I'm a registered independent. Turns out I had to register as a republican 30 days ago to go vote in the republican caucus (for Ron Paul, it would be), so I'll have to go to the Democrat caucus or not vote at all. I do want my vote to count. So, I'm going to the Democrat caucus, registering on the spot as a Democrat, and I'm going to vote for Obama.
Looks like Nevada is going to be a big win for Ron Paul. Ron Paul taking home 23% of the votes according to the entrance poll, getting 2nd place.
The caucus locations are at a high school near my house, where I normally go to vote. They held the republican caucus first, then they hold the democrat one. The parking lot for the republicans was full and people were parked on the street and in peoples' driveways across the street. It looks like a huge turnout, at least for this precinct.
Socialism isn't bad. We NEED socialist education, post offices, libraries, etc. Thats for the good of our nation. I think the extent to which we have socialism is the big deal. I think Universal Healthcare is another thing we need as part of our countries socialist practices. We are the only major country without it, thats pitiful. But I think there is a lot of socialist spending that is just a waste. I am for socialist programs that are effective, and pillars of our society (like healthcare is imo), but not for all socialist programs. Hillary "gets" the win in Nevada as the news agencies say....even though Obama won 13 delegates to her 12. Lets watch the news networks ignore Paul's 2nd place finish.
McCain wins So. Carolina and gives one of the three most memorable speeches in the campaign so far. The other two? Romney's speech about his religion was first rate. Obama's speech about wanting to be president of the <u>united</u> states would be the third.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BG7 Lavigne @ Jan 19 2008, 09:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Socialism isn't bad. We NEED socialist education, post offices, libraries, etc. Thats for the good of our nation. I think the extent to which we have socialism is the big deal. I think Universal Healthcare is another thing we need as part of our countries socialist practices. We are the only major country without it, thats pitiful. But I think there is a lot of socialist spending that is just a waste. I am for socialist programs that are effective, and pillars of our society (like healthcare is imo), but not for all socialist programs.</div> ahhh stop trying to steal my money!
John McCain's gotta get Florida now. Fred Thompson's almost done, but maybe he'll remain in the race for McCain's benefit. If he does drop out I'm sure he'd endorse McCain. Ron Paul was very impressive in Nevada today, albeit in a blowout, his message really resonates in Nevada.
My take is that health care is so expensive because of govt. already being involved and doctors get sued for every little thing that goes wrong. The awards on some of these suits are so costly that malpractice insurance is more than most people make in a year. I'm also not sold on socialized education. It isn't very efficient or practical. The results aren't very impressive considering our great national wealth and the price we pay. Our higher education system is a better model - a mixture of state and private schools funded through vouchers (grants, scholarships, loans). Thompson might make a decent VP candidate for McCain. Or anyone else for that matter. He's basically done, as there's no indication he's gotten any traction at all. The people that voted for him in So. Carolina probably would have gone for Huckabee; it clearly affected the outcome. Florida is where Rudy has chosen to launch his campaign. If he loses there, his entire campaign turns into a non-starter. From where I sit, McCain or Rudy are the republicans' best hopes of defeating Hillary in the general election. They may be the worst two to try to defeat Obama.
