The right to vote stops short of the right to choose. You're supposed to assume that they are equated. I now realize for my whole lifetime, people vote against someone more than vote for someone. In other words, choose the lesser of two evils. You can't vote for a third choice, because that will dilute the vote for the 2nd worst. Why should we play that game?
I have to come back to acknowledge and thank you. I am quite enjoying American Nations by Colin Woodard. It is really a terrific explanation of what we see now. We may think that the US is becoming more and more divided.
But the truth is that it started out as completely different peoples with completely different motivations in all the colonies, he handles 8 major zones. No two were alike. The miracle is how they ever came together in the first place. And not a question of why they are fragmenting apart now.
A question might be why do these original attitudes persist through time? Aren't we a melting pot? Looking at that will answer a lot of questions.
Here's a link for anyone else, where I uploaded my copy:
And I would like to encourage everyone to vote third party and independent. It would nice if they won, which they sometimes do. And consider write-ins.
They don't have to win to make a difference. Both political machines study ALL elections. When they see citizens rejecting the two parties and going for alternate choices, they have no choice but stop taking their constituents for granted. They are forced to actually LISTEN.
We are supposed to be telling government how it's going to be, not the other way around. No, we don't all agree. And often the best thing to do when people don't agree is, NOTHING.
I voted for Jill Stein. She said if she got 3% of the vote she would reach some public financing barrier. She go nowhere near 3%. I think that the Greens are way off now. Kennedy has turned out to be a real "bull-s**ter too.
I guess that I am very pessimistic. Probably the US has to "HURT" a lot more to wake up at all??
It's scary. Every great civilization has collapsed. And it seems to invariably be the result of citizens coming to believe that the government can and should provide for them.
Maybe entitlement accompanied every collapse, bread and circuses in Rome right? But I don't think welfare is crushing America, (except billionaire welfare). It is inequality and subversion of justice to monied interests that more and more forces radical disaffection.
That, and as "American Nations", the book that you gave me points out, there never was a consensus. That would be a great series of articles to take those 8 conceptual starting points, and identify where they are still operating now. Of course in the interim, each group made so many illicit power plays against every other group, that there is also a sea of resentment to overcome.
Good points. I've been thinking about reviewing books that have informed me about America's past. I'll definitely consider 'American Nations'.
As for welfare, it depends. I personally know people who have been on welfare as a temporary means as they get their life in order. I also personally know people who game the system as a sort of career choice. And they're GOOD at it. Any system that is going to function beneficially needs to weed out the 'cheats'. And by cheats, I don't necessarily mean violation of the law, I mean violation of the intent of the system.
As fort the wealthy, yes, they are the ones who truly run our governments. At least, they get what they want. The things they don't care much about, they let us peons determine.
You mention billionaires allow the peons to determine a few things. Maybe like Obama-Care, which was an immense bonanza for the private insurance companies. Don't the rich always get "their share", in spades?
I am sure people game welfare. Even in more egalitarian societies like Canada and Australia, once people get on disability, they never get off. Let's look at it:
Since 2008 there have been several massive bailouts, each in the range of $ trillions. In all the wars of the 21st century, $ trillions each again. The department of the defense has so many accounting plugs, they have never balanced their books. They drown in secret money, just stuff it in your pocket if you work there.
Gold is now over $2,000/ounce. But hundred dollar bills are about $3,500 an ounce. That means an 18 wheeler tractor trailer can haul 18 tons, or $ 2 billion dollars of baled $100 bills. So a $ trillion is 500 trucks packed to the gills with "C-Notes".
That means the national debt is loaded on 16,500 tractor trailer semis. (stuffed with $ C-notes). [All the national debt is in someone's pocket.]
Whereas, I think a year of welfare is $ 1.3 billion. A little more than a half truckload of bills, against 16,500 of our moving fleet. Welfare misuse must be false cause.
