Many years ago, before there was such a thing as the European Union, I had a conversation with fellow who worked for the government of Switzerland. He was all excited about the formation of the union but was pessimistic about the possibility of it turning into the United States of Europe. European countries, he claimed, are not like the states in America. They are indeed all sovereign entities, but the history behind them is significantly different. The states in America are relatively new compared to the age of the states (countries) of Europe. Plus, all the American states came together for a common cause, while each country in Europe has a long history of independence and diverse political philosophies. In both cases, the states and the European countries, sovereignty is paramount. But in America there seems to be a common thread of unity that does not exist in Europe.
In theory all the above is true. In practice each state (or region consisting of several states) are as diverse as all those countries in Europe when it comes to politics. We went through a civil war because of those differences in philosophy, which in my opinion is what codified the two political parties we know today as Democrats and Republicans. Looking at the news now and days you would swear another civil war is brewing over those very same differences that brought about the first one. So, yes, we may be more united than Europe will ever be, but to think we can all act as a single nation is a bit optimistic.
As is the case in the EU, our federal level of government oversees all the interests that are indeed shared by all the states. Those federal laws are created and enacted by duly elected representatives whose purpose is to serve their constituents while preserving the constitution. That's a pretty tough challenge when you think about it. Since all the states have different self-interests, it's a small miracle to get them to agree on anything at all. But something unexpected happened along the way to 2022. We became a highly respected world power basically because our political system and our economic system was superior to the rest of the world. The reason that was possible had to do with free enterprise and the corporations therein. All those companies are legal entities, but they are also run by groups of individual human beings. Thus, when a corporation thrived, so did the people who operate and own it.
We were essentially an agricultural economy when the Declaration of Independence was written. As the country grew and prospered the industrial cities became powerful and thus separated the powers that be into two groups. I don't think the founding fathers could have imagined a country in the condition we are in today. The complexity is overwhelming. However, the basic ideas behind the founding of this country are as solid and as relevant as they ever were. We today are witnessing a struggle between those of us who would preserve the old traditions and continue under a democratically inspired system verses those who would change it all into an authoritarian theocracy. The evolution over time should not come as a surprise, but the number of people today who are trying to overturn the established system of governance is unreal. Some fundamental institutional changes will be made, and part of that will occur while you and I are still above ground. God help the Millennials who will have to see it all through to a conclusion.
Alexa vs Alexa
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Post a new topic to begin a chat.
Any topic is acceptable, and topic drift is permissible.
Re: Alexa vs Alexa
Wow, I don't know what to say now, the cat truly has got my tongue. Maybe I blabbed too much in my last post a few minutes ago. I have to agree with everything you said.
I've been overseas a few times, and in Canada as well for longer periods of time, and I agree, none of them are like here at all. In fact, if you are not very careful, you could be in heap big trouble without even knowing it.
We can talk about our government here and get by with it, good, bad, or ugly. But you say something condescending about the government of a country you are visiting, most of them don't have free speech, at least not like here.
They will haul your ass in and put you in the slammer. Or in some countries, especially Asian countries, take whips to the bottoms of your feet, as punishment, hi hi. I was scared shitless the short time I was in Hong Kong. And of course while I was in the service in Vietnam. You wouldn't believe what they would do to our soldiers, and it was not nice at all.
I hate to think what this country will be like in only 10 years from now.
I've been overseas a few times, and in Canada as well for longer periods of time, and I agree, none of them are like here at all. In fact, if you are not very careful, you could be in heap big trouble without even knowing it.
We can talk about our government here and get by with it, good, bad, or ugly. But you say something condescending about the government of a country you are visiting, most of them don't have free speech, at least not like here.
They will haul your ass in and put you in the slammer. Or in some countries, especially Asian countries, take whips to the bottoms of your feet, as punishment, hi hi. I was scared shitless the short time I was in Hong Kong. And of course while I was in the service in Vietnam. You wouldn't believe what they would do to our soldiers, and it was not nice at all.
I hate to think what this country will be like in only 10 years from now.
Re: Alexa vs Alexa
I spent quite a few years thinking about much of what I wrote in my last reply; more than what I care to burden your mind with. You must know by now that I have a high regard for your thoughts and much of what I say here can be taken as encouragement for you to share your ideas. While I hope some of my blabberings leave you with a positive impact, it never occurred to me that I could leave you speechless. I don't think I said anything profound, but perhaps you have not thought of it all in the same vein as I do. To be honest I don't have a lot to do and keep me busy these days. I sit around and peruse my Twitter feed for entertainment when I'm not playing games. I like Twitter because of the variety of sources. Most of what they say is trash and ill informed. But, it is very enlightening to see the many different ways people see the same things I see, but in a different light. I can't talk to them the same way i document my thoughts here. Plus they are not a captive audience. LOL In any case I am certain that I'm being overly dramatic. Be that as it may, it's gratifying to know I can entertain at least one of my virtual friends.
I've been to Canada and to Puerto Rico. That's it for my experience in foreign countries, and I realize Puerto Rico is not a foreign country. But the culture there is way different than what we have here. I've read about the lifetime of indoctrination most Russians received for the past few decades under the leadership of Vladimir Putin. It's very much a controlled society and people get exterminated in extremely painful ways when they disagree with the party line. That's the reason he is still in power. He has many security measures in place but most of his close buddies are afraid to attempt removing him for fear of what would happen if they fail. And failure is more likely than success because of the aforementioned indoctrination causing people to support Putin blindly. When I read about what Vlad is doing, his aspirations, and his sociopathic methods, I shudder because it could happen in this country of ours as well. I spent most of my life thinking it was impossible for such a person to take that kind of power under our system of governance. Unfortunately, like many other lifelong thoughts, I now am certain we are more vulnerable than we ever were.
I've been to Canada and to Puerto Rico. That's it for my experience in foreign countries, and I realize Puerto Rico is not a foreign country. But the culture there is way different than what we have here. I've read about the lifetime of indoctrination most Russians received for the past few decades under the leadership of Vladimir Putin. It's very much a controlled society and people get exterminated in extremely painful ways when they disagree with the party line. That's the reason he is still in power. He has many security measures in place but most of his close buddies are afraid to attempt removing him for fear of what would happen if they fail. And failure is more likely than success because of the aforementioned indoctrination causing people to support Putin blindly. When I read about what Vlad is doing, his aspirations, and his sociopathic methods, I shudder because it could happen in this country of ours as well. I spent most of my life thinking it was impossible for such a person to take that kind of power under our system of governance. Unfortunately, like many other lifelong thoughts, I now am certain we are more vulnerable than we ever were.
Re: Alexa vs Alexa
You are quite knowledgeable in the topics you do bring up.
We have different experiences and tend to follow slightly different paths with how we think about things, and of course, what they may mean.
I read a lot myself, and find tons of things interesting, but can rarely remember the specifics about them to have a meaningful discussion, unless it is about one tiny aspect of what I was thinking when I read something.
For instance: One topic I was reading had to do with the names used on various types of cars, not trade names, but style names, such as Coupe, Sedan, Hardtop, Ragtop or Convertible.
Quite often I see the word Coupe used, when the car was a Hardtop, and I see Sedan used when it was a Coupe.
Some people argue that if it has a B-pillar, it is a Sedan, and without the B-pillar it is a Hardtop or a Coupe.
Traditionally Coupe meant that it had an A-pillar, and a C-pillar, but no B-pillar, but the key was, to be a Coupe it had to have less than like 30 cubic feet of interior space.
That being said, a Coupe can have 4-doors, they don't have to be just a 2-door vehicle.
