The Politics of Politics: The Ride of a Lifetime

[alexv]

Mood, guess what, I live in a 3 bedrooom/2 full bath, 2100 square foot house on a large lot ( acouple of wooded acres) just like you do!! 1/2 a bath or an are or so of woods is not that big a difference, right?

It's one of the smallest house in my ritzy town, where 200k is pretty much poverty line money. I bought it in 96 for 345k and it's now worth about 800k. Yay!! Whoever buys it will surely tear it down and build a huge McMansion. My town if full of folks from all kinds of backgrounds (swedes, japanese, iranis, south african, Italians, german, and even a Cuban or two) with only one thing in common: an amazing abiltiy to work their asses off and make mucho dough. I'm sonsidered a slacker. I blame that on my Latin background: in cuba the smarter you were the less you were supposed to work.

The days of 3/1/2 houses in my town are numbered, though, I agree with you on that. A lot of people get pissed off about that. It probably doesn't surprise anyone here that it doesn't piss me off. I say if you can afford McMansions and you like expansive living, go for it. A friend from town who lives large, spent a year working in a German town last year and he was stunned at the lack of space and amenities in German town; the Germans were incredulous that folks would live in the kind of gigantic house my friend lives in. They kept asking him why. I suggested to my friend that he tell them that he lives in a gigantic house because he can.

There is economic disparity and cattiness over th 200k line, like there is below it. By the way, continuing our friendly coversation, did you catch the result of a survey that was done to determine the incomes of those who cross the Lincoln Tunnel from New Jersey to NYC? Somthing like half of all those crossing had incomes in excess of 200K. 200k is the new 100 in large cities in our country.

I worry about saving enough money to send my kids to good colleges (the college I went to on full scholarship because my parents were poor immigrants, will cost me 60k a year, and it will be pretty much my nut with little assistance). I pay the equivalent of a private school tuition on tennis lessons for my daughter, the kind of thing my dad would have thought sheer lunacy. Other folks in my town do even crazier things.

I have friends, as I said, well below the 200k line and they are there, in every case, because of choices they've made along the way and cppe, with varying degrees of fortitude, with the lives they've made for themselves. The key there is the question of choice, Mood. I'm not saying that everyone who is poor is there by choice, but I am saying that everyone I know who struggles is there as a result of choices they made.

And it's not that I've esconced myself in a coocon, Mood. I'll bet you anything that you've never known the kind of economic uncertainty that I experienced as a kid in this country, and that everyone (and I mean everyone) I knew experienced. Everyone I knew in that early period (we were kids), who made the right choices (studied, worked, stayed away from drugs, alcohol, didn't waste their youth on stupid things) has done very well (how far they've gone has depended solely on how much they wanted to achieve and on sheer talent). Only a very few number, those who made the wrong choices, remain mired in poverty.

That's ultimately why i recoil at the nation that the economic problems of our nation are extraordinary ones. I think the system is eminently fair, and works as well as you expect for a nation the size of a continent where folks like my parents stream in daily to go for the brass ring.

Mood, consider this entire post to be marked by one of those smiley emticons (I don't know how to attach them to the text). I am not sparring with you, or trying to convince you to my views. Maybe someday I'll see you at Walmart.

Boom, I think you probably know this, and are commenting on my peace/war just to tease, but let's continue the fun. Back in the day, Boom, there were ditzy folks who ketpt talking about how we should stop teh nukes and love each other, man. Make love not war, man. Peace is the answer, man. Why can't we love each other, man? Those are the kind of idiots who jumped at the nuclear war issue to further their spaced out agendas. They are still around, still as spaced out as ever. I think they are morons. And guess what, I happen to think peace is better than war, too. You don't have to be a spaced out imbecile to get there.

[mood swung]

they're right over to the left. you just click on the one you want. it shows up wherever your cursor is. and the really cool thing about it is that if you hold your mouse over it, it will tell you in black and white just what it's supposed to mean.

