Politics

Now that I'm no longer a "swing voter", I think I'm going to be a "heavy voter". That's all they talk about on the news these days, so it must be something important. And I wouldn't want to be one of those disenfranchised skinny voters that nobody is keeping an eye on. Those guys suck. It's the "heavy voter turnout" that matters, and everyone knows it!

According to the September update from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the final spending for 2004 will be in the neighborhood of $2,293 billion. Read that again, would you please? Even worse, defense is expected to hit a whopping $536 billion in 2005 once the Iraqi war costs are factored in. Here's roughly how it breaks down: The fastest-growing areas are not healthcare or unemployment, folks. They're defense/war, and debt interest. This report actually shows that entitlement spending is the SLOWEST area of growth. Ultimately entitlement spending will far overwhelm anything else, thanks to baby-boomer retirements spiking Social Security. B…

From a Reuters story today: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&u=/nm/20041025/ts_nm/iraq_explosives_dc_4 380 tons of explosives, including HMX, missing from a site that should have been secured a long time ago. Needless to say, a major screw-up by the US military. From the story: We've known since before the war that these explosives needed to be secured, and now we seem to be surprised they are missing.

Whats your favorite conspiracy you have heard, and lets discuss it.

I predict that one of the casualties of the 2004 election cycle will be missile defense, no matter which candidate wins. If Kerry wins, he'll just nix it completely. That much is fairly obvious. If Bush wins, I think he'll have to cave on the issue, because of two factors: 1) The deficit. Democrats are going to keep hammering away about this, even though it's equally their fault, and they're going to start winning the perception game on this, because Republican control of both houses *and* the White House for 8 years has, in political terms, *more* than double the impact of a single term. You start hearing phrases like "legacy" and "the Bush years", and c…

read full article here http://www.economist.com/printedition/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=3329802 "YOU might have thought that, three years after a devastating terrorist attack on American soil, a period which has featured two wars, radical political and economic legislation, and an adjustment to one of the biggest stockmarket crashes in history, the campaign for the presidency would be an especially elevated and notable affair. If so, you would be wrong. This year's battle has been between two deeply flawed men: George Bush, who has been a radical, transforming president but who has never seemed truly up to the job, let alone his own ambitions for it; and John Kerry…

Early voting is an incredible tool that should be utilized by more counties in FLorida and other states. It enables people who work all week to vote on Saturdays, and allows the voting system to be tested among other things. Hillsborough County, however, is not totally reaping the benfits. Only 2% of all voting machines were distributed to voting sites, leading to 5 hour lines at polling places like the one I went to in Tampa. One might ask why more machines were not distributed after the first week of early voting as the number of voters incresed? Any comments or suggestions about this, early voting, or voting in general? AND WHAT DO YOU SAY TO PEOPLE WHO ARE…

I say "no". I think it serves its purpose well, although it has unintended consequences (just look at campaign trails). Nevertheless, without it, the smaller states would have their needs dwarfed by the needs of larger states. There are some good arguments over whether or not a president should be elected without the popular vote, and whether or not this was an unintended consequence of the system. I lean towards the notion that the authors of the electoral college recognized this but felt it was justifiable, especially in light of the aforementioned reasoning behind the college. What do you think?

I am very sorry, but I must speak my mind. I am a supporter of President Bush and I would like to say a bit. Many Kerry supporters have argued that we as America have lost more jobs in the term of Bush than in any other presidency. Well, you have to consider the fact that the Bush administration had to deal with 9/11, and that absolutely CRUSHED the stock market and the general economy plunged, therefore due to the business cycle the major corperations started to lay people off. They have to be careful in business, otherwise they end up on the street. So the economy (which was already dropping during Clinton's idiocy) took an even deeper plunge.

In my lifetime, I have never heard an issue as criticized as the war in Iraq. In recent polls, more than half of all Americans have said that they do not approve of the U.S. invading Iraq. However, when attempting to assess whether it was the right decision or not, I tried to formulate a completely unbiased opinion to see if it would help to clarify the issue in my mind. So far several hundred Americans have died as a direct result of the United States sending them overseas to overthrow an oppresive dictator. Nevertheless, it is a fact that Sadaam Hussein and his oppressive regime have been responsible for the murders of thousands of Iraqi citizens throughout his reign. O…

What say you?

http://www.whatiam.net I love this *edit* lol, yeah, Washington Post... I read it like a week ago and had forgotten between now and then =P and it wasn't exactly an article... it was a paid "advertisement"... the guy says in there how much he paid to get it published which doesn't matter anyway... it doesn't really appeal to the facts... I just found it to be an enjoyable read

So who do you think will end up winning? Note: This thread is not for arguing about who is better. There are plenty of those in the forum. Think of it more like picking a horse in a race. I think Bush will win. I haven't seriously looked at the polls, but there's been nothing to say that Kerry has any sizeable advantage. Undecided voters so often swing to the incumbent, so I see him edging out Kerry with this little swing his way on voting day.

