Is it just me or:
- Are all US politicians bought and paid for by Wall Street, Corporations, Special Interests and Lobbyists and the American people don’t stand a chance to get any representation?
- Do city ordinances and the wishes of police trump citizen’s First Amendment rights to Free Speech and Assembly?
- Are the same people who champion the Second Amendment in spite of the killing by guns that goes on in this country complaining about those exercising their First Amendment rights?
- Does it seem wrong that while the unemployment rate in this country is around 10%, NBA basketball players argue about whether they will make $20 or $21 Million per year to play a sport that really belongs to the people?
- Should the US Congress and the Senate get a pay decrease or no pay at all since they cannot seem to get anything worthwhile done?
- Is it time for a viable 3rd party candidate to run against the Democrats and Republicans next November?
- In spite of all the debates, the Republican candidates say the same ten things over and over again?
- That Republicans, at this point, would rather put up a jerk, a fool, a guy with a bad memory, a harasser and a lying adulterer than Mitt Romney to run against Obama next November?
- The rich 1% have been renamed “job creators” in some strange attempt not to tax their ill-gotten gains?
- “Too big to fail” means too big?
- That the 6 large US banks should be declared monopolies and broken up in the same manner that Rockefeller’s oil empire was back in 1911 and AT&T in 1984?
- Was President Dwight Eisenhower right about the Military-Industrial complex?
- Those that campaign against gay marriage to protect the “sanctity of marriage” should spend more time working on the “sanctity and quality of heterosexual marriages”?
- Will the US Catholic Church see fewer parishioners at mass after the new liturgy goes into effect late November?
- Is it a pretty sure thing that most LDS members of both political parties would vote for Mitt Romney because “he is one of us?”
- Will all men who like to work with young people, especially young men now be suspected child predators until proven innocent?
- Is it now totally established that in major College sports and football in particular, “winning isn’t everything, it is the only thing” no matter what?
- That most women sexual predators seem to be teachers, but males seem to be coaches?
- That today’s popular music is mostly bad but “our music” was great and that our parents said exactly the same thing?
- Getting a College education still seems like a good idea for our young people, but after spending $100K to get it, there are no jobs?
Wheat & Tares 
Is it just me or is the only person that is not bought off by the oligarchy not liked because he is considered a cook because people won’t stop listening to the mass media that they know is a bunch of biased liars already?
Is it just me or the only person that believes in non-interventionism like our founders believed because people believe that the lust for blood is better? Is it just me or the only person running for president that believes a freer market, like our founders, will actually solve our problems better than more government to fix other problems that government caused?
this is a fun game of 20 questions.
1) not only is this the case, but the system is designed to perpetuate this case. If you aren’t bought and paid for, you are at a financial disadvantage (and what with Citizens United…money = speech, that’s no good.) This really comes into play in the later questions
2) There are time, place, and manner restrictions to free speech…but the police in many areas haven’t even been following city ordinances as to when the police can remove protesters.
3) A lot of times, yes.
4) Or, even more delicious of irony: does it seem wrong that when the protesters went to Wall Street, various Wall Street employees held up signs saying “Get a job” — when part of the reason the Occupy Wall Street movement exists is in response to the financial crises where Wall Street trashed the economy?
5) Just you. Firstly, they are getting a lot of things done that corporate interests want them to get done. Secondly, decreasing or eliminating their pay increases the influence of corporations relative to the public (e.g., they already know who butters their bread…and you want to swing that further in corporate favor?)
6) Just you. The way the American political system works, it’s really a two-party system. Especially at congressional and presidential level, where single-member districting and the electoral college make each state a glorified “winner takes all” contest. In other words, third parties can’t be viable if they earn less than a plurality of a given district or state.
And who’s to say a third party politician is immune from point 1?
7) Basically, yeah. But they are just shifting the Overton Window at this point.
8) While the Republicans are pretty good at speaking consistently and shifting the window of discussion, they are kinda bad when it comes to electability.
9) Not only this, but the average person will look at protesters and say, “These are bums! Rioters! Criminals! etc.,” but they will not look at the rich 1% and say, “These people have literally stolen billions.” We see several arrests from protests. We see few if any arrests from financial crises (in fact, they go on to pay big bonuses to their CEOs)
10) Basically, yes.
11) We most assuredly aren’t in a 1984 climate. Consider that even AT&T is trying to recreate an empire again (trying to buy T-Mobile?)
12) Not only that, but the military-industrial complex is wed to corporate interests in general.
13) Clearly, gay marriage hurts marriage more than celebrity stunt month-long marriages!
14) Dunno?
15) I don’t think so. I don’t think Mormons would vote for Reid because he is “one of us.” in fact, I think people who disagree on political views often find ways to say the politician in question isn’t quite “one of us.”
16) Nah. That whole thing will blow over in a few months. Or be scuttled under the rug.
