Mentioned in, "Dreams from My Father" - that well known memoir of his nothingness
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I think the core issue is probably your political system. In Australia, the prime minister just doesn't have enough power for his personal agenda to set the tone for the whole country. Apparently, the US President is more like a Stalin figure, able to impose his will on the nation and therefore subject to all manner of scrutiny, because there appear to be no checks and balances to stop him from lying his way in and then changing the whole country. Or, y'all are just over reacting.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. "Iam doing the browsing center project in vb.net using c# coding" - this is why I don't answer questions much anymore. Oh, and Microsoft doesn't want me to.
Christian Graus wrote:
Or, y'all are just over reacting.
I do not. My reaction comes from having lived through one of the weakest presidents in our history, Carter, and the damage it did to the nation. Carter was a relative novice and the world took advantage if it. Secondly a president can issue executive orders, as in, "this entire swath of the country is now a national park and by the way, you can't look for oil there". Requires no legislation what so ever. If the man had done anything then the electorate could evaluate it decide. He's done nothing of significance and has lied about that - specifically refusing to support legislation that protects the life of a child that survives a late term abortion.
Mike - typical white guy. The USA does have universal healthcare, but you have to pay for it. D'oh. Thomas Mann - "Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil." The NYT - my leftist brochure. Calling an illegal alien an “undocumented immigrant” is like calling a drug dealer an “unlicensed pharmacist”. God doesn't believe in atheists, therefore they don't exist.
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Christian Graus wrote:
Or, y'all are just over reacting.
I do not. My reaction comes from having lived through one of the weakest presidents in our history, Carter, and the damage it did to the nation. Carter was a relative novice and the world took advantage if it. Secondly a president can issue executive orders, as in, "this entire swath of the country is now a national park and by the way, you can't look for oil there". Requires no legislation what so ever. If the man had done anything then the electorate could evaluate it decide. He's done nothing of significance and has lied about that - specifically refusing to support legislation that protects the life of a child that survives a late term abortion.
Mike - typical white guy. The USA does have universal healthcare, but you have to pay for it. D'oh. Thomas Mann - "Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil." The NYT - my leftist brochure. Calling an illegal alien an “undocumented immigrant” is like calling a drug dealer an “unlicensed pharmacist”. God doesn't believe in atheists, therefore they don't exist.
Mike Gaskey wrote:
Secondly a president can issue executive orders, as in, "this entire swath of the country is now a national park and by the way, you can't look for oil there".
Wow, I hope he doesn't do something awful like that, or worse, just decide that he wants to declare a war. Can you imagine what it would be like if that happened?
I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours. ~Stephen Roberts
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I think the core issue is probably your political system. In Australia, the prime minister just doesn't have enough power for his personal agenda to set the tone for the whole country. Apparently, the US President is more like a Stalin figure, able to impose his will on the nation and therefore subject to all manner of scrutiny, because there appear to be no checks and balances to stop him from lying his way in and then changing the whole country. Or, y'all are just over reacting.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. "Iam doing the browsing center project in vb.net using c# coding" - this is why I don't answer questions much anymore. Oh, and Microsoft doesn't want me to.
Christian Graus wrote:
Or, y'all are just over reacting.
i think this has some merit.
----------------------------------------------------------- "When I first saw it, I just thought that you really, really enjoyed programming in java." - Leslie Sanford
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Zeituni Onyango, the aunt so affectionately described in Mr Obama’s best-selling memoir Dreams from My Father[^] ah, yes - the American dream as executed by "The One".
Mike - typical white guy. The USA does have universal healthcare, but you have to pay for it. D'oh. Thomas Mann - "Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil." The NYT - my leftist brochure. Calling an illegal alien an “undocumented immigrant” is like calling a drug dealer an “unlicensed pharmacist”. God doesn't believe in atheists, therefore they don't exist.
Are you posting all these complaints in hopes of persuading some here to vote McCain, or is this just a form of catharsis to relieve your agony at the possibility that the Democrats might finally win one? If it's the former, I think you might be pissing into the wind, so to speak...
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Zeituni Onyango, the aunt so affectionately described in Mr Obama’s best-selling memoir Dreams from My Father[^] ah, yes - the American dream as executed by "The One".
Mike - typical white guy. The USA does have universal healthcare, but you have to pay for it. D'oh. Thomas Mann - "Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil." The NYT - my leftist brochure. Calling an illegal alien an “undocumented immigrant” is like calling a drug dealer an “unlicensed pharmacist”. God doesn't believe in atheists, therefore they don't exist.
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I think the core issue is probably your political system. In Australia, the prime minister just doesn't have enough power for his personal agenda to set the tone for the whole country. Apparently, the US President is more like a Stalin figure, able to impose his will on the nation and therefore subject to all manner of scrutiny, because there appear to be no checks and balances to stop him from lying his way in and then changing the whole country. Or, y'all are just over reacting.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. "Iam doing the browsing center project in vb.net using c# coding" - this is why I don't answer questions much anymore. Oh, and Microsoft doesn't want me to.
