Who Are the ANTZ??

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DC2

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I just don't understand why they give a damn what I do. And why do they keep bringing up children? Isn't it the parent's job to watch after their kids? When did I become responsible for them?
It's called socialism, and it's creeping across the globe.
 
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DC2

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It's called not minding your own damned business, and it's been here since the caveman days.
Well, there IS that.

I think it all accelerated here when the socker moms got political power.
Then they decided to use that power to have society protect their precious bumpkins.

Yeah, I know I'm in trouble now.
I really don't want the socker moms on my ..., they are ruthless!
:)

I say let your kid go out and experience the world, without a freaking helmet on.
 
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rabernet

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It's actually a strange phenomena in North American and much of European culture right now... Generally speaking, conservatives are the people who tend to be prohibitionists, but tobacco and nicotine restriction legislation has been almost completely driven by liberals. -- I've been thinking about that quite a lot since that NY Times article a few weeks ago.

As a conservative myself, I can explain that. Conservatives believe in less government regulation and more personal responsiblity. Conservatives generally do not support legislation that limits or hurts entrepreneurialism (sp?). Conservatives look at the big picture and the dollars that small business men and women, like our juice and hardware vendors would lose in the face of such legislation.

Democrats, on the other hand, like more regulation and control over us. They don't believe that we as individuals are responsible enough to make good choices on our own, so they need to step in and regulate us, because they know what's best for us.

I've been dealing with reptile related proposed bills for the past five years, trying to ban my reptile hobby. Conservatives do not want to destroy small businesses (bless them), even if it's not a business that they do not understand, or would choose themselves. It's Democrats that have been leading the charge to impose bans on reptile keeping.
 
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FishmanTx

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I just don't understand why they give a damn what I do. And why do they keep bringing up children? Isn't it the parent's job to watch after their kids? When did I become responsible for them?

It's all about control.

The problem is that there are so few true conservatives left in government. That's why the tea party movement.
 
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FishmanTx

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Unfortunately, Tea Party, Republicans and Democrats have all gone off the extreme edge of the cliff. As a moderate I find it alarming that the only people with a voice these days are the left-wing whack jobs and the right-wing whack jobs. The patients have taken over the asylum.

Not all have gone off the cliff, especially not the true Tea Party core. Don't associate the whack-jobs with the Tea Party core. Every side has their whack-jobs and extremists and they taint the peoples perception of their respective true members. One cannot paint with such broad strokes as there are good and bad in all the parties. Unfortunately, (no disrespect intended) the moderates of all sides are the reason nothing changes and that leaves the left and right yelling for what they want and nothing getting done. It's also though the reason why the left extremists have kept a lot of power. There eventually comes a time when one must pick a side. The center keeps the status quo. Hard changes need to be made in this country or we're going to lose what little freedom we have left and our country will go down the tubes. The right has sold out to the middle and the left still has a lot of pull. The Tea Party is not (and I hate to use this comparison) is not like some of the Ron Paul'ers (NOT dissing Ron Paul) who are extreme Constitutionalists. Too extreme on some of their viewpoints, as there must be some rule of law.

We do need to get back to the Constitution and Constitutional law. Govt has passed so many laws that ignore even the basic tenets of the Constitution that we're in severe danger of losing it all to a socialistic dictatorship called the US Govt. They pick and choose which laws to enforce as a matter of convenience and pandering to special interests. It is stolen power.

There is a balance to everything. Extremism is the road to our doom, but so is mediocrity when everything is out of balance. Government management of the country is right as dictated by the people and the Constitution. Micromanagement of our lives can't be allowed and governing against the will of the people and ignoring our voice is tyranny. Where we should be is somewhat right of center and governed by Constitutional law, state sovereignty, and the will of the people. Now is the time to pick a side and get off the fence. Get socialism and the "morality police" out of government. Get special interest and lobbyists out of government. Get Big Business out of government pockets. Get rid of the cronyism and backroom dealings. Demand FULL transparency, FULL accountability, and smaller government. Freedom is a right of every human, not a choice of government. We need to get back to the higher moral and legal standards of our grandfathers and great grandfathers. Respect your fellow man and be kind to others. Raise your children teaching them these values and we may yet have a brighter future.

We need to take our country back, before it's too late.

"I've said my piece and counted to three!"
Oh Brother Where Art Thou


Ok, that's my political rant for the day. ;)

Fish

P.S. my avatar comes from the movie "THX1138", a futuristic progression from "1984". So you see why my attitude when it comes to government control. ;) And in case your wondering, I'm for Michelle Bachman or Rick Santorum.
 
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mooreted

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Well, I believe in efficient government and reasoned discourse based on facts and logic. What we have now is one side thumping vigorously on their bibles and the other side chained to their favorite tree. We need to get back closer to the center and gain more balance.

I'm going to stop there because my views tend to piss off both sides and this isn't really a place where anything will be accomplished through discussion other then letting us vent and relieving some pressure.
 

FishmanTx

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LOL!! ROFLMAO!!!

A confirmation on THAT!