If it has 4-doors it is often termed a Hardtop, when in reality it is a Coupe.
The other thing that irks me is when they call Custom cars, Classics.
There is nothing Classic about a car that has been converted to a Custom car, especially a Low-Rider.
One other thing I love to read, and watch video's about are Steam Locomotives.
I don't try to remember any of the details like most enthusiasts do.
I just like to watch, and hear them, although I know enough about them to actually run one.
But as far as all the fancy names they call each component of the trains, that I never can remember.
Just like I can't remember the names of the flowers and plants much anymore.
The way things are going in this country, it sometimes seems like we are in a dictatorship, with the exception that it is not one single person, but a collective of those in Power, all acting as if they are the Rulers instead of the Hired Help.
Since our family is basically from Germany, I've studied a lot about both east and west Berlin, and Germany as a whole.
The areas my family came through were part time under German Rule and part time under French Rule.
After much more digging, I found we originally hale from the Holy Roman Empire, the Germanic Speaking folks, which is why they separated and kept moving. Germanic folks in one direction and French folks in another direction. Then they all got twisted back together again due to job opportunities that brought them together again for a short time.
Could there ever be a Socialist-Democratic Republic Federation. Or will it simply twist to pure Socialism?
What this country no longer has is a means for the poor man to get ahead in business, unless they are very lucky to do so.
There are so many laws to protect the Big Guns, and each one stifles the little man and prevents him from growing.
Yes, there are many self-made millionaires, but how many new ones in the last two decades?
Those who started with nothing and built up their own businesses!
As an example: If I wanted to buy medical equipment to lease, the way I'm leasing medical equipment, and have Medicare pay through the nose for it. It is an impossible task to do now, even if I was 30 years younger.
The Hospitals control 90% of the doctors, and if you don't belong to one, they won't take your patients.
Big Pharma controls who can open a Pharmacy now too. The few small mom n pop Pharmacies that are still around, unless their kids want to carry on the shop, an outsider cannot take it over. They could sell out to a large chain pharmacy, which I hear is an unlikely thing to occur. I know my pharmacist back home, who was an independent, joined up with Rexall. And the only independent I know of down here near me, is now part of a smaller pharmaceutical supply company, so most of their product bear their trademarks now.
Sad to see all of these places get pushed out of business.
And no new companies have a chance anymore, unless they have big money backers, and a foot in the door with major corporations.
It's a good thing I was able to sell my business when I did, although it was not for much money.
The thing I was interested in was seeing it stay on the market, as most important to me.
Heck, I made it for 25 years on my kitchen countertops and table.
You can't get by doing that anymore.
The guy who took it over now has to have a clean-room for making it, and a safety-seal under the cap.
Some of those requirements might have been of his own making by checking regulations and the like, too.
When UPS was here delivering some packages, mostly dog food the wife ordered.
He told me to keep my head up, as they may not be able to take my product anymore without some paperwork from the government. I told him I just sold that business so they won't be picking up from me anymore. All he said was that is good and wise the way things are changing with the shipping laws.
What is this country going to do Yogi?
We have different experiences and tend to follow slightly different paths with how we think about things, and of course, what they may mean.
I read a lot myself, and find tons of things interesting, but can rarely remember the specifics about them to have a meaningful discussion, unless it is about one tiny aspect of what I was thinking when I read something.
For instance: One topic I was reading had to do with the names used on various types of cars, not trade names, but style names, such as Coupe, Sedan, Hardtop, Ragtop or Convertible.
Quite often I see the word Coupe used, when the car was a Hardtop, and I see Sedan used when it was a Coupe.
Some people argue that if it has a B-pillar, it is a Sedan, and without the B-pillar it is a Hardtop or a Coupe.
Traditionally Coupe meant that it had an A-pillar, and a C-pillar, but no B-pillar, but the key was, to be a Coupe it had to have less than like 30 cubic feet of interior space.
That being said, a Coupe can have 4-doors, they don't have to be just a 2-door vehicle.
If it has 4-doors it is often termed a Hardtop, when in reality it is a Coupe.
The other thing that irks me is when they call Custom cars, Classics.
There is nothing Classic about a car that has been converted to a Custom car, especially a Low-Rider.
One other thing I love to read, and watch video's about are Steam Locomotives.
I don't try to remember any of the details like most enthusiasts do.
I just like to watch, and hear them, although I know enough about them to actually run one.
But as far as all the fancy names they call each component of the trains, that I never can remember.
Just like I can't remember the names of the flowers and plants much anymore.
The way things are going in this country, it sometimes seems like we are in a dictatorship, with the exception that it is not one single person, but a collective of those in Power, all acting as if they are the Rulers instead of the Hired Help.
Since our family is basically from Germany, I've studied a lot about both east and west Berlin, and Germany as a whole.
The areas my family came through were part time under German Rule and part time under French Rule.
After much more digging, I found we originally hale from the Holy Roman Empire, the Germanic Speaking folks, which is why they separated and kept moving. Germanic folks in one direction and French folks in another direction. Then they all got twisted back together again due to job opportunities that brought them together again for a short time.
Could there ever be a Socialist-Democratic Republic Federation. Or will it simply twist to pure Socialism?
What this country no longer has is a means for the poor man to get ahead in business, unless they are very lucky to do so.
There are so many laws to protect the Big Guns, and each one stifles the little man and prevents him from growing.
Yes, there are many self-made millionaires, but how many new ones in the last two decades?
Those who started with nothing and built up their own businesses!
As an example: If I wanted to buy medical equipment to lease, the way I'm leasing medical equipment, and have Medicare pay through the nose for it. It is an impossible task to do now, even if I was 30 years younger.
The Hospitals control 90% of the doctors, and if you don't belong to one, they won't take your patients.
Big Pharma controls who can open a Pharmacy now too. The few small mom n pop Pharmacies that are still around, unless their kids want to carry on the shop, an outsider cannot take it over. They could sell out to a large chain pharmacy, which I hear is an unlikely thing to occur. I know my pharmacist back home, who was an independent, joined up with Rexall. And the only independent I know of down here near me, is now part of a smaller pharmaceutical supply company, so most of their product bear their trademarks now.
Sad to see all of these places get pushed out of business.
And no new companies have a chance anymore, unless they have big money backers, and a foot in the door with major corporations.
It's a good thing I was able to sell my business when I did, although it was not for much money.
The thing I was interested in was seeing it stay on the market, as most important to me.
Heck, I made it for 25 years on my kitchen countertops and table.
You can't get by doing that anymore.
The guy who took it over now has to have a clean-room for making it, and a safety-seal under the cap.
Some of those requirements might have been of his own making by checking regulations and the like, too.
When UPS was here delivering some packages, mostly dog food the wife ordered.
He told me to keep my head up, as they may not be able to take my product anymore without some paperwork from the government. I told him I just sold that business so they won't be picking up from me anymore. All he said was that is good and wise the way things are changing with the shipping laws.
What is this country going to do Yogi?
Re: Alexa vs Alexa
You are spot on. This place, America, isn't what it used to be. But, then, is it reasonable to expect it to stay the same for seven decades (the length of my tenure here so far)? The American Dream was for an immigrant to come here with just the clothes he is wearing, get involved with something he was good at, work hard, and then grow it into a successful and profitable business. You told me your family came to Missouri exactly that way. Since the time your ancestors settled and started their farm this country has evolved to the point where it no longer welcomes immigrants. They are building walls to keep them out in fact. The American Dream you and I learned about is just that, a story that might have had some credence at one time.