Christian Graus wrote:
Apparently, the US President is more like a Stalin figure, able to impose his will on the nation and therefore subject to all manner of scrutiny, because there appear to be no checks and balances to stop him from lying his way in and then changing the whole country.
Thats not really the case when the government acts to check itself. But when the Legislative branch and Congress are from the same party, then the party in power can run roughshod over the minority. The big concern in this election is that if the Democratic party wins 60 seats in the Senate, the Republicans can't effectively stop anything because the Dems can vote to stop a filibuster. The sad thing is that with the partisanism in Washingtonn these days, people place party over the common good. Voting to get pork for your district or so that some lobbyist will support your next campaign, is the root cause of most of our real problems and the inability to address them. My 2 cents is that we would be better off having the President and the Congress from different parties, I've never seen the US government create jobs, and I don't particularly want or expect their help.
Uptight Ex-Military Republican married to a Commie Lib - How weird is that?
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Christian Graus wrote:
Apparently, the US President is more like a Stalin figure, able to impose his will on the nation and therefore subject to all manner of scrutiny, because there appear to be no checks and balances to stop him from lying his way in and then changing the whole country.
Thats not really the case when the government acts to check itself. But when the Legislative branch and Congress are from the same party, then the party in power can run roughshod over the minority. The big concern in this election is that if the Democratic party wins 60 seats in the Senate, the Republicans can't effectively stop anything because the Dems can vote to stop a filibuster. The sad thing is that with the partisanism in Washingtonn these days, people place party over the common good. Voting to get pork for your district or so that some lobbyist will support your next campaign, is the root cause of most of our real problems and the inability to address them. My 2 cents is that we would be better off having the President and the Congress from different parties, I've never seen the US government create jobs, and I don't particularly want or expect their help.
Uptight Ex-Military Republican married to a Commie Lib - How weird is that?
Doug Goulden wrote:
hen the party in power can run roughshod over the minority.
Isn't that the definition of democracy ?
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. "Iam doing the browsing center project in vb.net using c# coding" - this is why I don't answer questions much anymore. Oh, and Microsoft doesn't want me to.
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Zeituni Onyango, the aunt so affectionately described in Mr Obama’s best-selling memoir Dreams from My Father[^] ah, yes - the American dream as executed by "The One".
Mike - typical white guy. The USA does have universal healthcare, but you have to pay for it. D'oh. Thomas Mann - "Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil." The NYT - my leftist brochure. Calling an illegal alien an “undocumented immigrant” is like calling a drug dealer an “unlicensed pharmacist”. God doesn't believe in atheists, therefore they don't exist.
Mike Gaskey wrote:
ah, yes - the American dream as executed by "The One".
So, what if he has poor relatives ? Furthermore, when socialism comes they are going to redistribute the wealth and make the poor rich and the rich poor. Then they will again make rich poor and poor rich and the cycle will be repeated endlessly. This is called the "eternal karmic cycle". I sense you are dissatisfied and unhappy about something. The origin of suffering is ignorance and craving. Shed ignorance (go read a book or some thing) and stop craving for what cannot be. Know that self is just an illusion and all things are impermanent. Hope that helps.
modified on Thursday, October 30, 2008 4:32 AM
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Christian Graus wrote:
Apparently, the US President is more like a Stalin figure, able to impose his will on the nation and therefore subject to all manner of scrutiny, because there appear to be no checks and balances to stop him from lying his way in and then changing the whole country.
Thats not really the case when the government acts to check itself. But when the Legislative branch and Congress are from the same party, then the party in power can run roughshod over the minority. The big concern in this election is that if the Democratic party wins 60 seats in the Senate, the Republicans can't effectively stop anything because the Dems can vote to stop a filibuster. The sad thing is that with the partisanism in Washingtonn these days, people place party over the common good. Voting to get pork for your district or so that some lobbyist will support your next campaign, is the root cause of most of our real problems and the inability to address them. My 2 cents is that we would be better off having the President and the Congress from different parties, I've never seen the US government create jobs, and I don't particularly want or expect their help.
Uptight Ex-Military Republican married to a Commie Lib - How weird is that?
Doug Goulden wrote:
Voting to get pork for your district or so that some lobbyist will support your next campaign, is the root cause of most of our real problems and the inability to address them.
This is a McCain talking point and bears little relation to the facts. Earmarks account for around 1-2% of federal spending. It is a nickels and dimes obsession and shows that McCain lacks real leadership ability. He just can't see the big picture economically.
John Carson
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Zeituni Onyango, the aunt so affectionately described in Mr Obama’s best-selling memoir Dreams from My Father[^] ah, yes - the American dream as executed by "The One".
