The Well-Mannered Politics Thread

[gtalk12]

Who's problem is it if not yours lol. Sure as heck isn't my problem...

It's not my problem, however it screams being out of touch.

Is it only a problem if it affects me? Is that how we look at American politics?

 

[rossihunter2]

Who's problem is it if not yours lol. Sure as heck isn't my problem...

which completely ignores the fact that it is legal for there to be jobs that dont pay enough to allow people to live with basic necessities...
how is that ok?

 

[Willbacker]

Why should they get equal? Oil is an established industry and shouldn't need subsidies. Renewables are still new and research should be encouraged to see how far it can go

The "subsidies" the oil gets as I said before are tax breaks which if they didn't get would hurt who? The consumer right. Most of what you pay at the pump are mostly taxes not the actual price of fuel. Its not only that but engine oil, heating oil for a house (also the small independent oil company that supplies these tanks) and any oil based products. So it keeps it low so we can afford it. I mean the solar panel subsidies are a lot just for the consumer in tax breaks and again so it can be made more affordable in the cost of production. Why should one side get it and not the other? Its fair market practice. Research needs to be done by both sides. Synthetic oil has been a huge improvement just in longevity. DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) has also been an important component just for air quality.

 

[Willbacker]

So...about the economy....

What about it?? Is it Trumps fault? Do we have a heavy hand in it? Hell yeah but this is a worldwide problem and now you got @Inqui all a stir lol.

 

[gtalk12]

What about it?? Is it Trumps fault? Do we have a heavy hand in it? Hell yeah but this is a worldwide problem and now you got @Inqui all a stir lol.

LMAOOOOO leave it to you to bring up Trump quickly.

I wanted to see what you guys thought about it.

 

[Willbacker]

Bill Maher's been saying for a while that the only way Trump gets voted out in 2020 is if there's a recession. The yield curve's been getting more inverted for a while so it looks like he's getting his wish.

It turns out that injecting trade volatility without any sign of a long-term strategy is bad for global growth. Who'd have thought?

I don't think the trade war itself is necessarily the cause of this impending downturn, but it's added a lot of uncertainty and brought forward whatever downturn was going to happen (in the same way that the Smoot-Hawley tariffs didn't cause the Great Depression but 100% made it worse). And with China letting the yuan dip below 7 I don't see the trade war ending without both sides losing major face in some way - which neither side is prepared to do.

Bill Maher is a jackass for even stating that he hopes a recession comes. The recession doesn't hurt the rich so they don't care.

 

[Willbacker]

LMAOOOOO leave it to you to bring up Trump quickly.

I wanted to see what you guys thought about it.

Oh come on man I know where you was going with it by the way you wrote it.

 

[52520Andrew]

The "subsidies" the oil gets as I said before are tax breaks which if they didn't get would hurt who? The consumer right. Most of what you pay at the pump are mostly taxes not the actual price of fuel. Its not only that but engine oil, heating oil for a house (also the small independent oil company that supplies these tanks) and any oil based products. So it keeps it low so we can afford it. I mean the solar panel subsidies are a lot just for the consumer in tax breaks and again so it can be made more affordable in the cost of production. Why should one side get it and not the other? Its fair market practice. Research needs to be done by both sides. Synthetic oil has been a huge improvement just in longevity. DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) has also been an important component just for air quality.

I just told you why renewables should get it. It gives them business and encourages private industry to do research. Oil companies have billions of dollars and certainly don't need me to pay for their research. Because however you want to spin it, someone is paying for it.

Also this is before we mention that this is basically how socialism works

 

[52520Andrew]

I honestly don't think we've cared about a balanced budget for quite a long time. It's just how we operate now. And I don't think that is anywhere near as apocalyptic as a lot of people think. We just need to be smarter about the way we are spending our money.

Certainly not the impression I get listening to Republicans. A deficit is understandable but there is certainly a line where things go from acceptable to unacceptable on that front.

 

[cobrajet]

In other news

Ben Shapiro "if you had to work more than one job to have a roof over your head or food on the table, you probably shouldn't have taken the job that's not paying you enough. That'd be a you problem"

You almost have to work a second job if you lived near a few cities to have a place to live and eat. I don’t know if this is a hoax or not but they said on the radio that the City of San Francisco is paying people to clean up human waste on streets and sidewalks (apparently this is a big problem out there) and they are paying a salary of over 100k to do this, but they said that it is impossible to find an affordable place to live in San Francisco on that salary. That is crazy!

I see so many people living above their means, but figure who am I to tell them any different. I have some friends that are in a lot of debt. They trade in their cars every other year and eat out every night. I freak out over debt. If I was in that much debt, I would be eating peanut butter and jelly every night, driving a cheap beater, canceling my cable and internet and reading books from the public library along with using their free computer access. I am not going to lie, some of my wardrobe is from Goodwill and Thrift stores.

 

[gtalk12]

Oh come on man I know where you was going with it by the way you wrote it.

Honestly? No. You think I have it out for Trump? lol

 

[52520Andrew]

Yeah no one is blaming Trump for poverty

Funny thing is that Shapiro wants to criticize people who actually bust their butts working multiple jobs to make a living. Working during school was tough, can't imagine two jobs. But it also takes time away from actually getting marketable skills so things don't really get much better.

