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> ...a political miracle occurs. You mean the Republicans get voted out of office completely and the other party isn't completely incompetent? On that day.

xapata 10y ago
I'm not sure we can blame it on the politicians, since they're just a reflection of ourselves.
- dragonwriter 10y ago
  US politicians are not, by comparison with other modern democracies, a particularly good reflection of the population, even in terms of publicly stated views on political issues of high salience (you know, the things on which politicians in an ideal representative democracy would be a reflection of the citizenry.) And the politicians actively choose to maintain, and reinforce, the policies and actions which contribute to that difference.
- astrodust 10y ago
  It's all part of some greater force. Elements like the Koch Brothers, the Republican party, and the extreme right-wing media powered by Fox News that whips up the hard-line Christian crowd drive this ridiculous narrative that resources are infinite and "god will provide". They couldn't be more wrong.
tomelders 10y ago
I think we might be about to see the political miracle you're hoping for. The Dems are already cleaning up their act, and if the system works, and Trump is impeached for treason, the GOP will need to clean house too. We might just end up with an actual, honest to goodness, functioning democracy in the U.S. as politicians seek to regain trust.
- richardw 10y ago
  I honestly thought Bush had doomed the Republicans for a generation, but all that got wiped away somehow. Two wars and a fucked world economy? Can Trump top that?
AznHisoka 10y ago
Please stop with this tangent. grandparent is asking a question almost every average person is asking: what is the impact on me? and you basically started an entirely new unrelated subthread.
- soundwave106 10y ago
  It's not a terrible diversion, but it is very US-centric. Currently the fossil fuels industries and other "old school" extraction industries tend to align with the Republican party in the United States. The issue is less "Republican party" and more those certain industries that stubbornly resist the notion a concept that could damage their businesses. I get the impression, for instance, that the much-maligned Koch family privately is aware of climate change. However, being in an industry that would be impacted by any regulatory push, they put up all psychological blinders to not only deny it -- but actively pursue an agenda against it. And they are not the only extraction industry leaders that do this. That Upton Sinclair quote comes to mind: "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it". I do not know if there is a similar situation in other countries; it's going to take more than just United States industry direction to slow down climate change, after all.
- astrodust 10y ago
  I'm sorry, did another political party just designate the former head of an oil company as Secretary of State, or did they take someone actively suing the EPA the head of the EPA? Is there any other party on the planet receiving massive amounts of money from coal companies? This is not unrelated. This is directly related. If the US was some little country in the Pacific where they could do whatever they wanted with little consequence it wouldn't matter, but they're not. They're one of the largest polluters in the world and the largest economy, so it's absolutely important that they steer in the right direction to avoid disaster.
  - AznHisoka 10y ago
    the grandfather is drowning and is asking "will i survive?" and you are basically in high ground yelling "blame the politicians!".

xapata 10y ago

I'm not sure we can blame it on the politicians, since they're just a reflection of ourselves.

dragonwriter 10y ago
US politicians are not, by comparison with other modern democracies, a particularly good reflection of the population, even in terms of publicly stated views on political issues of high salience (you know, the things on which politicians in an ideal representative democracy would be a reflection of the citizenry.) And the politicians actively choose to maintain, and reinforce, the policies and actions which contribute to that difference.
astrodust 10y ago
It's all part of some greater force. Elements like the Koch Brothers, the Republican party, and the extreme right-wing media powered by Fox News that whips up the hard-line Christian crowd drive this ridiculous narrative that resources are infinite and "god will provide". They couldn't be more wrong.

tomelders 10y ago

I think we might be about to see the political miracle you're hoping for. The Dems are already cleaning up their act, and if the system works, and Trump is impeached for treason, the GOP will need to clean house too. We might just end up with an actual, honest to goodness, functioning democracy in the U.S. as politicians seek to regain trust.

richardw 10y ago
I honestly thought Bush had doomed the Republicans for a generation, but all that got wiped away somehow. Two wars and a fucked world economy? Can Trump top that?

AznHisoka 10y ago

Please stop with this tangent. grandparent is asking a question almost every average person is asking: what is the impact on me? and you basically started an entirely new unrelated subthread.

soundwave106 10y ago
It's not a terrible diversion, but it is very US-centric. Currently the fossil fuels industries and other "old school" extraction industries tend to align with the Republican party in the United States. The issue is less "Republican party" and more those certain industries that stubbornly resist the notion a concept that could damage their businesses. I get the impression, for instance, that the much-maligned Koch family privately is aware of climate change. However, being in an industry that would be impacted by any regulatory push, they put up all psychological blinders to not only deny it -- but actively pursue an agenda against it. And they are not the only extraction industry leaders that do this. That Upton Sinclair quote comes to mind: "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it". I do not know if there is a similar situation in other countries; it's going to take more than just United States industry direction to slow down climate change, after all.
astrodust 10y ago
I'm sorry, did another political party just designate the former head of an oil company as Secretary of State, or did they take someone actively suing the EPA the head of the EPA? Is there any other party on the planet receiving massive amounts of money from coal companies? This is not unrelated. This is directly related. If the US was some little country in the Pacific where they could do whatever they wanted with little consequence it wouldn't matter, but they're not. They're one of the largest polluters in the world and the largest economy, so it's absolutely important that they steer in the right direction to avoid disaster.
- AznHisoka 10y ago
  the grandfather is drowning and is asking "will i survive?" and you are basically in high ground yelling "blame the politicians!".