Mike - typical white guy. The USA does have universal healthcare, but you have to pay for it. D'oh. Thomas Mann - "Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil." The NYT - my leftist brochure. Calling an illegal alien an “undocumented immigrant” is like calling a drug dealer an “unlicensed pharmacist”. God doesn't believe in atheists, therefore they don't exist.
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Doug Goulden wrote:
hen the party in power can run roughshod over the minority.
Isn't that the definition of democracy ?
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. "Iam doing the browsing center project in vb.net using c# coding" - this is why I don't answer questions much anymore. Oh, and Microsoft doesn't want me to.
Christian Graus wrote:
Doug Goulden: ... then the party in power can run roughshod over the minority. Christian Graus: Isn't that the definition of democracy ?
It is ... which is why the US Constitution does not provide for a democracy (unitary or otherwise), but rather a for constitutional federal republic.
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Doug Goulden wrote:
Voting to get pork for your district or so that some lobbyist will support your next campaign, is the root cause of most of our real problems and the inability to address them.
This is a McCain talking point and bears little relation to the facts. Earmarks account for around 1-2% of federal spending. It is a nickels and dimes obsession and shows that McCain lacks real leadership ability. He just can't see the big picture economically.
John Carson
John Carson wrote:
Earmarks account for around 1-2% of federal spending
Not quite correct. An earmark can: Fund the construction of something that must be maintained for decades, a subsequent burden for a local community. Foster corruption.
John Carson wrote:
He just can't see the big picture economically.
an opinion not shared by the majority of Americans according to today's poll numbers.
Mike - typical white guy. The USA does have universal healthcare, but you have to pay for it. D'oh. Thomas Mann - "Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil." The NYT - my leftist brochure. Calling an illegal alien an “undocumented immigrant” is like calling a drug dealer an “unlicensed pharmacist”. God doesn't believe in atheists, therefore they don't exist.
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Mike, if you're right (and I'm not so sure you are) then you should be excited. 4 years of Carter led us to 8 years of Reagan.
Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface
Oakman wrote:
Mike, if you're right ...
There is that. I don't know if you remember the feeling, during the Carter administration, of ... well, not sure how to describe it but somehow you couldn't hold your head high. Watching the news for 444 days in a row with citizens held hostage and 12% (mine, anyway) mortgage rates, etc. Reagan thankfully changed that and it is something to remember. I am honestly worried that Obama is the same, albeit more polished and sans a beer swilling brother to lighten things up. I don't remember whether or not he had a Democratic congress or not, something Obama will have - with zero incentive to put the brakes on what I consider to be a sucicidal left leaning agenda.
Mike - typical white guy. The USA does have universal healthcare, but you have to pay for it. D'oh. Thomas Mann - "Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil." The NYT - my leftist brochure. Calling an illegal alien an “undocumented immigrant” is like calling a drug dealer an “unlicensed pharmacist”. God doesn't believe in atheists, therefore they don't exist.
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Are you posting all these complaints in hopes of persuading some here to vote McCain, or is this just a form of catharsis to relieve your agony at the possibility that the Democrats might finally win one? If it's the former, I think you might be pissing into the wind, so to speak...
Rob Graham wrote:
Are you posting all these complaints in hopes of persuading some here to vote McCain
of course not. The majority here are either young enough to still be liberal in their views or from other countries and not stake holders in the out come.
Rob Graham wrote:
a form of catharsis to relieve your agony at the possibility that the Democrats might finally win one?
primarily, yes.
Mike - typical white guy. The USA does have universal healthcare, but you have to pay for it. D'oh. Thomas Mann - "Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil." The NYT - my leftist brochure. Calling an illegal alien an “undocumented immigrant” is like calling a drug dealer an “unlicensed pharmacist”. God doesn't believe in atheists, therefore they don't exist.
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Doug Goulden wrote:
Voting to get pork for your district or so that some lobbyist will support your next campaign, is the root cause of most of our real problems and the inability to address them.
This is a McCain talking point and bears little relation to the facts. Earmarks account for around 1-2% of federal spending. It is a nickels and dimes obsession and shows that McCain lacks real leadership ability. He just can't see the big picture economically.
John Carson
John Carson wrote:
This is a McCain talking point and bears little relation to the facts. Earmarks account for around 1-2% of federal spending. It is a nickels and dimes obsession and shows that McCain lacks real leadership ability
So someone has to be talking about trillions of dollars before we are talking "real" money? My point had more to do with my belief that either party having total control of the government causes them to act in a less retrained way. Again I personally believe that government should be paving roads, providing a military, and enforcing the law. The current state of affairs on Wall Street has more to do with encouraging banks to make high risk loans to unqualified borrowers, and unrealistic expectaions of buyers that home prices would rise forever. I think that the goverment shouldn't be bailing out Wall street or home buyers, repealing the saying og "buyer beware" is going to cost us more in the long run.