Having said the above, I must add that it's not impossible to start with zero and become wealthy (a net worth in the multi millions or more) in pursuit of that legendary American Dream. A simple example is in the entertainment world where kids just barely out of puberty are making millions of dollars a year as performing artists. It's true that they have agents taking half their earnings, not to mentions conservatorships because the kids are too young to handle such success. Then there are the Pakistani immigrants who run the Dunken Donut shops. You might be surprised to learn they own and operate at least a dozen and not merely the one you know about. Yes, they are working for a corporate giant, but it's hard to say they are not successful when you look at the homes they live in. If you think you want to take on Pfizer, or Proctor and Gamble, or maybe Microsoft, then you truly are dreaming. My point here is that I've read of several kids out of college, and some who never bothered with higher education, making it big time in the business world. Just think about the kid in Korea who invented Twitter, wrote the code and all, which ended up in him being offered mega millions of dollars so that Jack Dorsey could eventually make it a staple in social media. It is possible to realize that old fashioned American Dream, but only if you understand that America isn't what it used to be.
THE $64,000 QUESTION: "What is this country going to do Yogi?"
Clearly we have outpaced just about every other country on this planet. Our country and everything about it is the target of more than 75% of the world's population simply because we have a high standard of living that is the envy of the world. You might not think that is true given your circumstances over there in Knoxville, but you know we are good when everyone is trying to take us down. Money equates to power and we have a lot of both, which pisses off most of those little tyrants. If they had their way this country would be reduced to what you see in those news clips about the war in the Ukraine. Actually that's too simple and anybody who dared to attack us at that level would be annihilated within minutes. They know it too.
As with everything else, the methods of war have changed over the years. We are now in the midst of a Culture War, a Cyber War, and a PsyOps known as a psychological warfare. The guns we see in Ukraine are obsolete in the kind of wars being waged against us. Urban warfare has replace front lines, and military intelligence and counter intelligence is the store of ammunition these days. Most people don't have a clue about what I just described, which means they don't know enough to counter the attacks. I can assure you, nonetheless, that all those new war machines are designed to change how this country operates so that we crumble from within.
It is my belief that the moment has come for we the citizens of the United States to make a hard decision. November of this year will be critical and the final choice will be made in the 2024 presidential election. Will it be democracy going forward, or something else? For the first time in my life I really can't answer that question.
Having said the above, I must add that it's not impossible to start with zero and become wealthy (a net worth in the multi millions or more) in pursuit of that legendary American Dream. A simple example is in the entertainment world where kids just barely out of puberty are making millions of dollars a year as performing artists. It's true that they have agents taking half their earnings, not to mentions conservatorships because the kids are too young to handle such success. Then there are the Pakistani immigrants who run the Dunken Donut shops. You might be surprised to learn they own and operate at least a dozen and not merely the one you know about. Yes, they are working for a corporate giant, but it's hard to say they are not successful when you look at the homes they live in. If you think you want to take on Pfizer, or Proctor and Gamble, or maybe Microsoft, then you truly are dreaming. My point here is that I've read of several kids out of college, and some who never bothered with higher education, making it big time in the business world. Just think about the kid in Korea who invented Twitter, wrote the code and all, which ended up in him being offered mega millions of dollars so that Jack Dorsey could eventually make it a staple in social media. It is possible to realize that old fashioned American Dream, but only if you understand that America isn't what it used to be.
THE $64,000 QUESTION: "What is this country going to do Yogi?"
Clearly we have outpaced just about every other country on this planet. Our country and everything about it is the target of more than 75% of the world's population simply because we have a high standard of living that is the envy of the world. You might not think that is true given your circumstances over there in Knoxville, but you know we are good when everyone is trying to take us down. Money equates to power and we have a lot of both, which pisses off most of those little tyrants. If they had their way this country would be reduced to what you see in those news clips about the war in the Ukraine. Actually that's too simple and anybody who dared to attack us at that level would be annihilated within minutes. They know it too.
As with everything else, the methods of war have changed over the years. We are now in the midst of a Culture War, a Cyber War, and a PsyOps known as a psychological warfare. The guns we see in Ukraine are obsolete in the kind of wars being waged against us. Urban warfare has replace front lines, and military intelligence and counter intelligence is the store of ammunition these days. Most people don't have a clue about what I just described, which means they don't know enough to counter the attacks. I can assure you, nonetheless, that all those new war machines are designed to change how this country operates so that we crumble from within.
Those were the ominous words of Nikita Khrushchev ca. 1956. He went on to explain that not a single shot will need to be fired. We will wake up one day and realize we have been taken over."About the capitalist states, it doesn't depend on you whether or not we exist. If you don't like us, don't accept our invitations, and don't invite us to come to see you. Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!"
It is my belief that the moment has come for we the citizens of the United States to make a hard decision. November of this year will be critical and the final choice will be made in the 2024 presidential election. Will it be democracy going forward, or something else? For the first time in my life I really can't answer that question.
Last edited by yogi on 15 Jun 2022, 19:43, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Alexa vs Alexa
True, but the immigrants who came here, came with a work ethic and didn't expect our government to take care of them. They either worked to live, or died from starvation, there were no free handouts.
Now, anybody who comes to this country, even illegally, gets more money handed to them than us seniors ever hope to get.
Yes sir, it is a different world than it was for our ancestors who came here.
Over the years, I've taught many how to start their own business, and many of them were as successful as they wanted to be.
I also started businesses and sold them to my best employee when I got tired of that business. Most of them took the business to greater heights than I ever planned on doing.
The thing is, how I started most of those businesses, and how I ran my aquarium products business, was by making those products in my own kitchen. There are very few things you can do now starting on your kitchen table.
Big business has all but taken over this country. Although they make billions of dollars, this is mainly due to their sheer size now. They can mass produce items, so sell them much cheaper than a small business could make and sell them. And this applies to our foods as well.
Right now it seems only the con artists are getting ahead. And those who have big money backers.
In almost any NEW Field of Endeavor, there is no competition to start, so those who get in and get the ball rolling first, about 1 in 500 will hit it just right and make a go of it, and possibly even keep growing. Those other 499 will just fade away and probably just get jobs wherever they can land one.
Computer programmers are like song writers and recording artists, very few make it to the big time!
Well, we already know how badly Biden has destroyed our country in only 1 year. The best we can hope for now is that Trump gets back in, and hopefully can clean up some of the Royal Mess Biden has made.
Things were GREAT under Trump, and we as a country were well respected.
Now, under Biden, we are the laughing stock of the world.
And sadly, people are suffering greatly because of him!
Now, anybody who comes to this country, even illegally, gets more money handed to them than us seniors ever hope to get.
Yes sir, it is a different world than it was for our ancestors who came here.
Over the years, I've taught many how to start their own business, and many of them were as successful as they wanted to be.
I also started businesses and sold them to my best employee when I got tired of that business. Most of them took the business to greater heights than I ever planned on doing.
The thing is, how I started most of those businesses, and how I ran my aquarium products business, was by making those products in my own kitchen. There are very few things you can do now starting on your kitchen table.
Big business has all but taken over this country. Although they make billions of dollars, this is mainly due to their sheer size now. They can mass produce items, so sell them much cheaper than a small business could make and sell them. And this applies to our foods as well.
Right now it seems only the con artists are getting ahead. And those who have big money backers.
In almost any NEW Field of Endeavor, there is no competition to start, so those who get in and get the ball rolling first, about 1 in 500 will hit it just right and make a go of it, and possibly even keep growing. Those other 499 will just fade away and probably just get jobs wherever they can land one.