Somehow I don't think that surprises you.

I remember your story, alexv, but I do not remember the name of the one book you got to bring with you when you left Cuba.

Off to make better choices now!

[alexv]

Damn, Mood, I told the book story here? It was The Last of the Mohicans, in spanish. I still have it, and it is the one possession that will get handed down to the kids with strict instructions never, ever, to lose it.

Did you see Pulp Fiction? Chris Walken, who lives in my town (I run into him every now and then when I pick up the Times on Sunday mornings) tells young Bruce "never lose this watch" and much fun ensues. :)

[alexv]

You see, I clicked on the thing, and all that comes out is the LOL sign but no yellow smiley thing.

[StrictTime]

It'll show up when you post. As for politics, I have nothing to add.

[Mike Boom]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VHKpGJX29s

[Mike Boom]

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2007

"An increasing body of observations gives a collective picture of a warming world and other changes in the climate system... There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities".

The scientific community actually agree alex that this is happening. Its not "crazy talk" as you keep saying, and its not a bunch of hippies from the 60's and 70's saying it either, its the worlds scientific community.

The problem is that some people are so obssesed with money that they cannot see that our planet is sick. Well I tell you what, not all the money in the world will buy you another planet Earth.

[Mr. Average]

I like Obama more for telling the truth. He is a better man than I thought. It took courage (and the fact that Robert Novak had the dirt to prove he did Coke) to out himself. Nonetheless, it took balls, and Baraq has moved up in my book. Hillary remains the devil incarnate. She is my stapuff marshamallow man.

She is a man, y'know.

[Boy With A Problem]

Hillary remains the devil incarnate. She is my stapuff marshamallow man.

She is a man, y'know.

But deep down inside you really love her. In fact you want to kiss her all over.

And how can you say the dollar is not weak? The dollar against all other major western currencies has been steadily losing value over the last 4 years. The Canadian Dollar is now more valuable than a US Dollar!

[alexv]

Boom, you misunderstand me. I have not said that global warming is not happening. It is happening, but it is not something that concerns me to the level it does you, or other equally responsible folks. I explained my reasons for that in prior posts. Nuff said.

My comments about the hippie/dippy connection were made because it strikes me that global warming hysteria talk (and I am not saying that your talk is global warming hysteria talk) harkens back to nuclear war hysteria talk of the 70s and 80s, where folks with wacky agendas latched on to the legitimate concerns about nuclear proliferation to push their spaced out agendas. Many spaced out environmentalist nuts are doing the same with global warming.

This does not deny the legitimacy of the underlying issue (which, I repeat, is not as big an issue for me as for others) but it does frame the debate in an exaggerated way that makes me take it less seriously. I agree with you that some people are so obsessed with money that they happily go about damaging (not destroying) our planet. It's been happening for centuries. I hope you would agree with me that there are also people so obsessed with spaced out environmentalist obsessions that they happily go about making exaggerated claims about enviromental issues that do a disservice to the underlying legitimacy of environmental concerns.

[Mr. Average]

Boom, you misunderstand me. I have not said that global warming is not happening. It is happening, but it is not something that concerns me to the level it does you, or other equally responsible folks. I explained my reasons for that in prior posts. Nuff said.

My comments about the hippie/dippy connection were made because it strikes me that global warming hysteria talk (and I am not saying that your talk is global warming hysteria talk) harkens back to nuclear war hysteria talk of the 70s and 80s, where folks with wacky agendas latched on to the legitimate concerns about nuclear proliferation to push their spaced out agendas. Many spaced out environmentalist nuts are doing the same with global warming.

This does not deny the legitimacy of the underlying issue (which, I repeat, is not as big an issue for me as for others) but it does frame the debate in an exaggerated way that makes me take it less seriously. I agree with you that some people are so obsessed with money that they happily go about damaging (not destroying) our planet. It's been happening for centuries. I hope you would agree with me that there are also people so obsessed with spaced out environmentalist obsessions that they happily go about making exaggerated claims about enviromental issues that do a disservice to the underlying legitimacy of environmental concerns.

