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SaveFerris
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09 Feb 2019, 9:25 am

Don't apologise , I'm not offended


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VegetableMan
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09 Feb 2019, 10:10 am

XFilesGeek wrote:
Kraichgauer wrote:
AspE wrote:
VegetableMan wrote:
They caved to the insurance companies when they passed the ACA, which is why the thing is such a mess, now.

They passed it. Barely. Socialized medicine would not have passed with that congress.

VegetableMan wrote:
The unions are already destroyed.

Thank a Republican.

VegetableMan wrote:
They believe in science? Well, hell, why don't they do anything meaningful about climate change?

They have. Republicans are undoing it.


VegetableMan wrote:
They protect us from predatory lenders? Do you really believe that?

I know that. Republican undid it.

VegetableMan wrote:
LGBT rights? Yeah, when it's politically advantageous to do so.

That's a yes.

VegetableMan wrote:
The people are responsible for bringing true social change for the gay community and women's rights.

Not when it comes to law.

VegetableMan wrote:
The Dems drag their feet as long as they can on issues like pot legalization.

That's politics. Republicans almost never get on board.

VegetableMan wrote:
They are not advocates for positive change until they forced to.

By the people that voted for them. I always want the more liberal candidate, but people like you drag your feet and invent false equivalency.



VegetableMan wrote:
Torture? Yeah, Obama said he was going to close GITMO. He didn't do it, did he?

I believe he signed an executive order to that effect on his second day, but it's complicated. He certainly didn't double down like Trump.



VegetableMan wrote:
I could go on about my contempt for foreign interventionalist policies and endless war for profit that both parties support, but you seem to be alright with that. That makes you a neoconservative, for which I have utter contempt.

I don't think it's always for profit, and I'm not an immoral pacifist. If we don't intervene sometimes, the world would be a shittier place. And you shouldn't fall for Trump's phoney peacemaking, he hired John Motherfucking Bolton.

Dude, you're just a cynical, delusional liberal, convinced somehow to vote against all your best interests.


Bro' AspE :hail: :hail: :hail:


I never understood how some people go about thinking they're so darned "woke" for criticizing both democrats and republicans.

Yeah, politicians are mostly corrupt rich people, but, at the end of the day, I prefer my crook to be in power over your crook. If someone is capable of creating a political party that's filled with nothing but virtuous and good people, more power to you, but, in the meantime, I vote for those whose platforms most closely align with my own interests.



What am I supposed to do? Ignore reality and keep voting for the lesser of two evils, when it no longer exists? How do you think we got Trump in the first place? If we keep playing the game we've programmed to play, then this country is pretty much finished. It's just like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.


The Democratic Party is only getting worse. Even when someone who campaigns on progressive values gets in, they backtrack on everything they say they're going to do. Sorry, I'm done with that crap.


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VegetableMan
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09 Feb 2019, 10:35 am

AspE wrote:
VegetableMan wrote:
They caved to the insurance companies when they passed the ACA, which is why the thing is such a mess, now.

They passed it. Barely. Socialized medicine would not have passed with that congress.

VegetableMan wrote:
The unions are already destroyed.

Thank a Republican.

VegetableMan wrote:
They believe in science? Well, hell, why don't they do anything meaningful about climate change?

They have. Republicans are undoing it.


VegetableMan wrote:
They protect us from predatory lenders? Do you really believe that?

I know that. Republican undid it.

VegetableMan wrote:
LGBT rights? Yeah, when it's politically advantageous to do so.

That's a yes.

VegetableMan wrote:
The people are responsible for bringing true social change for the gay community and women's rights.

Not when it comes to law.

VegetableMan wrote:
The Dems drag their feet as long as they can on issues like pot legalization.

That's politics. Republicans almost never get on board.

VegetableMan wrote:
They are not advocates for positive change until they forced to.

By the people that voted for them. I always want the more liberal candidate, but people like you drag your feet and invent false equivalency.



VegetableMan wrote:
Torture? Yeah, Obama said he was going to close GITMO. He didn't do it, did he?

I believe he signed an executive order to that effect on his second day, but it's complicated. He certainly didn't double down like Trump.



VegetableMan wrote:
I could go on about my contempt for foreign interventionalist policies and endless war for profit that both parties support, but you seem to be alright with that. That makes you a neoconservative, for which I have utter contempt.

I don't think it's always for profit, and I'm not an immoral pacifist. If we don't intervene sometimes, the world would be a shittier place. And you shouldn't fall for Trump's phoney peacemaking, he hired John Motherfucking Bolton.

