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fletch

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Everything posted by fletch

  1. Obama is not Clinton. And McCain can only be a savior in so far as he saves us from Obama. My vote for McCain is not a vote for McCain it is a vote against Obama.
  2. FDR and LBJ had huge democratic majorities and we are still living with programs created under the New Deal and The Great Society. If Obama has equally large majorities in congress, a financial crisis, a fawning press and an adoring Hollywood to spread his propaganda, there is no telling what he might do. Expecting moderation is about as likely as an organized republican resistance. The best way to fight this man is to vote against him. Unfortunately, that means voting for McCain.
  3. Your life is the standard of value, that doesnt mean it will be your highest value. I value nothing higher than the lives of my children. If it was necessary to surrender my life or my freedom so that they might live, I would do it without hesitation. I dont think that makes me an altruist.
  4. Unbridled capitalism? Has such a thing even come close to existing in the Uk in the last 100 years? When is someone over there going to put a bridle on the socialist horse?
  5. Then you might want to produce this evidence of yours. I dont think I have heard anyone on this site claim that all wealthy people are the most productive. In fact, the opposite is often true. Look at the Kennedy's for example. They are wealthy and have produced nothing. Most of them would be hard-pressed to identify the business end of a plunger.
  6. Does a person have a right to the truth? As far as the sexual exclusivity of BF/GF relationship, it is largely a matter of trust. Perhaps it should fall more under the lines of caveat emptor.
  7. The intent of the program was to provide a free service. Why is this guy shocked that people would line up with their hands out? You are right, this guy aint too bright.
  8. Damaging parked cars to protect ones own life is one thing, and it would not free you from the responsibility of compensating the owners of those cars for the damage you caused. That being said, would you advocate plowing into a crowd of pedestrians in order to bring your own car to a stop?
  9. It is also an attempt to change the focus. The real issue here is not Joe the plumber or what he believes, but how Obama answered his question. Obama was caught in a moment of candor when he said he wanted to "spread the wealth." Americans seem to have accepted the idea that the rich should pay more to fund what they see as the proper role of government. What most Americans don't accept is the idea of taking money from one person to cut a check to another. Direct wealth redistribution is not something that Americans want or agree with--at least not yet. To hide this flub, Obama and his friends in the media are smearing Joe the plumber. This is a major gaff, and should be the only focus of the McCain campaign for the remaining 3 weeks. By accidentally revealing his true intentions, Obama has handed the keys to the White House to McCain. What remains to be seen is whether or not McCain can find the lock.
  10. "The Little Ice Age (LIA) was a period of cooling occurring after a warmer era known as the Medieval Warm Period." According to your logic, was that Medieval Warm Period the result of the industrial boom that everyone associates with the medieval times?
  11. I will be voting for McCain, though I have no particular desire to see a McCain presidency. I guess I am just going to look at it as a protest vote of sorts--a protest vote against an Obama presidency.
  12. Here is an article by Stanley Kurtz that ties Obama, ACORN, Ayers, the CRA and the current economic crisis together: http://www.eppc.org/publications/pubID.3566/pub_detail.asp
  13. Yes. I would say the most significant difference between poker and capitalism is that capitalism is an exchange of values and poker is not. Usually, the one that walks away from the poker table with the most chips is either the one who has the better luck or is better at deceiving his opponents. Luck and deception are not the hallmarks of a capitialist system. Linking poker to the free market is exactly the wrong way to sell capitalism.
  14. An Obama victory will almost certainly include a democrat domination of congress as well. There have been three other democratic presidents in recent years whose party controlled congress by wide majorities as well: Roosevelt, LBJ, and Carter. We all know how much damage those three caused to liberty and capitalism. Even Clinton in his first two years with a democratic congress tried to jam socialized medicine down our throats. So, yeah, the idea of Obama, Reed and Pelosi running the government for the next few years is not something I can support. So I will hold my nose and vote for McCain. Divided government seems to work best. Bush is another example. It was the democrats taking control of congress that finally forced him to change tactics in Iraq. Obama would not worry me as much if there was still republican control of congress. They might actually force him to explore for more oil, lower taxes, cut spending, and balance the budget. But total democratic control in times of economic crisis could bring the New Deal II. There would be no exploration into what brought about the economic collapse, it would be laid at the feet of the free market...again. Democrats have already laid the groundwork by pointing the finger at deregulation and greedy corporate CEO's. McCain, not bright enough to realize he is dooming himself in the process, goes right along with them.
