state of union

[Lobster]

Quote from StockApprentice:

The US is not very efficient. You mentioned just a few government agencies that are ineffienct... apply that to the rest.

Honestly I have not had any contact with and have almost no knowledge of the military, the CIA, and probably a few dozen minor departments, so I can't speak to that.

I also agree that even 10% efficiency is never possible with humans. So my figure was based on what you can reasonably expect, i.e. if someone has to read and approve documents, give that person a day or two to get it done, not a few seconds as would be absolutely necessary.

Therefore, if my life were a government agency, I would probably assess myself at 120%, since I am a little more thorough and a little faster than the average person, but if my life depended on one single task, I would probably be able to do it at 500% "efficiency".

You also have to give American authorities credit for fairness and better (not just faster) service. For example, in most cases you can get a hearing that is way more impartial than a European jury trial if you just see the judge in an American traffic court. Therefore, even if a European country could provide you with a jury trial and a verdict within a day of the offense, America would still get a higher efficiency rating from me.

 

[Ron In-a-sauna]

Quote from StockApprentice:



You don't pay for them.. it's the American way... we like to defer responsibility to future generations... Heck, we'll just issue some more bonds to pay for it all...

you gotta spend some money to help spur economic activity one way or another, how would you spend that, on government programs? bush is working on a tried and true capitalistic principle that individual people spend better and smarter then the govt.
govt. has gotta spend in recessions, and the spending utimately leads to higher tax revenues. of course the deficit always looks worse in downturns just as it looks better and even balanced as was the case in the 90's when everyone including fed govt. got fat.
all and all in a 10 trillion econonmy, we can handle it...

 

[Lobster]

Quote from inandlong:


My sentiments exactly. When I practiced medicine, 20% of my time was spent with those who couldn't get to or pay for a doc. I didn't deduct my time or expenses. The look of appreciation from those folks was more payment than I could ever receive. They gave what they could, a smile, a hug. A simple thank you made all the difference to me.

Looks like you are one of the few who hold this country together as a civilized and humane society. As long as there are more people like you than there are people like me (desperate, frustrated, lonely, cynical) we can be proud of what we have here.

But I think every enlightened society has some use for a few cynics, doesn't it?

 

[inandlong]

Quote from Lobster:

But I think every enlightened society has some use for a few cynics, doesn't it?

Who else can we turn to for the truth on the error of our ways?

Btw, there is a full text of the address on CBSMarketwatch.

 

[ryanmitcho]

Quote from Lobster:



What exactly is your problem with that? The US can do whatever we (actually whoever is in power) want to do. No force on the earth can stop the US military. Why do you need the French to agree?

And you should not really care whether French soldiers are willing to risk their lives to jump-start the US economy, since I am sure you yourself have not volunteered to go to Iraq and participate in the war. So if you don't feel like dying there how can you expect the French to?

all i am saying is that history has shown the french to cower at aggression towards them. we helped them with the germans. now, when we have a problem, they are the first to publicly oppose it and not lift one finger to help us. i think that is a sign of an ungrateful, apathetic nation. i just saw their prime minister on tv the other day and it got me a little riled up i guess.
why does the US always have to be the police force of the world? we do alot to help many nations in this world (albeit some in self-interest) financially and through numerous aid programs. what do we get in return? an entire region of the world that hates us and wants to kill us because of our nationality and out of jealousy and rage. then, other nations turn their back on us when the tables are turned and assistance is asked of them to eliminate threats to our national security. we give and give, but instead of appreciation, many foreign people despise us- its a damn shame and if aid is not appreciated, i'll expect a nice tax refund, "dubya"

 

[dgabriel]

Quote from Corso482:



Lobster,

It's called the Libertarian party, which is the third largest party in America.

www.lp.org

Unfortunately, being the 3rd largest political party in the US is like being the a minnow in the atlantic ocean.

 

[qdz2]

let me tell you why from a MY perspective. because if YOU don't do some you have done and are doing, the world may be much miserable. there are sacrifice, meaning you and others around the world including some of US. so your democratic process is really important for make sound, decisive, and hopefully balanced decisions and actions. good luck. god bless america and the world.

Quote from ryanmitcho:

...
why does the US always have to be the police force of the world? we do
...

tax refund, "dubya" [/B]

 

[qdz2]

please change the subject of the thread to "state of the union". thanks.

 

[Corso482]

Quote from Lobster:



Thanks for the link. I didn't know they were exactly what I'm looking for. At least they say they are. I always thought they were some sort of anarchist/socialist retards. But if you believe what it says on their website they should represent my opinions quite well.

Now there is one more thing I need to find out (since the libertarians are obviously negligible): Are my opinions highly unpopular or is there a problem within the LP that makes them unacceptable to the reasonable voter in spite of their official program?

While they're not a political powerhouse, they're not a complete joke either. As the link shows, they "hold 587 public offices."

http://www.lp.org/organization/officials.php

I disagree with your premise-- they are perfectly acceptable to the reasonable voter; the problem is that most voters are not reasonable

But seriously, of course they've been somewhat marginalized. Who can compete with the Dems and Repubs in America's two-party system?

I honestly believe that there are many many Americans who are 'libertarian' and just don't know it. They've been suckered into the false dichotomoy of liberal or conservative, democrat or republican.

If you'd like more libertarian perspective on various issues from a well-known and respected organization, check out the Cato Institute at www.cato.org.

What's interesting about the Cato institute is they're a hard-core libertarian organization with regular appearances on Fox news, yet most people have no idea that they are libertarian.

Which brings me to my final point, and answer to your question, the problem with libertarians is that they lack a good advertising/publicity campaign, which is likely due to lack of funds.

 

[Lobster]

Quote from Corso482:


I disagree with your premise-- they are perfectly acceptable to the reasonable voter; the problem is that most voters are not reasonable

I was actually fishing for an answer like that. Of course, I could have said it myself, but I don't want to be the only one calling everyone else a moron.

On a slightly related note,

"01/28 19:20 Comcast Refuses to Air Ads Opposing U.S. War With Iraq, AP Says"

But the headline is not the worst part:

http://www.bloomberg.com/fgcgi.cgi?T=marketsquote99_relnews.ht&s=APjceOBUhQ29tY2Fz

They admit that the only reason why they don't air it is that it "raises such questions" whether or not it "fails to substantiate certain claims or charges".

That same policy doesn't keep CMCSA from airing "get rich quick" schemes all the time. Apparently the company has no "questions" at all as to the substantiability of those claims.

Now that we officially know that CMCSA will (for our protection, of course!) only air spots which they endorse beyond any doubt (since there are no questions at all about substantiability) someone who has lost a bunch of money using WizeTrade or Waxy's system or one of the real estate scams should sue CMCSA for airing those commercials, thereby implicitly endorsing them.