Uptight Ex-Military Republican married to a Commie Lib - How weird is that?
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John Carson wrote:
This is a McCain talking point and bears little relation to the facts. Earmarks account for around 1-2% of federal spending. It is a nickels and dimes obsession and shows that McCain lacks real leadership ability
So someone has to be talking about trillions of dollars before we are talking "real" money? My point had more to do with my belief that either party having total control of the government causes them to act in a less retrained way. Again I personally believe that government should be paving roads, providing a military, and enforcing the law. The current state of affairs on Wall Street has more to do with encouraging banks to make high risk loans to unqualified borrowers, and unrealistic expectaions of buyers that home prices would rise forever. I think that the goverment shouldn't be bailing out Wall street or home buyers, repealing the saying og "buyer beware" is going to cost us more in the long run.
Uptight Ex-Military Republican married to a Commie Lib - How weird is that?
Doug Goulden wrote:
So someone has to be talking about trillions of dollars before we are talking "real" money?
They need to be talking about a lot more than 1-2% of expenditure as a campaign centerpiece.
Doug Goulden wrote:
I think that the goverment shouldn't be bailing out Wall street or home buyers, repealing the saying og "buyer beware" is going to cost us more in the long run.
Lucky you aren't in charge or the US would be headed for a major depression.
John Carson
modified on Thursday, October 30, 2008 8:47 AM
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Zeituni Onyango, the aunt so affectionately described in Mr Obama’s best-selling memoir Dreams from My Father[^] ah, yes - the American dream as executed by "The One".
Mike - typical white guy. The USA does have universal healthcare, but you have to pay for it. D'oh. Thomas Mann - "Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil." The NYT - my leftist brochure. Calling an illegal alien an “undocumented immigrant” is like calling a drug dealer an “unlicensed pharmacist”. God doesn't believe in atheists, therefore they don't exist.
Is it frustrating that even with all of your efforts to focus on some kind of messiah complex that you just aren't getting any traction with this weak ineffectual tactic of smearing the democratic candidate? You've been working hard. Gotta applaud the effort. From racist comments to silly Matrix references you've worked real hard at this, but he still does well. Must be frustrating. I had been planning on writing in Ron Paul. I'm starting to think from this negative approach that you are taking that Obama might indeed deserve my vote. Thanks Mike. You more than anyone has pushed me in this direction.
I've heard more said about less.
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Doug Goulden wrote:
So someone has to be talking about trillions of dollars before we are talking "real" money?
They need to be talking about a lot more than 1-2% of expenditure as a campaign centerpiece.
Doug Goulden wrote:
I think that the goverment shouldn't be bailing out Wall street or home buyers, repealing the saying og "buyer beware" is going to cost us more in the long run.
Lucky you aren't in charge or the US would be headed for a major depression.
John Carson
modified on Thursday, October 30, 2008 8:47 AM
John Carson wrote:
1-2% of expenditure
0.5% is a better way to state that. Using the dash could be taken as 1% to 2% when it's really only one-half of one percent.
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John Carson wrote:
1-2% of expenditure
0.5% is a better way to state that. Using the dash could be taken as 1% to 2% when it's really only one-half of one percent.
Ed Gadziemski wrote:
0.5% is a better way to state that. Using the dash could be taken as 1% to 2% when it's really only one-half of one percent.
My intent was 1% to 2%, not 1/2%.
John Carson
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Oakman wrote:
Mike, if you're right ...
There is that. I don't know if you remember the feeling, during the Carter administration, of ... well, not sure how to describe it but somehow you couldn't hold your head high. Watching the news for 444 days in a row with citizens held hostage and 12% (mine, anyway) mortgage rates, etc. Reagan thankfully changed that and it is something to remember. I am honestly worried that Obama is the same, albeit more polished and sans a beer swilling brother to lighten things up. I don't remember whether or not he had a Democratic congress or not, something Obama will have - with zero incentive to put the brakes on what I consider to be a sucicidal left leaning agenda.
Mike - typical white guy. The USA does have universal healthcare, but you have to pay for it. D'oh. Thomas Mann - "Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil." The NYT - my leftist brochure. Calling an illegal alien an “undocumented immigrant” is like calling a drug dealer an “unlicensed pharmacist”. God doesn't believe in atheists, therefore they don't exist.
Mike Gaskey wrote:
12% (mine, anyway) mortgage rates
Sorry, Mike, your statement is wrong. You are misremembering the Carter years. I bought two houses in the late 70s. The first was in March 1977 at 7.75%. I sold that house and bought another in September 1979 with a 7.25% mortgage. It was during Reagan that mortgages rose to 12% because he started spending like a drunken sailor and paying for it with borrowed money.