I’ve been thinking… My youthful instincts were right. The world is heading in some ugly directions. Seems to me we as a species are far more likely to destroy ourselves than mature into a peacful civil well-educated world community.
But my kids won’t be choking on exhaust fumes, or burning kilowatt-hours for that matter. Or killing or being killed in some bastard’s war. My descendents won’t be among the last human survivors to be run down by wolves. I don’t feel any particular obligation to the future of the human species. If termites take over it’ll be because humans fucked things up for themselves and no BFD.
I won’t face any post-life retribution for my misdeeds in this life. I do not have a purpose in life other than what I choose. I am NOT my brothers keeper, and certainly not my neighbor’s keeper.
Well this Republican (not conservative) does realize this at least. This is one of the reasons I still very much like Rudy Giuliani as despite his flaws he appears to an old fashion Republican. Socially, I think he is to the left of Nixon in fact.
No, I don’t. Not without enormous uphevals, and I don’t think anyone wants that. Frankly, Americans are too fat and happy to get seriously worked up over government.
It’s not necessarily the fault of politicians. It’s also the fault of the people, who would rather obsess about the Moral Panic of the Week than the serious issues facing our nation, and confuse “action” with “solution.”
You are giving the American public too much credit. We would collectively rather obsess about Unimportant murder trials[sup]1[/sup], American Idol or sporting events[sup]2[/sup].
Who has time for politics and Geo-political worries when So and so might lose out in the American Idol competition.
Jim
How many people did OJ or the Mendez Brothers really affect? Why did so many people devote so much time to these and similar trials? It was another form of compulsive entertainment, not real or important news.
You and Chevy Chase. I think the real threshold is the “I miss Jimmy Carter” breakpoint, which I hit that about four years ago.
Okay, that was Reagan cribbing from a Cato Institute pamplet (and then conveniently ignoring his own pleas for smaller government and privacy rights when it suited him). The Republicans haven’t been about that since Lincoln stopped shaving.
You could support the Libertarian candidate for any particular election. Not that he or she has a hope of winning, of course, 'cause if you don’t vote for a viable candidate, the wrong lizard will get into office. (Let’s see if anybody picks up on that obscure Hitchhiker’s reference.)
That’s the “fat and happy” aspect to which I was referring. We have the incredible luxury of being able to cheerfully ignore whatever our government’s doing because we know that it’s unlikely to affect us.
I completely agree. The whole “love your neighbor”, “turn the other cheek”, “pray for those who persecute you” thing seems to make bombs a non-starter.
Can I have the Republican of my choosing for Prez if we’re going to go with a Republican Prez?
Either of Maine’s current Senators will do. They are true moderates. Look at their voting records. (They may be Senators but for these two it would be hard to bait them with their voting records). They speak well. They play well with others, in both parties.
They’re both economic conservatives of the old-Republican variety, but on social-rights issues are not inclined to interfere with what folks want to do.
Either of them could get Congress to unify and quit throwing mudballs better than most candidates for the job could. Including McCain, and definitely including Giuliani, neither of whom is really good at consensus-building, both of whom have a strong streak of “it’s my way or the highway”
I know I could search for them, but how about you allow me some laziness and provide a few good links to them and their voting records. I mentioned McCain & Rudy as they have excellent national recognition and both have at least a small chance of getting through the primaries. I am open to any good moderates from either party. (Yes, I know John McCain is not really a moderate, I still like him and I thought he should have been the POTUS in 2000 and my god, how much better the world would be if he had only won instead of the Bible thumpin’, rootin-tootin Axis of Evil).
AHunter3, How did Maine elect two such solid Moderates. Collins sounds great, I love her voting record. I will have to try to follow her more closely. Thanks for cluing me in. I do not like Snowe as much an she has irritated me a little when I have heard her speak. I am not as happy with her voting record. I did not realize that was who you meant. I would gladly vote for Collins from what I saw on your links. BTW: the 2020 Senate races - OnTheIssues.org is great. Thank you for the link. It is now a favorite.
Not being a Republican, Collins would be acceptable.
Another Republican who I think wouldn’t be a bad President would be Christie Todd Whitman. I didn’t vote for her but I think she did a fine job as governor although lots of people from NJ might not agree. I didn’t agree with her on every issue, but she was very fair.
She really got the shaft from Bush and her party. I wonder how she’d be if she ever ran again.