Every once in a while I read a post that is precisely reflective of my sentiments...exactly. At the risk of damaging your sterling rep, Alexv, thank you for reading my mind and posting it so I didn't need to. Perfecta-MUNDO.

[Mike Boom]

I hope you would agree with me that there are also people so obsessed with spaced out environmentalist obsessions that they happily go about making exaggerated claims about enviromental issues that do a disservice to the underlying legitimacy of environmental concerns.

Im sure there are a few of these, as there always are in any situation, but it seriously sounds like an excuse not to care to me.

[Mr. Average]

Senor Boomer:

I admire your ideologic passion to a cause, and it sounds so wholesome and great and altruistic. And with Al Gore as the saviour of the planet (after all he invented the internet...why do you think they call them 'al-gor-ithms) you have a hero to worship.

Only problem with the ideology? it ignores the brutal reality that the planet, long before it warms, is on a solid path towards complete incineration. Spend a few pennies and pick up a copy of the wall street journal today, Dec 06, and read the editorial on the brutal realities of nuclear proliferation. The almost weekly testing of increasingly long-range missles that will be used to lob warheads into Iowa that will reduce the state to, say, Kansas.

Seriously, while it is more 'cooooomfoortable' and more 'nicey nice' to talk about the state of the planet after we are long dead and gone, teh threat to the end of the world as we know it is omnipresent, quite real, and for some unGodly reason the ideologues embraces instead something much safer, much kinder, much gentler.

When I sit my children down, and when I sit my granchildren on my knee (God-willin') I want tosay that I did all I could to keep them alive whilst the enemies of the west, the east, the north, and the south were busy getting each other 'blowed up".

You cannot ignore nuclear proliferation and the imminent threat. One major nuclear blast and I don't care how many carbon transfers you have bought to line Al Gore's pockets. He is a major stockholder in the two biggest promoters of these carbon transfer products. Must be a perk,like stock, that he gets extra's so he can fly around on his private jet.

I'll bet you one thing that you CAN take to the bank. When a big one hits (and it will, it is inevitable...I just hope we can keep it off our soil) Al will be at Altitude in his private jet, counting his money and finding a new, nice warm place to live.

Ridiculous diversion from the brutal realities we face. Face the freakin' music and put your activism into something that will save your kids lives!

[Mike Boom]

I come from a country that is actually a nuclear free zone. A country that voted in a government that by popular demand banned nuclear warships from its harbours and has had that written into legislation since 1984.
How exactly are you working to end nuclear proliferation? Voting for a government who not only tries to ignore global warming but who also starts wars in foreign countries because of nuclear weapons they never had in the first place?

Doing nothing to save the enviroment because you think we are all going to get blown up by the bomb anyway is a great philosophy though! Congrats.

[Mr. Average]

Doing nothing to save the enviroment because you think we are all going to get blown up by the bomb anyway is a great philosophy though! Congrats.

You typicallymake lots of thoughtful and intelligent remarks but writing that you are immune from nuclear attack because your people voted on establishing a nuclear free zone is the epitome of ideological bullshit. It is completely asinine and you clearly know better, so why write it? To make a feeble point? And the ultimate in disingenuousness (if that is a word) is the quote above. Never said that. You know it too, but it is was easier for you to switch the cards on the table and make it sounds as such, because if you face the music, you can't deal with your brutal reality.

Get your head out of the sand and realize that you we all have real work to do, daily, to stop the threat of nuclear war. Because the Democratic Congress approval ratings in the US are lower than the Presidents (and that is damn low), people here are finally realizing that your whole "Bush Lied, People Died" mantra is about as inane as believing that Reverand Al Sharpton had nothing to do with the fabrication of Tawana Brawleys incident . Just ask Hillary, John Kerry (wait, he voted for and against it...not sure which came first). Baraq, indeed, did not vote on the evidence. He was smoking crack at the time...