Computer programmers are like song writers and recording artists, very few make it to the big time!
Well, we already know how badly Biden has destroyed our country in only 1 year. The best we can hope for now is that Trump gets back in, and hopefully can clean up some of the Royal Mess Biden has made.
Things were GREAT under Trump, and we as a country were well respected.
Now, under Biden, we are the laughing stock of the world.
And sadly, people are suffering greatly because of him!
Re: Alexa vs Alexa
It's beyond me to guess what reasons immigrants have for migrating to America. I will agree with you that we as a country are supporting them more in the year 2022 than we were in the year 1922. Be that as it may, it has no bearing on what is possible once the immigrant has arrived. As I noted a few times already, everything about this country has changed over the decades. It should come as no surprise that treatment of new comers has changed as well as everything else. How they all are treated is not the point I was trying to make. I was talking about opportunities for everyone, including immigrants. Those opportunities, which I termed pursuit of the American Dream, have changed drastically over time. They still exist as they did in the days when your ancestors arrived.
Back when Missouri was first being settled the existing corporations did not compare to the size and complexity of today's entities. The business environment your grandpa had to work in was not as difficult to compete in simply because there were not a lot of Big Businesses in existence yet. All those opportunities I claim that are available to individuals are also available to corporations. Since capitalism rewards those who accumulate the largest stashes of dollars, it makes sense that the big corporations of 2022 have much more influence than they did in their early days. It could be argued that there is too much opportunity for success in our economic and governing systems, but there is no uncertainty about who has the greatest influence. That would be people and companies with the most money.
It's disheartening to see your praise for Donald Trump more so than your unjustified criticism of Joe BIden. Don't misinterpret my words. President Biden is not the best president we ever had, but he is also not the worst. Many have made the argument that Donald Trump holds that honor. Frankly speaking I like to read your thoughts, political as they may be. Unfortunately we are at a point termed Cognitive Dissonance. That would be a point were no amount of fact, hard evidence, critical thinking, or plain common sense will change the opinion of the thinker. That's not a criticism of you personally, but it is a classic example of what I was talking about above when I mentioned psychological warfare. Roughly half the voters in this country are victims of the warfare and the dissonance.
Back when Missouri was first being settled the existing corporations did not compare to the size and complexity of today's entities. The business environment your grandpa had to work in was not as difficult to compete in simply because there were not a lot of Big Businesses in existence yet. All those opportunities I claim that are available to individuals are also available to corporations. Since capitalism rewards those who accumulate the largest stashes of dollars, it makes sense that the big corporations of 2022 have much more influence than they did in their early days. It could be argued that there is too much opportunity for success in our economic and governing systems, but there is no uncertainty about who has the greatest influence. That would be people and companies with the most money.
It's disheartening to see your praise for Donald Trump more so than your unjustified criticism of Joe BIden. Don't misinterpret my words. President Biden is not the best president we ever had, but he is also not the worst. Many have made the argument that Donald Trump holds that honor. Frankly speaking I like to read your thoughts, political as they may be. Unfortunately we are at a point termed Cognitive Dissonance. That would be a point were no amount of fact, hard evidence, critical thinking, or plain common sense will change the opinion of the thinker. That's not a criticism of you personally, but it is a classic example of what I was talking about above when I mentioned psychological warfare. Roughly half the voters in this country are victims of the warfare and the dissonance.
Re: Alexa vs Alexa
As you know, my great-grandpa came here and broke rock for road building for 12-1/2 cents per day. The cost of living back then was high vs the income ratio, so if he could save 1/2 cent per day, which he did, he was able to buy a small farm, less than an acre in size, but from the farm he could expand and buy another acre, then another. Then his son, who is who primarily worked the farm, worked hard and managed to buy the 6 acre farm next to his dads farm, and worked both. Where his dad's farm started, he turned that into orchards, and raised vegetable on his land. Eventually his little roadside stand grew to become an 1/8th mile long 12 foot wide Market, which he named The Wayside Market.
His wife is who actually caused the shift from vegetables to flowers. She started in what should have been their vegetable garden for the family. But since they raised vegetables for the market she converted the garden into all flowers, and had quite a business selling them. Then little by little, the vegetable growing areas were taken over with flower growing areas.
And you know the rest from there!
Lawn mowing and landscaping is how many folks get their start, regardless of what business they are building toward starting. The Pest Control folks I used for years after I moved down here, that is how they got their start. Mowing lawns until they had enough money to buy a truck and the spray equipment needed, plus go to school to get their licenses. They only ran this business for about 12 years, before they sold it to a chain for a very fair amount of money. While in the pest control business they acquired an old run down strip mall, mainly to use as a storage area, but fixed up and leased out the frontage shops. Then after selling their pest control business, they built a new modern strip mall about 1/4 mile further down the road. They lease out 5 or 6 of the storefronts, and kept the largest one for themselves to sell antiques and other collectibles. Most of which they collected while in the pest control business and stored in their first strip malls storage areas.
Another neighbor who did lawn mowing to earn some money, rented one bay of a service garage to work on commercial lawn mowers. He has since taken over the whole building and sells new commercial mowing equipment.
So yes, it is still possible to get ahead, but it is not as easy as it once was. You can't start baking cookies in your kitchen to sell anywhere without all the legal things necessary to do so. Although, I know a lady who makes and sells cupcakes, albeit she had not yet been caught, hi hi.
You can't blame Trump for the sudden high inflation that is going up faster than ever in history. Biden shut down the pipeline, and inflation was the result. For the first time in history, our country was independent of foreign oil. Now look at us.
He was bringing back companies who moved overseas, and Biden is sending companies back overseas.
I doubt if we can recover from the damage he has done to this country.
His wife is who actually caused the shift from vegetables to flowers. She started in what should have been their vegetable garden for the family. But since they raised vegetables for the market she converted the garden into all flowers, and had quite a business selling them. Then little by little, the vegetable growing areas were taken over with flower growing areas.
And you know the rest from there!
Lawn mowing and landscaping is how many folks get their start, regardless of what business they are building toward starting. The Pest Control folks I used for years after I moved down here, that is how they got their start. Mowing lawns until they had enough money to buy a truck and the spray equipment needed, plus go to school to get their licenses. They only ran this business for about 12 years, before they sold it to a chain for a very fair amount of money. While in the pest control business they acquired an old run down strip mall, mainly to use as a storage area, but fixed up and leased out the frontage shops. Then after selling their pest control business, they built a new modern strip mall about 1/4 mile further down the road. They lease out 5 or 6 of the storefronts, and kept the largest one for themselves to sell antiques and other collectibles. Most of which they collected while in the pest control business and stored in their first strip malls storage areas.
Another neighbor who did lawn mowing to earn some money, rented one bay of a service garage to work on commercial lawn mowers. He has since taken over the whole building and sells new commercial mowing equipment.
So yes, it is still possible to get ahead, but it is not as easy as it once was. You can't start baking cookies in your kitchen to sell anywhere without all the legal things necessary to do so. Although, I know a lady who makes and sells cupcakes, albeit she had not yet been caught, hi hi.
You can't blame Trump for the sudden high inflation that is going up faster than ever in history. Biden shut down the pipeline, and inflation was the result. For the first time in history, our country was independent of foreign oil. Now look at us.
He was bringing back companies who moved overseas, and Biden is sending companies back overseas.
I doubt if we can recover from the damage he has done to this country.
