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I'm not a paleo-conservative or a "Neanderthal Republican"; I'm officially registered as a Libertarian, but do this only to keep another alternative to the two major parties on the ballot. I voted for Johnson in the 2016 presidential election, but without much enthusiasm, but will readily admit I was delighted to see the Clinton-Obama coalition fall apart, and am disgusted by the behavior of the radicals and misfits who call themselves "progressives".
My father and grandfather were farmers; in Grand-Dad's time, mechanization of farming was still in its infancy, so during busy seasons, he relied on the "Poor District" to supply extra labor; obviously, it wasn't "desirable" work, but the arrangement got the job done.
The flowering of the manufacturing-, and later, the service-based economies changed all this. The prospect of loss of a steady source of income through no one's fault underscored the need for a "safety net", and I've benefitted as much from it as anybody else. But a lot of people out there simply don't acknowledge that it was the small entrepreneur -- the type of person who a lot of the juveniles at this site like to smear as a "teabagger" -- who paid the heaviest price.
I divide my time between two small communities -- both with a population of less than 3000, and both of predominately Anglo-Saxon heritage. But far more-cosmopolitan communities lie within a half-hours' drive of both, and between employment, education, and in many cases, previous military service, the overwhelming majority of us know that the real world is nothing like "Ward Cleaver's neighborhood".
And I have a number of friends, some of them from college days (large state-supported university) who identify as "liberals"; to me, a liberal should be able to identify with Voltaire's famous observation that 'I may disagree with what you say, but will defend your right to say it'; but I can find little of this spirit in the authoritarianism disguised as Political Correctness.
And I can see very little evidence of this spirit, and plenty of raw hatred, in the collection of single-issue misfits and losers into which the Democratic Party continues to degenerate.
When I enter a voting booth, I do so not with a view toward what some party hack can offer me (usually at someone else's expense), but with what I have to lose -- not in terms of financial benefit, but in erosion of values, principles and standards which have served the responsible, including the responsible in minority communities, for decades. Work, continued education and, in recent days, volunteer work as a semi-retiree have given me exposure to the influence of the nation's fast-growing non-profit sector, which is going to wield increasing influence with the passing of each generation., and the increasing bequests of the fruits of their lives' work, provided the looters and influence-peddlers don't get their hands on it first.
But what do I see among the Democrats? First, I see a lot of people who just aren't cutting the mustard. Some are too far along in life to expect much of a future, and I don't begrudge them the basics of living out their days in basic dignity. But I see a considerably larger group who simply refuse to play the game because they resent some of the rules; most of us have a healthy dose of rebellion in our psyches -- that's why a lot of our ancestors ended up here. but each of us has to analyze our own portfolio of wants and needs, what to hold to and what to compromise upon, and the politician who says we can have it all and that (s)he can get it from the fruits of somebody else's efforts. is peddling snake oil.
Despite the usual recycling of answers that date from the 1930's, a lot of people proved they were wise to this a year ago. It's time -- in fact, well past time. that the pragmatic contingents in both major parties let the dreamers, dead weight and spoiled children find their own way -- we already know they're not gonna like it.
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 10-26-2017 at 12:07 PM..
I'm not a paleo-conservative or a "Neanderthal Republican"; I'm officially registered as a Libertarian, but do this only to keep another alternative to the two major parties on the ballot. I voted for Johnson in the 2016 presidential election, but without much enthusiasm, but will readily admit I was delighted to see the Clinton-Obama coalition fall apart, and am disgusted by the behavior of the radicals and misfits who call themselves "progressives".
My father and grandfather were farmers; in Grand-Dad's time, mechanization of farming was still in its infancy, so during busy seasons, he relied on the "Poor District" to supply extra labor; obviously, it wasn't "desirable" work, but the arrangement got the job done.
The flowering of the manufacturing-, and later, the service-based economies changed all this. The prospect of loss of a steady source of income through no one's fault underscored the need for a "safety net", and I've benefitted as much from it as anybody else. But a lot of people out there simply don't acknowledge that it was the small entrepreneur -- the type of person who a lot of the juveniles at this site like to smear as a "teabagger" -- who paid the heaviest price.
I divide my time between two small communities -- both with a population of less than 3000, and both of predominately Anglo-Saxon heritage. But far more-cosmopolitan communities lie within a half-hours' drive of both, and between employment, education, and in many cases, previous military service, the overwhelming majority of us know that the real world is nothing like "Ward Cleaver's neighborhood".
And I have a number of friends, some of them from college days (large state-supported university) who identify as "liberals"; to me, a liberal should be able to identify with Voltaire's famous observation that 'I may disagree with what you say, but will defend your right to say it'; but I can find little of this spirit in the authoritarianism disguised as Political Correctness.
