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I'm 27 and my politics have shifted over the years. Up until about 21, I was extremely liberal - socially, economically, and in international affairs. When I was 21-22, I had some crises in my personal life that lead me to believe my liberalism was leading me down a road to ruin. During the first Obama campaign, I was a young person that went from a liberal Democrat to a moderate Republican and I voted for McCain. I hung out with the campus hawks, a pro-Israeli crowd, and the World Net Daily bunch. I remained a steady Republican for about two more years.
I remember watching the market crashes of 2008 in horror from my college classrooms. I hoped there would be a bailout. I hoped GWB would shelve the opinions of extreme party members and save the financial system. He did.
I've watched my family's wealth decline due to the recession. I've watched our formerly working class hometown in east TN become infested with painkillers and shake and bake meth labs. I've watched my formerly decent town go down road the road of Detroit.
Over the last year or so, my politics have moderated somewhat. As I've traveled, I've noticed that blue states I've lived in have tended to weather the recession better than the red states I've lived in. The people in blues states seem generally more competent, peaceful, and prosperous. Yet I also see that where I'm at now (Massachusetts) seems to pass rather silly or unenforceable nanny state laws (you must take a cleansing shower with soap and water before getting into a pool, for one) that would never fly in a red state like TN. There's also a much higher level of overall taxation, and economic restriction, in blue states like MA vs. red states like TN. But in the red states there is a much higher level of social restriction (cannot even buy wine in TN grocery stores, no gay marriage, no legal weed) than in blue states like MA or WA.
If I've learned anything from the recession, it's that a lack of economic prosperity breeds other social dysfunctions and that getting a state, city, or whatever to become prosperous is the primary goal. How you reach the goal seems to be secondary to the ends.
What have you learned as a result of the economic climate and have your views changed because of the economic difficulties?
Status:
"everybody getting reported now.."
(set 26 days ago)
Location: Pine Grove,AL
29,568 posts, read 16,556,695 times
Reputation: 6044
I live in Alabama, and there are signs posted at my local city pool telling people to bathe before entering the pool. Im guessing thats just something you didnt notice in Tennessee rather than something that didnt happen.
As for laws, The South hates central planning for some reasons, my County is a tourist county with large sections of the county completely undeveloped but growing fast. Schools are to small and to spread out, roads need to be widened, services put in place for future development and so on. Well back in 2008, The county commissioners actually decided to plan ahead. It got approved, then in 2012, this happened.
BAY MINETTE, Alabama -- Egged on by a large crowd invoking property rights, United Nations Agenda 21, the U.S. Constitution and even the Communist Manifesto, the Baldwin County Commission killed the Horizon 2025 comprehensive plan today.
Following the 3-1 vote, many in the audience sang "God Bless America."
"This battle is about more than just planning," said commission Chairman Bob James. "This battle is to protect the Constitution of the United States and, to me, the Ten Commandments."
.............
Several speakers derided the language in the plan that described it as being advisory only and offering guidelines for development. James agreed, saying that Mao Tse-tung, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini espoused philosophies that were originally guidelines, and millions of people were killed.
Richard Thompson of Fairhope presented commissioners with copies of the 10 planks of the Communist Manifesto from Wikipedia. "We’re getting real close to the communistic plan here. Maybe with a little "c," not a big "C."
Speakers also said Horizon 2025 was tied into U.N. Agenda 21, which promotes sustainable development, and a few even tried to connect it with what they said was an attempt by the U.N. to get the United States to repeal the Second Amendment right to possess arms.
Nope, can't say it's changed me politically much at all. While I like to think I am quite variable politically based on what issue is at hand, when talking fiscal policy and regulation of Wall Street (i.e. those policies that directly lead to the recession) I would definitely fall on the side of American Liberals (yes, I am a Paul Krugman fan boy). I still blame the Republicans for their decidedly overly-liberal love of deregulation of financial institutions and their tools that lead to the recession in the first place (a field that I know well, having worked directly in it for many years), and, while I am not in love with other guys either, I am gratified to see that in such a situation as America found itself in 2008, the art of democracy actually worked for a change; voter's wised-up and kicked the party of perpetually-bad-fiscal-policy out of office and replaced them with the party of intermittently-bad-fiscal-policy instead, and the previously uncontrolled fiscal haemorrhaging was at least given a tourniquet. I also still wish we weren't tied to this two-party system here in America, because generally the fiscal policies on both sides of the aisle leave much to be desired. These are all attitudes I have held for several decades and the recession has only bolstered my positions on such matters.