Re: Alexa vs Alexa
You know we began this Odyssey we know as America with a baker's dozen of settlements. There was no business environment nor economy to speak of, and politics was in it's formative stage. Those thirteen colonies could not exist in this modern world other than perhaps as a museum town such as Williamsburg is today. The marvelous part of our history is not simply that we grew into a viable sovereign country. We evolved into something the world has never seen before and that includes ancient empires of Italy, Greece, and Egypt, not to mention the Far East. Our standard of living is among the highest in the world, if not the number one ranking. It took a lot of inept leaders, inflation, and corruption to get there, but it also could not happen without the people living in this country giving their approval. The harsh reality is that all governments are controlled by the people being governed. It might take a while, a revolution, and perhaps a civil war, to make changes that the people want. But, does happen.
My personal opinion is that you came from a family of business savvy folks who appreciated the value of hard work and fairness. Today I read your words saying such things will get you nowhere in the business climate of 2022, and you might be right. The individual success stores I've read about are the flukes of the system. In the final analysis, however, the freedoms we have are the inspirations to carry on and prosper.
My heart is saddened when I read about those folks who would take my freedoms away and replace them with their own sense of values. It takes a certain kind of power and influence to accomplish such a feat, but you and I know of instances in history where it clearly happened. The United States of America came up with a constitution that minimizes the likelihood of being taken over by an autocrat. Breaking that system seems unholy to us older guys, but that is exactly what in being attempted since 2016. I'm saddened because there isn't much an individual such as I am can do about it.
The news is full of things that are not going right in this country, and well more than half that news is directed at blaming the current administration, that is to say Joe Biden. It's an obvious attempt to make him look bad come 2024. Well, that's politics and Joe isn't sitting around just taking it all in, although it seems that way sometimes. Inflation is not caused by any sitting president, albeit they must take responsibility for it. Today's growth in costs is a global phenomena, and it is not just an American president's problem. The underlying factors range from pandemic supply chain issues to a genocidal war being carried on in the Crimea. When there is a shortage of goods, the prices always go up no matter who is in the top office.
If you really need to point fingers at presidential powers that have a direct influence on inflation, you might want to look at Donald Trump's imposing of import tariffs. He backed out of every trade pact we were committed to and renegotiated terms that caused the prices of goods we import to increase phenomenally. Bringing back jobs from cheap labor markets didn't happen to a great extent under Trump, and producing those items in American factories increased the cost of labor exponentially. This cost was passed on to the consumer as you have explained eloquently to me many times over. We had a lot of cheap labor in our very own country, but #45 decided to wall them out literally and drive the cheap labor market almost to extinction. If any natives of this country did those jobs at all, they were not doing them for the same price as those immigrants being stopped at the gate by Donald Trump. Criticisms where it's appropriate is fine, and Joe Biden deserves some of what he gets. But nearly all of the criticism manufactured for social media is false and/or misleading. It takes a lot of time and effort to get at the truth, and, sad to say, time is running out.
My personal opinion is that you came from a family of business savvy folks who appreciated the value of hard work and fairness. Today I read your words saying such things will get you nowhere in the business climate of 2022, and you might be right. The individual success stores I've read about are the flukes of the system. In the final analysis, however, the freedoms we have are the inspirations to carry on and prosper.
My heart is saddened when I read about those folks who would take my freedoms away and replace them with their own sense of values. It takes a certain kind of power and influence to accomplish such a feat, but you and I know of instances in history where it clearly happened. The United States of America came up with a constitution that minimizes the likelihood of being taken over by an autocrat. Breaking that system seems unholy to us older guys, but that is exactly what in being attempted since 2016. I'm saddened because there isn't much an individual such as I am can do about it.
The news is full of things that are not going right in this country, and well more than half that news is directed at blaming the current administration, that is to say Joe Biden. It's an obvious attempt to make him look bad come 2024. Well, that's politics and Joe isn't sitting around just taking it all in, although it seems that way sometimes. Inflation is not caused by any sitting president, albeit they must take responsibility for it. Today's growth in costs is a global phenomena, and it is not just an American president's problem. The underlying factors range from pandemic supply chain issues to a genocidal war being carried on in the Crimea. When there is a shortage of goods, the prices always go up no matter who is in the top office.
If you really need to point fingers at presidential powers that have a direct influence on inflation, you might want to look at Donald Trump's imposing of import tariffs. He backed out of every trade pact we were committed to and renegotiated terms that caused the prices of goods we import to increase phenomenally. Bringing back jobs from cheap labor markets didn't happen to a great extent under Trump, and producing those items in American factories increased the cost of labor exponentially. This cost was passed on to the consumer as you have explained eloquently to me many times over. We had a lot of cheap labor in our very own country, but #45 decided to wall them out literally and drive the cheap labor market almost to extinction. If any natives of this country did those jobs at all, they were not doing them for the same price as those immigrants being stopped at the gate by Donald Trump. Criticisms where it's appropriate is fine, and Joe Biden deserves some of what he gets. But nearly all of the criticism manufactured for social media is false and/or misleading. It takes a lot of time and effort to get at the truth, and, sad to say, time is running out.
Re: Alexa vs Alexa
I'll have to agree with you on almost all of the points you made.
The only thing I see different that has caused a lot of problems for everyone, is Biden blocking our oil and gas production and sending back overseas. We didn't have things like DEF fluid when I was a trucker, and the high cost of that, and the shortages of it, plus the super high cost of diesel fuel is driving costs up also.
What was wrong with being energy independent? It could only benefit us!
So why did Biden undo that? Now look what has happened because of just this one bad thing he did!
The only thing I see different that has caused a lot of problems for everyone, is Biden blocking our oil and gas production and sending back overseas. We didn't have things like DEF fluid when I was a trucker, and the high cost of that, and the shortages of it, plus the super high cost of diesel fuel is driving costs up also.
What was wrong with being energy independent? It could only benefit us!
So why did Biden undo that? Now look what has happened because of just this one bad thing he did!
Re: Alexa vs Alexa
Oops, I meant to say, due to the super late hour and I still have tons to do yet tonight, and I haven't even had dinner yet.
I'll have to cut it short. At least I survived the trip to two doctors today.
I'll have to cut it short. At least I survived the trip to two doctors today.
Re: Alexa vs Alexa
I'm not too far from being in the same boat as you are in. Living long enough to attend the next doctor's appointment has all too often been my primary objective. That and foraging for food are the top two types of projects I now engage in. I'm very happy to report that I don't feel as if I'm 77 years old, and most of the health issues I have are trivial in comparison to a lot of other folks my age. While that's all well and good, it leaves me with a lot spare time to proselytize about current events. 
Joe BIden was elected president because of the contrast to the previous president he portrayed. While Donald Trump was inexplicably popular, people in all walks of life became tired of putting up with his shenanigans. I'll be the first to admit that bad people can perform good deeds, and president Trump must have done something honorable at some point in his administration. But, there was a lot the general public did not know and could only speculate about. Joe was up front and had a proven track record of being a do-gooder so that his past record and the promise for a more enlightened future played out to his advantage.
It's easy to cite the price of gasoline at the pump as being the root cause of inflation, but it's a mistaken assumption. Inflation is a calculated number that rises and falls depending on the average price of certain goods and services covered under the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Crude oil is one of the items used to calculate that CPI. Gasoline prices is probably the most visible cost to the average person, right up there with food. But, think about this. Last year at this time in O'Fallon (and many other places) a gallon of regular grade gas was $2.49. Today it's $3.89. That is roughly a 56% increase in the price of gasoline. Inflation is currently around 8%. It should be very clear that the price of gasoline is not what inflation is all about. It's part of the story, to be sure, but it's misleading to think it is the primary cause.
