Anyone hear the convetion?
Honestly is this the best they could come up with to praise their state? What is with the corny lines here? Honestly… is there such a thing as a funny republican?
Yes. I’m drunk.
Actually, there is a state besides Utah, Uawaii, which also begins with a U. Some people spell it Hawaii, but those are the type who would post topics in the relevant fora, so pay no attention to them.
hehe, there goes another point for Utah. =]
Don’t forget about the state of the union.
[gets hit in head with something heavy]
[like a house]
Seriously though. What is up behind all this posturing within our states? Does there remain the same sort of loyalty that was once considered to exist during/prior to the civil war?
Does their continue to be a underlying pride in one’s state government, or is it merely simple bragging rights? Which would you choose if pressed, your nation, or your state?
Any thoughts?
i think the world (or at least the U.S.) would be a whole lot better if federalism took a little vacation for a bit, and the states were able to take back some of the power stolen from them these last coupla years.
and i’m a democrat!
Did you hear what the girls from Oklahoma said on Leno?
He had picked two of his “Battle of the Jaywalking Allstars” to go to the convention.
He asked them what was good about their state, why people should go there.
All they came up with was “Oil wells?”
This does not belong in Great Debates.
Why is this though? What makes states more efficent at handeling things than a national level?
In fact, isn’t that what everyone got so upset about in Kansas with the whole evolution thing? Wouldn’t we start to see a huge influx of these kind of contraversial laws?
I certainly have no loyalty to one state, having been in a family of army brats and spending much time in a lot of different states.
But, also, I have gained an appreciation for other countries in the military. Other places don’t debate whether the flag is sacred or put God on the money. God is stronger than most nations as a loyalty, but one gets the impression most Americans reverse that.
Last night Jay asked them to describe the Republican platform. They looked at the stage and said, “It looks carpeted.”
Heheheheheeh
Idaho license plates still have the phrase “Famous Potatoes”
on them.
I assume this is an inside joke. 
BTW; Does anyone know somebody from Idaho? Rumor is, the place doesn’t really exist.
Peace,
mangeorge (Ducking them spud ICBMs.)
From Ted:
My class. Got more in common with the people who work for wages halfway across the world than the people who run the country and state I live in.
From mangeorge:
Went to Georgetown with a young woman from Coeur d’Alene. So there goes that theory.
As far as the OP goes, I think basically the posturing from the state’s delegates at the parties’ national conventions is just a way of boosting their home state. Of course you have a buncha politicians which means they’re not all that creative so you get stuff like what Utah came up with.
The only funny Republican I know is Ben Stein, whom I saw flip off his announcer on Win Ben Stein’s Money a week or so ago. But that’s about it.
Bob Dole’s pretty funny, in a mean sort of way.
I don’t see the states as more efficient. I do, however, understand a very often ignored principle of democracy. that is, most people wind up getting slightly screwed. what is finally decided on as policy or law is a weird average amalgam of interests and views that reflects probably no one’s actual belief. maybe like one or two people.
the bigger the group of people, the more diluted and stretched the ideas get. remember that one of the best examples of democracy is top 40 radio.
so my distaste for strong federalism comes from a strong fear for the fortune of regional diversity. if california wants to declare medical marijuana legal, the federal government should have no say. if my state wanted to abolish the minimum speed limit, the government should not be able to exert its massive influence. gay marriages, polygamy, gun law, whatever. these should be matters of local beliefs. american government is large, it can contain multitudes.
as for the bad stuff, i don’t know what to say. i believe that school prayer is a generally bad and unconstitutional idea, but if Georgians up and decide tomorrow to make it mandatory, i don’t think we should intervene through any way other than up through the echelons of the judicial system. there shouldn’t be a federal law passed just because it would satisfy the majority of voters.
oh, by the way, i shook bob dole’s hand yesterday. it was a very neat experience. he’s got quite the firm grip, nice form (grasp hand, give a slight squeeze as you make eye contact, nod, break).
jb_farley:
I actualy do tend to agree with you. But the question is, how far should that principle extend? If giving power to the states is a good thing, then wouldn’t giving power to the comunities within those states be a good thing as well? More so, why have a national goverment at all?
(Personaly I think it offers a greater stablity to prevent one place from taking over another, and offers a better protection against so called hostial nations, but still…)
I have certain amount of loyalty to my state…mainly because it’s the home of the John Boy and Billy Big Show.
God bless America except for New Jersey and Utah.
Careful Ted, there are Texans present. You really don’t want me to get started, do you? Let me just say that, as far as I’m concerned, there is Texas and then there is the rest of the United States.
jb_farley said
Do you seriously believe your statement?