The future of the United States

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I’m surprised you and your old Valiant would even venture that far since Idaho is a red state full of dangerous and unhinged conservatives.


How do the conservatives hate you?
A lot of them probably hate me for wanting to end the “war on drugs” and that I live in a blue state but I don't care.

You might be interested in knowing that north Idaho had once been the liberal part of the state, with organized labor a major force in the mining and timber industries. It was all those Reagan worshiping northern Californians pouring into the Idaho panhandle that significantly altered the political landscape. And incidentally, not everyone in north Idaho is an unhinged conservative - but those conservatives there who are unhinged give everyone else there a bad name.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

I figure that you'd automatically assume that any and all "red" states are filled to the gills with right wing hate mongers. You pretty much admit that you're not well traveled.......

Not filled to the gills, but the political demographics of Idaho have certainly changed in my lifetime. And that's recognized by both the right and left.
And no, other than traveling to Idaho, Oregon, California, and Canada, I haven't had the financial ability to travel very far.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

It would help if Americans would quit looking at things in terms of liberal or conservative. My views are syncretic and I'm sure there also millions of Americans with syncretic views that don't easily fit into two camps. All this talk about Jesus land really is a nonsense of a concept and I can't see where it fits in with the original question.

Both sides are stubborn and can not seem to compromise much as of recently (Republicans and Democrats). That does not help the country much that both sides are stubborn and will not budge much. I would like U.S. healthcare to be modeled after the Japanese healthcare system since I have heard the Japanese love going to the doctor and they want to be healthy (not sure how their healthcare is managed exactly, but just sounds very successful).

If it works, and it covers everyone, then I'm all for it.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

Nope for free is nothing. As example I have to pay 18% of my income for social taxes, 16% for general taxes and about 0,4% for my "workers office". Additional on everything I buy that is not part of minimum living standard, there are 20% taxes. In the payment of the social taxes is general health care included (so I am allowed to go to general doctors and hospitals for free when I am ill and additional the broad costs of medication is included.). My "unempoyment insurance" is also included in the social taxes, so if I loose my job I get financial help, depending on my last loan for at least 6 months, and afterwards I still get help for minimum living standard.

Both (health insurance and unemployment help) are bound on me willing to work. As long as I have a job anyway there is no problem, if I dont have a job I am forced to agree to take the next possible job that fits with my school education. After some months I have to agree to any job offered. Because I dont like the pressure of the social office and because of my issues simply cant agree to every job that is offered, I normally try to get a halftime job as fast as possible, so that they are happy, and then search without pressure for a fitting fulltime job. If you denie a fitting job offer, when you are still unemployed, you loose your right for health insurance and unemployment help. If you dont need that stuff, simply because you are rich and dont need to work, then you are free to have a private contract with a health insurance and pay them on your own.

The workers office are a kind of general worker union for everyone, but they are less into fighting with employers and more into servicing workers and see that the actual laws are followed. (Fighting for new laws is more for the private worker unions you can join freely.) So they offer me free information about our laws for "What has to happen, if I am ill and cant work.", pregnancy rights, "How is my loan calculation when I work more hours then in the standard contract."... or they help you if your employer is broke and cant pay you your loan anymore and so on. Normally they try to find agreements and specially smaller employers often dont know exactly all the laws, so the workers office offers them infomations or programms to help them for loan calculation for employers and so on. If an employer is trying to trick their workers on purpose, they are also willing to help you with a lawyer and so on.

But generally: If you refuse to work or refuse job offers, when you are unemployed, you loose your right for social care and health insurance, so not everyone gets everything for free, but everyone that is willing to work, becomes at least a basic health insurance and some months of unemployment help. When you are unemployed they also do a lot of pressure to get you employed again, so as I said, I rather work halftime for Mcdonalds then depending unemployed on the social office. ^^



We want every child to have the same chances, because a child is not responsible for his parents. So not the money of your parents shall decide if you get a good education, but the will and the abilities of a child too learn and work in school. To prevent that parents only get children to abuse the social system for money, that is made for children, most of this social system is based on direct support for the children. So instead giving money to the parents that they can use to support themselves or the child, there is as example offered a good general school system, medical care, midday meals in schools are supported, the school books are supported, or the way to school in public transportation vehicles is supported (So a child is allowed to travel to its schools freely in public transportation vehicle, and has a card of its school so bus drivers know that the child is allowed to travel to that specific school freely.) and such stuff. So only a small amount of the social system for the children goes as money to the parents and can be abused by them, most parts are directly offered for the children in a non-money form, so parents cant buy as example alcohol from it. A child with rich parents normally still has more advantages, simply because if a parent can afford to stay at home, then it can better support the child, learn with him and so on, so there are still more rich kids at universities. But generally the system offers every kid a free education as long as it is willing to learn hard and work for it. So my father was a bus driver, my mom was working halftime, and still my sister studied medicine, my brother studied english and history for school teachers, and I went to basic engineer school. Lots of the materials we needed for the school (As example security shoes with steel cap or drawing boards that I needed.) were second hand from other students that left the school and we always had the basic school material without any fancy, cool stuff on it, or couldnt afford to go to the free cafeteria to buy sweeties instead of the supported school menu, and my siblings and I were unless our classmates forced to work during the school holidays to afford some extra stuff, or I sold blood plasma during school time to at least afford my hobbies, but in the end it worked and I am happy for it and can repay that support I got now with my higher taxes I have to pay now. ^^

So as said, its not about giving everyone everything for free. But its about giving minimum living standard for everyone that is willing to work for it, and giving every kid that is willing to work a chance for a good school education independent from the income of the parents. (Sure, with rich parents you can visit a private hyperhypersuperduper school, but at least every kid can visit a good general school.) If you refuse to work, you dont get support or must leave school to start working. Simply because we live in reality, so things dont come freely.

I guess I look subversive,I had some flowers in my hair for the pic
Someone picked an elephant over me
According to okstupid my best state for a match is Massachusets,yeah sure.
I don't put that much stock in their stupid test,it also said that men over thirty- one don't like me either. And the Christians really hated the photo of me with a beer

Two words: Mad Max.

,But in the South it would be four-wheelers running on moonshine.

Back in the depression era Pacific Northwest, my paternal grandfather used to make moonshine - but largely just for himself. There were some dangerous characters who had moved into the area who had set up a bootlegging operation who my grandpa didn't want to get involved with.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

Pour some out and light it,if it burns you can run a vehicle on it.
The most awful thing I ever smelled was getting behind a billet truck that was running casing head,some by- product from the oil fields there.
It smelled worse than diesel, but I guess it was free or cheaper than gas.

I am having my doubts about the Union. A lot of times I think that having conservatives with political power in the United States holds us liberals back. If the liberals could have their own country and the conservatives could have their own country maybe we would be better off rather than trying to constantly unify.

It must be remembered that this partisanship so dividing the country is relatively recent in American history. It for the most part started with Newt Gingrich when he was in congress. This ugly political division is his legacy. I think in time, bi-partisanship may return once the older population who had been poisoned by Gingrich shuffles off their mortal coil.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

We are galloping toward a Liberal/Democrat versus Conservative/Republican civil war.