Text 8181, 279 rader
Skriven 2006-09-11 23:00:00 av Robert E Starr JR (8678.babylon5)
Ärende: Re: My presidential pick
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<C108E3BC.CADD%gabryant@fuse.net><rrv9e2hm9423gsf4v4hs5963lgbut50u78@4ax.com><1156191901.879384.126430@i3g2000cwc.google
For sake of simlicty, space and focus, I am going to be paring things back
<gabiks@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:1157743530.808735.184360@e3g2000cwe.googlegroups.com...
> Oooh, that's so sweet Johnny! if I ever feel picked on I promise to
> let you know :^)
Johnny?
Nobody have ever called me "Johnny" before. Not even when I was a kid. :)
> Unfortunately finding solutions to issues like poverty do require a
> committee or two.
Yeah, I know. Are there any salient facts yet undiscovered? Any useful
ideas we need a comittee to point out? You can't talk a problem to death,
just the people who want to solve it. Maybe it's just me, that I'm starting
to see meetings and comittees as a way of avoiding solving a problem.
What's needed is a someone who takes in some good ideas and says, "we're
doing *this*." And in the words of, IIRC, FDR, if that doesn't work, we'll
try something else.
I believe in business parlance this is being "nimble".
"What would those guys at Hornstein do?"
> Having said that, it would be unfair of me not to
> acknowledge that you've played fair so far. :^) I'll give it a
> try, but you should know I'll be fighting my programming the whole
> time.
As we all should be. :)
> Organic produce is hotter then hot right
> now. Perhaps the government needs to invest more time (expertise) then
> money organizing/empowering groups of farms/farmers to succeed closer
> to home in markets they hadn't considered before. personally I buy
> my produce through a 'food share' at an organic farm not 10 miles
> from my home. I can pick up my weekly 'share' at the farmer's
> market or have it delivered to my front door for an additional fee.
Are you suggesting government evangilization of organic farms or what? The
market should take care of a lot of this. If there's more demand than
supply for organic food, farms will convert to produce organic food.
Farming's tough business. I grew up (and currently live) in CA's central
valley, which is prime faming land. I'm not sure we're organized to the
point of co-ops around here, but there are produce stands everywhere and for
"organic" we have Whole Foods.
For those who know economics, this should be classic Adam Smith territory.
The market should take care of this sort of thing. Why should the
government intervene?
> Migrant workers. Is it possible to offer services and stability
> to the children that move around with them through education, permanent
> affordable housing, and healthcare.
We got plenty of migrants here in central CA. Are you suggesting something
like "gypsy schools" and/or "gypsy clinics" that follow the major migrant
movement patterns? Sounds like a potentially interesting AmeriCorps
project. Lots of practicality issues, but none that couldn't conceivably be
overcome. The question would be whether it could be overcome within a
budget.
> instead of trying to 'warehouse' (her word not mine) old people we
> might offer tax incentive to builders and landlords that encourage them
> to set aside square footage for senior appartments.
There are issues such as those seniors who need living assistance. In
practical terms, assistance is easiest to provide with the people needing
the same kind of assistance in one place. OTOH, I would be happy to give
independent seniors enough housing subsidy to live in a "nice" neighborhood
for a reasonable rent.
> How about we up the
> amount of money they can earn and still receive full social security
> benefits.
Not that I begrudge retired people a reasonable income, but are the people
earning a supplemental income the ones that need help?
> Inner city yutes. Would it be possible to 'forgive' tuition for
> students unable to afford higher education through some sort of
> internship program.
This is what AmeriCorps is about. At least in theory. You do service work
and the government pays down your student loans.
> I'm not thinking affirmative action here I'm
> thinking corporations can intern qualified graduates (effectively
> trying them out before deciding whether or not to hire them) in
> exchange for money the school can use to waive tuition for others.
> again there could be a tax incentive for the corps and matching funds
> from the government.
Corporations would want to take on those who are most desirable to them, and
they would not generally be inner-city kids. This would be good for poor
but promising students. You would need some kind of means-test and
companies would want some kind of aptitude test.
> Confronting poverty can happen in any political situation. It's a
> matter of priority.
....and agreement on a direction.
> But as others have pointed
> out there is a system in place that allows for social change to
> legalize it's way into the order of law.
> I think the 'framers' of the constitution did a fine job (I do
> however wish they had paid a little more attention to the notion of
> term limits.)
Nobody ever wants to leave a job they like. :) My rep promised to
self-term-limit. He didn't.
I wish the framers had paid a little more attention to the Judicial Branch.
The system in place for implementing social change is legislation, which is
the provice of the legislative branch of government. Over the last 20-30
years, we've seen legislation originate from the judicial branch.
