Politics

I want to know if other countries suffer the way the US does when a political party gains power and doesn't support the functions of certain government departments. Right now, many of the agencies that protect US citizens from consumer fraud, environmental hazards, workplace dangers, veterans affairs, and emergency disaster management are being stripped of their effectiveness, and it seems wrong to me on many levels. It's wrong to have FEMA in the first place if you aren't going to take it seriously. It's wrong to have agencies we pay for no matter what, and then have all their clout and effectiveness removed. And let me just say it outright. In my lifetime, I've se…

In the thread "Gun Control, which side wins?" John Cuthber made this remark . . . . you can legislate for better gun control, and you can't legislate for "better culture" . . . I reflected on that and reached the conclusion he was probably mistaken. It would have taken the thread off-topic to discuss there, hence this new thread. I support my doubt with a couple of examples,, both from the UK, both relating to automobile safety. 1. When I got into a car in the UK in the second half of the 60s and put on my seat belt, I automatically apologised to the driver for wearing one, noting that it was not because I thought he was an incompetent driver, but because of t…

Okay, haven't started a topic in a long time. Anyways. Some of you may know that I plan to run as a politician one day soon, and a potential sponsor told me that they'd like to see my entire platform first. Which I then realized my platform was rather limited to things I cared a lot about like education, and failed to include many larger things like foreign policy(even though I wouldn't be involved in it) and, you guessed it, global warming. So, for the most part, my policies revolve around solutions to problems, so naturally, I want this position to be no different. However, I also don't want to lie in my position so I want to get this position peer-r…

Sorry if this has been covered before - do these reporters think the public are THAT stupid that they can totally U-Turn on their opinion of a political stance or opinion based upon whether the idea was put forward by a Republican or a Democrat? Obama: "I'll talk to NK" / Fox: "Idiot! Traitor! Who does he think he is?!" Trump: "I'll talk to NK" / Fox "Revolutionary ideas from the pres' to bridge gaps with the enemy! - 3 cheers - Outstanding diplomatic work! - why has no other pres' suggested this?!" Surely the American people are not THAT stupid to be taken in by this nonsense? It is a little depressing.

What are your thoughts over this ping-pong of power to get around the two consecutive terms law between Medvedev and Putin? How democratic is that objectively speaking? And what are your thoughts over Putin's win here. (I'm surprised a thread about this has not yet been opened.)

Has anyone noticed that as soon as science encroaches on an area touched by politics it becomes nearly impossible to have a rational debate? Instead of parties united in a common search for truth and a quest to separate fact from falsehood there is, instead, a mad scramble to avoid answering questions, evade questions with distractions and diversions, deliberate pretence to misunderstand, misinterpret and misrepresent etc. Although it is a bit annoying I think it only reflects upon those who are obviously squirming and fools nobody. My solution is just to stick to cold calm logical progress and not to be too concerned about people trying to slow it down. A bit l…

What is the average family net worth in the USA?

The USA should be divided into two countries, Trump land and Hillary land. It is wasting time to argue. 1) In 2000, the GDP of America was 8 times bigger than China. Clinton let China to join WTO. Then China becomes the world factory. Now China has a bigger buying power than America. in 2016, the median household income in the US is lower than the year 2000. 2) Hillary Clinton said that, I'm Putting Bill Back In Charge of fixing economy If I'm Elected.

Bad news indeed if it happens. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-internet-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-agency-to-vote-to-repeal-net-neutrality-rules-fcc-chief-idUSKBN1DL21A

Unless I am misreading things it is still legal in the USA for a parent to consent to the marriage of a child to, er, anyone. This gets even more disgusting when the person is a child and has to marry her rapist. Read this:- https://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/29/health/ending-child-marriage-in-america/index.html HOW is this legal in a country that describes other countries that do this as 'shithole' countries? Surely when your president hears of this there will be an outrage and he will do something about it no? For the love of god!! I did not know whether to put this in Politics or Religion as it seems that this is more to do with the church shunning rape victim…

I was just wondering what you guys think about the duration of presidency or prime minister term. Is it adequate? Say, with 4-year term in US and many other countries, when a new leader comes to the office it takes time to get a grasp on things and form the government, say it takes 6 months. Then at 3-year mark the next presidency campaign kicks off and now they are distracted from actually trying to do their thing and instead have to appease the public, travel all around the country and defend themselves against the attack of political opponents (or go on attack of their own). That leaves something like 2.5 years out of 4 to actually try and govern the country and …

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43257712 according to the President of the USA and he expects to "come out on top"(him or the USA ,I wonder?) Discounting the madness (and badness) behind the remark has this actually kicked off a proper trade war and will any side actually benefit from it? And in any trade war does the USA have any upper hand any more? Is USA's economic hegemony a thing of the past (Trump or no Trump)?

