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America is divided in many ways for many reasons...
For example, there are Americans who can discuss their political/ideological differences in an adult, intelligent and civil manner. On the other hand there are Americans who can only do so by belittling, insulting and being childish.
Which is Trump? Which is Obama? Who are you?
I'd say the divide is among those who believe we should pay for what we do - and be tight with money at the government level.....and those who raise debt and deficit ONLY to put money into the coffers of a certain few.
Many, if not most, Americans can be "bought off" by a tax cut (even from deficit), a job (even making killing machines for an enlarged military) or any other source of money.
The GOP told us they were going to balance the budget, lower the deficit and pay off the debt. In fact, they said it in much stronger words - that the country would cease to exist unless we did.
Now they do the complete opposite...and the amazing thing is that they don't even have to make excuses for it. Nor do their voters hold them to it. Just gimme some money and I'll be quiet.....
Amazing. This has to be the biggest Waffle of all time. And all the new Military money? We never spend money on things we don't use. Get ready to continue policing the world....another Trump promise broken (weren't we gonna work on domestic stuff....instead, we ripped health care from the most vulnerable and borrowed money to give to billionaires).
There is no way to bridge this divide....because selfishness knows no bounds.
I'd say the divide is among those who believe we should pay for what we do - and be tight with money at the government level.....and those who raise debt and deficit ONLY to put money into the coffers of a certain few.
You mean more money given to BIG Government to waste, and the politicians to get rich, right? Or like when Obama gave it to GM, Wall Street, Insurance companies, banks, and Solyndra types?
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Many, if not most, Americans can be "bought off" by a tax cut (even from deficit), a job (even making killing machines for an enlarged military) or any other source of money.
The GOP told us they were going to balance the budget, lower the deficit and pay off the debt. In fact, they said it in much stronger words - that the country would cease to exist unless we did.
The GOP has no motivation to reduce the size of government, nor spending. They are the same as Democrats. Trump is not the GOP, and is only one man. The Establishment Republicans are part of the problem.
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There is no way to bridge this divide....because selfishness knows no bounds.
Yes, it is the selfishness of government wanting more, and more, and some people that want more, and more from the EARNERS through bigger, and bigger government.
Do you voluntarily pay extra in your taxes, or use the tax code for deductions. If not you are a huge hypocrite.
If we could just get a bunch of people who are in the middle and have them run for office, maybe Americans could get back together.
I don't like this split. It doesn't even feel like our country anymore.
It seems as though there's no place to fit in. If I go to the south, there are people walking around with loaded guns--in the streets! Not hunting rifles, but loaded guns to kill people.
If I am in the north, there are people who don't even think our country should protect its borders. Just let anybody walk in. Fine. No background check to see if they've killed someone, no vaccinations or medical check to protect the rest of us from whatever disease they might contract or carry.
And everybody's screaming about race when I thought race was a non issue. Most of us were brought up to believe that we're all the same inside and skin color doesn't matter. We went to school and worked with people of different races. Now all of a sudden races are fighting again as if it's back to the Civil War. And of course we're supposed to hate Muslims--I am rightfully suspicious of a lot of Muslims but just plain outright hatred? No, of course not.
Yeh, we just need a few normal, moderate candidates who think things though and are not all about money and greed. Are there any normal Americans left? Ones who would run for office?
I feel it had not been obvious there being such a negative element before you-know-who stirred things up, bringing what was under the surface, out of the woodwork. Having seen images of outright hatefulness and horrific behavior was shocking and shameful. I thought the country had come much farther than that, but it has shown how some are still in the dark and how much needs to change for the better.
I thought it was garbage. Consumerist trash for people fond of mental masturbation. The only thing sad about it is that so many people think it was good.
Is that what *you* truly think Americanism is? If you do, then you don't understand America at all.
You also fail to understand the quote from Mein Kampf, and have taken it completely out of context and used it to justify an unAmerican view of America.
Hitler was referring to something else: that the colonialism practiced by Western Societies was decadent in a way that couldn't meet the expectations of the Reich Fuhrer for a high-culture civilization suitable for GERMANS to inhabit. In other words, he is indicting the failures of economic colonialism - focused as it is on maximizing profit - and achieving that through exploitative practices like the extraction of resources and by encouraging formerly agrarian societies to industrialize and engage in high levels of consumerism.
Americanism isn't materialism and hedonism. Don't put any credence in the lines in some stupid movie. That's just Hollywood. You're going to take the spewing of some coke-addicted Hollywood screenwriter as some kind of authority on political philosophy or Americanism? Like all movies, Hollywood of course had an agenda to push with "Good Morning Vietnam" - which is the agenda of subverting American values, diminishing patriotism, and of course, smearing the country and its people as bad/evil/ineffectual.
Like most modern war movies, GMV was a morality play. And the villain was the USA.
C'mon now, that's a bold exaggeration. Most people who carry guns and are law-abiding people and not gangsters and thugs, carry them for their own defense. There is no aggressive or hostile intention on the part of MOST people who carry guns for this purpose. People who carry guns so they can carry out acts of aggression and further their criminal enterprise are the main threat to any of us, and those people do not carry their guns openly. (Well, except for the police)
Those people are all over - they're called liberals. Or progressives, or whatever they are calling themselves lately.
