Basejumper.com - archive

just thought I'd see where we stand.

obviously, the US now has a new president. he is starting out apparently quite popular, in this country and abroad.

surely opinionated BASE jumpers have a thought or two to share!

p.s.
I might be a bit lenient on the Personal Attack rule if directed at public figures. (such comments won't intimidate them from posting here. they don't anyway.) as always, avoid calls to harm. while I don't care, certain security personal take it quite seriously.

after 30 votes, things are looking like a fairly even split. who'd a thought?

oh, and feel free to share thoughts. I'd prefer to leave the politics out of the Jeb sentencing thread. feel free to bash/praise Obama either here or in another "The Hangout" thread.

 
This is one of the most terrifying times in American politics that I can remember. We have a country in trouble on several fronts. We have one political party that has virtually seized control of the house, senate, and the presidency on a platform of sweeping reforms to cure all the ills of the country. But the truth is they can’t solve any of the major problems over night. There is just too much inertia. The truth is that things will continue to decline for some time. They can never match the expectations they have built. This would not normally be the end of the world. Their approval rating would normally just decline. The danger is that they have seized so much power that they might actually be able to accomplish things. Not that they can do any thing truly productive but that they will push through partisan bills and presidential decries to try and fulfill all of the silly propaganda based promises that they made during the campaign. Normally there would be a balance to their bullshit but with the present situation in congress there is the potential for them to do lasting harm.

Lee

what you said is very true. I'll agree entirely.

I'm more interested in how this Democratic power play differs from the Republican one following 9-11?

the pendulum swings both ways...

...waved by a protestor I saw in LA
outisde of the Staples Center where
the Democratic National Convention
was held in 2000:

The Difference Between The Right And
The Left Is ONLY How Quickly They Drop
To Their Knees For Big Business

 
I'm not sure it is that diffrent. Are you refering to the time period when the Home Land security act was passed along with other laws whos constisutionality is at best questionable. An atmisphear of fear provides too many opertunities to control the week minded. Wherether it's fear of terrorism or economic colapes. Who would have thought we would ever have prisson camps where people are held for years with out trial? Help me out. Wasn't there another country that had just gone through a crushing war, that was bordering on total economic collaps, whos goverment was taken over by one party prommissing sweeping changes to rebuild the country and restart the economy? Seems like I remember that happening in Europe back in the thirties? As I recal their leader was new to pollatics but a chrismatic speeker prommissing to bring a new hope to his country.

Lee

while I can see similiarities, that leader's ideology was based on what we would call Conservativism. he wished to return to past greatness and shun the liberal thoughts of the day.

he also wished to divide and conquer.

the events following 9-11, including the popularity of the president, also mirror that which you suggest.

the US is strong enough to overcome the inevitable screw-ups and failed expectations of any single president. it matters not who.

nothing goes on forever, not even success or failure.

 
I was trying to make a slightly wider point. The pendolum swings. The bad time is when it's in it's extreams to eather one side or the other. Normally we can survive one bad presedent. Normally it would be like, "Another democrat, well the next four years are going to suck." Normally that wouldn't be a big problem as there would be a big enough rep pressence to keep them under control. We were lucky to get out from under Bush with Roe vs. Wade intact. But we'll be dealing with the fall out from the home land security act for many years to come. Now we're at the other exstream. And we'll be lucky if we don't wind up with some huge pubblic health care plan.

The probblem is it's much easier to pass a law then to get rid of one. Each side tends to create new laws when they get into power but we're still stuck with the old errors. The closest you can come to a good thing is to have a devided congress. A single party goverment on the hot seat trying to justify them selves to a scared public when there's nothing they can really do about the real problem is a bad thing.

Lee

interesting point about Roe vs Wade considering the Republicans controlled both houses and the president.

divided government seems to stabilize things, at least until too many people complain about stagnation and do-nothing congresses. the best compromise bills happen when both sides give a little and both cut their projects. more recently, the ideal compromise has been to fund everything.

you're right, stuff never ends. I never did hear who won the war on drugs. I've always assumed no one will ever be able to declare victory regarding the war on terror either.

it's so much posturing. the old president insisted "cutting and running" was the wrong thing to do. it dishonored the fallen and embarrassed the country. strangely, I do not recall those arguments after 241 servicemen died from the exploding truck in Beirut. Reagan pulled all the troops. who ever said he "cut and ran?"

(fortunately things did improve in Iraq.)

No options for Libertarian (ala Rand) or Anarchist (ala Heinlein)...

-=Raistlin

 
Ahh Heinlein.... You know if there was a congresional house solely dedicated to abollishing laws I'b be campaining for a seat.

Lee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fpqNBQKpA8

none of the above...i'm anti-incumbent.

I intended on the 4th pick to be a non of the above selection.

you and SkyDaemon can feel free to choose it!

still fairly tight between the "2" major parties.

Sign me up for the Free thinking conservative party. Maybe a party that stands for common sense could help.

Your categories don't include CYNIC/Couldn't give a fuck

Libertarian. They're about the only party that doesn't disgust me. Although I expect that if they were in power now they'd only exacerbate the crisis (Ron Paul's views on money policy, for example, scare me). And I can't really rally behind libertarian calls for US withdrawal from NATO and the UN.

Between Democrats and Republicans I'm equally split. I hate them both, but I believe in the Republican ideal of small government, fiscal conservativism, and free markets. Oddly enough, I tend to side with the Democrats on socialized healthcare. The system we have right now is clearly broken. Greenmachine, maybe you want to ring in with your view on how to fix the US healthcare system?

I also stand with Democrats on separation of church and state, gay marriage, and other issues of equal opportunity. For the life of me I can't understand why the conservative party has become the "Christian" party (though "The Power of Nightmares" has a lot to say about that issue). If the Republicans could just drop all that fucking religious baggage and focus on safeguarding individual rights and freedoms, I'd never look back to the Democrats.

Neocons scare me. They really fucking scare me.

Dude, I completely agree with you!!



First step is to understand how we got here,
I recommend reading my thoughts (rants)
in this thread.

GreenMachine's Opinions

Then a list of possible solutions seems
a little clearer. I will post some ideas
to the aforementioned thread.

None of the above.

Right libertarian with left leanings for practical and moral reasons.

Legalize all drugs, gambling, and prostitution. I'd be for laissez-faire capitalism if it weren't for real people who bribe the governments to make un-free markets. While I believe that land becomes property when first combined with labor, that's a bit unfair to people who weren't the first to be born or immigrate.