Well, I'm one of the thumpers. But when it comes to God and Government, it should be a choice. Dictatorships of any kind are wrong. It's all about respect for others AND their beliefs. no favoritism to ANYBODY. If someone wants to hug a tree, that's their right, but don't dictate to everyone else and force your beliefs on them, especially when it's one sided. Religious examples would be such as Atheist vs. Christian and Christmas, football team prayer at school games vs. Atheism or Muslim indignancy, etc, ad nauseum. Religion is a choice, Right, and a freedom of all people that should not be suppressed no matter WHICH religion you are or which God or lack thereof that you choose to serve (or not). Freedom, TRUE Freedom is inclusive, NOT EXclusive, and is about personal choice.

"You can choose a ready guide from some Celestial Voice.
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
You can choose from phantom fears or kindness that can kill.
I will choose the path that's clear, I will choose free will."
Rush - Permanent Waves


Fish
 
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ScottinSoCal

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Not all have gone off the cliff

And, see, I could almost agree with you, except for those buzzwords.

Socialism - there's a place for it. We call it police, fire department, military, schools, things like that. They're all socialist organizations - something taken from all to benefit many. Personally I've never needed the fire department, but I'm glad it's there and I'm happy to have my tax dollars funding it. You probably think the same thing, but you veer your mind away from the fact that they're socialistic and put them into some special category because fear and hatred of a buzzword has been indoctrinated into you. Buzzwords and labels (many of them misapplied) have taken the place of rational discussion in politics in this country.

When we manage to move away from buzzwords and labels and actually get to the meat of the issues, most of us agree and where we disagree we could come up with a compromise. But those buzzwords and labels get in the way.
 

SwampCollege

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"Political language -- and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists -- is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind"

"In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible."

--George Orwell (Politics and the English Language)
 

DC2

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When we manage to move away from buzzwords and labels and actually get to the meat of the issues, most of us agree and where we disagree we could come up with a compromise. But those buzzwords and labels get in the way.
But doesn 't society move too fast these days for anything but buzzwords?
What percentage of the population is willing and capable of intelligent and reasoned discourse?

My fear is that we are not as a society in a good place to change things.
My hope is that we are all waking up to the fact that we need to change things.
 
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FishmanTx

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And, see, I could almost agree with you, except for those buzzwords.

Socialism - there's a place for it. We call it police, fire department, military, schools, things like that. They're all socialist organizations - something taken from all to benefit many. Personally I've never needed the fire department, but I'm glad it's there and I'm happy to have my tax dollars funding it. You probably think the same thing, but you veer your mind away from the fact that they're socialistic and put them into some special category because fear and hatred of a buzzword has been indoctrinated into you. Buzzwords and labels (many of them misapplied) have taken the place of rational discussion in politics in this country.

When we manage to move away from buzzwords and labels and actually get to the meat of the issues, most of us agree and where we disagree we could come up with a compromise. But those buzzwords and labels get in the way.

S'ok Scott, LOL. That's not socialism, that's Social Services. Socialism is a political/social mindset. ;)
 

FishmanTx

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But doesn 't society move too fast these days for anything but buzzwords?
What percentage of the population is willing and capable of intelligent and reasoned discourse?

My fear is that we are not as a society in a good place to change things.
My hope is that we are all waking up to the fact that we need to change things.

Unfortunately, you're right. We may be too far gone already. More and more of the population are so uninformed, uncaring, and/or shallow as to not be capable of discerning truth from lie. Hence the buzzword "Sheeple".
Look hard at some of the children of today and their parents. Some of them scare me to the point of thinking that we may be in fact too far gone. Thankfully, I've found a nice quiet alternative country where I can live out the rest of my days in quiet anonymity.

For a laughable (but slightly scary) idea of idiots in charge of the world, see the movie "Idiocracy". (Man, I could use a full Latte right now. Gotta see it to understand it.)
 

ScottinSoCal

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S'ok Scott, LOL. That's not socialism, that's Social Services. Socialism is a political/social mindset. ;)

Social services - uh huh. And, um, what is the root of the word socialism?

My dad is a die-hard, ultra-right wing NRA member. He was dead set against socialized medicine - he called it a plot. Until he had heart bypass surgery, and it went great, and his personal insurance policy that he's had for over twenty years paid for most of it, and right after his doctor signed off on his full recovery his insurance company sent him a letter telling him they were dropping him. And he can't get another policy, no matter how much he's willing to pay. Now he believes medical treatment should be beyond capitalistic rules, and everyone should have it.

He used to joke that a conservative was a liberal who had been mugged. Now I give him a hard time about a liberal being a conservative who got sick. And both those words - liberal and conservative - are just words that cover over the fact that reality is too messy for neat labels to cover everything.
 

mooreted

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Yup, that's how they get people sucked in. If I say something rational someone can just call me a socialist, left-wing liberal. If someone want's to pull you to the right and they know you're leaning that way, they start pulling out those horrible homosexuals that want to get married and those evil liberals that want 13 year-olds to get abortions. Suddenly you're waving your fist in solidarity even when they have you working against your own best interests. If you're leaning left and they know it they start blaming those evil rich .......s stealing all the money from your paycheck and letting little kids die because they don't want to provide healthcare.

