The pendulum of politics always swings in the U.S. It's one thing I have always had faith in. Sometimes it takes a while; but through this mid-term election the "pulse of the nation" was taken.
What do the election results mean to you? What do you hope happens locally and in Washington in the coming year?
Kat Eldred, Minnesota Public Radio Duluth Life Host
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Comments: 64
Hopefully, there will be some restraint in spending this year. But, the Dems have not had this kind of power in a while, they might not be able to control themselves.
How about we use our taxes to support subsidized child care and education for those who need it the most? I mean real welfare that will improve the chances of the less fortunate to pull themselves up by the bootstraps, versus denying them anything, ensuring they will be a drain on our society for decades to come. BTW, I say raise taxes on the rich. How about taxing ALL income for FICA, not just the first 96k? Why should you people earning over 100k get a break that those of us making just under don't?
Its time for a new direction and both dems and republicans need to work together, so if you want to bitch and moan and not do jack shit about it, go ahead, but then you are part of americas problem, not the dems. I would like to exit with phrase my conservative friends say about america...so Don,
"if you dont like it, you can get the helll out"
1. Carefull monitoring and oversite of my civil liberties.
2. A different model for handling terror: more policing (defined as protecting the general public from harm.)and smart intelligence. I feel the concept of war has been used by the administration to avoid scrutiny, not explain its actions and stir up fear.
3. Iraq: Need a new plan to resolve this mess. get iraq more involved? Get Iraq's neighbors (Iran, Syria, Saudia Arabia, etc) who have a great stake in Iraq's stability? Of course means that you must be willing to talk with them. Whatever! We need fresh eyes and minds to find solutions. Maybe the current president could gain enough international credibility to accomplish this by appointing a new team. Maybe it's hopeless until we have a new administration. We will have to wait and see.
4. I would hope the new congress would not get involved in endless investigations. Just enought to serve notice that the Executive must answer for its actions.
Locally/State
1. Wise and measured investment in the poor. Like families if you don't invest in your children they will never move on and out!
2. Getting beyond stereotyping and marginalizing whose who disagree.
I am rather proud of the diversity that the folks of Minnesota elected.
In Minnesota - first elected woman senator, first black congressman
in Congress & Minnesota - first Muslim
I saw a great poster prior to the start of the war in Iraq that said: "What is our oil doing under their soil?" I do agree that we have made a mess and we should do our best to pick up after ourselves or we will leave fodder for hate to fester and grow and that will increase the attacks on the U.S.
I am also wondering how Iraqis are feeling about the U.S. creating a terrorist fighting ground in their country? We would prefer to fight them in Iraq? Is that why we started this war, so we could entice terrorists to come to Iraq? (Whether Sadam was reason enough is another discussion). I try to envision what it would be like to have another country do to the US what we have done in Iraq.
How will you know who to kill?
I also want to say that (although neither myself, nor anyone in my family or circle of friends is gay) I am heartbroken over the many same-sex marriage bans that were passed yesterday. I strongly believe that the right for gay couples to have their unions and their families given the same legal recognition (and societal respect) as the unions and families of heterosexual couples is a civil rights issue. It greatly disappoints me that the intelligent men and women of my country continue to legislate discrimination against their fellow countrymen and women.
At any rate, for me this election was a HUGE victory. I am 22 years old and I cannot tell you how pesimisicaly I looked at my furture when the republicans were in power. Further, I must say as my generation gets older I think that this is where the country is headed, a much more Democraticly led country with much more liberal views. I am most excited about a minimum wage increase and improved money for college. I'm also hopeful that the congeress does away with the Patriot Act and stops letting Bush take away our freedoms because as far as I and most of the youth I have talked with, it isn't the terrorists that we have to worry about taking away our freedoms. It is the president. To quote another great social revolutionary...
"I would rather die on my feet than live on my knee's" - Emiliano Zapata
Nathan, I think it's important to hear a youthful perspective, so thanks for that. Dealing with nuclear proliferation was (and still is) the scary thing that I faced in my early 20's.