And I can see very little evidence of this spirit, and plenty of raw hatred, in the collection of single-issue misfits and losers into which the Democratic Party continues to degenerate.
When I enter a voting booth, I do so not with a view toward what some party hack can offer me (usually at someone else's expense), but with what I have to lose -- not in terms of financial benefit, but in erosion of values, principles and standards which have served the responsible, including the responsible in minority communities, for decades. Work, continued education and, in recent days, volunteer work as a semi-retiree have given me exposure to the influence of the nation's fast-growing non-profit sector, which is going to wield increasing influence with the passing of each generation., and the increasing bequests of the fruits of their lives' work, provided the looters and influence-peddlers don't get their hands on it first.
But what do I see among the Democrats? First, I see a lot of people who just aren't cutting the mustard. Some are too far along in life to expect much of a future, and I don't begrudge them the basics of living out their days in basic dignity. But I see a considerably larger group who simply refuse to play the game because they resent some of the rules; most of us have a healthy dose of rebellion in our psyches -- that's why a lot of our ancestors ended up here. but each of us has to analyze our own portfolio of wants and needs, what to hold to and what to compromise upon, and the politician who says we can have it all and that (s)he can get it from the fruits of somebody else's efforts. is peddling snake oil.
Despite the usual recycling of answers that date from the 1930's, a lot of people proved they were wise to this a year ago. It's time -- in fact, well past time. that the pragmatic contingents in both major parties let the dreamers, dead weight and spoiled children find their own way -- we already know they're not gonna like it.
I'm pretty liberal.
Well, I used to be considered pretty liberal, now I'm probably considered a centrist.
I used to think I aligned with progressives, but the more they seem to support communist-esque ideals the less I want to have to do with them.
By and large, I agree with most of the things you said. I had this conversation with my wife that while we may not be fond of the system, we still have to live in it, and we can complain about it all day and put our efforts into "fighting for change" and essentially end up nowhere better, or we can learn how to succeed within the current system and see where it takes us. I see liberals and conservatives complain about the system, but the successful ones seem to learn how to prosper regardless, it's more a matter of will.
We both had business ideas but hers is less risky so she's taking a stab at it and it's showing real promise. She now has a better grasp on what it means to start and run your own business and all the stuff that comes with it. I told her it would put a test to her ideals and I think I've been right so far.
I always tell people that only 4-5 issues prevent me from considering voting Dem (taxes, 2nd amendment, education reform, the federal judiciary, and illegal immigration). If they were to moderate on those issues, Dems would get my vote and would probably have a lock on American politics.
I'm not a paleo-conservative or a "Neanderthal Republican"; I'm officially registered as a Libertarian, but do this only to keep another alternative to the two major parties on the ballot. I voted for Johnson in the 2016 presidential election, but without much enthusiasm, but will readily admit I was delighted to see the Clinton-Obama coalition fall apart, and am disgusted by the behavior of the radicals and misfits who call themselves "progressives".
My father and grandfather were farmers; in Grand-Dad's time, mechanization of farming was still in its infancy, so during busy seasons, he relied on the "Poor District" to supply extra labor; obviously, it wasn't "desirable" work, but the arrangement got the job done.
The flowering of the manufacturing-, and later, the service-based economies changed all this. The prospect of loss of a steady source of income through no one's fault underscored the need for a "safety net", and I've benefitted as much from it as anybody else. But a lot of people out there simply don't acknowledge that it was the small entrepreneur -- the type of person who a lot of the juveniles at this site like to smear as a "teabagger" -- who paid the heaviest price.
I divide my time between two small communities -- both with a population of less than 3000, and both of predominately Anglo-Saxon heritage. But far more-cosmopolitan communities lie within a half-hours' drive of both, and between employment, education, and in many cases, previous military service, the overwhelming majority of us know that the real world is nothing like "Ward Cleaver's neighborhood".
And I have a number of friends, some of them from college days (large state-supported university) who identify as "liberals"; to me, a liberal should be able to identify with Voltaire's famous observation that 'I may disagree with what you say, but will defend your right to say it'; but I can find little of this spirit in the authoritarianism disguised as Political Correctness.
And I can see very little evidence of this spirit, and plenty of raw hatred, in the collection of single-issue misfits and losers into which the Democratic Party continues to degenerate.
When I enter a voting booth, I do so not with a view toward what some party hack can offer me (usually at someone else's expense), but with what I have to lose -- not in terms of financial benefit, but in erosion of values, principles and standards which have served the responsible, including the responsible in minority communities, for decades. Work, continued education and, in recent days, volunteer work as a semi-retiree have given me exposure to the influence of the nation's fast-growing non-profit sector, which is going to wield increasing influence with the passing of each generation., and the increasing bequests of the fruits of their lives' work, provided the looters and influence-peddlers don't get their hands on it first.