There have been photos recently spreading on facebook about the recent shooting during the Batman premier. These people are suggesting that it wouldn't have been nearly as bad if someone in the crowd had a gun. Not only do I disagree with this premise, but I think it is insanely ridiculous. Discharging a firearm into a crowded room is extremely dangerous even when trained professionals in ideal conditions. To think that untrained civilians could have safely stopped the tragedy while under a cloud of teargas is insane and dangerously so. Now, moving from the specific to the general case, I found this article citing studies showing the obvious conclusions that more guns…

Those close to Oprah Winfrey indicate she is considering a presidential run in 2020. Winfrey herself has hinted at a run a couple times over the last year. What is everyone's thoughts on this? I don't completely know what to think. Some are lamenting the idea of yet another wealthy celebrity running for office. While I agree 100% that qualifications over fame should decide Elections we may currently exist in a climate where that might be impractical. Famous candidates with name recognition automatically receive more coverage. Media is for profit and will run the stories that generate the biggest numbers. Winfrey would receive billions is free airtime. Additionally I…

We need change. We need change not only for the merging but also we owe this to ourselves. These are the things we should do to create a fair, better World: 1) Fixing the World Every decade, no every year, the gap between the rich and the rest is getting greater and we do need to act because obviously it is not going to change by itself. The system we are living in is inhuman. It is not only inhuman for people living in the war zones or living in poverty or for people working like a machine, through out the week, with an unacceptable tempo, without having any existential experience. It is inhuman for the wast majority of this World, billions of people, and it is …

That reminds me of this case, some people even tried to attack them (10-year-old children) as they were transported to the courts. In many countries, even here had they been 6 months younger, they wouldn't be prosecuted. When I think of the suffering that poor child went through I struggle to contain my anger but justice has to be more than revenge whatever the circumstances.

The impeachment process requires a simple majority of House members to vote for impeachment of a president. That is not too difficult to attain in the next midterm elections. The hard part is getting 67 senators to vote against the president and that can only happen if there are at least that many democrat senators after the midterm elections. That means flipping about 20 senate seats from republican to democrat. Not an easy task, but is it possible? Looks like we are stuck with Trump until the 2020 elections. "At the federal level, the impeachment process is a two-step procedure. The House of Representatives must first pass, by a simple majority of those prese…

Republicans... who control the White House, the legislature... senate and House... every branch... couldn’t keep the government open. They needed votes from Democrats on the other side of the aisle, but refused to offer any compromises to obtain them. Their “my way or the highway” approach failed. So much for the quote unquote deal artist. His history of bankruptcy has now extended beyond his businesses and morals into the realm of governance and his ability to merely keep the lights on.

What do you think?

Students at the UK's most prestigious universities Oxford and Cambridge are being offered many hundreds of pounds to write essays for other students. The website describes itself as "the world's first vendor of custom-made essays written exclusively by members of either Cambridge or Oxford university". Oxbridge students can get paid up to £1,800 ($3,150) for a 2,000 word undergraduate exam answer done the next day, £2,250 ($3,900) for a 2,500 word undergraduate essay done the next day or £750 ($1,300) done within 6 days. The site is: http://oxbridgeessays.com/ and was set up by two brothers still studying at Birmingham and King's. All universities involved are said to…

Grabbed this from a FB friend. Seems like a good clarification, but is probably too long to read for those who need to read it most. Enjoy. //“I would like all of my right wing, conservative friends and family members to read the following. It explains my beliefs in a nutshell. I borrowed this from my buddy, who borrowed this from another friend.This explains my views in an even tempered, logical way. Let's break it down, shall we? Because quite frankly, I'm getting a little tired of being told what I believe and what I stand for. Spoiler alert: Not every Liberal is the same, though the majority of Liberals I know think along roughly these same lines: “1. …

"House Speaker Paul Ryan says he has no interest in working with Democrats on getting health care legislation passed, disputing a suggestion by the White House to reach across the aisle and bypass conservative House Republicans." https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2017/03/30/politics/paul-ryan-democrats-health-care/index.html#ampshare=http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/30/politics/paul-ryan-democrats-health-care/index.html Republicans make no bones about. They are not interested in bipartisanship. They blocked Obama's SCOTUS nominee for a year demanding a super majority then changed the rules and seated Trump's pick with a simple majority. In my opinion the re…

"President Trump’s vision of soldiers marching and tanks rolling down the boulevards of Washington is moving closer to reality in the Pentagon and White House, where officials say they have begun to plan a grand military parade later this year showcasing the might of America’s armed forces. Trump has long mused publicly and privately about wanting such a parade, but a Jan. 18 meeting between Trump and top generals in the Pentagon’s tank — a room reserved for top-secret discussions — marked a tipping point, according to two officials briefed on the planning. Surrounded by the military’s highest-ranking officials, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Joint C…

The wealth gap is the natural intended product of capitalism. It is actually the essential component. It creates the drive to create products or services at low prices so more people can afford to purchase them. Productivity is maximized. Wages are determined the number of qualified workers in the labor pool and their labor output on the job. Productive people get paid more because they do more than the average person. Fairness isn't even a consideration, nor should it be. Its an unplanned wild free for all controlled by what' called the invisible hand No planning is even possible. The system is designed to create winners and losers. So do we need …