Everyone? Again, it is mostly liberals. People weren't "screaming about race" before Obama got on the scene and promoted and encouraged Identity Politics, and made it official government policy.
Well, that is clearly a lie. Who told you that? On the other hand, skin color is of little import, and it *shouldn't* matter. However, that is not the same thing as "doesn't matter".
Who told you that you're supposed to hate Muslims? Its true that they have no business in the West, because their beliefs are fundamentally incompatible with the values of most Western societies, but nobody is saying to "hate" them.
Part of the other shift in society is this focus on demonizing emotions. Not liking or promoting something is now construed as hatred. And even if someone does actually legitimately hate a person or thing, so what? Hate is just an emotion. What, people can't have emotions now? If its okay to love something surely its okay to hate it too. Why discriminate between emotions?
I disagree its fear of a civil conversation - conservatives would welcome that. No, its a chilling effect from liberals getting all hysterical anytime someone disagrees with them. Conservatives don't want to get smacked in the face with a bike lock.
Could not agree more. That's what I have observed as well. I ignore people I know are Progressives. I don't engage them in any way whatsoever, and excise them from my life like cancer - which is how I characterize the impact of their "views".
And since I have purged my circle of friends, associates, and acquaintances of Progs, things have been vastly improved.
Looks like you've covered all your bases...
Although there is much in the way of your notions and sentiments I can't share, I find myself little inspired to attempt yet another round of addressing the likes, but specifically with respect to your comment/reply directed toward mine, I can tell you this. I know more than a few people personally who are both conservative and good friends and/or family of mine. My father-in-law, actually both my father-in-laws who live in Salt Lake City, both very conservative. We all get along extremely well, but the first father-in-law will not talk politics even though he knows he has no such concern that you describe. He simply can't tolerate the other point of view and gets upset even thinking about it. My wife warned me about this early on, since she already knew about his aversion along those lines. My other father-in-law will comment here and there but never engage in any discussion of any depth, mostly because I think he knows what he knows and doesn't really follow politics enough to give him confidence about having a conversation with someone who does.
My sister's father-in-law who is still more conservative (off the charts conservative), I have also met on a few occasions. He just LOVES to talk politics, so we have had an interesting discussion or two, but no one else other than me dares, because he can be so abrasive and insulting it's everything you can do to not bop him in the head and ask how he can stand to think that way.
Your additional comments about "excising" progressives from your circle (I'm a progressive BTW), reminds me of my nephew who makes me look like a conservative by comparison. I once asked him if he didn't have friends who are Republicans (like I do), and he told me he doesn't want any Republicans for friends, and he meant it!
I am tempted to go on about all these types of "divides" that go on out there, most of which I think generate too much emotion for intelligent discussion to have much a chance, but suffice to say "perspective is everything." When your perspective is limited, biased and/or intolerant as it seems you are also expressing, it probably is best not to attempt a discussion at all. Perhaps that IS the more intelligent way to go.
I'd say the divide is among those who believe we should pay for what we do - and be tight with money at the government level.....and those who raise debt and deficit ONLY to put money into the coffers of a certain few.
Many, if not most, Americans can be "bought off" by a tax cut (even from deficit), a job (even making killing machines for an enlarged military) or any other source of money.
The GOP told us they were going to balance the budget, lower the deficit and pay off the debt. In fact, they said it in much stronger words - that the country would cease to exist unless we did.
Now they do the complete opposite...and the amazing thing is that they don't even have to make excuses for it. Nor do their voters hold them to it. Just gimme some money and I'll be quiet.....
Amazing. This has to be the biggest Waffle of all time. And all the new Military money? We never spend money on things we don't use. Get ready to continue policing the world....another Trump promise broken (weren't we gonna work on domestic stuff....instead, we ripped health care from the most vulnerable and borrowed money to give to billionaires).
There is no way to bridge this divide....because selfishness knows no bounds.
Well that's yet another divide anyway...
Most people are not of the mind that we should spend what we can't afford, but how we view this sort of thing from our homes vs in government are two very different animals. Problem we seem to have, as being witnessed right now in fact, is the divide between what some want to tax and spend versus what others want to tax and spend. Neither wanting to go further in debt, but because there is no reconciling those tax and spend priorities, the simple result is more spending to appease both sides that requires more borrowing to accomplish.
You would think there would be some manner in which both sides would be required to reconcile with better fiscal restraint, but that's simply not there. For example, one side wants to spend more money on roads, bridges and the military while cutting taxes. The other side wants to spend more money on roads, bridges and education while not raising taxes...
Solution? Spend more money on roads, bridges, the military and education and let's cut taxes too!
Children don't vote after all, so let's just leave the problem for them to contend with...
I feel it had not been obvious there being such a negative element before you-know-who stirred things up, bringing what was under the surface, out of the woodwork. Having seen images of outright hatefulness and horrific behavior was shocking and shameful. I thought the country had come much farther than that, but it has shown how some are still in the dark and how much needs to change for the better.
Two steps forward, one step back...
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