But what do I see among the Democrats? First, I see a lot of people who just aren't cutting the mustard. Some are too far along in life to expect much of a future, and I don't begrudge them the basics of living out their days in basic dignity. But I see a considerably larger group who simply refuse to play the game because they resent some of the rules; most of us have a healthy dose of rebellion in our psyches -- that's why a lot of our ancestors ended up here. but each of us has to analyze our own portfolio of wants and needs, what to hold to and what to compromise upon, and the politician who says we can have it all and that (s)he can get it from the fruits of somebody else's efforts. is peddling snake oil.
Despite the usual recycling of answers that date from the 1930's, a lot of people proved they were wise to this a year ago. It's time -- in fact, well past time. that the pragmatic contingents in both major parties let the dreamers, dead weight and spoiled children find their own way -- we already know they're not gonna like it.
Every generation says the same thing about the next. The fact is they will surpass you in intelligence and technology just like every other generation before us. There was always spoiled and dead weight children but look what they have done to this world. I don't think you're going to like what's in store for you when you can't understand the technology advanced by them.
This thread isn't about technology. but I'll point out that the same "progress" that gave us smart phones has also given us texting while driving. Technology has made a lot of the grittier features of many jobs less trying, but once most people get a full belly and a warm, dry place to sleep, the next of their wants usually involves the input of someone else's time, attention, and subservience.
Too many of the younger participants at C-D have fallen under the delusion that technical progress can eliminate all need for work and structure -- that the robots can do it all, and a shorter workday is just around the corner. But the unfortunate fact is that there are plenty of tasks which require either dexterity, or an "overload of input" that an algorithm isn't capable of sorting out. And those tasks often call for "soft skills" -- working with the elderly, the irrational, or other challenges we 'd rather not talk about.
And I shouldn't have to point out (even though I myself came to grips with it far too late) that the fine art of management usually revolves around the imposition of structure -- getting your underlings to do more than the minimum, and usually in a more menial capacity, than what they imagine they're capable of, or entitled to. And all for a pittance of a salary which is only negotiated when they can be put on the defensive -- as they, the managers, will be put upon by their superiors.
These "inconvenient truths" are some of the realities of life in the post-industrial economy; the jobs on the lowest rungs of the "pecking order" won't go away, and as global economic forces (which are not the result of some supposed conspiracy) level the playing field, fewer people from other societies will come here to do them for us.
This scenario. and not dome Jetsonesque fantasy from the pages of Popular Science is what every one of us faces, and each generation has had to face as we leave a sheltered campus environment for the real world; some of us devolve into "failure to launch" and never get out of the pit, but most of us stabilize and move on, albeit -- to borrow from Pink Floyd -- having "missed the starting gun"; it's only the absolute dead weight who go whining constantly to Big Brother and the Democrats.
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 10-27-2017 at 12:20 AM..
I always tell people that only 4-5 issues prevent me from considering voting Dem (taxes, 2nd amendment, education reform, the federal judiciary, and illegal immigration). If they were to moderate on those issues, Dems would get my vote and would probably have a lock on American politics.
Your comment doesnt make sense, specifically the federal judiciary one.
This thread isn't about technology. but I'll point out that the same "progress" that gave us smart phones has also given us texting while driving. Technology has made a lot of the grittier features of many jobs less trying, but once most people get a full belly and a warm, dry place to sleep, the next of their wants usually involves the input of someone else's time, attention, and subservience.
Too many of the younger participants at C-D have fallen under the delusion that technical progress can eliminate all need for work and structure -- that the robots can do it all. But the unfortunate fact is that there are plenty of tasks which require either dexterity, or an "overload of input" that an algorithm isn't capable of sorting out. And those tasks often call for "soft skills" -- working with the elderly, the irrational, or other challenges we 'd rather not talk about.
And I shouldn't have to point out (even though I myself came to grips with it far too late) that the fine art of management usually revolves around the imposition of structure -- getting your underlings to do more than the minimum, and usually in a more menial capacity, than what they imagine they're capable of. And all for a pittance of a salary which is only negotiated when they can be put on the defensive.
These "inconvenient truths" are some of the realities of life in the post-industrial economy; the jobs on the lowest rungs of the "pecking order' won't go away, and as global economic forces (which are not the result of some supposed conspiracy) level the playing field, fewer people from from other societies will come here to do them for us.
This generation and next will be just fine so stop worrying. They will be more advanced then we are now.
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