> Do I worry overly much about the far right/left, no. I
> too think we will start to see some pushback in the coming months.
We'll see. It's not just the pushing but the kind of pushing that makes a
difference. I've made much of that last bit in this thread.
>
> You shouldn't be scared all the time, or scared of a whole politcal wing
> of
> the country. Just as fear of communism turned into McCarthyism, so will
> fear of Republicans turn to something equally self-destructive. It's
> overblown. Republicans aren't closet fascists any more then Democrats are
> closet communists.
> The west pushed for free elections among
> the Palestinian people; the result, hamas is a huge part of the
> government body. Same with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Yet the thought of
> something like that happening here is rejected without pause. I find
> that curious. Especially for a B5er!
Minor Correction: Hezbollah is a minority player in the Lebanese government.
Some Hezbos are ministers in the Lebanese cabinet, I think in recognition of
the military power they had before inciting the Israelis. IIRC, they're
minority players (in terms of numbers) in the lebanese government.
Hamas' ascention to control of the Palestinian authority was expected and
probably unavoidable. Just because you're holding elections doesn't mean
there's anyone running we'd actually want to have power. Both Arafat's
Fatah and Hamas are terroist groups. In many ways, Hamas' win takes the
"Arafat gloss" off the PA and enables us all to see things as they are. The
people running the show in Palestine are terrorists. They were before the
election as well as after. But the Palestinian people got the chance to
choose the terrorists who'd helped people and choose against than the
terrorists who should be helping people and who were instead stealing aid
money and socking it away in wiss bank accounts (RE Arafat himself). It's a
start. Down the road, they may get the chance to choose someone who
actually has their interests at heart.
Hezbollah uses more or less the same methods. The moment the ceasefire went
into effect, they were flashing cash in southern lebanon. It is worth
noting that Hezbollah has counterfeited US currency before.
> > Look at what they say. Think. Decide who makes sense. Vote
> > accordingly.
> > People who excessively evoke fear are trying to influence that process.
> Ah-men! (you do realize your preaching to a member of the choir,
> yes?)
I get that impression. :)
> There's no need for iran to sell anything. Terrorist can easily
> order up a dirty bomb piecemeal from a number of different sources by
> taking full advantage of the 'global factory.'
Dirty bomb, sure. All you need is explosives and some nuclear fuel
(plutonium is best for this). Nuclear fuel is hard to get ahold of, but
probably not THAT hard.
I am talking NUKES and the future possibility of Hiroshima perpetrated on
New York. Nukes are what Iran is trying to build, not dirty bombs.
> The middle east is experiencing it's
> own growing pains at the moment and I think we need to respect that
> they are in transition. Force feeding them democracy and the American
> way is going to make for one resentful teenager.
Nobody likes something imposed on them. Nor did we really "impose"
democracy on Iraq so much as give them the opportunity. The turnout in last
years' elections doesn't suggest it to have been a bad fit.
> > the middle east has been around a LOT longer then the US. it has a
> > > long and storied history. to me 'nuclear ability' has become a symbol
> > > of freedom throughout the middle east. "if we have it, western powers
> > > will let us alone. they will have to speak with us, not at us." the
> > > easiest way for iran and the like to ensure this is to hold isreal
> > > hostage under the threat of annhilation. Will they actually do it?
> > > no. they are neighbors after all and even the dumbest dog knows you
> > > don't shit where you eat.
> >
> > Intelligence has the strange ability to make the most self-destructive
> > things sound reasonable.
>
> To be sure. the gang and I refer to this phenomenon as "big brain
> syndrome."
The problem with your theory is that the arab peoples already have something
that gets our attention. Oil. If we don't speak to (rather than at them)
them with oil running at $70/barrel, a nuke isn't going to change that
situation.
I consider Iran as desiring the be THE power in its sphere of influence. I
read the mullah's motivation as powerlust, not feelings of powerlessness.
They most certainly are capitalizing on of feelings of helplessness among
the common people.
> Now I get what your saying. You never can tell what someone will take
> away with them. But I still don't agree. You're more likely
> to see folks watching subtitled aljazeera then Miami vice reruns.
Consider the example of MTV. The programming is as shallow as it comes.
Then we talk about the freedom implied in the ability to actually make and
distribute it. I'd be willing to be that CSI lays similar lessons between
the lines--only about authority figures that are concerned about something
other than personal convienence and bribes.
> sorry wasn't able to respond to erverything this post is getting way to
> long. how about we pick one topic from the many?
I oped for ruthlessly cutting back to the bare minimum verbage.
--
John Trauger,
Vorlonagent
"Methane martini.
Shaken, not stirred."
"Spirituality without science has no mind.
Science without spirituality has no heart."
-Methuselah Jones
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