Good people of the Bay Area, help me dispel or confirm a stereotype? (2014, move to)

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by clongirl

The religious extremists that have taken over an entire political party--- ICK. I'm sure even Reagan would be turning in his grave. I don't understand how people aren't embarrassed and ashamed of calling themselves a Republican nowadays. Like it or not, it's currently associated with some really horrible ignorance and willful disdain for knowledge in the name of Jaysus.

I don't understand how we can't be embarrassed by both political parties these days. The left just gets a better hearing in mainstream media because, other than talk radio, it's run by liberals.

[Matadora]

Originally Posted by Bonez765

Liberals are liberals to me. I only see moderates as different but even, most almost always agree with me when they hear my view points (which aren't even extreme anyway; I just make it more extreme than they are to weed out liberals in hiding and to troll them). The liberals here in the Bay really wander around in the inner core areas. I grew up in the North Bay and very few were extreme liberals. Everything changes once you are in Marin County, Berkeley, Oakland, and SF.

I grew up in the South and the liberals there are nothing like the liberals here.

Liberal here seems distorted into socialism on many levels.

[JeffSanDimas]

Liberals back east and in the Midwest seem to be more on this planet. Their brand of liberalism is more about labor unions and stuff, which is something I get - don't agree with, but I get it. Most democrats from Boston would never label themselves revolutionary Anarcho-socialists or idolize Fidel Castro, whereas out here in CA in my college there are groups on campus like Mecha/Aztlan or Socialist Youth League. Maybe it's because there are more middle class regular folks out there, whereas California has been stratified into the rich (types who live in Santa Monica, Malibu, Marin, Nob Hill etc. who shield themselves from their policies by pricing out the undesirables) or the poor (East Oakland, Inglewood, East Los Angeles types) who love liberal policies and they should because they get free stuff and privileges like American drivers licenses and in state tuition just because they broke the law and crossed a border.

I think the only place in CA I could probably thrive in is SD or Sacto, I feel like there is more average folks there. Too bad the bay and LA has a stranglehold on state politics. Can you believe that this state outside of maybe west Hollywood and SF used to be Nixon Country?

I'm going to either IN, TN, AL, or NC.

[Bonez765]

Originally Posted by Matadora

I grew up in the South and the liberals there are nothing like the liberals here.

Liberal here seems distorted into socialism on many levels.

If what you define as liberal being pro-labor Union (of which I am very pro and I have gotten into very ugly arguments in the economics section with idiots who only repeat the bull**** that Fixed/Fox News says), then I would be in this department. Other than that, I'm as conservative as anybody can be. I was born here in the Bay and I got use to seeing anybody who identified as liberal to be enemy as they almost always were to the extreme.

[Bonez765]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

I don't understand how we can't be embarrassed by both political parties these days. The left just gets a better hearing in mainstream media because, other than talk radio, it's run by liberals.

Both parties suck. One side is full of leftists who are full of themselves. The other side is full of Protestant *******s who are obsessed with getting tax cuts for themselves and their buddies, kill labor unions, and in some extreme instances, go against the constitution (the 1st Amendment to be exact; the federal government shall not give preference to any religion) and try to get religion into politics. Both sides suck.

[Matadora]

Originally Posted by Bonez765

If what you define as liberal being pro-labor Union (of which I am very pro and I have gotten into very ugly arguments in the economics section with idiots who only repeat the bull**** that Fixed/Fox News says), then I would be in this department. Other than that, I'm as conservative as anybody can be. I was born here in the Bay and I got use to seeing anybody who identified as liberal to be enemy as they almost always were to the extreme.

No I grew up in a non Union State.

The one thing that really struck me after moving here was how everyone is so quick to place a political label on others as well as boast about their own.

Liberal people to me are those who are open to progress and new ideas vs. the status quo. They honor the live and let live mindset vs. pointing the finger.

Originally Posted by Bonez765

Both sides suck.

I agree!

[calicoastal]

I don't really identify with either party. Neither supports the middle or working class. That used to be the Democrats' domain, but now they are all about importing cheap labor and taxing workers to pay for a privileged government class. And Republicans just want to drive down wages to help the corporate elite. Both use social issues to make it seem like they are on our side, because that doesn't require they sacrifice money.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by Bonez765

If what you define as liberal being pro-labor Union (of which I am very pro and I have gotten into very ugly arguments in the economics section with idiots who only repeat the bull**** that Fixed/Fox News says), then I would be in this department. Other than that, I'm as conservative as anybody can be. I was born here in the Bay and I got use to seeing anybody who identified as liberal to be enemy as they almost always were to the extreme.

After seeing how BART's unions put a stranglehold on Bay Area commuters a couple years ago, I lost a lot of respect for them. It seems that the original purpose of unions, which was to provide fair wages/treatment, has been lost. Instead, we see a lot of greedy employees who want to be compensated to the max for relatively low skilled jobs. These people are generally on the lazy side. It is really a zero sum game. The management of BART caved in (naturally) and we have some of the highest subway commuting costs in the nation, despite having a run down infrastructure (dirty stations, dirty trains until they are replaced, rude employees, etc.)

[phantompilot]

Originally Posted by roadwarrior101

After seeing how BART's unions put a stranglehold on Bay Area commuters a couple years ago, I lost a lot of respect for them. It seems that the original purpose of unions, which was to provide fair wages/treatment, has been lost. Instead, we see a lot of greedy employees who want to be compensated to the max for relatively low skilled jobs. These people are generally on the lazy side. It is really a zero sum game. The management of BART caved in (naturally) and we have some of the highest subway commuting costs in the nation, despite having a run down infrastructure (dirty stations, dirty trains until they are replaced, rude employees, etc.)

Unions are awful. The protections they used to be provide which were lacking in legislation (like the 8 hour work day or overtime or safe working conditions), are now all extended under the formal legal umbrella of state and federal employment laws and regulations upheld by vast and well funded departments and agencies.

For perspective consider that the budget for California's department of labor is about 25% of the entire state budget.

Let that sink in. 1/4 of the entire state budget, over 26B dollars a year, is spent by the Labor and Workforce Development Agency.

And on top of this massive diversion of taxpayer funds we should tolerate more billions sapped from our pockets by greedy unionists who add nothing to the social order enjoyed by all but serve merely to line their own pockets, at our expense, by driving up the costs of work performed for the public trust? Public employee unions have dug us into a 500B hole (That's the shortfall or amount by which the public pension system in CA is underfunded).

No way, Jose, says I.

[Bisaro TMF]

Originally Posted by Matadora

I grew up in the South and the liberals there are nothing like the liberals here.

Liberal here seems distorted into socialism on many levels.

When you say Socialism, explain what you mean. Too many people throw that around thinking Socialism = Communism. When you're calling people here socialists can you give some examples.