Politics

In a time of financial problems for the US, some historical perspective here.... answers.com I've looked around the Internet, but cannot find any other details. Can anyone shed some light on this near-catastrophe?

U.S. debt crisis weighs on markets at midday Growing worries about the U.S. debt crisis has markets in a downturn on Monday, though investors seeking a safe haven in a crisis drove the cost of gold higher. Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/debt+crisis+weighs+markets+midday/5154682/story.html#ixzz1T8qnt0sl Note what does this mean for the US and the world? What is going to happen?

What good does it serve society and why is demand for these things growing? Each year, younger teens are by collateral being exposed to free online pornography, they are getting addicted by it and enjoy it. As adults of the free world we are enabling this and I'm afraid this may have long-term psychological repercussions for everyone as we head into the future. To name and shame, here in Australia (where I come from) we've had quite a few politicians who have gotten into the habit of watching pornography in places they shouldn't be. http://express-advocate-wyong.whereilive.com.au/news/story/mp-paul-mcleay-resigns-over-porn-and-gambling/ But lastly, are the…

You still have not provided supporting evidence for this statement Captain Panic Cap'n Refsmmat. My mistake.

Europe and the USA have major debt and economic problems in common. Australia's debt and economic problems are no where near as big. Europe and USA also have virtually uncontrolled mass immigration from Africa and Mexico respectively. Australia has a very much small immigration intake. I wonder how closely uncontrolled mass immigration and debt and economic problems are linked. Clearly third world immigrants require significant welfare and services when they first arrive in a western country. The more immigrants the bigger the bill to the government.

Of my harshest critics, with all your talk of scientific rigour etc, which of you have formal science qualifications? I would just like to be assured that I am not facing off with a Bernard Salt type - self appointed and unqualified demographer.

Cicero is perhaps the best known Roman statesman. He defended the democracy of Rome and I love quoting him. However, he seriously failed to understanding economic reality, and so are we. Many Romans lost their land while they were off fighting wars for Rome, and they could not get jobs, because wars gave Rome plenty of slaves who were doing all the work. Rome shifted from a citizen military to a paid military, increasing what the government had to pay for war. We shifted from slaves to electricity and machines replacing the need for human labor, and never adjusted our economy to reflect this changed reality. We switched to a technological military force that needs …

The west has an oblgiation to stop taking resources from the third world to prop up its own population and profligate consumption level and to stop paying baby bonuses to induce its citizens to have more children than they otherwise would. But the third world has an equal obligation to cut its fertility down to replacement levels as rapidly as possible or to seek help from and to cooperate with the west in order to facilitate this. Currently the third world's solution to over population is primarily to allow its excess population to migrate to the west which only makes the inequity between the third world and the west and the west's insatiable demand for resources…

I think it would be useful if we get some clarity about the purpose of our Politics forum. Should our forum be like the real-life politics, including all the dirty tricks that politicians and media use (including logical fallacies, misinformation, twisting of facts, and prejudices against certain groups)? Or should we approach things from a scientific point of view, which means that points have to be backed up. Reading our politics forum, I get the feeling that mods ignore our own forum rules in order to allow the discussion to be more like in the media. I read many posts here on the politics forum that, in my opinion, seem to break forum rules 1c (prejudices aga…

Once again and for the record, I do not stand against immigration or multiculturalism per se. I merely stand against economic imperatives entirely determining the magnitude of the annual immigration intake with no consideration of ecological sustainability and short term social stability. And the presumption that the populous should and will always accept large influxes of immigrants, that can and do cause short term social instability, that are deemed to be required by economists and the big business community.

A small town football coach in Tennessee was fired for making Obama the subject and brunt of this song. A blessing, perhaps? But here's one 26 year old lad who will likely make more money as a singer/songwriter in Nashville over the next few years than he would as a teacher/coach during an entire tenured career. The song is a bit racy, upbeat and catchy, so be careful. That was really mean, wasn't it? So let's just keep trashing #43.