  15. Exactly. Anyone waiting around for the opportunity to vote for the 'greater of two goods' is in for a lifetime of disappointment. Every election is a choice between the lesser of two evils and this one is no exception. But which is more evil? The one that rigidly adheres to a set of evil principles? Or the one that seems unprincipled, undisciplined and void of any real political ideology? I say the former. In my mind, leaving the choice for president blank is a bad idea. A 'Non' vote is a sign of indecision, not the other way around. It will not succeed in sending any kind of message and will only serve to marginalize Objectivists more than they already are. If you want to send a message to republicans, vote libertarian. If you want to send a message of total disgust, do as someone else has mentioned, write in John Galt, or David Odden for that matter. But vote 'for' someone.
  16. If we accept that the idea that Objectivist principles, morality and individual rights can be cast aside in emergency situations in favor of sacrificing others to self--altruism, have we not rendered such values as worthless? It seems to me that emergencies are where one's principles are needed most. If we are willing to kill others to get the medicine we need for a sick child, would it not make more sense to just socialize medicine and avoid any potential need to go on some future murderous rampage? Note: Not advocating socialized medicine.
  17. And may you wallow in the pretense that that post of yours in any way resembled an argument.
  18. I agree with that completely. But I dont think those things reflect badly upon her. The inablity to answer certain questions, and her lack of foreign policy knowledge tells us more about McCain. After all, he is the one that plucked her out of obscurity and thrust her into the limelight. She needs a good performance thursday night. If she stays on the attack, she will be alright. But was she the most qualified person to be on the ticket with McCain? Hell no. And you are right, it shows.
  19. One of the most glaring contradictions in the Bible is the idea that an all-knowing God somehow didnt notice that serpent slinking around The Garden.
  20. You have really got it in for this woman dont you. I hate to say it, but you come across like some pimpley-faced high school nerd badmouthing the Prom Queen because she's hot and you're not. Calling her stupid is not exactly something that passes for substantive argument. Everything about her is really quite American. She is a very pleasant, likeable, hardworking, mother and citizen politician. If you disagree with her views, then disagree with her views. The name calling and insults only serve to make you look small, not her. We will learn alot about her during her debate thursday night. Hopefully, she will not spend the evening attempting to show that she can stand toe to toe with Biden on knowledge of foreign policy. She cant. She should admit as much and move on. Besides, the only reason Obama picked Biden was because of Obama's lack of foreign policy knowledge. Pointing that out would be a good way of deflecting attention away from her lack of foreign policy experience to Obama's. One thing I hope she does that no one else has bothered to do is attack Obama on the one issue he has based the whole of his campaign upon--that he opposed the Iraq war from the start. The proper answer to that ridicules claim to fame is a resounding "So What?" At the time the war with Iraq was being debated, Obama was in the Illinois State Senate with no more foreign policy experience than Palin has today. Not only that, he was not getting security briefings. He knew what the rest of the world knew about Saddam. At the time, everyone believed Saddam had stockpiles of WMD and, in the aftermath of 9/11, concluded he was a threat to US security. What he expects us to believe is that he, in the absense of knowledge, made the right decision while many of his Democratic and Republican counterparts like Hillary, Kerry, Edwards, Dodd, and yes, Biden voted for the war in Iraq. Contrary to what Obama would like everyone to believe, his decision to oppose the Iraq war was made out of ignorance of the facts in the absense of any accountability, not because of some brilliant political foresight.
  21. I think we have to thank, at least in part, the stupidity of the house leadership in general and Nancy Pelosi in particular. Any number of house Dems stepped up to the mic and basically labelled this bill as a repudiation of Republican ideology--then called for a bipartisan vote. Passing this bill would have been political suicide for Republicans. At least they were smart enough to realize that fact.
  22. Looks like someone is making a run at this year's most condescending post award.
  23. We will have to see how the final vote goes, but I suspect you will see a substantial number of Republicans vote against it. The truth is, Democrats control both house of Congress and could have passed this along to a willing president without any Republican support. The congressional Republicans were screwed from the start when you had a Republican administration champion a plan like this in the first place.
  24. If difficulty in making a mortgage payment will bring the government in to renegotiate your deal, wont that encourage more people to have difficulty making their mortgage payment?
  25. Do you have some evidence of this looming theocracy? And how will it work, exactly? Is McCain going to be taking orders from the Vatican? Will democrat majorities in the House and Senate be powerless to stop the religious coup? Or are you just on some unsubstantiated, fear-fueled rant?
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