I don't know what specific action you are referring to when you point to Joe Biden being the cause of us not being energy independent. I explained in some detail in another thread how the cost of crude in the global market is what determined how much drilling we do. The main reason we became net exporters for a short time was a result of all the fracking for shale oil. The price of a barrel of crude was so high that it became profitable for us to tap into all that hard to get oil and gas. OPEC responded by increasing its output and drove the prices of crude into the ground with the hope of bankrupting all those companies fracking. Well, the oil companies didn't go out of business, but they did shut down their fracking operations. Once the wells were capped, they cannot easily be reopened, if they can be at all. Thus without the competition from our domestic crude producers, the OPEC people were free again to cut back production and force the global price of oil upward. By some odd coincident, that reduction in production happened about the same time the war in Ukraine heated up and Russian oil was being withheld from the market. That is why we see near record prices for a barrel of crude these days.
Joe Biden's critics point to the fact that Donald Trump was opening up public lands to oil exploration. Trump also opened up previously restricted off shore drilling sites. His idea was to destroy our National Parks and make our ocean shores vulnerable to pollution so that we could claim to be energy independent. All I ever read about Joe Biden is that he canceled the drilling rights in parts of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. This was done out of concerns for the environment, exactly the same way off shore drilling has been curtailed, and fracking eliminated. The notorious Republican Senator from Alaska, Lisa Murkowski, is getting a lot of attention for her bitching and moaning about how devastating it will be to Alaska to cut back on half the land oil companies can destroy by exploring for oil. To Lisa's credit, she claims a lot of Alaskan jobs are at stake and the economy will not grow as rapidly as she and her constituents had hoped. There is little doubt in my mind that all the hoopla generated by Senator Murkowski is the reason you have been led to believe Joe Biden is the bad guy for wanting to protect the environment.
"What was wrong with being energy independent? "
There is nothing wrong with the concept. Rather than destroy natural resources and put billions of dollars of profit into the hands of Big Oil companies, don't you think it might be a better idea to simply be fossil fuel free altogether? I know that is Joe Biden's idea of energy independence. I also know OPEC and domestic oil refiners are currently controlling the prices for a barrel of crude to the point that they are making historic profits in the midst of a global shortage of resources. It will take years for that potential Alaskan oil to have any effect on the price of gasoline, and even if it were all available tomorrow, there are not enough refineries to process such a large increase in supply.
I doubt any of my explanations will change your mind. But I do hope you have a better understanding of what is going on after reading it all.
Joe BIden was elected president because of the contrast to the previous president he portrayed. While Donald Trump was inexplicably popular, people in all walks of life became tired of putting up with his shenanigans. I'll be the first to admit that bad people can perform good deeds, and president Trump must have done something honorable at some point in his administration. But, there was a lot the general public did not know and could only speculate about. Joe was up front and had a proven track record of being a do-gooder so that his past record and the promise for a more enlightened future played out to his advantage.
It's easy to cite the price of gasoline at the pump as being the root cause of inflation, but it's a mistaken assumption. Inflation is a calculated number that rises and falls depending on the average price of certain goods and services covered under the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Crude oil is one of the items used to calculate that CPI. Gasoline prices is probably the most visible cost to the average person, right up there with food. But, think about this. Last year at this time in O'Fallon (and many other places) a gallon of regular grade gas was $2.49. Today it's $3.89. That is roughly a 56% increase in the price of gasoline. Inflation is currently around 8%. It should be very clear that the price of gasoline is not what inflation is all about. It's part of the story, to be sure, but it's misleading to think it is the primary cause.
I don't know what specific action you are referring to when you point to Joe Biden being the cause of us not being energy independent. I explained in some detail in another thread how the cost of crude in the global market is what determined how much drilling we do. The main reason we became net exporters for a short time was a result of all the fracking for shale oil. The price of a barrel of crude was so high that it became profitable for us to tap into all that hard to get oil and gas. OPEC responded by increasing its output and drove the prices of crude into the ground with the hope of bankrupting all those companies fracking. Well, the oil companies didn't go out of business, but they did shut down their fracking operations. Once the wells were capped, they cannot easily be reopened, if they can be at all. Thus without the competition from our domestic crude producers, the OPEC people were free again to cut back production and force the global price of oil upward. By some odd coincident, that reduction in production happened about the same time the war in Ukraine heated up and Russian oil was being withheld from the market. That is why we see near record prices for a barrel of crude these days.
Joe Biden's critics point to the fact that Donald Trump was opening up public lands to oil exploration. Trump also opened up previously restricted off shore drilling sites. His idea was to destroy our National Parks and make our ocean shores vulnerable to pollution so that we could claim to be energy independent. All I ever read about Joe Biden is that he canceled the drilling rights in parts of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. This was done out of concerns for the environment, exactly the same way off shore drilling has been curtailed, and fracking eliminated. The notorious Republican Senator from Alaska, Lisa Murkowski, is getting a lot of attention for her bitching and moaning about how devastating it will be to Alaska to cut back on half the land oil companies can destroy by exploring for oil. To Lisa's credit, she claims a lot of Alaskan jobs are at stake and the economy will not grow as rapidly as she and her constituents had hoped. There is little doubt in my mind that all the hoopla generated by Senator Murkowski is the reason you have been led to believe Joe Biden is the bad guy for wanting to protect the environment.
"What was wrong with being energy independent? "
There is nothing wrong with the concept. Rather than destroy natural resources and put billions of dollars of profit into the hands of Big Oil companies, don't you think it might be a better idea to simply be fossil fuel free altogether? I know that is Joe Biden's idea of energy independence. I also know OPEC and domestic oil refiners are currently controlling the prices for a barrel of crude to the point that they are making historic profits in the midst of a global shortage of resources. It will take years for that potential Alaskan oil to have any effect on the price of gasoline, and even if it were all available tomorrow, there are not enough refineries to process such a large increase in supply.
I doubt any of my explanations will change your mind. But I do hope you have a better understanding of what is going on after reading it all.
Re: Alexa vs Alexa
Folks didn't like his Mean Tweets, hi hi.
Now they are paying for it!
Farmers across the country are paying through the nose for Diesel fuel, and it WILL be added to the price of the stuff they sell.
And many farmers have cut out low margin crops, which means food crops, while going heavier on industrial crops.
There is much more to it than the oil or where it is obtained.
There have been over 26 major fires or explosions, or accidents, that have taken out much of our food producing facilities.
A 3 million eggs per day farm burned, they lost over 200,000 chickens, and eggs were not their only output.
You should see the list of places that are now gone just since Biden has been elected.
Maybe some burned to collect the insurance money, since nobody can afford their food products anymore?
So many fires is unprecedented in the U.S. and all of the new ones under a single administration.
Something is afoot, like striving toward having the government take care of everybody, aka socialism, and/ore one world government. Of course, they will have to take away our guns first, and they are working toward that with the Red Flag laws.
I see a nationwide civil war looming in the near future! And it will probably be a 3-sided war on top of it.
Everyone against the Poly-Tick-ians and government authorities, and Republicans against Democrats, and then everyone once again against those invading our country. It won't be a pretty sight when the lid blows off the mess we are now in.
Now they are paying for it!
Farmers across the country are paying through the nose for Diesel fuel, and it WILL be added to the price of the stuff they sell.
And many farmers have cut out low margin crops, which means food crops, while going heavier on industrial crops.
There is much more to it than the oil or where it is obtained.
There have been over 26 major fires or explosions, or accidents, that have taken out much of our food producing facilities.