I don't think the education system is what wrong. I go to a failing school, but I find my education to be quite adequate. I think its on the parents in the younger grades, and on the students in high school of whether they learn and achieve or not. Stupid is what stupid does. Other countries have their government involved in healthcare, and there is no problem. Its not the government involvement that is the problem, but the fact that its negative government involvement. Our entire system is based on a select few profiting from the healthcare, making the entire nation suffer. Like just watching in Sicko, the one lady bought in Cuba something for 5 cents, that cost her $102 in the United States. Thats a problem. At the very least, we need to get the prices down. I think we need universal healthcare, because the insurance is such garbage on healthcare. I have insurance, and will probably always be covered by insurance for my healthcare, but I won't be able to get everything that my insurance guarantees me. We need a president that is going to crackdown on the insurance agencies for not granting people what is in their insurance. If its in someones insurance contract that they can get so and so treatment, they better be able to get that treatment, not have the insurance company deny it for some fake reason. We currently are in a country where those covered by insurance aren't truly covered. We need major healthcare reform, ours is pathetic. We need to model our healthcare after Great Britain imho. Hillary is definitely not the one to lead the charge, we already have her failed attempt in 1991 when she was bought out by lobbyists.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticKing @ Jan 19 2008, 01:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Vote for McCain guys. Thats a wise choice. Obama is a socialist.</div> McCain is a fool. He is so desperate to get elected that he has pandered/cozied up to what is now sadly the base of the party to do so. Further, McCain is really not an outsider nor is Romney. Ron Paul & possibly Fred are the GOP candidates worth voting for IMO. Any one that admires Reagan is not a socialist. HRC, however...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BG7 Lavigne @ Jan 19 2008, 09:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Socialism isn't bad. We NEED socialist education, post offices, libraries, etc. Thats for the good of our nation. I think the extent to which we have socialism is the big deal. I think Universal Healthcare is another thing we need as part of our countries socialist practices. We are the only major country without it, thats pitiful. But I think there is a lot of socialist spending that is just a waste. I am for socialist programs that are effective, and pillars of our society (like healthcare is imo), but not for all socialist programs.</div> Prove to me that Socialism isn't bad? The post office, libraries, & schools could better be described as non profit services run by the government. Who among us wouldn't prefer Fed Ex, UPS, or email to Post Office? Abolishing the Dept of Education would be a good thing. The Feds just add another level of bureaucracy and red tape. A case could be made that the No Child Left Behind has made the schools worse. It focuses strictly on results and depersonalizes the learning experience to just basic facts learned rote. Spending is just so much better Dubya..... not! The Stimulus package is a perfect example. Lets give more money to people who have all the restraint of a 3 yr old. People will just go out and charge things worsening the credit crunch, etc... & most of these people are products of an education system that actually functioned. As for health care, I have no problem with those who really need to be covered by the Goverenment doing so. Then, there are some who could use it a temporary or emergency subsidy. Most of us should be allowed to utilize the free market and relieve businesses of this particular albatross. Granted, the US car companies have a way to go. Had they not modified their benfits/pension plan, there is no way they would have recovered IMO. Huckabee is right when he says its not a Health care crisis so much as a Health crisis. People need to start making better choices for themselves and not rely on the government or their job for every little perk. I am not going to get into a Fox Mulder like rant. Suffice it to say that Kevin Trudeau is right to a degree.
Heh... The postal system is one of very few govt. systems that works well. But it was privatized many years ago. It's still a remarkable thing that you can send a letter from Oregon to Florida for $.41. I never had a gripe with the library system.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ Jan 20 2008, 12:32 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Heh... The postal system is one of very few govt. systems that works well. But it was privatized many years ago. It's still a remarkable thing that you can send a letter from Oregon to Florida for $.41. I never had a gripe with the library system.</div> The post office works realtively well for . A clerk called the PO a a gov't run non-profit when he was lecturing me after I called the PO something derogatory when I was PO'd with them. Libraries are probably the only part of my tax dollar that aren't inefficient. Now, if they'd just put as much emphasis as getting decent books into circulation as they Oprah's book club & Fantasy titles then I'd be completely pleased. All-in-all, Libraries are okay. Barnes & Noble however rules (shameless plug )
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BG7 Lavigne @ Jan 19 2008, 09:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Lets watch the news networks ignore Paul's 2nd place finish.</div> I'm with you on the networks ignoring RP. Though, how you say socialism isn't bad yet support Ron Paul who is the anithesis of the aforementioned Fubar'd ideology?
I don't see anything wrong with the govt. running non-profit organizations. It's the negative profit organizations they run that are a drain on most everyone. I don't have a beef with the concept of the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts), either. The nation has a lot of artworks and historical documents that should be preserved and shown. I'm talking about things like Washington Crossing the Delaware, various presidential portraits and photos, original copies of the constitution and declaration of independence, and those kinds of things. Not Piss Christ - I have no problem with that kind of thing as "art" but it really should be privately funded and shown in private art galleries. One of my favorite pet/personal ideas is for the government to run a non-profit insurance company. That's a true safety net, by definition. The govt. doesn't need to profit, so it can afford to not cherry pick, offer lower prices, and that kind of thing. Of course the service wouldn't be as premium as private insurance, so those carriers would still have something to offer.
I use the postal system for regular mail. But because my dad works for FedEx we use that a lot. I can tell you now FedEx > USPS. And working in an inner city public school system I can tell you for a fact universal education will be a disaster.
