with old age as they have a tougher time, understandably, dealing with a changing and evolving society.

Priceless....

But the biggest reason people flee to rural areas when they retire is simply economic. It's generally far less expensive to live in rural areas than the city, and when your earning years are over, you're generally on a fixed income and need to live more frugally. Then you (hopefully) cash out on your equity and enjoy a slower paced and less expensive lifestyle. Does that help answer your question?

There are many reason why people leave the city and move to a quieter life. If it was just simply economic they would stay put in a home which is probably paid for. Cashing out the equity of city home and moving out to the suburbs is more likely to get away from urban sprawl and crushing traffic. If you have time you should visit the Peninsula and see all the 1-5 acre plots with very expensive houses in the Dungeness valley. They don't look like frugal living to me.

[PS90]

Originally Posted by bartonizer

People do tend to get more conservative with old age as they have a tougher time, understandably, dealing with a changing and evolving society.

Seriously? Is this your opinion, or do you really think that is fact? What's your support for that comment?

How do you know that people just don't start to reject the idealistic, impractical whimsies that liberals are always pushing for, as they get wiser with age?

[bartonizer]

Rantiquity and PS90, thanks for taking this thread in a new direction. I think you're taking things a bit personally, and I'd like to address your concerns before circling back.

Rantiquity, yes, people are concerned with the economy. It's really a mixed bag about which party has really a better record, though, so I'm not sure what advantage you think Republicans have in this argument. Nice deflection from my comment about the historical trends regarding civil rights, though. You may not think that those issues are important, but from my opinion every bit as American as yours, I think that freedom and justice for all are important cornerstones to who we are as a country.

As to my comments about people tending to become more conservative in their older age- it's not an insult, it's a general social trend, and not one limited to the United States. So I'll address both of you now. Rantiquity, as you said to me, please try to pay attention. PS90, I'm glad that you asked how I arrived at that conclusion. Let me start by saying that with one undergraduate degree in Sociology, another degree in Psychology and Human Services (with several courses on Gerontology and Aging), and finally a Master's Degree in Applied Communications (with quite a few statistical courses sprinkled in along the way), I feel confident in the quantitative and qualitative information that supports me making such a statement on the subject.

Again, this is a generalization. But I find it humorous that you apparently don't think that people have ever examined the subject in depth. So here's a nice article that helps explain what I said, based on 92 scientific studies: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...e-conservative

To summarize, the author points out three main reasons why people become conservative as they age:

1) Personality Related- Intellectual curiosity tends to decline

2) Judgement- Information-processing abilities decrease over time

3) Familiarity- The ability to adapt to changes becomes more difficult over time

Take time to read the article that I linked to, and then feel free to present your counter to their conclusion.

Finally back to Rantiquity, again my comments are a generalization. Most people that retire and cash out equity from their appreciating homes in town buy a less expensive place outside the city and subsequently have extra money in their pockets. Again, they're often on a fixed income, which means that the chances to earn chunks of extra capital are limited at that point in their lives. Of course, as you mentioned, they often prefer a slower pace of life. But people of moderate incomes and lifestyles generally aren't the ones trading up for the huge houses on huge lots.

Taking it back to the topic, many of the older people in Bellingham buck the trend, seeming to enjoy the progressive atmosphere and remaining in their semi-urban houses. Having a major university in town also helps to add to the educated environment. One of the reasons we just bought a house here is because we could see ourselves retiring and living in town, as the retirees here are far, far different that many I encountered in FL and NC, growing up. Somehow they've shielded their brains from the degradation that seems to naturally turn many younger people into conservatives. I kid, I kid. Thank you both for taking the time to read the rationale for my earlier statement. Have a great rest of the weekend.