I am speaking in general (but I do own a small business that employees a lot of 20-somethings--so I have some knowledge of this demographic), but I do find that today's youth is more tolerant of diversity, less interested in aquiring riches and wants to have a life that they define. It will be interesting to see how the corporate world engages your generation in the future.
Besides if you want to talk about REAL traditional marriage then you better tell your wife to have dinner ready by the time you get home every night, that she can't work and that you can't take your problems out of the marriage, because that is how it was back before the 70's. My last comment on this is, if you are married i would really like you to prove how letting two gay people be married has hurt your marriage personaly.
As far as MTV goes. That argument doens't work either becuase if you asked the parents of the boomer gneration what they thought of Elvis, Led Zepplin, and the Beatles. It is the same thing that my parents think about Eminem, gangster rap and everything with else in my generation. That is the beauty of the English language. It is always changing. The words change and they may become more offensive to some, but to use it is just how we talk.
I know most everyone will recognize this song...
"Hey, hey, mama, said the way you move, gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove.
Oh, oh, child, way you shake that thing, gonna make you burn, gonna make you sting.
Hey, hey, baby, when you walk that way, watch your honey drip, can't keep away." Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" is a very popular song with some super sexuall lyrics in it. The words may have changed in my generations song's, but I can assure you that the meanings of songs havent. And dress changes as well. You think my generation dresses like hookers...great. Back in the victorian age, a women showing a little wrist was like a girl flashing now. Back in the 1920's the flappers drove people crazy with short haircuts and short dresses. Time's change, they always will, you can't stop it.
I think the thing my generation has figured out is that people are different and that is just fine. Why does it matter if you are gay? Straight? left handed, blonde hair? green eyed? black? white? speak french? As long as you do not lie to us, cheat us, steal from us or phyisicaly hurt us we will be just fine and let you live our life while we live ours.
I think that the biggest problem with people today is that they spend to much time worrying about other people and things that they really can't change than they do with their our problems and situations.
For all that read this, don't take "you" to mean your persoanly, just an all encompasing YOU.
Just my 2 cents.
Nathan, Marriage isn't all that bad. I've been married for nearly 16 years but we would not be considered "traditional" as my husband and I have both traded career time to raise our kids. When he went back to school I supported the family, but his schedule allowed him to do most of the child care.
I don't even know what a liberal or a conservative looks like anymore and I think the fact that most democrats elected this go-around are conservative democrats is a loud and clear statement by the people.
I don't think you can lump democrats into one category, can you?, or Republicans for that matter. I hope the rhetoric starts being seen for what it is.......unproductive and divisive.
If you publish a new topic, we can start another discussion ; )
I want a departure from the politics of the 1960s which is STILL driving the political agenda today. Our politicians work in an atmosphere of absolutes that isn't tenable. You're either "with us or against us, conservative or liberal, for big government or not, environmentally conscious or not, pro-growth or not, etc." There is such a thing as the gray area and there SHOULD be in government. Lots of liberals are for "smart growth" when it comes to commerce and environment, for smart government that protects the underdog yet keeps its hand out of people's personal lives while demanding responsibility, and are religious people without letting it drive their politics to the point of demagoguery.
We just need to get more of them elected to public office. This is a good start.
As far as corruption goes, no one cares about land deals or bribes. They care about the godly morals that everyone talks about and when you have things like a republican governor coming out of the closet and congressmen haveing sexual involvement with minors it really doesn't look good when they talk up their morals. What no tax cuts. Darn, I just missed that $100,000 cut off to get it. No one in my family has benifited from any of his tax cuts nor have most of people in Duluth. With an average pay of $14.50 an hour it's pretty hard to get any benifit from that tax break.
And for a sad fact, the US has been involved in Iraq longer than we were in WWII. And look at all we have accomplished. 2500 soldiers dead and for what??? Some lies about WMD's. sad
For what? If you dont get it by now, you may never - even with age
That's not what I said but nice try. We were told this war was about WMD's. Which there weren't any.