I wonder how you can write your last post with a straight face. Put the talking points cards away and THINK, don't PARROT what you hear. It is good old common horse sense. There are a whole lot of really bad guys out there that are born to destroy you and I. They are working feverishly on it right now. They could give a rats ass about your treaty or whatever you wish to call it (anti Nuclear zone, what a bunch of bunk). If you do not believe this paragraph, then any logic will be lost on you.

THINK. And then act on something that will make a difference for our kids. Do you have kids? Do you want them to enjoy a better life? If I had a six month old and she was in the middle of the freeway during rush hour, I would move mountains to save her from the imminent threat she faces. After that, I would work on getter her a nicer dress. If she isn't alive to enjoy the pretty things, than what is the point.

Surprised by such a feeble argument and a feeble-minded post.

Happy New Year. Hold onto that tree. It's feelings have really been hurt by my message. And we can't have that!

[Mike Boom]

but writing that you are immune from nuclear attack because your people voted on establishing a nuclear free zone is the epitome of ideological bullshit.

....errr.. I never said that - can you show me where I said that? You spend a lot of time making an argument against things I never said.

I said that I , and the majority of my country used all we had, our vote , to establish a nuclear free country. Yes its a gesture, because its a small country and of course it doesnt make the country immune, BUT it shows what people can do with a vote. My point is, thats what I did with my vote. What did you do with yours? If Americans used their vote more wisely the world would be a better place, and you and your ilk are the reason it isnt.

Its YOU who is the parrot, its YOU who needs to get your head out of the sand, its YOU who lacks a single grain of common sense, and its YOU who is making the world a more dangerous place by supporting your disastrous, idiotic government.

YOU are the one who needs to THINK.

Oh, and your archaic and dated idea that an enviromentalist is some sort of hippie "tree hugger" just goes to show how far out of touch with reality you actually are .... please do some reading , and come back when you have something intelligent to say because quite frankly - the content of your argument is kinda embarressingly non existent.

[so lacklustre]

but writing that you are immune from nuclear attack because your people voted on establishing a nuclear free zone is the epitome of ideological bullshit.

....errr.. I never said that - can you show me where I said that? You spend a lot of time making an argument against things I never said.

I said that I , and the majority of my country used all we had, our vote , to establish a nuclear free country. Yes its a gesture, because its a small country and of course it doesnt make the country immune, BUT it shows what people can do with a vote. My point is, thats what I did with my vote. What did you do with yours? If Americans used their vote more wisely the world would be a better place, and you and your ilk are the reason it isnt.

Its YOU who is the parrot, its YOU who needs to get your head out of the sand, its YOU who lacks a single grain of common sense, and its YOU who is making the world a more dangerous place by supporting your disastrous, idiotic government.

YOU are the one who needs to THINK.

Oh, and your archaic and dated idea that an enviromentalist is some sort of hippie "tree hugger" just goes to show how far out of touch with reality you actually are .... please do some reading , and come back when you have something intelligent to say because quite frankly - the content of your argument is kinda embarressingly non existent.

Nicely put.

[BlueChair]

Regardless of how you feel about politics or "global warming", there is no harm in the following:

- Lower-emission cars and trucks with better fuel efficiency.
- Clean water sources
- Cleaner-burning energy sources
- Conservation of green spaces and ecological environments

All of these things make the world a better place; for us, for our children, and for our children's children. Even if climate change or global warming has nothing to do with it.

[mood swung]

just change a few freakin' light bulbs already.

[Mr. Average]

The content of my argument is so vitally omnipresent that it frightens me that people can't face it when it is so vitally apparent. Benizir Bhutto, that was a mistake, a nut, a once-in-a-lifetime anomaly, right?

Frank Zappa and the Mothers, in the album Freak Out (I think it was Freak Out) kept stating "It Can't Happen Here....It Can't Happen Here..."

Well it is.