A 3 million eggs per day farm burned, they lost over 200,000 chickens, and eggs were not their only output.
You should see the list of places that are now gone just since Biden has been elected.
Maybe some burned to collect the insurance money, since nobody can afford their food products anymore?
So many fires is unprecedented in the U.S. and all of the new ones under a single administration.
Something is afoot, like striving toward having the government take care of everybody, aka socialism, and/ore one world government. Of course, they will have to take away our guns first, and they are working toward that with the Red Flag laws.
I see a nationwide civil war looming in the near future! And it will probably be a 3-sided war on top of it.
Everyone against the Poly-Tick-ians and government authorities, and Republicans against Democrats, and then everyone once again against those invading our country. It won't be a pretty sight when the lid blows off the mess we are now in.
Re: Alexa vs Alexa
There is a line of thought that dates back to text in Mein Kampf and which our former president was fond of using throughout his administration:
The purveyors of Big Lies have created a perfect storm. Even when facts and reality are indisputably presented directly by key people involved, the fixed minded crowd just digs in deeper with their conspiracies. Take for example Bill Barr and Ivanka Trump testifying that Donald Trump knew all along that he lost the 2020 election. These two are not only Republicans but also critical members of the inner circle of advisors the president relied on. They are now being discredited on certain social media, and even Donald Trump himself is disavowing his own daughter's testimony. I'm not taking sides here because you already know where I stand. I am trying to point out how people think.
This quote should be kept in mind when trying to understand the significance of current events. It explains a lot of the intentional misinformation that is circulated throughout the various forms of public media. The purpose of all the disinformation is to create confusion, distrust, and chaos. It's not only intended to make us question government institutions but also each other. With so many lies being offered as truth, it's difficult if not impossible for the average person to discern what is factual. That's one problem, but the cognitive dissonance I mentioned earlier is yet another factor proliferating wildly on all sides.If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie.
The purveyors of Big Lies have created a perfect storm. Even when facts and reality are indisputably presented directly by key people involved, the fixed minded crowd just digs in deeper with their conspiracies. Take for example Bill Barr and Ivanka Trump testifying that Donald Trump knew all along that he lost the 2020 election. These two are not only Republicans but also critical members of the inner circle of advisors the president relied on. They are now being discredited on certain social media, and even Donald Trump himself is disavowing his own daughter's testimony. I'm not taking sides here because you already know where I stand. I am trying to point out how people think.
Re: Alexa vs Alexa
That is one of the main reasons I do not watch TV News at all. I don't think a single Broadcast News source knows how to tell the truth about anything. And even if they are, they are hiding something more important they are not reporting about at all.
Oh, I agree with your line from Mein Kampf, hi hi. It is so TRUE!
Poly-TICK-ians promise the moon right before an election. But if you dig back and look at the history of what they have done over the years, and if that were made public, they surely wouldn't be staying in office for as many years as some do.
I for one would love to see term limits for Congress, and get rid of the old career poly-tick-ians.
Younger blood has a lot of good ideas, even if I don't agree with them myself, I still think they would do a better job of running this country the way it should be run.
Changing the name of a BRIBE to being a LOBBY, should still be considered a BRIBE and made ILLEGAL.
Either that or those in office need to wear Jackets like NASCAR drivers to show who bought them out.
Oh, I agree with your line from Mein Kampf, hi hi. It is so TRUE!
Poly-TICK-ians promise the moon right before an election. But if you dig back and look at the history of what they have done over the years, and if that were made public, they surely wouldn't be staying in office for as many years as some do.
I for one would love to see term limits for Congress, and get rid of the old career poly-tick-ians.
Younger blood has a lot of good ideas, even if I don't agree with them myself, I still think they would do a better job of running this country the way it should be run.
Changing the name of a BRIBE to being a LOBBY, should still be considered a BRIBE and made ILLEGAL.
Either that or those in office need to wear Jackets like NASCAR drivers to show who bought them out.
Re: Alexa vs Alexa
The system of lobbying is a dual edged sword. As you well know the democratic part of our governance is not a true democracy. That is to say us individual citizens have no say regarding what laws are enacted or even considered to be debated. We give that right to our representatives, who we duly elect. That means all the decisions are delegated, by us the people affected, to those representatives. Even in a perfect system that would leave all the members of the democracy out of the process, which is where lobbying comes into play. We are allowed to arrange for time to speak with our congressmen and petition them to sponsor bills that favor our interests. That's cool, but it turns out that legal entities, such as corporations, have the same right of petition. All of this petitioning is free. That is to say there is no legal requirement to pay for our time lobbying with the lawmakers. However, you know what happened to that great idea. The lobbyists did not pay anything up front, but donations to things like campaign funds became common place if the right legislation was passed. Obviously the Big Business people have more to contribute, and the congressmen are only human, and greedy to boot. There is no other way to let our representatives know what we would like to see them legislate. Thus lobbying became a necessary evil. Calling it a bribe is a matter of interpretation.
Likewise our political representatives do make promises that likely are sincere. They want to see the same kind of things we want to see happen. And, of course, they also want to be reelected. The reality of executing the role of Senator or Representative is not so simple as making a promise and getting it done. There are hundreds of other representatives who did the same thing, and some of them want entirely different outcomes. Thus, even if a sincere promise and best effort is made, the realities of political life may prevent it from happening. Think about gun control, for example. A representative might campaign on gun ownership reform and have a good plan to revamp the system. But, what are the chances of that plan being made into law? Slim at best because other representatives have different constituents with opposing ideas. So the guy who made the promise in good faith now looks like a jerk. That is particularly true if the NRA just happened to contribute to his reelection campaign.
A lot of folks are telling us these days that democracy is on the brink of extinction in this country. It sure seems that way sometimes, but is it really? How can the truth in the matter be determined? The answer to that depends on how and from where you get your inputs. I detest television in general and the news they broadcast in particular. However, there is an element of truth in what they say. The only way to arrive at an intelligent decision is to view all the news sources, both those you agree with and those you do not. It is absolutely necessary to know what everyone is saying in order to distill the facts out of the situation. If you don't look at all sides and evaluate them rationally, then you are simply part of the problem. You can't know what is happening or why if you don't have all sides of the issue understood. Sadly, that is exactly what is taking place these days.
Likewise our political representatives do make promises that likely are sincere. They want to see the same kind of things we want to see happen. And, of course, they also want to be reelected. The reality of executing the role of Senator or Representative is not so simple as making a promise and getting it done. There are hundreds of other representatives who did the same thing, and some of them want entirely different outcomes. Thus, even if a sincere promise and best effort is made, the realities of political life may prevent it from happening. Think about gun control, for example. A representative might campaign on gun ownership reform and have a good plan to revamp the system. But, what are the chances of that plan being made into law? Slim at best because other representatives have different constituents with opposing ideas. So the guy who made the promise in good faith now looks like a jerk. That is particularly true if the NRA just happened to contribute to his reelection campaign.
A lot of folks are telling us these days that democracy is on the brink of extinction in this country. It sure seems that way sometimes, but is it really? How can the truth in the matter be determined? The answer to that depends on how and from where you get your inputs. I detest television in general and the news they broadcast in particular. However, there is an element of truth in what they say. The only way to arrive at an intelligent decision is to view all the news sources, both those you agree with and those you do not. It is absolutely necessary to know what everyone is saying in order to distill the facts out of the situation. If you don't look at all sides and evaluate them rationally, then you are simply part of the problem. You can't know what is happening or why if you don't have all sides of the issue understood. Sadly, that is exactly what is taking place these days.
