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I'm trying really hard not to get into political discussion. I really am. Here's a cold-hard fact: We can argue Republican or Democrat; Romney or Obama; More
by robomartin 14y ago
I'm trying really hard not to get into political discussion. I really am.
Here's a cold-hard fact: We can argue Republican or Democrat; Romney or Obama; More taxes or not; Unions or no unions; Electoral college or popular vote, and we can argue these and many other topics until we all vomit in disgust. And the truth will still be that our system of government has run its course and is in dire need of sensible and effective reform.
Can't change it? Well, women and blacks didn't use to be able to vote either. Of course we can change it! It just isn't easy. And it shouldn't be.
We can continue to bicker about all of the above and more while our country continues accelerating down the slippery slope that marks the decline of what was once a great society.
It is politicians for politicians and by politicians. It is special interests and unions. It is idiot voters who rubber-stamp parties without any thought given to the consequences. It is about the incursion of hyper-religious sects into government. It also is about the enslaving of the masses through never-ending, ridiculous and abominable social programs that have managed to keep entire generations of people in poverty and ignorance while eroding any semblance of self-determination and the drive to succeed and advance.
That's where we are. That's the truth. Believe what you want. The fact remains that you are unlucky enough to be living through a slow-motion train wreck and it is US who are allowing it to happen. And, while I don't advocate, condone or propose violence of any kind I remain surprised that people have not taken to the streets to take their country back from a political class that deserves a swift kick in the ass, at the very least. Morons. All of us.
As far as I am concerned, there's only ONE criteria that should guide your decision of who to vote for over the next ten to twenty years: Economic Recovery.
Virtually nothing else matters. Social issues are great when you are prosperous. And they are extremely important. That said, what do you think happens to social issues in places like Greece when people are rioting in the streets, burning-down buildings and destroying infrastructure?
The luxury of a number of social programs can only come out of economic prosperity. You can't buy your kid an Xbox if you are not making any money. Well, we can't throw money around as a country when our economy is on life support. We can't grow and we can't advance.
Economic prosperity has to be the single unifying criteria that drives us as a country for at least the next decade, if not a lot more. We must pull out of the nose-dive we are in. We have to. Or it will get really ugly here very quickly.
As cool and fun as Obama is, he simply wasn't and isn't qualified for this job. Back in 2008 not one of you HN entrepreneurs would have hired him to run any kind of a startup. He wouldn't have been hired to even run a cookie baking operation. He simply did not have the skill set and life experience. Why is it that we ignore the facts and substitute our own imaginary reality with these people? Are they so good that they truly CAN sell ice to Eskimos?
He wasn't qualified then and isn't qualified now. Would you have hired him to run your startup in 2008 and given him all of your life savings and all of your parent's, uncle's and friend's life savings? Unless you are in love with the idea of Obama, as opposed to seeing the reality of Obama, the only possible answer to that question is: No.
We desperately need someone at the helm that can focus on Economic Development 100% and --this is important-- comes to the office with the skill set and life experience to navigate those waters. You don't learn to sail in a storm. You must be an experienced sailor if you are going to have any chance whatsoever to survive a storm.
I wonder, how would a VC feel if the CEO of a company they are backing plays over 100 games of golf while the company continues to loose more and more money for four years? And, what would they do to that CEO if he (or she) refused to balance the budget and insisted in burning cash (and borrow more cash) while playing golf, taking vacations, singing and dancing? This is serious business folks. This ain't some bullshit Hollywood movie.
In my opinion, this country desperately needs the guidance, outlook and vision of a seasoned business person. That's why today, my family and I voted for Mitt Romney. And, while I fear that my vote will not count because I live in California, I had to vote for the idea of a better potential future for both myself and my kids. One never knows.
If you have not voted yet I urge you to consider the idea that nothing will improve your life more than our country being guided into a path of steady and significant economic prosperity. Today, I think, nothing else matters.
- subsection1h 14y agoSocial issues are great when you are prosperous. [...] That's why today, my family and I voted for Mitt Romney. Which of these family members of yours are gay and decided to postpone equality until prosperity arrives? Would you have hired him to run your startup in 2008 I wouldn't hire someone to run my startup who thinks it's economically wise to increase military spending by $2 trillion.
- robomartin 14y agoPlease, don't go off on a tangent. Nobody is talking about rolling back freedoms or rights. Cool it. This is exactly why I hate the choices we have. With the electoral college an independent candidate has exactly zero chances. You put your finger to the two things that I can't support on the "standard" Republican ticket. I am far closer to a Libertarian, which means that I think people ought to be left alone. I am also an atheist, which means that I have no issues with gays or lesbians at all. And by no means am I behind foreign aid to buy friends or fighting wars anywhere at all. Given that, who do you vote for? A vote for a Libertarian candidate (or any other party for that matter) is a wasted vote due to, among other things, the electoral college. I will never happen. You'd have to have the earth's poles shift for a Libertarian to have a chance to appear in the radar with this system. So, I have no choice but to ignore some of the things I don't like with both the Republican and Democratic parties and choose based on what I can get behind. Lesser evil, if you will. I chose to support Romney because I felt he is better equipped to deal with the financial disaster we are navigating. To me, looking ahead 25 to 50 years, nothing else matters. I say this because I know full-well how fucked-up a society can become if the economic framework that surrounds it is compromised. I have lived in countries that suffered from exactly that problem. I did not vote for Obama because (a) I still don't think he knows what he is doing on financial/economic matters and (b) I really don't like how the democratic party blatantly resorts to buying votes though handouts and benefits being given to large numbers of unionized workers. Our entire welfare state votes democrat because they need it to keep going. And you end-up with generations of people wasting their lives away. Politicians don't care. I lived in Argentina for about ten years and was witness to how ugly (and effective) these populist manipulation methods can be. Obama KNEW that he was buying millions of votes when he threw your and my money at the auto companies. Somehow that has become acceptable in our country. Anyhow, Obama won. We'll see what we are in for. I am hoping that he does the right thing and genuinely works towards addressing the real problems we have on the table. After all, this being his second term he doesn't need to pander any more.