Lords of Death Forums Lords of Death Forums LoD General Discussion John Kerry the flip flop fag

Strech flamed my progressive ass

Up until this year I've done it exactally the same way tich did it. Basically line up the issues and compare your stances to the candidate's and their opinions. Because some issues are more important and always will be natural party lines have been drawn based on the country's opinions. Also, because the way one thinks effects how they stand on any given issue, you'll usually see a very one-sided trend on issues with any given person. Swing voters are historically people who don't hardline their thinking process one way or the other. In other words, where a liberal might be described as, "open minded" and a conservative as, "careful and deliberate" (I tried not to bias those terms... just examples) a swing voter would be someone who is some of both, or hasn't decided which is more important. In this election however, I think 'swing voters' are turning out to be people that are not only conceptually on the line, but also people that typically favor republican policies more, but are specifically repulsed by Bush's administration.
There are several things that make his administration especially divisive. First and foremost Bush does believe he knows what's right for the country and he's not afraid to act on it. In many of our great past leaders this is a great quality to have. For Bush however it's one of the worst, because the stances he takes are so hotly contested and oftentimes minority that the majority of the country is turned off by his confidence in his decision making. Or if it's not the majority being turned away from him, it's an even split of people vehemently supporting and attacking him for his actions. Basically because Bush is enforcing reactionism-esque policies on modern issues that would otherwise progress in a different direction. One prime example is Bush's religious fundamentalism. He prays to God to give him answers for being president, he plans to ban gay marraige (with a Constituational amendment), he donates government money to 'charities' that are really Christian organizations designed only for the purpose of expanding their religion (breaching the boundaries of Church and State), etc... etc..
Another good example is Bush's foreign policy. As he has a habit of saying, 'I'm right you're wrong', we can't really afford to have solid allies anymore. In fact we've lost a good percentage of powerhouse nations out there that used to consider themselves friends because we decided their opinions and militaries were irrelevant (not that we necessarily needed the help invading Iraq, but we obviously needed the intellectual pursuasion not to go in the first place). We also now live in a constant state of 'color-coated' fear brought on by an administration that can't pin-point how to stop terrorism or how to inform the public on measures they can take without being consistently paranoid. And to be honest having a myriad of good, justifiable reasons to go to war is more important than anything else. When Bush goes to war with Iraq almost entirely on the platform that Saddam has WMD's and he's proven wrong, that's a big, big mistake. When he claims terrorist connections to Saddam and there are none, that's a huge mistake. Scaring people into believing that Iraq was in some minute way tied to terrorism is so Bush that it's not worth discussing.
For me above all else (and this is just a personal thing) the issue is a more general one. For me, it's too frightening to have someone in the whitehouse who is both stupid and determined. I've heard Republicans say many times that they like how Bush sets his foot down with his policies and talks straight to the public (which is nice, Republicans spend lots of $$ making the 'honest' Bush image) but as I said before that's the worst thing about him. I'd have preffered he were incapable and dormant in the whitehouse than enforcing the policies he's bringing about, because simply put: I think he's wrong. And that's what politics are all about <img src="/~stretch/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Well in that case you also blame him for the economical rebound? Me too.
Tich I disagree with your foreign policy, i agree with the War in Iraq. Whether we went to war under false pretenses or not, i am glad we are there to this day. Iraq is a good example to the rest of the countries that we will make our own decisions and not be puppeted around by the UN.
I also disagree with you on taxes, for one reason. It should be equal across the board for everyone, rich, middle class and poor. America isnt about taking from the rich and giving to the lazy, if you live in this country then there is no excuse to be a bum. Welfare, insurance companies and medical are destroying the middle class. The rich can afford it and the poor gets it free. The working guys are getting fucked here.
Does this include rich, poor, and middle class? We should all have the right to pay the same amount in taxes.
Economics I talked with my Macroeconomics professor about this very thing, in a nutshell " the deficit does NOT" (affect/effect?) the economy.

