I totally get the progressives and the conservatives.
Progressives think giant industries (financial, insurance, medical, etc.) care only about profit, will ship good jobs overseas for more profit and will do anything to make more profit, no matter who is hurt — and in large measure they are correct. Their solution is to give the federal government more and more control over the economy and us.
Conservatives note that the federal government has been in charge of Medicare (going broke), Social Security (going broke), immigration (never really addressed) and that the federal government simply will not operate under a rational budget — and in large measure they are correct.
It now seems obvious that allowing players in powerful industries to become “too big to fail” (Bank of America, Citibank, AIG) is a recipe for abuse and harm to Americans, but a solution of having the federal government become even more powerful and operate more programs like Medicare and Social Security is equally dubious.
My question is: Where is the party, group or individual who can see that there is a middle ground? Why are the only solutions we are offered “unregulated and uncontrolled free markets” or “throw capitalism overboard and let government get even bigger and more intrusive”?
Our two main parties offer exactly those choices, which is why I am now registered as nonpartisan and I will not vote for even one current office holder in the next election. If our president and our representatives cannot offer me another solution, they do not deserve to represent me.
Jon Ralston said about Harry Reid "That anyone trying to be objective in this race would denigrate the instinct to destroy the opposition in a sport where toughness and indomitability should be prized and where a killer instinct separates the effective pols from the also-rans....You want a politician and accomplices who believe that survival is the fittest thing to achieve and by (almost) any means necessary...."
This view of what a congressman should be is wrong.
I want a Congressman to be able to understand and pass good laws that do not reward some (Unions, AMA, wall street, etc.) and Penalize taxpayers and our grandkids.
Reid is truely inept as a lawmaker.
A good street fighter does not mean a good lawmaker.
Politicians are all about winning for themselves. The majority do not care one bit about their district, only how they will look when they take a stand on an issue. Whether an is issue is right or wrong, the politicians want to vote on the winning side with the majority. Very few of them have the guts to stand up for what is right for America. What truly amazes me is the control Nancy and Harry have over the dems in congress. Our representatives act like they are afraid of these two. I don't get it. Even when Bush was in office, those two controlled the dems in everything and now that Obama is there, its even worse. I've never seen such a bunch of lap dog reps in my life.
I believe the Republicans are unhinged yet the Democrats stumble around in their own little world allowing the Republicans to remain unhinged fighting Dems every step of the way.
There has to be some solution to government that solves Americas problems without creating more and making our elected act like small children in a sandbox.
Lobbiests and their bribes create most of the trouble because our elected only react only to the sound & smell of money. An old Eddie Murphy movie, The Distingushed Gentleman documents that with a line saying, if you vote this way you make this much, if you vote that way you make that much,...you can't lose.
Unfortunately as old as that movie is the concept remains today. I agree with Casler about voting as it no longer matters what we think because were not the money rustlers.
The bank bailouts started under Bush and continued, and we can't do it again. Unfortunately the big banks are up to their old tricks again and will in time be looking at the taxpayer for help. Where's our help? Where's the regulations to prevent this financial meltdown from happening yet again?
It's in the hands of our politicians in both parties. Thats why there is no oversight, no controls, and why it should be just as frightening to all Americans as any terrorist organazation.
You all have some very good points. If we the people could only stand as one and vote a candidate in who is trusted...thats the problem.
Politics = corruption
Mr. Michael Casler, would you please report on some tough stuff, that takes a set of titanium stones? This is all child's-play. Tell me why Neil Bush didn't pay any income taxes on the $1 BILLION he stole from Denver's Silverado Bank. Did GHWB pay income taxes on the $16 million he made from insider stock trading at Global Crossings, Inc.? Global and Silverado both financially collapsed.
I'm sick of white folks holding us Black folks to a higher moral standard. McCain (voter-fraud and perjury)took a $112K bribe from Keating. GHWB sent Keating to jail. The GOP made McShame their '08' presidential campaign nominee. GWB is a 40+ years UCMJ felon (AWOLee-deserter). GWB prosecuted former Black congressman Jeffferson because he took a $400k bribe from his Nigerian homeboys. GWB sent R&B singer Ron Isley and actor Wesley Snips to jail, fo income tax evasion. GHWB had former Black judge Alcee Hastings impeached because he took a bribe.
Obama and Holder are a coupla rogue "Uncle Toms". They just jailed rapper "Method Man" because he owed the IRS $33K in income taxes. This duo of gutless wonders also took $5 million from boxer Floyd Mayweather's $10 million purse. I can't wait for Obama and Holder to deal with Rangel, while Neil, McCain, GHWB, and GWB run amuck.
Neither Republicans nor Democrats actually talk about promoting unregulated markets or capitalism - though with our history of continually failed and more or less bad and abusive regulations, maybe we should give it a try.
We need to make the debate rational by requiring the fairness doctrine for talk radio.
mred - what about First Amendment rights??? Now the gov't is going to tell me what I can and cannot listen too? If you do not want to listen, you can turn the radio off or change stations all by yourself without gov't help. If no one listened to talk radio, the sponsors would pull their ads and they would be off the air, but I guess the sponsors like the exposure they get so they keep supporting talk radio. It must mean that talk radio has a big audience. Why is it with you dems that when someone says something you don't like you try to silence them in any method you can?? If the theres too much heat tin the kitchen, get out.
Mr. Cassler, I feel exactly the same way, have also registered non-partisan, and am actively looking for candidates that I can support.
mred should use some of that "fairness doctrine" he espouses in his posts...
The fair doctrine does not belong in the political arena. Every opinion should be responsible for supplying their own soap box. No one is advocating that newspapers be required to publish opposing commentaries on their editoral pages. The same should apply to broadcast commentaries.
"We need to make the debate rational by requiring the fairness doctrine " ...... for all speech
The Sun needs to offer half of its pages for Conservatives or Republicans.
CBS News, NBC, New York Times and ABC need to offer half it pages or time to Conservatives or Republicans.
We need to have speech police to run around to make sure all debate is equally split between all positions.
Michael Casler:
How many votes did your nonpartisan candidate
get?
Your vote won't count.