 

[JO_75]

In other news

Ben Shapiro "if you had to work more than one job to have a roof over your head or food on the table, you probably shouldn't have taken the job that's not paying you enough. That'd be a you problem"

Or..... or maybe the problem is the government not raising the minimum wage from $7.25 since 2009! July 24th, 2009 it was raised to $7.25 and a little over 10 years later, the LONGEST STRETCH that it has not increased by the way. Nobody in congress, Obama nor Trump have addressed this issue that is a real problem. People have to work two jobs because nobody in DC wants to do anything about it. That's the REAL PROBLEM.

 

[flynismo]

which completely ignores the fact that it is legal for there to be jobs that dont pay enough to allow people to live with basic necessities...
how is that ok?

Oh I dunno....maybe because those jobs are meant for young kids / students, not for raising a family on? Part of being an adult is having an adult job and being able to take care of yourself and your family. And there are plenty of social safety nets available to help make sure rent gets paid and food is on the table for those who choose to work low wage jobs.
And I won't even get into the political side of it, since you apparently want the government intruding in every aspect of our lives, and I think it is nonsense to make this some kind of moral issue.

 

[flynismo]

Or..... or maybe the problem is the government not raising the minimum wage from $7.25 since 2009! July 24th, 2009 it was raised to $7.25 and a little over 10 years later, the LONGEST STRETCH that it has not increased by the way. Nobody in congress, Obama nor Trump have addressed this issue that is a real problem. People have to work two jobs because nobody in DC wants to do anything about it. That's the REAL PROBLEM.

No, most people have to work two jobs because they made poor decisions in life that put them in the position to where they can't have a decent job.

 

[flynismo]

It's not my problem, however it screams being out of touch.

Is it only a problem if it affects me? Is that how we look at American politics?

I'm not heartless, and I'm not blind to reality. I donate very significant amounts of food and money every single week to a couple local food banks precisely because I am a softie on the inside and cannot bear to see people suffer. I also volunteer as a little league baseball coach. Even though technically it is against our league rules, I ask the kids once per month to have their parents donate a few canned goods; we then deliver it to the food bank. I do this so they can see with their own eyes how important it is to love and take care of each other.

And this I where I am going to piss a lot of people off. Oh well. I do not just sit on my ass talking about how other people should be making this world a better place. I put my own time and money into doing my part in leaving this earth better than I found it. I've noticed that the people who preach the most and fighting for more government handouts are people who do nothing to help the cause. It used to anger me that people can be so self serving and hypocritical. Now I just don't care anymore. As long as I'm doing what I can do, I'm happy.

Now, the reason I bring all that personal stuff up is because doing what I do, I have gotten to meet a whole lot of down-on-their-luck types. And while I may have a soft spot in my heart for these people, it does not mean that I turn a blind eye to why they are in their situations. Here's some examples:

- a mother of two, works at a local factory for $10/hr. She's 19.
- an unemployed man. Just got out of prison in February.
- a middle aged woman with a teenage daughter. Works at Target. Chronically behind in her rent, but always has money for cigarettes and weed.

What do all three of these people have in common? They all three make poor decisions in life (a teenager with two children, a criminal and a person who could pay her rent if she stopped spending her money on dope). People like this (among the working poor) are the rule, not the exception.

So is it only a problem if it effects me? No, not at all. But not all problems are mine or the government's to solve. People need to take accountability for themselves as well.

 

[rossihunter2]

Oh I dunno....maybe because those jobs are meant for young kids / students, not for raising a family on? Part of being an adult is having an adult job and being able to take care of yourself and your family. And there are plenty of social safety nets available to help make sure rent gets paid and food is on the table for those who choose to work low wage jobs.
And I won't even get into the political side of it, since you apparently want the government intruding in every aspect of our lives, and I think it is nonsense to make this some kind of moral issue.

If that’s really the case then they should have an adjusted minimum wage for different ages

In the uk we have a different minimum wage for people aged 16-18 than anyone older...

 

[flynismo]

If that’s really the case then they should have an adjusted minimum wage for different ages

In the uk we have a different minimum wage for people aged 16-18 than anyone older...

Or...maybe we should just get rid of the minimum wage altogether and let the free market decide who is worth what.
I already know you won't agree with that, but the way UK does things regarding minimum wage sounds pretty dumb to me.

 

[flynismo]

Honestly? No. You think I have it out for Trump? lol

I hope you don't mind me asking; but what race are you?
I've been asking all my black and hispanic friends what they think of Trump, just to get an idea of whether the media's claims line up anywhere near that of reality.

For the record, if anybody gives a hoot....I've asked 12 black people, and 3 latinos so far. Five of the twelve black people are pro-Trump. One of the three latinos are pro Trump. I know, I know, not exactly a very reliable sample size. But interesting to me nonetheless.

 

[Willbacker]

I hope you don't mind me asking; but what race are you?
I've been asking all my black and hispanic friends what they think of Trump, just to get an idea of whether the media's claims line up anywhere near that of reality.

For the record, if anybody gives a hoot....I've asked 12 black people, and 3 latinos so far. Five of the twelve black people are pro-Trump. One of the three latinos are pro Trump. I know, I know, not exactly a very reliable sample size. But interesting to me nonetheless.

I trust the Fly Fishing Poll more than the other "polls"