Politics The Big Problem w/ Our Elected Officials

Of course there are rich on both sides of the isle, and everything else you mentioned. But the Dems have promised the world to the poor in order to buy their votes. Only thing I was saying.

I'm just glad I only have another 30-40 yrs on this planet, when the millennials start running shit, this country is fucked.

 

I just dont even know what this means, checks some facts and you will see in most Southern states poor republican are on government assistance. Define free stuff, farm subsidies are free stuff, corporate tax breaks free stuff, plenty of other examples of all people in both parties receiving "free stuff".

 

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you can be a dick without being a racist dick.
Im the master at that.

 

Republicans have promised the world to the rich in order to buy their votes. If I have to pick a side, I guess I'm going to pick the side that's more likely to look out for my interests and not the wealthy's interests.

The problem with our elected officials is they have no reason to look out for their constituents and make decisions in their best interests. The reasons are varied, but the most prominent is that citizens of this country simply don't vote for their own interests, so why should the politicians? As long as poor people keep voting for Republicans don't expect anything to change.

 

What bullshit you buy into. Your Democrat heroes use insider stock tips, global warming and local contracts to line their own pockets no differently from the party you always attack. The change has been poor people voting Democrat which has resulted in record numbers of people on food stamps, the incredibly high poverty level and the largest debt in American history. When they really decide that they deserve free shit more than they already get now, it will affect every producer (I guess you are one) in a very negative way. What have Democrats done in the last six years to help the poor other than give them free shit? We have more people in poverty since the Great Depression and a record number on food stamps. Democrats had the power of the purse from 2007 to 2011 which was the worst of the recession and have a Senate that won't take up bills passed by the House. Thank you Harry Reid (D-Nevada). They ARE voting for Democrats and the country is reaping the results.

 

Statements like this tell me you're not really equipped for this conversation, but nevertheless I will respond in the (futile) hopes you have a somewhat open mind and don't just prowl the internet seeking validation of your ill-informed perspectives.

Unfortunately, poor people have not been voting Democrat. They have been voting Republican. Every southern Red State is slam full of the poorest or the poor people, mostly white conservatives who vote Republican. This is not arguable. This is a fact. To deny it is to simply ignore reality. The sky is blue. Water is wet. Poor, white conservatives in the South (which are in the majority) overwhelmingly vote Republican.

People are on food stamps because they qualify for food stamps. This is due to lost jobs, stagnated wages and a while host of reasons. This issue is decades in the making and largely due to failed economic policies that favor the wealthy at the expense of the middle class, which is quickly shrinking. This shrinking middle class are the economic drivers of our country. Now that there are fewer of them, we have fewer people buying stuff. With fewer people buying stuff, the need to produce stuff is reduced. With a reduction in demand, we have less need for jobs.

The largest debt in this country's history is directly tied to the two wars we entered into a decade ago. I hate to keep bringing it up, but the impact of those two wars will be felt for the rest of this generation. The cost, had we not chosen to reduce taxes would have been staggering. The fact that we as a nation chose to spend that money while reducing the taxes needed to pay for it while allowing our banking industry to run wild with little regulation has pushed us to the brink of a worldwide economic collapse. Yes, there are some Democrats who were complicit in our current situation, but that is the minority. The drivers of the current state of affairs is directly attributable to Republican policies and political manipulation. If you make less than $250,000 anually and vote Republican, you are the problem. You have been manipulated.

1) Healthcare Reform: Despite the fact that many GOP-controlled states have denied access to still millions of Americans, Obamacare was huge for our country. Is it perfect? Far from it, but it's leaps better than where we were as a country 6 years ago. Millions of people now have access to healthcare that previously didn't. Kids may now remain on their parents heath insurance for longer. Premiums on the exchanges have dropped and for the first time sine I have been purchasing health insurance are expected to drop next year even more. Most importantly, insurance companies can no longer deny you for a pre-existing condition. That last one alone puts us light years ahead of where we were before Obama.

2) Financial Reform: Again, not perfect, but no compromise is perfect. The fact that no one went to jail will always be an issue for me. Still, the committee that designates SIFIs is working well as evidenced by the banks that work hard to not get the label. The government now has the legal right to seize the assets of the large banks, which will be used to keep them in line lest they give the government a reason to act. Then there is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau which has already started to crack down on predatory lending.

3) Economic Recovery: The fact that it took six years to show real recovery is worrisome. Still, the recovery has been better than our European counterparts. The Obama stimulus plan helped prevent the country's economy from sliding further into the hole we were headed into according to pretty much every economist that matters. That so much was stripped away due to the work of the Republicans further underlines he mountain the Obama Administration had to climb for small positive results. There is no doubt that had the GOP worked with him, the results would have been much better. (Yet another example of the GOP fucking you over just to make Obama look bad.) Again, this is the consensus of every economist that matters.

4) Same-Sex Marriage: This inequality has been long overdue. The tide has turned and eventually this will be the law of the land in every state. People still resist, regardless of the federal decisions that have been made. You have just as much chance at overturning Roe v. Wade.

The fact that these have been accomplished with literally zero help from a Republican Congress that has had only one policy since the Obama's arrived in Washington (discredit the President, no matter what the cost to the American people) makes it even more impressive. So much more could have been accomplished if only the GOP gave a shit about the poor, but they don't. At this point admitting you were duped would be an embarrassment which your pride won't allow you to do.

Still, you will continue to vote for them as they continue to manipulate you.

 

You are right that I will not admit I am wrong, not because of pride, but because you are so blind in your hatred of Republicans. I live in a very large blue state now - New York, where nearly 1/3 of the kids live at or below the poverty level with the second highest taxes in the US. They damn sure aren't voting Republican. The vast majority of cities on the edge of bankruptcy, including Detroit, have been run by Democrats for years as well. I am betting the poor people there didn't vote Republican. My health insurance went up this year and while you might have had an exception in the exchange, the Obama administration illegally delayed reporting the new rates until after the election when they were due October 1st and premiums are not going down.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapot...e-delay-out-of-pocket-caps-waived-until-2015/
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/11/white-house-delays-2015-obamacare-enrollment/
My original post was to point out that the Democrats have caused a lot of problems as well, but your pride won't allow you to agree with anything other than your own rosy view of your party. When you make a statement like "consensus of every economist that matters" it really means "every economist that agrees with me, end of argument", whether true or not.

President George W. Bush wanted to reform Fanny and Freddy and pointed out the dangers but was blocked by the Democrats. The housing collapse was an end result. Also, printing money is not an economic recovery. At some point you can no longer keep manipulating the interest rates at record lows.

Who had control of the House and Senate for the first two years of Obama's Presidency and the last two years of the previous President (counting the two Independents that caucused with the Democrats)? I am open-minded but responded to your constant barrage of bs about the party of the rich.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/ar...ich_in_congress_its_the_democrats_122118.html