Dude, you're just a cynical, delusional liberal, convinced somehow to vote against all your best interests.



The Dems had control of both the House and Senate. Polls showed that the majority of Americans were in favor of single payer. They caved to the Insurance lobby. End of story.

Actually, the majority of Republicans are now supporting legalization of marijuana in most states. But that's a minor issue that doesn't really concern me all that much. The two biggest existential threats to our country, and the word in general, are our interventionist foreign policy and climate change. Neither the Dems or Republicans are doing anything substantial to change our course.

As far as unions are concerned, the Democratic Party has been actively caving to the Republicans' war on unions for a very long time.

For the record, I'm neither a liberal or a conservative. There is no political ideology that I believe in 100%.


If you want to keep propping up the system that gave us the idiot we have in the White House, that's your choice. But maybe you should understand that more and more people are waking up to the fact that it is getting us nowhere.

On Trump and "peacemaking:" Yeah, that was BS. What's also BS is the MSM smearing of Tulsi Gabbard, an Iraq War veteran who opposed to endless wars, and wants to work with other countries for a peaceful future. How horrible! NBC even called her a Russian agent. That's some serious BS, right there, brought to you by corporate journalists who are required to attack anyone who doesn't support the Military-Industrial Complex.


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AspE
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09 Feb 2019, 11:53 am

What system are you proposing?



XFilesGeek
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09 Feb 2019, 12:02 pm

^ This.

I'm genuinely interested in what other systems we could implement (and what we could do now with what we have).


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VegetableMan
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09 Feb 2019, 12:21 pm

AspE wrote:
What system are you proposing?


Are you being obtuse? A constitutional republic not based on bribery would be nice.


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AspE
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09 Feb 2019, 12:23 pm

VegetableMan wrote:
AspE wrote:
What system are you proposing?


Are you being obtuse? A constitutional republic not based on bribery would be nice.

So are you in favor of campaign finance reform, and legislation to prevent "Citizen's United" abuses? Or do you agree with Republicans that money is free speech and corporations are people?



XFilesGeek
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09 Feb 2019, 12:40 pm

VegetableMan wrote:
AspE wrote:
What system are you proposing?


Are you being obtuse? A constitutional republic not based on bribery would be nice.


Yes, but I'd like to know what I can do now in the system we currently have.

I assure you, I'm actually asking because politics are far from my area of expertise.


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VegetableMan
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09 Feb 2019, 12:49 pm

AspE wrote:
VegetableMan wrote:
AspE wrote:
What system are you proposing?


Are you being obtuse? A constitutional republic not based on bribery would be nice.

So are you in favor of campaign finance reform, and legislation to prevent "Citizen's United" abuses? Or do you agree with Republicans that money is free speech and corporations are people?



You are stuck in the left/right paradigm. It's not just Republicans who support the Supreme Court ruling you are referencing. The reason I can't support the Dems is because they no longer represent an opposition to Republican neoliberalism. The blue wave has already become a stagnant puddle. Dems have already helped the Pubs pass a bill that roles back Obama-era banking rules. So much for supporting regulation, huh?


It's only going to get worse. I'll continue to vote for independent and third-party candidates. You keep propping up the one-party system at the behest of your corporate masters, and demonize people like me who have had enough. The propagandists are surely getting their money's worth with folks like you.


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VegetableMan
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09 Feb 2019, 12:55 pm

XFilesGeek wrote:
VegetableMan wrote:
AspE wrote:
What system are you proposing?


Are you being obtuse? A constitutional republic not based on bribery would be nice.


Yes, but I'd like to know what I can do now in the system we currently have.

I assure you, I'm actually asking because politics are far from my area of expertise.



Get involved in politics. Pay attention to what is actually going on in Congress. Grass roots movements are the best way to get elected politicians to act in a way that is the best interest of their constituents. In the end, they want to remain in power. And if they realize they won't get reelected...well, you get the point.


It's not going to be an easy fix. It's going to take a massive revolution, or awakening, of the public. Suffice to say, we will never get anywhere if we keep propping up the two major parties. I don't think reform will ever happen within either party.


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goldfish21
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09 Feb 2019, 12:57 pm

XFilesGeek wrote:
VegetableMan wrote:
AspE wrote:
What system are you proposing?


Are you being obtuse? A constitutional republic not based on bribery would be nice.


Yes, but I'd like to know what I can do now in the system we currently have.

