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I am declaring my independence

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  • I am declaring my independence

    I no longer consider myself a Democrat. I'm certainly not a Republican. Libertarians are crazy. Greens are flakey.

    Liberals and conservatives are just different flavors of Puritan.

    If a centrist movement arises I'll take a close look, but until then I'm just a man having Thai food for lunch.
    We all trust our own unorthodoxies.

  • #2
    Welcome to the club
    "The first thing I learned upon becoming a head coach after fifteen years as an assistant was the enormous difference between making a suggestion and making a decision."

    "They talk about the economy this year. Hey, my hairline is in recession, my waistline is in inflation. Altogether, I'm in a depression."

    "I like to bike. I could beat Lance Armstrong, only because he couldn't pass me if he was behind me."

    -Rick Majerus

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    • #3
      Welcome comrade!
      "There is no creature more arrogant than a self-righteous libertarian on the web, am I right? Those folks are just intolerable."
      "It's no secret that the great American pastime is no longer baseball. Now it's sanctimony." -- Guy Periwinkle, The Nix.
      "Juilliardk N I ibuprofen Hyu I U unhurt u" - creekster

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      • #4
        3526543_orig.jpg
        One of the grandest benefits of the enlightenment was the realization that our moral sense must be based on the welfare of living individuals, not on their immortal souls. Honest and passionate folks can strongly disagree regarding spiritual matters, so it's imperative that we not allow such considerations to infringe on the real happiness of real people.

        Woot

        I believe religion has much inherent good and has born many good fruits.
        SU

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Sleeping in EQ View Post
          If a centrist movement arises I'll take a close look, but until then I'm just a man having Thai food for lunch.
          I like it. Much better approach than a hunger strike.

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          • #6
            Neither major party represents me very well - I've been an independent for more than ten years. It's easy to point out what is wrong with a particular party. I still look for which policies are good for any of them.

            Maybe if enough people abandon the major parties they'll stop following the extremists and try a bit harder to represent those of us closer to the middle. It also bugs me that both parties feel the need to take the opposite view of the other, even when the other party has a good idea.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Sleeping in EQ View Post
              I no longer consider myself a Democrat. I'm certainly not a Republican. Libertarians are crazy. Greens are flakey.

              Liberals and conservatives are just different flavors of Puritan.

              If a centrist movement arises I'll take a close look, but until then I'm just a man having Thai food for lunch.
              What I've been realizing is that the federal discretionary budget amounts leaves only about 6% available, as Social Security, Medicare, Military, governmental employee costs and debt service consume the other 94%.

              So in reality, each party is arguing over almost nothing. There is only a difference in style and not much more. That is why in no small part the economy moves along however it wishes no matter if Obama or even Trump are president.

              I agree with your frustration.
              "Guitar groups are on their way out, Mr Epstein."

              Upon rejecting the Beatles, Dick Rowe told Brian Epstein of the January 1, 1962 audition for Decca, which signed Brian Poole and the Tremeloes instead.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Sleeping in EQ View Post
                I no longer consider myself a Democrat. I'm certainly not a Republican. Libertarians are crazy. Greens are flakey.

                Liberals and conservatives are just different flavors of Puritan.

                If a centrist movement arises I'll take a close look, but until then I'm just a man having Thai food for lunch.



                Those crazy libertarians!
                "If there is one thing I am, it's always right." -Ted Nugent.
                "I honestly believe saying someone is a smart lawyer is damning with faint praise. The smartest people become engineers and scientists." -SU.
                "Yet I still see wisdom in that which Uncle Ted posts." -creek.
                GIVE 'EM HELL, BRIGHAM!

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                • #9
                  I'm a Marxist Christian Centrist.
                  "Yeah, but never trust a Ph.D who has an MBA as well. The PhD symbolizes intelligence and discipline. The MBA symbolizes lust for power." -- Katy Lied

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Sleeping in EQ View Post
                    I no longer consider myself a Democrat. I'm certainly not a Republican. Libertarians are crazy. Greens are flakey.

                    Liberals and conservatives are just different flavors of Puritan.

                    If a centrist movement arises I'll take a close look, but until then I'm just a man having Thai food for lunch.
                    I'm surprised all those earnest protests from millennial college students haven't kept you on the Democratic side of things.
                    Part of it is based on academic grounds. Among major conferences, the Pac-10 is the best academically, largely because of Stanford, Cal and UCLA. “Colorado is on a par with Oregon,” he said. “Utah isn’t even in the picture.”

