Obama speech- wow

[michael539]

i don't know either.  but youre right-  it smacks of gimmickry so badly- that i would hope that everyone can see it for what it is.  can see through it-  and McCain met her once before the decision was made?

i owned a few successful restaurants.  if the ceo of four seasons wanted to appoint me f and b vp for their global operations- 
1  i wouldn't trust the offer
2  i would seriously wonder what their true motives were
3  i would think they were out of their minds
4  i would turn down the offer
That is how i see this Palin fiasco.  And alaska with what 3 electoral votes?  And 44 with 5 kids?- i got 5 kids- and it was BUSY. 
very strange days

[Vulcanl]

Mc Cain's VP pick has sealed the deal.  Obama-Biden 08 for me.  Signed, sealed & delivered.

Michael539,

Keep the following in mind - everything is relative.  America is not just a 'great' country but THE GREATEST country in the World.  It has its problems, just like any other but throughout our history we have demonstrated an ability to change and adapt to the will of the people.

Don't let freaks like Dr. Phil make you think otherwise.

[T2K]

My fellow American (in my best LBJ voice)...

I think you should cool it with all the "America is the best" and "America is the envy of the world" crap.  You're whiney and self-hating on one hand and arrogant at the same time.

The past 8 years haven't been good.  Nothing that Obama has said, because he essentially says nothing of substance, has convinced me that he can positively 'change' anything.

I was for Ron Paul, but will be voting for McCain.  McCain is far from my ideal President.  I'm sick of voting for the least crappy of two choices, but that's how it's been for a while now.  So, here we go again.

America needs to get back to its Constitutional roots.  Neither candidate will do that, but Obama seems to lean more towards socialism which is even further from where we need to go.

A government that can give you everything you want can also take away everything you value.  We need to drastically reduce the amount of government in Americans' lives.

[michael539]

I was for Ron Paul- but after living in Atlanta the last 8 yrs, I can't help but feel we need a new- New Deal. 

Put people to work, rebuild infrastructure, and whether I personally like it or not (and I don't)- healthcare has to be addressed (with an aging baby boomer generation and costs being prohibitive for most Americans).  Education in the public systems is not where it should be, and many are in ignorant denial about our dependence on fossil fuels- which is easy to figure.  Americans, enticed into buying larger homes for less expensive prices out in the burbs, now have to confront the truth that they are 15km from the nearest grocery store, 35km from their kid's school, 40km from their job (conservatively speaking)- car and gas dependent.  Sometimes it can be a blessing of irony to live in a small country, where development and building are forced to be in close geographical proximity, as opposed to "spreading out on the range." And foreign policy? What educated American even wants to talk about that?  Looking at the Katrina catastrophe, I felt that I was watching a foreign event.  And that disaster is still going on.  (But who in his right mind would invest their life savings in a home below a levee anyway?).

None of these problems will go away.  Can Obama or any president solve them? No.  But at least they can acknowledge them and provide direction. 

As for Dr. Phil, I find his views albeit a bit bitter, refreshing.

m

[Vulcanl]

T2K,

Agreed the past 8 years have been a disaster but my point is that our system is so well designed that it can self-correct as evidenced by our history.

Make up your mind - am I arrogant or 'self hating'?  Can't have it both ways.

I am proud of my country and its achievements, proud to be an American. 

There's absolutely nothing wrong with my statements.

[T2K]

I'm proud of my country, but smart enough to know that others are proud of theirs as well, and often for good reason.  America isn't the only country to have ever accomplished anything.  Thus, I don't throw around general superlatives.  It's neither correct nor polite.

As I said, our Constituion should be our bedrock and we've deviated from it.  You are totally correct that we have a system that allows for reversal of much of the past 8 years though, we'll see what happens.

A "New New Deal"?  I like it, as long as it involves the elimination of welfare for able bodied people.  Everyone on welfare goes to work cleaning up trash, fixing bridges, roads, etc.  It would also solve the illegal immigration problem.  Arrest and deport them all, assign welfare recipients to replace them.

Katrina was an embarrassment not because of the lack of response from the almighty government who must apparently save us all, but because it showcased that we have able-bodeid adults in the US (numbering in the millions) who are basically wards of the state.  They can't even provide for the simplest functions, such as self-preservation.  Years later, many of them are still "Katrina Victims" - WTF?.  I've been in a class 5 hurricane and dealt with the aftermath.  You repair, clean up, and get back to work.  And there was a lot of it (work) afterwards for all who wanted it.