I assure you, I'm actually asking because politics are far from my area of expertise.


Basically, you could move to Canada. It's not perfect here, but there's far less f**kery than the political game of very expensive smoke & mirrors that plays out in your country non-stop.


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kraftiekortie
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09 Feb 2019, 1:01 pm

Unless I marry a Canadian or get sponsored, I can’t become a Canadian citizen.

What is Canada’s view on legal resident aliens?



AspE
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09 Feb 2019, 1:04 pm

VegetableMan wrote:
You are stuck in the left/right paradigm. It's not just Republicans who support the Supreme Court ruling you are referencing. The reason I can't support the Dems is because they no longer represent an opposition to Republican neoliberalism. The blue wave has already become a stagnant puddle. Dems have already helped the Pubs pass a bill that roles back Obama-era banking rules. So much for supporting regulation, huh?


It's only going to get worse. I'll continue to vote for independent and third-party candidates. You keep propping up the one-party system at the behest of your corporate masters, and demonize people like me who have had enough. The propagandists are surely getting their money's worth with folks like you.

I vote Democratic Socialist, and that's where my money goes. But i also know that the Democrats are the next best thing for the reasons I already listed.



VegetableMan
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09 Feb 2019, 1:06 pm

AspE wrote:
VegetableMan wrote:
You are stuck in the left/right paradigm. It's not just Republicans who support the Supreme Court ruling you are referencing. The reason I can't support the Dems is because they no longer represent an opposition to Republican neoliberalism. The blue wave has already become a stagnant puddle. Dems have already helped the Pubs pass a bill that roles back Obama-era banking rules. So much for supporting regulation, huh?


It's only going to get worse. I'll continue to vote for independent and third-party candidates. You keep propping up the one-party system at the behest of your corporate masters, and demonize people like me who have had enough. The propagandists are surely getting their money's worth with folks like you.

I vote Democratic Socialist, and that's where my money goes. But i also know that the Democrats are the next best thing for the reasons I already listed.



What Democratic Socialists are you voting for, just out of curiosity?


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goldfish21
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09 Feb 2019, 1:52 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
Unless I marry a Canadian or get sponsored, I can’t become a Canadian citizen.

What is Canada’s view on legal resident aliens?


We don't have the exact same system or labels.

What we do have are people here on work visas, student visas, others with "PR," (Permanent Resident) status, and then citizens. (Whether born or immigrated.) I don't know if "Investor Immigrants," have any sort of different status. Also, I can't speak for any other Canadian but myself and my observations of others.

Personally, when I meet someone who's here on a work visa, I'm basically like "Ok, cool. Gonna try to stay or just here on a working holiday?" Most say they're going to do whatever it takes to be here permanently. Some start out as just a working trip and then fall in love with the place and want to initiate whatever process they have to from here or back home in order to come and stay here forever. I'm happy they have the opportunity to come here and work, maybe earn better money than back home (whether Ireland or El Salvador), utilize their expertise, escape a war zone or famine etc and they are happy to be here, breathe clean air and drink fresh water, and be around a VERY diverse population of generally accepting people.

But that's my experience here in EXTREMELY multicultural Vancouver. Canada is a MASSIVE country. I guarantee if you ask the same questions of people in some areas of the country you're going to get some racist white people grumbling about how newcomers are stealing their jobs or some other BS along those lines - there are plenty of areas of Canada that may as well all wear klan hoods & maga hats. Attitudes will vary about immigrants depending on location, the economy, and how homogenous or diverse the population there is - much like in the USA.

In general I'd consider British Columbia to be much like California or New York's reputation. The people we're beginning to dislike very much are the Uber Wealthy because they're distorting our real estate market and entire economy so much that life is becoming very difficult for the working class poor. Some falsely think this is prejudice against Chinese people, but it is not. There are TONS of Chinese people that have been here for generations and they're just fine - it's the newcomers with vast amounts of wealth (much of it very dirty money) who are disliked for economic reasons, not race.

There isn't much, if any, "they stole our jobs," speak around here because jobs are plentiful. We NEED more people to fill them & are happy to have them come from anywhere in the world, pick up tools, and work alongside us. I do it every workday.


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SZWell
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09 Feb 2019, 2:09 pm

"Centrists" are some of the worse bad faith actors in the entire political spectrum, they only stand to amuse themselves. Can't take any of them seriously

Good column on said people, or "our better angels" when we can't calm ourselves from partisanship


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Last edited by SZWell on 09 Feb 2019, 2:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.