POLL: The Moral Crisis of Our Day?

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Originally posted by KitingHigh:
What I find funny is that liberals complain about businesses having too much influence on politics, but then look to businesses to influence politics when a law they don't like is enacted. Both sides are such hypocrites that it's just laughable.

You use the tools available. That doesn't mean you can't see when they are dangerous tools.

 

[BrentJDiekman]

Originally posted by KitingHigh:
What I find funny is that liberals complain about businesses having too much influence on politics, but then look to businesses to influence politics when a law they don't like is enacted. Both sides are such hypocrites that it's just laughable.

Hawk in sec is hardly a liberal. In fact, I'd say the opposite. There are reasonable republicans, just none in office.

 

[naturalmwa]

Originally posted by BrentJDiekman:

Originally posted by KitingHigh:
What I find funny is that liberals complain about businesses having too much influence on politics, but then look to businesses to influence politics when a law they don't like is enacted. Both sides are such hypocrites that it's just laughable.

Hawk in sec is hardly a liberal. In fact, I'd say the opposite. There are reasonable republicans, just none in office.

There is the Republican mayor of Indianapolis.

 

[Lone Clone]

Originally posted by Hawk in SEC Country:
I think the fact that you don't necessarily see any problems that are so serious that it might take a revolutionary act to reset them, shows where you are in your trust of Gov't. But IIRC, you draw your paycheck from a Gov't agency, so it's understandable that you don't want to bite the hand that feeds.


The entire Gov't complex is out of control. Spending is insane. Both sides are completely purchased by corporations and the banks. Nothing is getting done to the benefit of the citizens. Everyone is on the take.

IMO here are the things that need to happen in order to reign in the corruption, lies and greed that permeate our Gov't at all levels.

1. roll back Citizens United
2. reenact Glass-Steagall
3. Kill NAFTA and find a way to return jobs to the US. Stiff tariffs and penalties for companies who decide to leave the US.
4. simplify the tax code and shrink the IRS(return the printing of of our currency to the hands of the Gov't..and not the banks)
5. Remove all lobbyist money from the pockets of elected officials
6. Publicly funded campaigns
7. Outlaw poltical attack ads.
8. Remove all pensions for elected officials and kill the environment and idea of the "career politician".
9. Term limits or mandatory retirement for all congressmen and SCOTUS justices.
10. removal of all redundant gov't programs, military and entitlement. streamline everything and make it more efficient.
11. balanced budget constitutional amendment that disallows the Fed Gov't to spend more than they take in.
12. Reel in the military from the majority of our global outposts. ONLY being in areas where we are truly wanted via treaty.
13. Reel in the amount of money we give allies AND enemies....Take that money and start spending it on our own.

So.....basically you want a country like North Korea. Hey, to each his own.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Originally posted by strummingram:

Originally posted by What Would Jesus Do?:

Originally posted by strummingram:
Nice thread.

There's no need to take violent measures to "take it back." In fact, that is the wrong way every time. You have to engage in a revolution of the mind, a revolution of consciousness. The people have to want it to change. They have to want their elected officials to obey their wishes. Most of all, the people/members of society must improve themselves. Elected officials were just citizens before they got elected.

I still say the election process needs to be overhauled. The problem is; the majority of people who hold federal offices (congress and senate) have no interest in changing that system, because they are the first in line to reap the benefits of their own corrupt actions. They are not about to vote their meal ticket into a memory.

I agree, but how do you change things if the elected officials like it the way things are and the people either don't care, feel helpless, or have been conned into defending the status quo?

If they like it? There's no if... they do like it. That's why this 2-party ruse is so strong and so wrong.

To be frank, I don't really know just how much change you can actually achieve through the political process. During the two Ron Paul campaign cycles, I learned a lot. Ron Paul even told me once that he was very skeptical of the political process in this country- itself- as a mechanism to make changes, especially in the short term. He told me that you have to change the narrative. You have to get ideas to be accepted by the general population. People have to instinctively WANT certain conditions to be in place. If the idea makes sense to enough people, it's a matter of time. When they want it bad enough, it has to become policy. Those two campaign cycles put 20 years on me. I was exhausted. Frustration doesn't do it justice. I didn't feel hopeless because there were no possibilities. I felt hopeless because I had no idea how polarized the population really was. I'd never really participated much in political action. It amazed me how this partisanship impedes this country's population. It's frustrating most of all because of the illusion of choice. They are so obstinate about their parties and the beneficiaries of the partisan allegiance falls squarely in the laps of the politicians, not the people.

The biggest problem, or impediment, that I see the general population suffers from is they are easily divided. As long as the people buy-in to this division of left and right, there's little chance of anything changing from a political perspective in the short term, or even long term, for that matter.