On the environmental issue, Who could disagree with BlueChairs simple report. Right on target. We should strive each and every day and accept nothing less than this short list. But what YOU fail to realize is the progress that has been made since the mid 70's...incredible progress. The Great Lakes were polluted beyond repair, and now it is common to see a Lake Erie Perch Fish Fry as a local fund raiser. LA was covered in smog and soot. The difference today is nothing short of astounding.

While it is a great diversion to speak about this issue and ignore the clear and present danger, it doesn't get us through the cold, hard night that awaits us. I know, I know, people hate it here when I talk gloom and doom...i get lots of mail that I shouldn't threaten the board members and create a fear in them and their families.

No threats. Brutal reality. Now you read up a little and understand that, within a few years, you will be hiding behind and hugging a cluster of trees praying for your survival and the survival of your families.

Of course, all that will change if Baraq wins the nomination and the Presidency. We can definitely count on him to bring real change, and then we can get to this Warming issue as he will have completely solved Islamic Radical Facism by talking it through. Sadly, the same who believe that Global Warming is the number one threat facing us also believe the foregoing statement...

Heaven help us in 2008. And, and make no mistake, they will be back. They are strengthening around the world (weakening in Iraq) and the plague is about to be very, very real. Put on your seatbelts on your Hybrids, and drive. Unfortunately, you'll find no safe haven in Canada, as they are equally targeted as Westerners.

[so lacklustre]

Does anyone know what he is ranting about?

[Mike Boom]

Its Barack, not Baraq - perhaps you are getting confused with Iraq ??

Everytime you loose an argument you lapse into this weird Armageddon speech about plagues and how we will be praying on our knees etc.

Yes, terrorism is a big problem in the world, but I for one refuse to buy into a strategy that involves bombing all Muslim countries off the face of the planet in case a small fringe element of religous fanatics may attack us. In fact there are innocent Muslim families right this very moment, huddled in Iraq and Iran who have a far more legitimate fear of YOU and YOUR government than you have of them.

...Oh and I have no idea what your banging on about Canada for.

[Who Shot Sam?]

Hillary is looking about as cheery as EC on New Year's Eve. Finishing third behind Obama and Edwards - not a good showing.

If it's Huckabee against Obama (or even Edwards), the Dems win in a walkover.

hehe. Chuck Norris standing behind Mike Huckabee. Keep it up Mike!

[alexv]

Sam, there is no chance for a republican to win the general election. Whoever wins the democratic nomination will win the Presidency. Book it. I hope it's Hillary. Like her or not, she is more qualified than Obama, and wants it more than Edwards. As I've said before it would be nice to get Bill back in the White House. Greatest president since Reagan. She may have lined up enough other primary states to make Iowa ultimately irrelevant, but my fear is that the touchy-feely aspect of an Obama Presidency (African American President who does not threaten white America, and is "articulate" and Ophrah-friendly), combined with the visceral Hillary-hatred may in the end screw her (pun intended). I still think she should take it, but not so sure anymore. Can anyone recall a more un-electable pack of Republican candidates? Mitt? A Pentecostal minister is more electable. Rudy? the nation is not yer ready for a philandering NYC ethnic NYC mayor as President, no matter how effective a mayor he was. Fred Thompson? Like Reagan, an actorl, but unlike Reagan (read his diaries) he's downright stupid. Huckabee? No freaking way. Which leaves McCain, the only serious candidate, and I suspect there's a lot of Deer Hunter Chris Walken hidden away in that dude. A democractic presidency awaits us, Mr. A. As Elvis would say, "It's Time, it's Time...."

[Who Shot Sam?]

My father, who is pretty damn conservative (not culturally so much as economically) told me over Christmas that he might vote for Hillary over any of the Republican candidates. I nearly choked on my turkey. I don't know if this tells me more about the state of the Republican party or Hillary herself, but I found it interesting.

Obama is my choice. I think we need a clean break from the Bush-Clinton duopoly. The wife likes Hillary. I have never been able to warm up to her.