Then you will like this tich (Read Below)
Education:
Basic Blue Print of (No child left behind)
Increase Accountability for Student Performance: States, districts and schools that improve achievement will be rewarded. Failure will be sanctioned. Parents will know how well their child is learning, and that schools are held accountable for their effectiveness with annual state reading and math assessments in grades 3-8.
Focus on What Works: Federal dollars will be spent on effective, research based programs and practices. Funds will be targeted to improve schools and enhance teacher quality.
Reduce Bureaucracy and Increase Flexibility: Additional flexibility will be provided to states and school districts, and flexible funding will be increased at the local level.
Empower Parents: Parents will have more information about the quality of their childs school. Students in persistently low-performing schools will be given choice.
I am not a believer in rehabiltation, my best friend works in a prison and i work at a juvenile facility. We waste too much money on counselors/phycologists. If we spanked our kids more often, and stuck behind decisions we made (Till death do us part) Marriage, then our kids wouldnt be so fucked up and we wouldnt go through this never ending cycle (Money sink). P.S. I do realize there are situations that lead to divorce, but single parenting is way to high. Also, last thing we need are flamers marrying each other, then we will have a generation of kids with sexual identity issues on top off all the other shit they have to put up with.

Anyone smell beaver shit? aye

The major problem with the death penalty is that it ends up costing more trying to kill the fuckers than it would keeping them in prison for life. This is because of all the appeals they automatically get and all the time they waste in courts.

No its not based on his record its based on what I perceive his persona to be. Gore never was a guy to inspire confidence as a leader in anyone, he was a quiet monotone guy.

That Islamic Extremeists are declaring Islamic law to supercede Canadien law and supposedly the spinless liberals are letting it happen, good game. *disclaimer* The spineless liberals who run Canada, not all liberals, for those who are gonna cry and assume I'm bundling everyone into one tortilla.

Flea, No Child Left behind is the single worst policy ever implemented for schools. I don't think I have ever talked to a teacher that thinks it is good. It talks about flexibility but infact it rapes the schools. My old middle school was considered failing because of the fact that it couldn't get the growth that was required each year. Why was that? Because it was already at over 96% It also bases all the learning on standardized tests.
No Child Left Behind = worthless

Foreign Policy:
I wasn't saying that the war in Iraq was a bad idea because we didn't listen to the UN. I said it was a bad idea because it distracted us from the actual war on radical muslims terrorists and more specifically Osama Bin Laden who is 1200 miles away in Pakistan/Afghanistan. In general I would disagree with you on the importance of the UN. I think it is important to have their support when possible and you don't. I guess we disagree.
Taxes:
Sounds like you would prefer a flat tax. I personally don't agree with that and still stick to my opinion that those in higher income brackets can afford to pay a higher percentage of their income. The more people that we can raise up in this country to be more effective producers and members of this society the stronger our country will be. I'm willing to invest in people and the infrastructure to support moving people up the ladder via a higher tax rate.
In reality our current tax code is actually skewed in both directions. Rich pay a higher percentage of their income, but they pay a far smaller percentage of their income to social security than the poor and middle class, yet receive the same benefits. You get taxed on every $ you make up to $82k for SS taxes. Once you make over 82k you stop paying SS taxes.
Also, it is a misconception that taxes go to fund the lazy. Without taxes there would be no country. We would have no military, no roads, no transportation network, no public universities, no public education, no justice system etc.
You and I disagree on the value of social programs and that is fine. We can agree to disagree. I would suggest that if you want to stop paying for lazy people then I you should focus more on welfare reform. (Clinton did a nice job on this one btw) and less on tax cuts. That would have a much more direct impact on the problem you raise as opposed to just cutting taxes.
Economics
I have an MBA and I understand the effect of deficit spending on the value of our currency, interest rates, inflation, etc. It does have an impact, and I'm certain your econ professor didn't say that. What I support is accountability for government spending, and a recognition that additional government spending should be balanced by spending cuts AND similarly tax cuts should be balanced by reductions in spending. Deficit spending does serve a purpose, and is a useful tool, but improperly used can be very damaging to the economy. I haven't seen fiscal discipline from this president and that concerns me.
Education:
I like no-child left behind. I think standardized testing is an imperfect science, but there aren't any other solutions that seem to work. Ted Kennedy the most liberal of the liberal likes no child left behind too. He voted for it. Bush hasn't funded it though so it isn't working. Great idea, but poor execution. Hopefully we will get it going soon.
Crime
You pro death penalty? You didn't say?
Gay Marriage
Sounds like you are against gay adoption, how about gay civil unions and the rights that are associated with it?

Liberal analysts? haha
I'm sorry but Kerry is going to be just as negative as Bush, please lets not go down that road.