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Scott R Nelson View Post
                      Neither major party represents me very well - I've been an independent for more than ten years. It's easy to point out what is wrong with a particular party. I still look for which policies are good for any of them.

                      Maybe if enough people abandon the major parties they'll stop following the extremists and try a bit harder to represent those of us closer to the middle. It also bugs me that both parties feel the need to take the opposite view of the other, even when the other party has a good idea.
                      Unfortunately as more and more normal people leave the 2 major parties, it only adds fuel to the fire for them and emboldens the wackos in them since that's all that's left. What the majority in the middle need to do is start to fight like hell against gerrymandering, which is a major culprit for why the two major parties have gotten so extreme. Gerrymandering is used to make Congressional districts noncompetitive which gives their reps no incentive to be open to other points of view. There are currently two important court cases out there where the federal courts have struck down obvious partisan gerrymandering in N. Carolina and Wisconsin. Gerrymandering for racial reasons was struck down by the court in 1993, I believe.

                      In Wisconsin in the last election the Dems won 50% of the statewide vote but only won 40% of the Congressional districts. The lines were drawn by a secret GOP committee. In N. Carolina where voting in statewide races in the last couple of cycles have been nearly 50/50, only 3/11 members of Congress are not Republicans. The Supreme Court already has the Wisconsin case scheduled. I believe both of these lower court rulings will be upheld and partisan gerrymandering will become illegal.

                      In Utah there are actually 15 cities that are split so they're represented by at least 2 members of Congress. That's beyond stupid. It's not as if Utah has anywhere near that many cities that are so large they couldn't be represented by the same person. the way the lines are drawn there is an obvious effort to dilute the influence of pockets of areas where maybe the Republicans aren't as dominant. That defeats the whole philosophy behind representation as espoused by the founding fathers who believed that people in different parts of a state would likely have different interests and needs.

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                      • #12
                        100% agree with this entire thread---except for Uncle Ted. He's weird.

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Topper View Post
                          What I've been realizing is that the federal discretionary budget amounts leaves only about 6% available, as Social Security, Medicare, Military, governmental employee costs and debt service consume the other 94%.

                          So in reality, each party is arguing over almost nothing. There is only a difference in style and not much more. That is why in no small part the economy moves along however it wishes no matter if Obama or even Trump are president.

                          I agree with your frustration.
                          This is why I don't care much about discretionary spending. What the country really needs is Social Security and Medicare reform, deregulation (it's crazy to me that a hair stylist needs more training and licenses than a backhoe operator), and a growth-promoting tax structure. The only way we survive is to grow the heck out of the economy and reign in our SS/Medicare obligations. The idea that we are stuck with 2% GDP growth is hogwash.

                          Originally posted by wuapinmon View Post
                          I'm a Marxist Christian Centrist.
                          Most people think they are moderate or centrist. Unfortunately, amigo, being a Marxist makes you a long way from center, at least economically.

                          I think, like many, I'm a mix of conservative, moderate, and even a little liberal. It depends on the issue. Economically, I'm a free-market guy, including pro-free trade, but I recognize regulation is necessary to ensure competition. Fiscally, I'm more to the center, as I recognize the need for entitlements, a strong military, and a progressive tax structure - probably still a bit right of center. Socially, I'm the most moderate, and probably best described as libertarian. Laws should protect people from others, but not necessarily from themselves. Whatever all that makes me is what I am.
                          sigpic
                          "Outlined against a blue, gray
                          October sky the Four Horsemen rode again"
                          Grantland Rice, 1924

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                          • #14
                            I think the Tea Party folks have shown the best way to influence the political process is by working from inside one of the 2 major parties. That’s just my opinion.

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                            • #15
                              Since I'm a commie, I gravitate more towards the democrats these days. Which is good, because they are the only serious national party right now.

                              Once the GOP has been burned to ashes, and if a serious right-leaning party emerges, I'll reconsider my bleeding heart ways.
                              "...you pointy-headed autopsy nerd. Do you think it's possible for you to post without using words like "hilarious," "absurd," "canard," and "truther"? Your bare assertions do not make it so. Maybe your reasoning is too stunted and your vocabulary is too limited to go without these epithets."
                              "You are an intemperate, unscientific poster who makes light of very serious matters.”
                              - SeattleUte

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