Run In With Mr. Edwards

"Tom S." wrote

"Jim Rosinski" wrote in message
m...
Harry Browne (last two elections) and Ron Paul before that are nothing
of the sort. Browne is one of the most well-reasoned and soft-spoken
politicians I've ever heard.

Hmm...I found him loaded with contradictions and his "virtual anarchist"
stance was adolescent at best.

But then, I worked on the 1996 campaign team for Rick Tomkins.

No kidding!?!? YOU worked for THE Rick Tomkins???? I stand in awe!!!
Who is he, anyway?

To state the point of my earlier post more bluntly: I suspect Jay was
just blowing smoke about substantial differences between the current
LP Presidential candidate vs. earlier ones. Call them all nut-cases,
fine. LP principles aren't for everyone. Call them all statesmen,
fine. But a simple assertion that the current candidate is reasonable
while earlier ones were nut-cases needs some substantiation.

Jim Rosinski
N3825Q

"Jim Rosinski" wrote in message
om...
"Michael 182" wrote

While the party lines are didactic and polarized, the populations within
them are much more diverse.

In some ways yes. But on the absolutely crucial issue (to me anyway)
of the growth of government, the Reps. and Dems. stand united: bigger
government is good. Dems. want to pay for it with higher taxes. Reps.
want to pay for it with higher budget deficits. Pick your poison.

Good point. Assuming this is the critical issue, you really are screwed.

Michael

"Jay Honeck" wrote

Six paragraphs of blather, but no answer to the actual question asked.
And why exactly does "compromise" represent some sort of holy grail
you seem to imply?

Because if the people of the United States don't re-learn what "compromise"
means, we're headed down a one-way path to Balkanization.

In some ways, and in some locales, it's already happened.

In this and other posts, you seem to equate compromise with listening
to opposing positions and giving them due consideration. I disagree.
These are manifestly different behaviors. I'll listen to someone who
says for example "Taxes should be raised for ...". But if I think it's
a waste I sure as hell won't respond "OK let's compromise and only
raise taxes half as much as you want".

Jim Rosinski
N3825Q

"Bob Noel" wrote in message
...
In article , "CB"
wrote:

see that's your problem Jay you are naive. Neither party has any morals,
and
they are so united in the one thing they have in common, getting into
power.

nope. the sole objective is being re-elected.

1) Getting INTO power.
2) Staying in power.

That's about it.
think about it.

Indeed, notice the hysterics/psychosis of those dumped from power (i.e.,
Democrats, Taliban, Iraq...)

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:0mbYc.62972$9d6.35025@attbi_s54...
Six paragraphs of blather, but no answer to the actual question asked.
And why exactly does "compromise" represent some sort of holy grail
you seem to imply?

Because if the people of the United States don't re-learn what
"compromise"
means, we're headed down a one-way path to Balkanization.

What does it mean to you?
Seems Americans have been compromising for generations (and geting noting in
return).


In some ways, and in some locales, it's already happened.

In article , "Tom S."
wrote:

nope. the sole objective is being re-elected.

1) Getting INTO power.
2) Staying in power.

right. and summarized as getting re-elected.

--
Bob Noel
Seen on Kerry's campaign airplane: "the real deal"
oh yeah baby.

"Tom S." wrote in message
...

"Bob Noel" wrote in message
...
In article , "CB"
wrote:

see that's your problem Jay you are naive. Neither party has any
morals,
and
they are so united in the one thing they have in common, getting into
power.

nope. the sole objective is being re-elected.

1) Getting INTO power.
2) Staying in power.

That's about it.
think about it.

Indeed, notice the hysterics/psychosis of those dumped from power (i.e.,
Democrats, Taliban, Iraq...)
and the hysterics/psychosis of those who think they may be dumped from power
(ie the Texas ****)

In this and other posts, you seem to equate compromise with listening
to opposing positions and giving them due consideration. I disagree.
These are manifestly different behaviors. I'll listen to someone who
says for example "Taxes should be raised for ...". But if I think it's
a waste I sure as hell won't respond "OK let's compromise and only
raise taxes half as much as you want".

Well, that's EXACTLY what compromise is -- and it's been going on in America
for generations.

If fact, it is this almost unique feature of American political life that
has enabled our democracy to survive while so many others have perished.
Our ability to come to terms with our opponents -- as opposed to crushing
them -- is what makes our democracy work.

At the moment, however, I see very little of this sentiment at the national
level. It's "my way, or the highway" on a myriad of issues -- and the
rhetoric is reaching a dangerous volume.

Trouble is, the real "meaty" issues that divide Republicans from Democrats
(i.e.: Abortion; marriage; stem cell research; the purpose of government;
taxes; the right to bear arms; religion; etc.) are "black and white" issues,
with little room for compromise.

I don't think that any of this is new. However, our parents and
grand-parents were able to keep a lid on these kinds of disagreements by
maintaining a higher level of courtesy and decorum that has been all but
lost in America. Today, no one bats an eye at calling someone else "stupid"
or "immoral" because of what they believe -- and this is a radical change
that is harming our political system.

This naturally creates hard feelings, making any compromise MUCH more
difficult to achieve. The end result is political grid-lock, followed by
increasing frustration amongst the electorate, followed by revolution or
civil war, if carried to its ultimate conclusion.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Michael 182" wrote in message
news:2FUWc.55248$Fg5.42074@attbi_s53...

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:nVTWc.54974$Fg5.20899@attbi_s53...

And I guess that anyone who wasn't of age in the '60s, really shouldn't
say
ANYTHING about that whole screwed up decade, right?

Hey, I liked the 60's! At least what I remember of them...

Michael




Someone once told me: "If you remember the 60's...then you DON'T remember
the 60's..."

FWIW...

Jay

In article 78vYc.224$_g7.16@attbi_s52, "Jay Honeck"
writes:


I don't think that any of this is new. However, our parents and
grand-parents were able to keep a lid on these kinds of disagreements by
maintaining a higher level of courtesy and decorum that has been all but
lost in America. Today, no one bats an eye at calling someone else "stupid"
or "immoral" because of what they believe -- and this is a radical change
that is harming our political system.


Jay,

I have an alternate theory for the polarization in US political life, and that
is that we have created an illusion that makes our political efforts from both
sides produce counter intuitive results. That leads to frustration and anger as
people cling to that illusion and see their goals fall further away. Sort of
like pulling back on the stick makes the houses get smaller, but only to a
point after which pulling back on the stick makes the houses get bigger really
fast.

The illusion we have created is the progressive income tax. We ignore the whole
concept of imbedded taxes (payroll taxes, corporate and personal income taxes,
and others) which become invisbly imbedded in the price of goods and services,
and those imbedded taxes fall very regressively on the poor.

The result is that the more progressive we make the income tax, the more the
poor fall behind and the greater the separation becomes. It is a hard concept
to wrap your mind around, but it is provably true. We see it happening all
around us every day. The more the Democrats succeed in shifting the income tax
burden to the rich, the greater the gap between rich and poor becomes, and the
history of the last 50 years proves it. I will email a copy of an editorial I
wrote for a local liberal paper explaining the paradox. It is too long to post
here, but I will email a copy to anyone who wants it.

But you can see that when every success becomes a failure, and every defeat
makes things better, the left is going batty as their class warfare fails.

And yes, I do have a solution to the problem.

--
Wm. Donald (Don) Tabor Jr., DDS
PP-ASEL
Chesapeake, VA - CPK, PVG