[Dr. Phil]

Mc Cain's VP pick has sealed the deal.  Obama-Biden 08 for me.  Signed, sealed & delivered.

Michael539,

Keep the following in mind - everything is relative.  America is not just a 'great' country but THE GREATEST country in the World.  It has its problems, just like any other but throughout our history we have demonstrated an ability to change and adapt to the will of the people.

Don't let freaks like Dr. Phil make you think otherwise.

Checks and balances Vulcani? Still waiting.

But 8 years ago the incoming President, boasted of being a Washington "outsider" and promised to clean house; he was the new broom.

Today the same promises and wishes remain however over the past 8 years your contry has seriously declined to the extent your indebtedness is off the scale, you have few friends you do not have to bribe with our money and there is a building concensus that your violent excesses overseas must be stopped.

So where were your "checks and balances" ?

Vulcani, we have a consitutional monarch; we have those checks and balances. You do not.
You and your constitution and country are for sale.

America has never been more polarised. I do recall another Englishman reminding you that America was built on three things; compromise, compromise and compromise.

It seems to me you are heading down a dangerous road with conservatives increasingly fundamentalist and out of touch and liberals increasingly ideological and inflexible.

For example, universal healthcare.
You can not possibly enjoy universal healthcare unless you control immigration. As we have seen in UK and open door policy attracts economic migrants and welfare cheques and the cost of free healthcare becomes unaffordable without huge tax increases and the quality of healthcare seriously declines and conditions of service deteriorate and demands on staff increase. So our children decline such career choices. Also hiring "trained" overseas staf also results in a collapse of Training infrastructure such as colleges, university departments, centres of excellence and jobs, teachers...

So we hire immigrant nurses and doctors, many in reality unqualified or poorly trained but we cover their surgical and diagnostic bunders for the good of the service. This influx further lowers the status of these essential jobs and the quality of service continues to deteriorate. But don't immigrants have rights?   

Isn't immigration the pursuit of an American Dream?
And wasn't America built off the backs of immigratnts?
And don't y'all spring from immigrants? 

So how can you control the demands on public services without managing immigration, unless you accept in real terms, reduced investment and abandon universal healthcare and a poor quality service (as in UK)?
But isn't this ideologically unacceptable to liberals?

Lets remember immigrants are cheap labour. Good for business. They increase consumption which increases jobs. And take home loans so property prices increase. And they do not require pension plans....and this lowers the cost of labour and increases corporate profits...this is good? Isn't this the end game? Corporation or Nation?

Vulcani, you sound like your country is nothing more than a vehicle to material excess. So once again, what are your checks and balances?
Give me an example? 

 

[Vulcanl]

T2K,

Politeness and PC (political correctness) go out the window when dealing with extremists like Dr. Phil.  People like this take advantage of civility so you have to be direct with them.

America's still #1.  God Bless America!

[Dr. Phil]

T2K,

Politeness and PC (political correctness) go out the window when dealing with extremists like Dr. Phil.  People like this take advantage of civility so you have to be direct with them.

America's still #1.  God Bless America!

Still no examples of your checks and balances, Vulcani?

Obama's speech has roused many Americans. Why?
Because he has made them feel like victims. And he has offered himself as their Saviour.
The French butchered their Middle and Upper classes in a bloody revolution; the Rusians did the same and the Americans too gained independance off the backs of those made to believe the more prosperous and successful were the root cause of their problems.

Stop making excuses.
Washington, for example has evolved over hundreds of years and it is not going to change. You know this and so do I. Do not be tempted to blame it for all of your problems because it is merely a symptom, not the cause and once you confront your real problems, the symptoms will clear up.

It appears you all are insecure and lack moral fibre.
Here we go again....another Crusade.

Interestingly, this Alaska governor discovered she had a Downs Syndrome child after 4 months pregnant and she did not abort?
She used the time to plan for its birth.
It was always accepted.
She had a governorship and four other kids to juggle but she delivered.

Now Vulcani, this child was not considered a political liability or an impediment to her social life. I can't imagine any other President with the conviction and confidence to do the same. That was positive.

Perhaps a woman as Leader is the best answer?
Take the testosterone out of of US politics.