And I am correct about this being longer than WWII. We declared war on japan on Nov 8 1941. Germany Declared war on us on Dec 11. We didn't get people over fighting until early 1942. The war was over on May 7 1945. The end of fighting. We went into Iraq in March of '03 and people are still being killed today. Thus our involvment in the war has been longer in Iraq. Rebuilding isn't war. It is rebuilding.
2,973 people died in 9/11. Pretty sure Iraq is going to eclipse that pretty soon add in Afgahnistan and I think we already did.
And the "Moral" statement was a jab at how Republicans always talk about being moral and what not yet their actions never seem to send the same message as their words do.
Nope, I can't say that I have to worry about my 401 K at this point. However, I do own my own house and I have a child that depends on me for life. Have i lost my job?? Not yet. But where I work it is always a possibility and has happened many times there. Aging parents. My dad is 64 years old, obese to the extreme, manic depressive and suicidal. I know the pains of going through medical companys. Trying to get the right medicine and trying to get the right doctor. Because if you have ever delt with a manic depressive person, you would know they can't and won't do it themselves. I have had to deal with the fact that I will, in all likelyhood, be the person that finds him when he dies since I was 15. And it will probably be his own hand. And the biggest kick is when I was 18 I found out that my dad wasn't really my dad. Nope, he was unable to have kids so I came from a donor. Yup, I'm a test tube baby. And so I my sister. But she doesn't know. No one knows. Me, my mom, my dad, my wife and 1 of my moms sisters. Any idea how hard it is to keep a secret like that??? Do you remember being that age and really try to figure out your place in the world?? Now imagine being told you are not who you thought you were your entire life. Now try to do some soul searching. So inthe 4 years since then I have found who I really am and I can tell you. It will not change.
They say "As Maine goes so goes the nation".
Yup, I'm listening. unfair taxes. how about unfair tax breaks for the rich. That's all that Bush has done for taxes.
And Rich, thanks for the personal attack. that was great. I was almost going to say how this was such a good conversation for the lack of that. Thanks for proving me wrong.
The 5 poorest states in the U.S. according to the Census Bureau are...
Mississippi
Arkansas
West Virginia
New Mexico
Utah
All of which voted republican in the last Presidential election. However, West Virginia and New Mexico do have democratic governors. So using that information, I could say that the Republicans have worse tax plans. However, overall I don't think either really have the "best" idea.
And the debt is ASTORNOMICAL.
Jobs created HIGH. Great, yet they are still lower than when Bush came into office.
When you were 22 did you know people that were older than you?? Have a HUGE family of educated professionals. I work with a majority of older people. I am the second youngest there. The next person that is older than me is 30. So I have all their imput as well.
Yup, I was 16 when W was elected. No wonder I have these veiws, I grew up with a guy that started and unjust war, preaches hate and speaks like he has the education of a 10 year old.
""The only way we can win is to leave before the job is done." --George W. Bush, Greeley, Colo., Nov. 4, 2006 "
"Anybody who is in a position to serve this country ought to understand the consequences of words." --George W. Bush, interview with Rush Limbaugh, Nov. 1, 2006
"You know, when I campaigned here in 2000, I said, I want to be a war President. No President wants to be a war President, but I am one." --George W. Bush, Des Moines, Iowa, Oct. 26, 2006
Is it a wonder why we are behind so many countries in education. Our leader is a ragin idiot.
Not to mention that he uses torture techniques to interagate people.
This one will probably strike a cord with you
"I don't know that atheists should be considered citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."
--President George Bush, August 27, 1988
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,994176,00.html
or this one...
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/9961300/the_worst_president_in_history
liberal spin maybe...but I seem to recall some guy named Rush that is pretty good at spin.
and can you explain to me how an atheist can defend bush to such ends whenthe guy is hte most outwardly religious president ever. It really doesn't make any sense to me. At all. I think all religion is a crock as well, which is a big reason I don't like the guy. Seems to be a pretty big contridiction.