Well I've made my decision. Below is an email I sent out two days ago to all my local friends (and relatives around the country). They all know about my prior support for Bush so I think this will shock quite a few of them. Hell, it shocks me. But that's the way it is. (Aftermath: My wife is a bit upset with me, and doesn't want me to talk to her family about politics until after the election. Ah well.) -------------- I've decide to endorse (for lack of a better term) John Kerry for President, and Betty Castor for Senate. In our House district (21) I'm endorsing the Libertarian candidate, Frank Gonzalez, instead of the Republican Lincoln Diaz-Bala…

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=6562017 You know what, say what you like about Dick Cheney, but the fact remains that he's a 63 year old man with four heart attacks on his record, and second-in-line to lead this country. He'd damn well BETTER get a flu shot. This really pisses me off: BUSH hasn't gotten and won't be getting a flu shot. So this is utterly ridiculous. Cheney is a POSTER CHILD for flu shots, in the highest risk area there is. Come on, give the guy a break.

The Hubble has taken some great pictures of a supernova according to CNN. You can get a more indepth article, and more pictures from the space.com story on the same subject. Purty explosions!

Every site linked to on the first page of Google results for 'Bush environmental record' condemns it. The League of Conservation Voters call him the "worst environmental president in modern history." The links on the front page of http://www.sierraclub.org/wwatch/ give a painfully revealing overview of some of the more recent travesties of George W. Bush supporters out there, tell me: How do you defend Bush's environmental record? Or is this some great conspiracy or misinformed liberalism (if so, sources would be appreciated)? Thanks to anyone who replies.

You know, some things are almost too easy.... http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/uselection2004/maher_bill.html (Parts in boldface are the questions from the interviewer. The rest are Bill Maher's comments.) Maher Factoid #1: Your democracy is a sham. Remember this one, there'll be a test later. Maher Factoid #2: Only Republicans try to scare voters. Democrats would NEVER do such a thing! Maher Factoid #3: You are an idiot. You. Yes, you. Pay attention now, he's talking to YOU. Maher Factoid #4: Bush is running on a religious platform. Everyone will be required to go to church from now on, if you vote…

NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre ~vs~ international gun-ban ringleader Rebecca Peters I recieved this email from Wayne as part of my contributions to the NRA. A Special Message from NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre: Tune in to iN DEMAND Pay-Per-View and Watch the U.N. Gun Debate! Make plans now to watch iN DEMAND Pay-Per-View on October 12th for my 90-minute debate with international gun-ban ringleader Rebecca Peters. And after the debate, be sure to Vote on whether the U.S. Senate should approve the U.N.'s gun-ban treaty! Rebecca Peters almost single-handedly brought gun confiscation to Australia and to England and is now the mo…

Let's try again..........strawmaning and smoke screening, disingenuous blather. Your posts to Aardvark and me were a joke, let's add ...backtracking, dodging, motormouthing, caustic, crying, arrogance.........I could go on. BTW, did you happen to notice that this is a political forum? Now, if you wish, I'll take all of the above accusations, I'll look at your post's, identify each item, and jamb it down your throat....After that, you're allowed to cry to the administrators. Oh, I'm an engineer, not an english major.

This could be the first step in something truly fascinating... time for the real fun to start. http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=96361

Full Story The UWC is developing a robot that will be able to sustain its own functions, by meatolising dead flies. And get this- it attracts the flies using human sewage. Edit* post #400 baby YEA!

i havent posted any serious information here for a few months so ill try to stir the pot a bit with this one. i had read the other thread on guns and damn was that thing long. i didnt get a chance to add my two cents in it and i was really looking forward to it. anyways, the whole theme seemed to focus on someone presenting a reason for needing a gun or reasons for owning guns. i did notice that the thread on the UN gun... wasnt really what i was looking to discus so i felt starting a new .......... again these are only my ideas. I have some points that have always stuck with me. Before I start listing them check out my standpoint on guns. I love guns but I don’t …

I find it strange/funny that US president elections are always around 50%. because that is what you would get if everyone would choose without thinking. So does this basically mean that they don't know what they are choosing?

In the news today, there have been calls for the British troops to come under American control. On the flip side, there have been increased calls for the British to withdraw. All this lead to the question on whom is best suited to occupation, and which method is the most responsible and effective solution? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3755940.stm The British forces are following a soft approach, while the Americans are reacting to insurgence with strict use of force. Which is better in the long term? Are the British troops not targeted as much as Americans because of the soft approch, or because the British have a higher reputation in Iraq? The SA…