17) Correction: “Is it now totally established in society…”
18) Statistically, most teachers in the elementary/junior/high school level are females, right? And statistically, most coaches are males.
19) No, today’s pop music sucks.
20) See my answer to 4.
Thanks, Andrew. I forgot you are in the middle of #20!. Hope it works out….. 😉
For me, I’m pretty fortunate. I had scholarships that covered all but my last semester of college, and I am in a program that has a stellar job placement rate (and in fact, have already accepted an offer).
re: the deck being stacked against you
Retirement Heist, by Ellen Schultz
This book may not have the effect on you that it did on me (I am a professional accountant)–
But here is an example: if you were in an old-style pre-401(K) retirement plan, where money was deducted every month from your paycheck, then matched by your employer… well, it’s your money right? It came out of your paycheck, right?
Wrong.
According to a 1999 Federal court decision, 100% of your pension belongs to your employer. And in certain circumstances, they can use the salary they withheld from your paycheck – money they supposedly have already “paid” you- to pay creditors, or, in some cases, multi-million-dollar bonuses to themselves.
And it is all perfectly legal.
Johns Roberts,
Super.
1 Amen.
2. But it is not about free speech, it is about creating havoc as demonstrated by rapes, theft, arson, defecating in public, public nudity, public masturbation and the latest was a man who was celebrated at the San Deigo Occupy movement and was involved with the DC movement was arrested yesterday for trying to kill the President.
3. See #2.
4. Amen.
5. Amen.
6. Amen.
7. Amen.
8. Amen, as I have said if he were not LDS he would have a double-digit lead.
9. The 1% are the job creators. Again, this is anyone making over $350 K. When was the last time you were hired by a poor man or a company with no money?
10. Amen.
11. Amen.
12. Amen.
13. Amen.
14. No comment.
15. I don’t see it that way.
16. Amen!
17. It is the most important thing.
18. Wow, never thought of that.
19. No comment.
20. Thank the government for that one!
My post did not get written last night to go up this afternoon so maybe I can respond to this one in a post, though I might agree too much and too little to make it worthwhile.
Will
So by saying Amen to 13 you think gay marriage is okay?
The person who wrote this post sounds like a liberal.
1. Unfortunately, it seems to be this way.
2. Hard to say. In some cases it seems to be the case. In other cases these occupiers have been a problem (deaths, drugs, rape).
3. Meh, maybe some. I champion 2nd amendment rights, but absolutely support people exercising their 1st amendment rights.
4. Yeah. It’s ridiculous. But we’re the idiots who continue to pay money to see them play. If we didn’t, they wouldn’t have a job either!
5. Agree with Andrew.
6. Would love to see it on one hand. On the other, the 2 party system has merit in that the winner clearly has half the support of the country. Seems problematic if the winner only had a 1/3 of the support, or worse if there were more parties.
7. Yes, it’s ridiculous. And the only ones who consistently make sense (Paul and Huntsman) aren’t even in the running really.
8. Yeah, it’s ridiculous. I like Romney, though I was disappointed in his foreign policy debate.
9. Yeah, that’s sad. Clearly not ALL the rich are thieves, and some of them do legitimately create jobs, so I think we should be careful and not generalize too much.
10. We should have let them fail a few years ago instead of bailing them out. I don’t get it.
11. Well, given that they clearly have gov’t support, yes, they should be broken up. Alternately we could just let them fail instead of propping them up like some kind of baby learning to walk. And yes, AT&T is at it again.
12. Yes. I hope someday defense become defense instead of offense.
13. Absolutely.
14. I have no idea. Haven’t followed this.
15. I dunno. I’ve met a lot of Mormons that don’t like him. Maybe most of the Utah Mormons will, I dunno.
16. This is so so so sad.
17. Yeah, I think it’s been that way for quite some time now.
18. Agree with Andrew. We shouldn’t be surprised given the statistics.
19. Just you. I was born in the wrong era musically. I love my parent’s music, today’s music blows for the most part.
20. Can’t relate. Had all my education paid for, still is being paid for, and haven’t had any problems finding a job (between degrees). I’m sure it’s a problem though. OTOH, in my graduate program it is mostly made up of international students. I dunno what to say. Engineers, and scientists are in high demand. I see no reason our young people couldn’t go for those jobs. Oh yeah, I remember why, math is too hard for them…and too nerdy.
Henry,
I am for traditional marriage and I support it as the only union that should be recognized as marriage. I think all Jeff is saying is pull the beam out of your own eye, which is the admonition of the Savior. I fully support the Savior.
As for those that struggle with same gender attraction, I have a great deal of compassion and understanding for them, especially those that are in the church. They are clearly born with these tendencies. I can’t even imagine how hard it would be to be born with these tendencies and be a member of the church. To those that struggle with this, we need to love them as God does.