People are so easily swayed and that is why I try to look at every side I can. Now, I'm not the smartest guy in the room, but I attempt to try to find the truth somewhere in the middle. When the nut jobs are all screaming about all the things they've been programmed to scream about, it will eventually fall to cooler heads to come to a compromise.

Behind all that is a huge megalith of money and power. The people at the top of it see us as peons, surfs, pesants who should shut up and get back to work. Just as Bachmann would love to abolish the minimum wage and make us all live in huts and Gingrich would like to abolish child labor laws so we can go back to the golden ages when robber barons ruled everyone with an iron fist and the rich and powerful were sacrosanct.

And on yet another front the Tea Party people refuse to raise taxes for any reason born out of some delusion that all taxes are bad. Apparently if we just let big business run rampant and stop taxing those poor, hard-working job creators we'd all be richer. When we have let business run things we've had poisoned food, poisoned water, child slaves, no job safety, and owing your soul the the company store.

At the other end we have the nanny-state, PC, we know what's best for you, big government, big spending Democrats that can't come together on any issue. I don't know, maybe they're too busy singing Kumbya and hoping everyone will just love each other. We should shell out every cent we have to help all those poor people. It's not their fault they turned into drug dealers. If they just knew that they were loved and got big hug and a free paycheck they'd turn right around and contribute to society.

So, yeah, I choose the middle ground where rational people try to sit down and have a debate, make compromises based on facts and try to ignore the crazies in the media.

There, now I've ...... everyone off. Pretty much, don't ever get me started on religion.
 

FishmanTx

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@Scott:
Correct, but these are not absolutes, and not socialism by definition. Some socialized services could work if properly implemented and administered, but I haven't seen one country yet where it was successful. Long waiting periods to get services are just as bad as no coverage at all for those who are short on time. No one promised us that life was fair, though, and it is up to us to plan and provide for ourselves. Social medicine is a new idea. A hundred years ago, if you didn't have cash, you died from whatever was killing you. Personal responsibility is something people have been trying to avoid more and more. They want someone else to pay the bill or it's someone else's fault their in this situation. Anything and everything to avoid taking personal responsibility for themselves and their actions. I have a favorite saying: "We have a self-cleaning gene pool." When and if times get very hard or the world goes to hell in a hand basket, who are they going to depend on then when nobody has anything? They'll die or get an attitude adjustment real fast. Most will probably die off. It's not the world's way, or the country's way, or my way...it's nature's way. And Ma Nature is a Bee-otch!!

@mooreted: (not directed at you, just the rest of my point of view)
Me? I'm just a Realist. LOL!! I believe in checks and balances. EVERYONE needs to contribute in taxation, not just the rich and not just the poor. Being rich is not a bad thing, no one is entitled to what I worked very hard for, especially not some lazy-.... that refuses to work or has lived off unemployment for the last 2 years, just because they can. A moral person who respected others and believed in fair play would get off the dead ... and get whatever work they could get (until they could get better) and TRY to do the right thing. It's not a bad thing to be poor, but it may be a bad thing to let yourself STAY that way. People need to live with the choices they've made and quit complaining. Don't like your situation? Then change it! There are ways for folks to get help if they need it to get educated or job-trained. No Excuses. Only the old and handicapped have a valid excuse. Actually, I know several handicapped with more balls and "go get it" attitude than regular people.

I have no sympathy for chronic beggars and lazy-butts. As, for religion, please don't if it's gonna be offensive (Thx), but do what you feel you must. It's your right (even if i don't want to hear it, LOL!).
 
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mooreted

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" I have a favorite saying: "We have a self-cleaning gene pool." When and if times get very hard or the world goes to hell in a hand basket, who are they going to depend on then when nobody has anything? They'll die or get an attitude adjustment real fast. Most will probably die off. It's not the world's way, or the country's way, or my way...it's nature's way. And Ma Nature is a Bee-otch!!"

You'll say that until you have to go to the hospital and your insurance company refused to cover your illness.

I can't think of anything to say to that without going completely crazy. Let's just say I wholeheartedly disagree with you.
 

FishmanTx

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I'm sorry you feel that way. As for the pool? Americans are so spoiled it's PATHETIC!!! Go to the 2nd and 3rd world countries and live a few months, you'll change your tune.

"You'll say that until you have to go to the hospital and your insurance company refused to cover your illness."
I'm a 20 year vet so I have a way IF necessary, but I got news. I work for a MAJOR telecomm company and have to pay at least 20% out of pocket UP FRONT for ANY procedure. A bowel resection will cost me $40k. So I live with my hemorrhoids and scar tissue and bleeding. I won't let the VA touch one f'ing inch of my body! So be sure of who you speak to before assuming I don't understand. My stepmom had severe rheumatoid arthritis and has had at least 15 bouts of pneumonia. They had no insurance but she got treatment with the help of charities just for this kind of need. I understand very well! And it sucks when you or a loved one is on the receiving end of it. My stepmom died last year from the same things mentioned. Dad has a .... load of debt now and no wife.

But Dad sees it my way. Who do you think put this thought process in my head? He Did! Why?
Because it's the way things are! It's the way nature IS! IT IS LIFE!
 
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