K-Mac

I simply cannot understand how anyone can believe the way they do. It's just so irrational. And how can anyone approve of what Hugo Chavez is doing to Venzuela? It's as though these left-wing groups are comprised of a bunch of people with mental disorders!

I've only participated in one other forum so I apologize for this probably very simple question. Is there anyway to change my settings so that when I view a topic, the most recent comments will appear first? (Bascially the reverse of what I'm seeing now?) I was able to do it on the other forum I visit, but I haven't seen that feature here yet. Thank you!

Exactly! It's so nice to be somewhere were people don't look at me like the devil for saying that!

Although I am not a Christian, as a child, I was taken to church until I was probably a freshman in high school. (My poor mother took it upon herself to drag my brother and I kicking and screaming each Sunday, until we were too old and she finally gave up. Dad never went...typical "Everybody Loves Raymond" scenario, except we were Baptists.) Anyway, I guess I don't have as much animosity towards the Bible as some. (Perhaps I should?) Although I certainly do not believe that those events actually occurred, I do find some of the stories interesting, but I look at them like fables. And for me, the Bible and the church that was teaching it to me had their motives backfire. From a very young age, I questioned just about everything about it, and receiving no viable answers, turned into a non-believer. [Ominous music in the background.] And if you're into horror stories, Revelations is a good story. Thank goodness I believe that's all it is...a story.

Yes, generally, Texans are very independent (perhaps that stems from the fact that Texas was a country before it was a state??) but not all of us are crazy kicker cowboys with lead feet. (In fact, I can't stand country music and have never owned a cowboy hat, and I know many natives that are the same.) Texas is a huge state with several large cities that draw people from all over the world. It is truly a melting pot. As a caucasian, I was certainly a minority in the greater Houston area, and I think the same would be true for Dallas/Ft. Worth, San Antonio, and soon to be, Austin. I think anytime you have that blend of so many different cultures, you're going to experience a wide variety of drivers. Combine that with the low cost of living, abundant jobs and subsequent urban sprawl, and you've got a traffic mess. And of course, the government is so far behind with road consruction, that all the roads are jammed all the time. And some of the freeways seem like they've been under construction since I was a child. It is enough to drive any sane person crazy and generate quite a bit of stress and road rage. I am not sure about the rest of the state, but I know in the Houston area (where I was born and lived for 33 years), the crime rate rose dramatically after Hurricane Katrina. The poorest areas of town were hardest hit. For example, there are a lot of low-cost apartment complexes on the southwest side of the city. After Katrina, many of the lower-income evacuees took up residence there among the large illegal immigrant population, that was already living in third world conditions. Illegal immigrants are very reluctant to report crimes to police; therefore, they are an easy target for gangs and other criminals (including other illegals.) Shortly after the hurricane, the news was reporting a sharp increase in gang-related violence in that area. Houston gang on Houston gang, New Orleans gang on New Orleans gang and Houston on New Orleans and so on. It was ridiculous. Generally, I would say the suburban and rural areas of the state are just as safe as anywhere else in America. There is a lot of sterotypical, Christian, conservatism; however, I learned that it was preferential to the far left-wing ideals that some "Left Coast" states seem to be adopting. Although I don't consider myself a Christian, at least I agreed with their less government and lower taxes ideas. "Don't Mess With Texas" was an ad campaign to discourage people from littering and it's been so successful and well-liked, that it's just always stuck. It's been adopted as the state motto, although the real motto is "Friendship." (And if you have a Texan as a true friend, I do believe they will always have your back. I guess that's leftover from the "Remember the Alamo" days.) There are some crazy cowboys in the small towns, but they can be good for a laugh and a cold beer. [Deliverance music playing in the background.] Well, I'm sleepy and I've rambled enough. Bottom line, Texas is unlike any other state...I will give you that. And if the Feds pass this immigration bill they're trying to ram down our throats, you just may see Texas try to go back to being its own country again. People down there are starting to talk of taking up arms, and I think some of them are serious. And being "crazy-ass Texans", you know they already posess the firepower.

And thank you to whomever corrected my topic title.

I know.

Unfortunately, I agree with you. I just hope it's a peaceful revolution. I certainly don't want to take up arms against another human being, but I will if propelled to do so.

Picking the lesser of the evils is how I've been voting since age 18. I hate to not participate in the system, but at the same time, what good is it doing? I do apprecaite your response to my therapy question..." You don't need therapy. Anyone who is not disturbed and distressed by the condition of the country is out of touch." This is why I wanted to join this forum. Even though I am new to Ayn Rand and her ideas, I know that people here will make me feel at home and sane again. Unfortunately, many of my friends are liberals (and don't realize they're socialists), and sometimes they try to make me out to be the crazy one. I've seriously considered ditching them as friends, but some of them I've known since high school and college, and the others are people who I truly believe are simply misguided and misinformed. We agree on what the problems are, but not how to solve them. I think I can convert a few of them, but it will take time and many conversations. One of them has already agreed to read Atlas Shrugged and I plan to give it to her this weekend. I guess I feel like an orange in a bushel of apples. There does not seem to be too many people of my age group that think like I do and it can be very lonely. It would be so nice to socialize with other people who believe the way I do, but they're hard to locate, especially since I moved from Texas to Colorado last summer. I am dying to go to the conference in Telluride this summer, but my husband was laid off earlier this year and we are still working to get caught up. It's just not feasible for me at this time. At any rate, I'm glad I found this forum.

Hello! This is my first post and I am new to all of this. I only recently heard of Ayn Rand and just finished Atlas Shrugged. Although the book was incredible and made me feel some relief to know that I'm not the only one out there with a shred of common sense, I must say that the book made me feel even more concern for my country and its politics. I literally feel depressed at the thought of voting in the next elections. Who can I honestly vote for in good conscience? I know the candidates have yet to be determined, it's still very early, etc., but you and I both know that no one of real substance will be elected either way. I would like to hear from someone who is able to to keep from being depressed by it all and I would like to know how you do it. Maybe I need therapy?