As I have grown wiser, more educated, and done well financially, one thing has become clear: when Republicans have their way, the country does WORSE. My view of the absurdity of the GOP has been FORTIFIED after watching that idiot lark Reagan with his "trickle down" or "voodoo" economics, and the eight horrific years we endured under the village idiot George Bush trying to do the same thing. The GOP has sunk to an all-time low with the tea party downgrade and the most pathetic GOP representation in Congress in history. They only care about the deficit and spending when a Democrat is at the helm. Absolutely clueless when it comes to economics, and blowhards to sucker some people into believing the opposite.
I am more sure than every before that when you talk about economics, the Republican/Conservative view must be ignored, since it is ALWAYS entirely wrong.
Status:
"Smartened up and walked away!"
(set 29 days ago)
11,800 posts, read 5,804,343 times
Reputation: 14223
And I'm just the opposite - life long Democrat who over the years has become much more conservative after watching my party make a nation of Americans dependent on the gov't. Lots of promises and no actual results. A president, who makes a mockery of marriage and the White House. A first lady, who instead of telling him to f off, stands by him so as not to ruin her own political aspirations. A current President who has back peddled on each and every promise that he's made.
Gone are the true Democrats, who fight for the rights of all people - rich or poor. Gone are the true Democrats that lent a helping hand but only until that person was able to provide for themselves. Gone are the true Democrats that had ethics and morals - especially when representing this country.
As I've traveled, I've noticed that blue states I've lived in have tended to weather the recession better than the red states I've lived in. The people in blues states seem generally more competent, peaceful, and prosperous.
Where do you think all the deficit spending went? All that printed money went to the big blue cities.
but the only way one could say that the blue states are better, is if you believe handing out massive amounts of welfare and then pretending the people arent poorer as a result is true.
Completely ridiculous, and not even close to true. Growth in red states isnt just greater than blue, its far greater
As I have grown wiser, more educated, and done well financially, one thing has become clear: when Republicans have their way, the country does WORSE. My view of the absurdity of the GOP has been FORTIFIED after watching that idiot lark Reagan with his "trickle down" or "voodoo" economics, and the eight horrific years we endured under the village idiot George Bush trying to do the same thing. The GOP has sunk to an all-time low with the tea party downgrade and the most pathetic GOP representation in Congress in history. They only care about the deficit and spending when a Democrat is at the helm. Absolutely clueless when it comes to economics, and blowhards to sucker some people into believing the opposite.
I am more sure than every before that when you talk about economics, the Republican/Conservative view must be ignored, since it is ALWAYS entirely wrong.
Yeah, we're all doing 100x better than we were when Democrats took over the Congress in 2008. Hell, they even ignored the warnings the Bush adminsitration was saying beginning in 2002, that we were going to have a recession,
Good thing we didnt listen to him because that recession never came that the Democrats laughed over.
As I have grown wiser, more educated, and done well financially, one thing has become clear: when Republicans have their way, the country does WORSE. My view of the absurdity of the GOP has been FORTIFIED after watching that idiot lark Reagan with his "trickle down" or "voodoo" economics, and the eight horrific years we endured under the village idiot George Bush trying to do the same thing. The GOP has sunk to an all-time low with the tea party downgrade and the most pathetic GOP representation in Congress in history. They only care about the deficit and spending when a Democrat is at the helm. Absolutely clueless when it comes to economics, and blowhards to sucker some people into believing the opposite.
I am more sure than every before that when you talk about economics, the Republican/Conservative view must be ignored, since it is ALWAYS entirely wrong.
Haha....what was the UE rate during those 8 years?
Go ahead...I'll wait till you find it...if you're honest with yourself...you'll post it...
Yeah, we're all doing 100x better than we were when Democrats took over the Congress in 2008. Hell, they even ignored the warnings the Bush adminsitration was saying beginning in 2002, that we were going to have a recession,
Good thing we didnt listen to him because that recession never came that the Democrats laughed over.
The Democrats took over congress(both houses) in Jan of 2007. Before the end of 2007, the economy had taken a turn downward.
In less than 2 years they crashed the economy. Then they blamed it on GW. Bush, who just signs what crosses his desk.
No, that was not the Bush administration saying that we were headed for doom. It was Ron Paul and only Ron Paul that had a clue.
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My views have been strengthened
My view of the absurdity of the GOP has been FORTIFIED after watching that idiot lark Reagan with his "trickle down" or "voodoo" economics, and the eight horrific years we endured under the village idiot George Bush trying to do the same thing. The GOP has sunk to an all-time low with the tea party downgrade and the most pathetic GOP representation in Congress in history. They only care about the deficit and spending when a Democrat is at the helm. Absolutely clueless when it comes to economics, and blowhards to sucker some people into believing the opposite.
