Obama State of the Union

[ck_taft325is]

Thats funny considering France, Germany, Sweden, etc. have not failed. You can't even being to compare us to the Soviet Union if that's what you're doing. The Soviet Union, at least in the early years, was so radically different than the way things are here that it is not even remotely possible that something like that could happen here.

Also, how and where do you draw the line between good regulation and bad regulation? I think any regulation protecting the environment and the physical well being of human beings is good regulation. You can't just expect big business to have your best interests in mind, especially if you're not buying their product.

Have you ever heard of the Union Carbide disaster? Regulation could have prevented it.

That's the stupidest comment I've ever read.

"The Soviet Union, at least in the early years was so radically different than the way things are here that it is not even remotely possible that something like that could happen here."

I quoted twice so that everyone can really soak in the enormous retardation it must take to make that radical, illogical, stupid, moronic, short sighted, head in the sand assumption. While I don't think YOU are stupid, I believe this philosophy/life view/perspective is extremely dangerous and would advise you to revisit this a bit in your own life as it's so naive it hurts.

[KenC]

^^^ How much deregulation are you talking about? Like "Ayn Rand" deregulation?

[Hallen]

Here we go again, everybody criticizing socialism. I can understand some of the criticism, but you have to realize what the alternative is. Laissez faire capitalism is just as dangerous. The truth is that world economies today exist on a spectrum with bull blown communism on the left and laissez faire capitalism on the right. There is no such thing as a communist country (even if China likes to call itself one) and there is no such thing as a 100% free market country. Every country is more or less in the middle. Every country (with the possible exception of a few third world nations) has a market economy and every country has social programs. The best place to be is in the middle because the extreme ends of the spectrum are both very very bad.

Stop talking about our current situation like it is 1933 Germany or 1917 Russia. You are all a bunch of fools.

Correct in that nobody has free market. But just because it is, doesn't make it right. In order to understand, you have to accept one simple principle. The economy IS society and society is the economy. It's one thing. Government should have no role in either. Government is like the dikes and levies in New Orleans. It tries to unnaturally channel the water all the while telling people it's a safe place to be. In the end, the dikes always fail causing mass damage and death. It's only dangerous if you make the assumption that it's safe to live in a flood zone. Government is the leach on our neck sucking us dry. It doesn't produce anything, it can only take. That's OK, as long as they stay within the bounds that we and the constitution set for it. Long, long ago, but no time more than FDR's time, the government started reaching past it's barriers and we let it. It's time to rein it back in.

A complete free market is not evil. A free market doesn't mean you can't have laws making it illegal to do certain things, but it does mean that the economy is free to work naturally. It's those unnatural dikes that you think are protecting you that ARE the problem.

You are a fool who thinks that a free economy guarantees that big corporations will take over the world because MSNBC tells you so. It simply isn't the case. Government has manipulated the economy for so long, people think it is required when really, the massive problems, monopolies, and much of larceny happened because of the government, not in spite of it.

Socialism is inherently evil because it takes from those who earn it to give to others who don't deserve it.

And do you think the Germans really thought they were getting an evil dictator when they first elected Hitler? Nope. Did they ever think he would take them into a massive war that would cost millions of lives? Nope. Yet it happened. It CAN happen here. All it takes is a fanatic, good intentioned or otherwise, to set it all up. Socializing large hunks of our country is the first step to doing that. Don't be so trusting, or maybe I should say gullible.

[xwill112x]

We are on a path to no where good that has failed ever time its been tried, in both economic stability and as a system of governance.

Please please read a bit of history on these topics

We have been gradually snow balling down this path for quite sometime, no one really knows what the FUCK goes on politicly, its all biased information anyway. As for arguing about the president and where he's turning this country, its a lose-lose situation. Most politicians are crooked anyway, just like lawyers & Most of them are the same anyway. Money talks, bullshit walks comes into play here a lot as well. The old rules of the "system" do not remotely apply to how today's economy/government work. This nation is going to need some SERIOUS inititave and SERIOUS reform to get back on track, but 90% of american's dont give a fuck / or dont understand our country all together.


/rant

[LBJefferies]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

hOlmes, i am not gonna go into this in depth with you again, other than to say.........