The heart of Bush's domestic policy has turned out to be nothing more than a series of massively regressive tax cuts -- a return, with a vengeance, to the discredited Reagan-era supply-side faith that Bush's father once ridiculed as "voodoo economics." Bush crowed in triumph in February 2004, "We cut taxes, which basically meant people had more money in their pocket." The claim is bogus for the majority of Americans, as are claims that tax cuts have led to impressive new private investment and job growth. While wiping out the solid Clinton-era federal surplus and raising federal deficits to staggering record levels, Bush's tax policies have necessitated hikes in federal fees, state and local taxes, and co-payment charges to needy veterans and families who rely on Medicaid, along with cuts in loan programs to small businesses and college students, and in a wide range of state services. The lion's share of benefits from the tax cuts has gone to the very richest Americans, while new business investment has increased at a historically sluggish rate since the peak of the last business cycle five years ago. Private-sector job growth since 2001 has been anemic compared to the Bush administration's original forecasts and is chiefly attributable not to the tax cuts but to increased federal spending, especially on defense. Real wages for middle-income Americans have been dropping since the end of 2003: Last year, on average, nominal wages grew by only 2.4 percent, a meager gain that was completely erased by an average inflation rate of 3.4 percent.
The monster deficits, caused by increased federal spending combined with the reduction of revenue resulting from the tax cuts, have also placed Bush's administration in a historic class of its own with respect to government borrowing. According to the Treasury Department, the forty-two presidents who held office between 1789 and 2000 borrowed a combined total of $1.01 trillion from foreign governments and financial institutions. But between 2001 and 2005 alone, the Bush White House borrowed $1.05 trillion, more than all of the previous presidencies combined. Having inherited the largest federal surplus in American history in 2001, he has turned it into the largest deficit ever -- with an even higher deficit, $423 billion, forecast for fiscal year 2006. Yet Bush -- sounding much like Herbert Hoover in 1930 predicting that "prosperity is just around the corner" -- insists that he will cut federal deficits in half by 2009, and that the best way to guarantee this would be to make permanent his tax cuts, which helped cause the deficit in the first place!
The rest of what remains of Bush's skimpy domestic agenda is either failed or failing -- a record unmatched since the presidency of Herbert Hoover. The No Child Left Behind educational-reform act has proved so unwieldy, draconian and poorly funded that several states -- including Utah, one of Bush's last remaining political strongholds -- have fought to opt out of it entirely. White House proposals for immigration reform and a guest-worker program have succeeded mainly in dividing pro-business Republicans (who want more low-wage immigrant workers) from paleo-conservatives fearful that hordes of Spanish-speaking newcomers will destroy American culture. The paleos' call for tougher anti-immigrant laws -- a return to the punitive spirit of exclusion that led to the notorious Immigration Act of 1924 that shut the door to immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe -- has in turn deeply alienated Hispanic voters from the Republican Party, badly undermining the GOP's hopes of using them to build a permanent national electoral majority. The recent pro-immigrant demonstrations, which drew millions of marchers nationwide, indicate how costly the Republican divide may prove.
And if he is doing such a good job on terrorism how do you Explain the March 2004 bombing in spain and the july 2005 bombing in britian?? You'd think if he was doing such a good job that terrorism it would be on the decline worldwide. Not just here, where we have more domestic terrorism than foreign.
"President Bush's anti-terrorism policies are about to come under fire from a somewhat unlikely source: A federal advisory panel headed by a former Republican Party chairman is set to rap the President's knuckles this week when it issues a report criticizing the administration for failing to develop a comprehensive, pro-active anti-terror strategy more than two years after the 9/11 attacks."
you can read the rest here...http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,561414,00.html
or here...
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1563750,00.html
What would I have done on 9/12...welll I owuld have gone after OSOMA...not SADDAM. Remeber who masterminded 9/11?? And who is still at large...kind of funny isn't it.
Face it...the guys a douche bag. 6 months ago his approval rating was 31%. Even Nixon did better than that.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-08-bush-approval_x.htm