I was googling about rape in matriarchies, and across this: http://www.mensaid.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=5901 Seriously I am opposed to rape but the punishment for date rape is way too excessive! I think we should unite and fight for more just laws. Actually I think things are far worse since we announced everyone can have sexual freedom. The laws and policies have become so reactionary, and just plain stupid! When a 16 year old is carrying an identification saying she is 21, and she is drinking, she is getting herself into any trouble she gets into, and it is not a young man who should be severely punished. It is the natural consequences of he…

I thought things would go badly when the US continued to cut taxes during a time of war, but it never occurred to me congress would agree to pay for war, but not budget for it. How could they do this? Personally I think everyone who voted for paying for war without insisting this cost be in the budget, should be voted out of office. John Boehner seems to me the most corrupt man ever, as he lays blame for the mess the Bush administration got us in on Obama, and says nothing about the war debt being part of our national debt problem, because somehow congress approved of the spending but not how to cover the cost, pushing the problem of paying for the wars into th…

I'm especially interested in how those outside the US view the tea party movement.

The US is incredibly divided. The US political landscape has a grand canyon running straight through it. You're either a loyal republican or a loyal democrat... but it's impossible for the two sides to reason with each other. And I get the feeling that it has polarized over the last decade. The political discussions - especially the presidential campaigns - are fought with a ferocity that I can only call it propaganda. Presidential campaigns, I am sure both sides know quite well, have little to do with facts, and a lot with emotions. From my outsider's point of view, the discussion between democrats and republicans has almost become religious. People who believe…

Worldwide, why are so many rape crimes commited men as opposed to by women? There was statistic somewhere saying that 95% of rape crimes in the US are commited by men. That presumably only leaves about 5% by women. Could this in anyway suggest that men have a higher libido than say, women? Or... are other reasons more likely for this alarming statistic? What does everyone think?

Matriarchy is tied to the subject of rape, because rape is tied to personal power or lack of it. Sites objecting to the treatment of males charged with rape, warn the US is becoming a matriarchy, which I find very funny, but in some areas of our lives females have gained power and males have lost power. A matriarchy is a female dominated society, and a patriarchy is male dominated. Can you imagine how the reaction to rape might be different if a society that is female verses male dominated? For sure the warning that the US is becoming a matriarchy, is an expressed concern about males loosing power. I remember when my daughter was in high school and I was ask…

This is getting a lot of views from Oz. Reporters should really read the background of people they are interviewing. And he was so polite too.

Would the USA like to join the European Union ?

Will FOX survive the fall of Murdoch's media empire?

Hey, what does everyone think about this old guy called Jacque Fresco? I am unfamiliar with his background/credentials but in a nutshell he's proposing for a global resource based economy to be implemented instead of the current monetary system. He's been labelled as a 'genius' and also as an 'idealist'. But what does everyone think? Is this actually possible? Should we hate him, love him or oppose him? Is he too idealistic? Is he crazy? Anybody heard of him and what do you guys think about his ideas/followers? The Venus Project: Zeitgeist Addendum Zeitgeist Moving Forward Website: http://www.thezeitgeistmovement.com/

What does everyone think?

The percent of unmarried couples in the US has been steadily increasing for years. IMO, this is due to the fact that some newer laws and private funds/organizations have begun to discourage marriage. What I mean by this is that, in my family at least, my dad worked 5 days a week, and my mom 1 day. If they weren't officially married, my dad, (if he had no morals), could have bought a vacation apartment in a different state, live there for a couple weeks each year (with us), and claim residency there. However, he could really live with my mom, who would claim residency in our true state. Then, the money that my mom made, being a small sum, would qualify for many forms of w…

The founders built two major checks on populism into the original constitution. These were the federal courts and the United States Senate. Judges serve for life and their salary cannot be lowered while they are on the bench. This design was intended to make it possible for judges to make principled but unpopular decisions without fear of repercussions. Additionally, federal judges are appointed, rather than elected, as some state judges are. This was intended to insulate them somewhat from the riffraff of politics. Similarly, senators serve staggered six year terms, unlike representatives’ two year terms. This was done so that no matter how far public opinion swings, on…