For those that shove gay marriage at us and demand special privileges and dress like freaks and march in the street with an in your face attitude, I don’t have a lot of respect for them; just as I don’t have a lot of respect for heterosexuals that do this.
Well, Jeff, I did my best to spice up my reply to your post, even if I did agree with you on this one.
You guys should read the book “The Cleansing pf America ,” by W. Cleon Skousen written in 2010.
You guys should read Skousen’s “The Cleansing of America”, published un 2010.
1) Politicians bought by special interests? As long as they “stay” bought. As Limbaugh has often pointed out, “follow the money”.
2) Not usually. But the First Amendment isn’t license to be obnoxious or disruptive.
3) Not necessarily, and the Second Amendment is championed not to preclude free speech but to ensure it. Jeff, do you suppose that Adm. Isoroku Yamamato would have been afraid of invading America if behind every “blade of grass” was an American with a wrist-rocket?
4) The sport of basketball requires only a hoop and sufficient pavement to play on. Most sport “labor relations” are truly the millionaires versus the billionaires, but none would be possible w/o patronage in the free market. If you resent how much Chauncey Billups wants to be paid to shoot hoops, then don’t go to Knicks games or patronize their sponsors or who he endorses!
5) I’d rather give ’em a boot in the ass or even the end of a rope…
6) High time. It should be Ron Paul. But if it’s in danger of actually winning, the candidate is a dead man.
7) Not really, but it won’t matter which one gets nominated. The Republican candidate MUST run a negative campaign in order to stoke dissatisfaction with the incumbent, else, it’s an exercise in futility.
8) History may repeat itself. Obama is even worse overall than Clinton ever was, and the current field appears about as electable as Bob “Dull” (Dole). Don’t blame me, I voted for Kodos…
9) It’s not the top 1% that have been cited as the “job creators”. Your class envy is repetitive, tiresome, and unimaginative.
10) Neither exists. Any concern can fail and should if it’s unsustainable, our Federal Government included. If it’s a result of efficiency, no company can be too “big”.
11) Any such ‘breakup’, would, at best be illusory if you truly believe point #1.
12) He was, but he was a part of it as well. The pot called the kettle black…
13) They should do BOTH.
14) If so, call it an opportunity…
15) Most would vote for Mitt because he’s “one of us”? If so, “Gawd” help us for being as fickle as the “Born Agains”..
16) It’s almost that way now. I like being a middle-aged Grouch. George Wilson is my idol…he should blasted that little blonde Mitchell brat with a load of buckshot in the hiney…
17) And yet, one of Van Halen’s biggest hits was ‘Hot for Teacher’.
18) But it’s TRUE. The present generation wouldn’t know good “rock and roll” if it jumped up and bit ’em in the backside…and we walked further to school through deeper and colder snow…
19) That’s because, like there’s a glut of housing that will take considerable time to dispose of until normal market conditions return, so it is with college educations. They’ve been subsidized and handed out like candy, and many aren’t worth a crap. For years, unless they amounted to job-specific training (IT, Engineering, Nursing, etc.), they served merely as a filter. Quit the education subsidies and the student loan programs, and the college/university balloon will “pop”. Beside, America needs more skilled trades. Even in this rotten economy, it’s amazing how many jobs go begging due to lack of qualified seekers. There is a horrible mismatch of job skills or lack thereof that leaves legions unemployed and unemployable. Of course, there are also hordes of tatooed and unwashed freaks that fifty years ago would’ve been instantly packed off to a loony bin once they’d hit the streets.
THANKS for the lengthy and thoughtful post! It was phun and worth the pun!
Glass, 14,
I listened to the book on my mp3 player (my bro-in-law), definitely a book worth reading instead. So question. Chapter 5 towards the end he says that Zion shouldn’t be built until God through the prophets give the go ahead to build it up. What is the reference to that? On W&T we had a discussion about this and why it wasn’t being built up today, or at least attempted. It would be interesting to know Skousen’s reasoning behind that conjecture.
I wonder if the Iranians are part of the lost ten tribes. If they were then it’s interesting that the Jews and them never stop fighting.
Jon,
I am in chapter 3. But as soon as I get to five I will contact you about it. It’s kinda blowing my mind.
Your idea about Iran is compelling and properly ironic… as our relationship with Deity so often is on both the macro and micro scale. I commend your thinking if it.
The Skousen topic is sort of still going on the “Sister Wives” thread. I’d love a little support around now. 🙂
Jon,
Oops, its on the “Bishop Bill” thread.
Between me and Steve since last night. Join us.
I’ll check it out. I know a lot of people don’t care for Skousen much. Regardless if you like him or not he is well read so you one should at least give consideration to his ideas. Of course, most people don’t think logically so it doesn’t really happen. (Not that I’m always that logical either).