NON of us on here was alive the last time we had complete unfettered capitalism


In fact the best regulation of the free market economic system is the same as the best form of govt, as little as possible of each. Yup sure there needs to be some Govt and market regulation, but what we have is no where close to, as little as can be gotten away with.

We are on a path to no where good that has failed ever time its been tried, in both economic stability and as a system of governance.

Please please read a bit of history on these topics

Thats funny considering France, Germany, Sweden, etc. have not failed. You can't even being to compare us to the Soviet Union if that's what you're doing. The Soviet Union, at least in the early years, was so radically different than the way things are here that it is not even remotely possible that something like that could happen here.

Also, how and where do you draw the line between good regulation and bad regulation? I think any regulation protecting the environment and the physical well being of human beings is good regulation. You can't just expect big business to have your best interests in mind, especially if you're not buying their product.

Have you ever heard of the Union Carbide disaster? Regulation could have prevented it.

[mrsleeve]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

hOlmes, i am not gonna go into this in depth with you again, other than to say.........

NON of us on here was alive the last time we had complete unfettered capitalism


In fact the best regulation of the free market economic system is the same as the best form of govt, as little as possible of each. Yup sure there needs to be some Govt and market regulation, but what we have is no where close to, as little as can be gotten away with.

We are on a path to no where good that has failed ever time its been tried, in both economic stability and as a system of governance.

Please please read a bit of history on these topics

[LBJefferies]

Here we go again, everybody criticizing socialism. I can understand some of the criticism, but you have to realize what the alternative is. Laissez faire capitalism is just as dangerous. The truth is that world economies today exist on a spectrum with bull blown communism on the left and laissez faire capitalism on the right. There is no such thing as a communist country (even if China likes to call itself one) and there is no such thing as a 100% free market country. Every country is more or less in the middle. Every country (with the possible exception of a few third world nations) has a market economy and every country has social programs. The best place to be is in the middle because the extreme ends of the spectrum are both very very bad.

Stop talking about our current situation like it is 1933 Germany or 1917 Russia. You are all a bunch of fools.

[Anthrax]

Statistically, yes. Sure, it´s only ten countries between us on the list, and your population is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay bigger, but you are correct.

[Aptyp]

Come on, it´s not so bad. We wouldn´t have had Baywatch if it wasn´t for you guys..

as opposed to Sweden, we also have lower number of suicides...


I'd like to say, though, believing in evolution and atheism are not the same thing.

[Bill 84 318i]

But it's not the Government's job to take care of mine on either count, isn't that right? If you want them to take over and control yours so you don't have to, that's fine. But be prepared to not eat sugar or eggs or cheese or bacon or... etc etc. Maybe they can best choose how many kids you can have? Or maybe where or when you can work and how. Before all that, they'll police what you can and cannot read. Eventually it would work it's way (obviously, with the green trend...) into what you can or cannot drive.

Apples and Oranges, sure. But they're both still fruit.

Honest question, with the religion stuff (and hopefully, name calling) behind us (though Hallen, I'd like to buy you a beer). Do you think that the government should stop paying for the 'fruit' of public education?

At a very high level, I think that it is the government's responsibility to provide basic essentials (whether it's directly or through regulation) for it's people - I guess you and I draw the line in different places, is all.

I think you're participating in fear mongering to a certain degree; I think we have enough protection in place to prevent 'full blown socialism' (if you really think that's what the Obama administration wants). I can see how you might be against the green trend - I don't agree 100% (bits and pieces, sure) - but I can empathize to a certain degree. Arguing against giving all people an honest chance at good healthcare though...I just don't understand that. Maybe you haven't been touched personally by people that have been screwed by this system.

If you're arguing HOW the government should handle healthcare, then that's a whole different story...but it seems like you're dismissing it entirely.

[funcrew]

Come on, it´s not so bad. We wouldn´t have had Baywatch if it wasn´t for you guys..

Well, there's something anyways.

[Anthrax]

Come on, it´s not so bad. We wouldn´t have had Baywatch if it wasn´t for you guys..

[funcrew]

Yeah, I know. Hurt´s doesn´t it?

I can feel my American nuts shriveling up...

[Anthrax]

Yeah, I know. Hurt´s doesn´t it?

[funcrew]

It´s funny how evolution is only questioned in the US.
Over here in europe? Not very much. Wonder why....

It's obviously because you Europeans are so much better and smarter than Americans, duh. Everyone knows that.