Fascinating ! Thanks
The right to vote stops short of the right to choose. You're supposed to assume that they are equated. I now realize for my whole lifetime, people vote against someone more than vote for someone. In other words, choose the lesser of two evils. You can't vote for a third choice, because that will dilute the vote for the 2nd worst. Why should we play that game?
I have to come back to acknowledge and thank you. I am quite enjoying American Nations by Colin Woodard. It is really a terrific explanation of what we see now. We may think that the US is becoming more and more divided.
But the truth is that it started out as completely different peoples with completely different motivations in all the colonies, he handles 8 major zones. No two were alike. The miracle is how they ever came together in the first place. And not a question of why they are fragmenting apart now.
A question might be why do these original attitudes persist through time? Aren't we a melting pot? Looking at that will answer a lot of questions.
Here's a link for anyone else, where I uploaded my copy:
https://brax.me/f/American_Nations.pdf/T4AZ65ba5da508e582.02286088
.
Thanks for the observations.
And I would like to encourage everyone to vote third party and independent. It would nice if they won, which they sometimes do. And consider write-ins.
They don't have to win to make a difference. Both political machines study ALL elections. When they see citizens rejecting the two parties and going for alternate choices, they have no choice but stop taking their constituents for granted. They are forced to actually LISTEN.
We are supposed to be telling government how it's going to be, not the other way around. No, we don't all agree. And often the best thing to do when people don't agree is, NOTHING.
I voted for Jill Stein. She said if she got 3% of the vote she would reach some public financing barrier. She go nowhere near 3%. I think that the Greens are way off now. Kennedy has turned out to be a real "bull-s**ter too.
I guess that I am very pessimistic. Probably the US has to "HURT" a lot more to wake up at all??
It's scary. Every great civilization has collapsed. And it seems to invariably be the result of citizens coming to believe that the government can and should provide for them.
Maybe entitlement accompanied every collapse, bread and circuses in Rome right? But I don't think welfare is crushing America, (except billionaire welfare). It is inequality and subversion of justice to monied interests that more and more forces radical disaffection.
That, and as "American Nations", the book that you gave me points out, there never was a consensus. That would be a great series of articles to take those 8 conceptual starting points, and identify where they are still operating now. Of course in the interim, each group made so many illicit power plays against every other group, that there is also a sea of resentment to overcome.
.
Good points. I've been thinking about reviewing books that have informed me about America's past. I'll definitely consider 'American Nations'.
As for welfare, it depends. I personally know people who have been on welfare as a temporary means as they get their life in order. I also personally know people who game the system as a sort of career choice. And they're GOOD at it. Any system that is going to function beneficially needs to weed out the 'cheats'. And by cheats, I don't necessarily mean violation of the law, I mean violation of the intent of the system.
As fort the wealthy, yes, they are the ones who truly run our governments. At least, they get what they want. The things they don't care much about, they let us peons determine.
You mention billionaires allow the peons to determine a few things. Maybe like Obama-Care, which was an immense bonanza for the private insurance companies. Don't the rich always get "their share", in spades?
I am sure people game welfare. Even in more egalitarian societies like Canada and Australia, once people get on disability, they never get off. Let's look at it:
Since 2008 there have been several massive bailouts, each in the range of $ trillions. In all the wars of the 21st century, $ trillions each again. The department of the defense has so many accounting plugs, they have never balanced their books. They drown in secret money, just stuff it in your pocket if you work there.
Gold is now over $2,000/ounce. But hundred dollar bills are about $3,500 an ounce. That means an 18 wheeler tractor trailer can haul 18 tons, or $ 2 billion dollars of baled $100 bills. So a $ trillion is 500 trucks packed to the gills with "C-Notes".
That means the national debt is loaded on 16,500 tractor trailer semis. (stuffed with $ C-notes). [All the national debt is in someone's pocket.]
Whereas, I think a year of welfare is $ 1.3 billion. A little more than a half truckload of bills, against 16,500 of our moving fleet. Welfare misuse must be false cause.
You please decide.
.