The random political thoughts thread (Part Deux)

[sleepyjeff]

Originally Posted by Prudence

There is no magic solution. But we, as a nation, don’t bother seriously evaluating whether the flaws in the suggested change are better or worse than the flaws in the status quo.

I agree. In the last 20 years over 1 million Americans have been killed in automobile accidents(that's more than have been killed in all the Wars we have fought in the last 230 years). Nearly all of these deaths could have been prevented had our leaders been bold enoough to make going over the speed of 20mph illegal...and enforce it.

But instead we go around making laws against drunk driving(a good start, but not good enough), seat belt laws, helmet laws, cell phone laws, and bouncing back and forth between good gas milage and bigger safer cars.......

....all so we can get there 3 times as fast.

[SacTown Chronic]

Do you know how many people I'd kill if the speed limit was 20mph, sleepy? Road rage cubed.

[sleepyjeff]

Originally Posted by SacTown Chronic

Do you know how many people I'd kill if the speed limit was 20mph, sleepy? Road rage cubed.

[BunnyTravolta]

Isn't "insanity" defined as doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result each time? I don't believe there has been an administration in my lifetime that hasn't been insane, and I myself am guilty of it, because whenever I go to the ballot box, I think, "Oh, maybe things'll be different this time".
Can I have some Moderate-ation, pliz?
Pru has a good point, we let our >elected< officials toss pretty good ideas out, just because they weren't A-1 solid fixes. I'd accept something that's 85% there, as long as it was viable and could be improved on.

My thought of the day, take it as you may.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Yeah, that just about sums it up. Great post.

[JWBear]

Prudence for President!!!

[JWBear]

Well... Since my evening commute is effectively that speed anyway, I don’t see a problem.....

[scaeagles]

Another problem is the "comprehensive" approach. I think any bill with that has the title "comprehensive" in it is bad news.

It is difficult enough for small things to be agreed upon. So instead of focusing on a small aspect of something, some arrogant politician (or group of them) decides they have the complete answer and package it all together. Well, this then goes through committees and pork gets added and there is legit disagreement and the position can be spun in a miriad of ways.

The recent immigration reform bill is a perfect example. Why not break it apart a bit? How about voting on an actual bill to control the borders by building a high tech fence? The merits of said fence can be debated alone without having to couple it with what to do about 12 million illegals in the country at ppresent. It's like discussing the surgical procedure ad infinitum while the wound continues to gush blood.

And yet, simple and small changes are often rejected as well and, as Prudence wrote so well, rejected as stupid or dangerous or some other such word. Social Security reform is a great example of that. No one dare to touch it, and the very mention of a younger contributers being allowed to invest a very small percentage of said contribution is portrayed as the desire for widowed grandmothers to be sleeping on the streets.

So what to do? Ther are passionate points of view from polar opposites that passionately will defend what they think is best - or perhaps what gives them the most power. Those polar opposites will portray the other side as anything and everything in order to make their side seem like the better solution.

I don't know if the discourse is headed downhill as much as the coverage of the discourse. It was over 40 years ago that a political campaign portrayed Goldwater with the infamous commercial of "In your heart you know he might" as someone likely to drop nukes on Russia. Pretty harsh. The examples are endless.

When passionate people compete for things they are possionate about, it is tough to come to some sort of viable alternative.

[SacTown Chronic]

...hung by the neck until dead.


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[SacTown Chronic]

For Leo