Re: Alexa vs Alexa
I'm just going to say Agreed to all of that. I see it the same way!
I think something like 6 people own all the newspapers and broadcast stations, namely the news stations.
They hint at having a Republican view on some, but they are still all owned by Democrats.
Changing channels don't help, because they ALL read the same news from the same Newswire, which is also Democratic owned.
Often they don't even change the wording of the broadcast, so regardless of what channel you watch, you hear the same thing nearly word for word of what they were told to say, hi hi.
Control the media and you control the propaganda being preached.
I think something like 6 people own all the newspapers and broadcast stations, namely the news stations.
They hint at having a Republican view on some, but they are still all owned by Democrats.
Changing channels don't help, because they ALL read the same news from the same Newswire, which is also Democratic owned.
Often they don't even change the wording of the broadcast, so regardless of what channel you watch, you hear the same thing nearly word for word of what they were told to say, hi hi.
Control the media and you control the propaganda being preached.
Re: Alexa vs Alexa
Really now? When did Rupert Murdoch switch political affiliations?They hint at having a Republican view on some, but they are still all owned by Democrats.
Speaking of FOX Media, it was only this year that I learned an interesting fact about them. They are registered with the FCC as an "entertainment" media. Entertainment, not news. Plus, another interesting tid bit I read a while back was about a court case against FOX Media wherein the ruling was that just because they claim to be broadcasting news, they are not legally obligated in any way to tell the truth.
You are correct about how so called news reporters use services such as United Press International and Associated Press (and others) news services. There are a lot of companies who make a living broadcasting the news, but very few of them have the resources to gather the facts on their own. The vast majority of them rely on purchased services to acquire content. I follow a bunch on Twitter and it is hilarious how twelve different news broadcasters will report on an event in exactly the same words. Obviously they are not editing the content they get from the news wires. They simply are reporting it to fill time in a broadcast or take up space in print. In a way that makes sense given the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of news reporting companies in existence. They can't all go to the scene of the news to get the story first hand. I'm not so sure those news agencies are biased, but the people who repeat or republish the news certain do pick and choose which items they broadcast. That has to do with the money sponsors give them. You don't want to say anything your sponsors would not approve of.
Re: Alexa vs Alexa
You don't want me to get going on about Rupert Murdoch. He is EVIL Personified, in more ways than one.
The biggest seller of Pornography, Witchcraft, and other unseemly things.
There is absolutely nothing honest about that person!
He may claim to be a Republican, be he also claims to be a Christian, and holds Copyrights on bibles that have been severely altered from the true bibles. Not that you care about bibles being changed to suit his evil agenda.
All the years I was growing up, and even before then, St. Louis had two major newspapers.
The St. Louis Post Dispatch, and the Globe Democrat.
Ironically, The St. Louis Post Dispatch was the Democratic newspaper, and the Globe Democrat the Republican newspaper.
Naturally, may family only got The St. Louis Post Dispatch, since they were all Democrats, hi hi.
But at the Florist, we got both of them, in order to pull the Obituary columns from each, so we knew which funeral homes had which bodies.
I don't watch TV or buy newspapers, I get my news from both Newsmax and One America, and compare them, hi hi.
The biggest seller of Pornography, Witchcraft, and other unseemly things.
There is absolutely nothing honest about that person!
He may claim to be a Republican, be he also claims to be a Christian, and holds Copyrights on bibles that have been severely altered from the true bibles. Not that you care about bibles being changed to suit his evil agenda.
All the years I was growing up, and even before then, St. Louis had two major newspapers.
The St. Louis Post Dispatch, and the Globe Democrat.
Ironically, The St. Louis Post Dispatch was the Democratic newspaper, and the Globe Democrat the Republican newspaper.
Naturally, may family only got The St. Louis Post Dispatch, since they were all Democrats, hi hi.
But at the Florist, we got both of them, in order to pull the Obituary columns from each, so we knew which funeral homes had which bodies.
I don't watch TV or buy newspapers, I get my news from both Newsmax and One America, and compare them, hi hi.
Re: Alexa vs Alexa
Aside from being an opportunistic SOB, R Murdoch has a long history of supporting shock style entertainment. When the Republican party began to show signs of going radical, that was right up Murdoch's alley so to speak. I only brought him up because you claimed all news media and news services are owned by democrats. FOX network is not, nor is One America or Newsmax.
You are right to suggest that I have no feelings one way or the other about Bibles, but I am interested in the content for what it is worth. After all it is a major classic collection of books that has had a tremendous influence upon our Western society. It surprises me that a Bible can be copyrighted in that the authors have been dead for a few thousand years. I suppose if you rewrite it you can claim the rights to your version, but what Christian worth their salt would not recognize the fake from the truth?
Chicago had a few big newspapers at one time and the only one of national significance was the Chicago Tribune. It was owned by the Wrigley family and said to be bent in a Republican direction. I used to read newspapers when I lived inside the borders of Chicago and to be perfectly honest the Republican name assigned to the Tribune just didn't make sense. That is to say not in the news reporting section. The OpEds were biased as you would expect, but as I said, people expected it. No surprises there. The Wrigley family also owned WGN radio/television networks. They were Chicago's own and favored by the locals even to this day. As big and as popular as WGN is, they too subscribe to all the major news wire services. The same stories broadcast in Knoxville, St Louis, and Chicago most likely came from the same wire service sources. That is not the problem. Some news companies are better at editing than others, while others take it to an extreme and add their own reality. This creative reporting is done to appeal to the audience the particular media is addressing. The larger the audience the more money they can demand from their sponsors. From a business perspective that's all fair and good, but the audience isn't always smart enough to be able to separate the truth from the fiction. That's when other motives enter the news, and those motives are designed to manipulate people's thinking and behavior. The days of simply reporting “All the News That's Fit to Print” are long gone. Newscasts now have taken on the role of influencers. That's basically the reason I prefer to get my information from several diverse sources. The influences wash out if you get enough inputs.
You are right to suggest that I have no feelings one way or the other about Bibles, but I am interested in the content for what it is worth. After all it is a major classic collection of books that has had a tremendous influence upon our Western society. It surprises me that a Bible can be copyrighted in that the authors have been dead for a few thousand years. I suppose if you rewrite it you can claim the rights to your version, but what Christian worth their salt would not recognize the fake from the truth?
Chicago had a few big newspapers at one time and the only one of national significance was the Chicago Tribune. It was owned by the Wrigley family and said to be bent in a Republican direction. I used to read newspapers when I lived inside the borders of Chicago and to be perfectly honest the Republican name assigned to the Tribune just didn't make sense. That is to say not in the news reporting section. The OpEds were biased as you would expect, but as I said, people expected it. No surprises there. The Wrigley family also owned WGN radio/television networks. They were Chicago's own and favored by the locals even to this day. As big and as popular as WGN is, they too subscribe to all the major news wire services. The same stories broadcast in Knoxville, St Louis, and Chicago most likely came from the same wire service sources. That is not the problem. Some news companies are better at editing than others, while others take it to an extreme and add their own reality. This creative reporting is done to appeal to the audience the particular media is addressing. The larger the audience the more money they can demand from their sponsors. From a business perspective that's all fair and good, but the audience isn't always smart enough to be able to separate the truth from the fiction. That's when other motives enter the news, and those motives are designed to manipulate people's thinking and behavior. The days of simply reporting “All the News That's Fit to Print” are long gone. Newscasts now have taken on the role of influencers. That's basically the reason I prefer to get my information from several diverse sources. The influences wash out if you get enough inputs.