U.S. Politics Thread (2017 going forward)

[Reckoner]

There's a saying that people does make policy, and it's ever true in the case of cabinet picks. They have great authority over massive government functionality and would be his closest advisers on a whole swath of issues.

As for DeVos, you can read through this to understand where she basically stands and what she essentially supports.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/1...eligion-232150

You might believe the school voucher idea is a great idea, but you would have to understand that many people do not believe this benefits the education system as a whole and that this is often used a tool to promote taxpayer funded religious institutions (Which is abhorrent to those of us who want separation of church and state).

A variety of reasons why school vouchers can be quite terrible.

1. They're even less accountable than our broken public school system. These schools can not only divert money they obtain from taxpayers to religious teachings (Most private schools are religous), but under most current bills allow schools to manage their entire admission process. This allows schools to discriminate at their choosing unlike public schools which cannot based on religion, disability, economic background, academic record, English language ability, etc. They are also able to impose religious teachings and criteria on teachers and staff. Teachers have been fired at such institutions for having the wrong religious views or simply for being gay.

2. Voters generally have rejected vouchers. In ballot referenda since 1967, voters have rejected vouchers in 23 states.

3. Vouchers do nothing for low income children since vouchers do not cover the entire cost of tuition and other mandatory fees for private schools. Families are left to cover the cost of things like tuition, uniforms, transportation, food, etc. Essentially, they will be left behind in a voucher program.

4. Vouchers don't save you tax dollars. Public schools don't suddenly cease to exist and they still carry all the overhead costs they did before. On top of it, this money is all going to to private schools in many districts and can end up creating an even heavier tax burden to pay for everything.

5. Vouchers give an illusion of choice because ultimately it's the private school that decides to admit you or not.

6. Various voucher programs lead to some highly questionable schools led by complete conman or religious nuts. It does not necessarily solve educational quality in this respect.

7. Vouchers do not necessarily improve academic performance. According to multiple studies of the District of Columbia, Milwaukee and Cleveland school voucher programs, the targeted population does not perform better in reading and math than students in public schools. The U.S. Department of Education studies of the D.C. program show that the students using vouchers to attend private schools do not believe that their voucher school is better or safer than the public school they left.

----------------

Vouchers are a distraction to the real issues faced by the education system. DeVos is a religious hack out to spread her Christian fundamentalism. She has zero experience related to the position she is about to be put in and spells danger for the education system as a whole.

[Ithekro]

Originally Posted by Dauerlutscher

Special Observances: National Day of Patriotic Devotion



What a egomaniac.

As pointed out on Snopes.com

As I take the sacred oath of the highest office in the land, I am humbled by the responsibility placed upon my shoulders, renewed by the courage and decency of the American people, and fortified by my faith in an awesome God ... On this Inauguration Day, we are reminded that we are heirs to over two centuries of American democracy, and that this legacy is not simply a birthright — it is a glorious burden. Now it falls to us to come together as a people to carry it forward once more.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 20, 2009, a National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation, and call upon all of our citizens to serve one another and the common purpose of remaking this Nation for our new century.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

This appears to not be out of character for a President of the United States to do.

As long as he doesn't expect us to celebrate it next year as a Federal holiday in his honor, it can be passed off as normal.

[solomon]

Originally Posted by Demi.

Did she really say that in the context you're using it? I know she plans to run a school voucher program where parents can use the vouchers to send their children to private school over a public school. Private schools are infinitely better than public schools. The current state of public schools are nothing short of a disgrace. Students aren't learning anything, and the schools are overwhelmed with children with learning disabilities and behavioral issues. Teachers feel underappreciated and underpaid so they're not putting their heart into teaching, either. Is this all the result of the current(now previous?) secretary of education? If so, I'd say it can't get any worse than it already is.

I will tell you what is stupid.

SPEAKING AS IF PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE A MONOCHROMATIC HOMOGENOUS BLOCK.

Whether a public school is "Good" or "Bad" comes down entirely to the county and specifically the county district you live in because most schools are funded through local real estate taxes and property revenues.

I went to public school and turned out just fine (29 years old).

Again, it comes down to regions, counties and districts.

[Demi.]

Originally Posted by solomon

I will tell you what is stupid.

SPEAKING AS IF PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE A MONOCHROMATIC HOMOGENOUS BLOCK.

Whether a public school is "Good" or "Bad" comes down entirely to the county and specifically the county district you live in because most schools are funded through local real estate taxes and property revenues.

I went to public school and turned out just fine (29 years old).

Again, it comes down to regions, counties and districts.

You think an anecdote of you turning out fine is a good representation of the schooling system? It's meaningless on its own. And considering your age, you probably don't know how much public schools have regressed over the years of your absence from them. We had the most educated people in the world back in the 70's and while you graduated way after that it's been a trickle down every year since. Certainly everything should be gauged by a median, but the median tells us our educational system is terrible for a country with the highest GDP.

You're right that public schools vary based on district though I'd say even the highest standards of public school is mediocre at best. In some of the wealthier urban jurisdictions and districts; the school system could be better and should be better. In many respects it is mediocre, particularly when compared to our international peers in the advanced industrial nations. But it is not failing its students.

In poorer urban and rural areas, it is indeed catastrophic. Too many of the students in those schools are dropping out well before high school graduation. Too many are receiving high school diplomas that do not certify academic confidence in basic subjects. Too many are being left unprepared for the world of work. Too many are being left unprepared to go on to higher education and advanced technical training. Those schools are indeed in crisis and they require emergency treatment.

There really is no defending the current state of our public school system.

[Ithekro]

A high school diploma is generally not considered enough for a job anymore. An AA degree is equivalent to a HS diploma these days and a BA is almost required now.

[KiraYamatoFan]

Originally Posted by Draco Spirit

Good old left thinking... anything remotely patriotic is a inch from being Hitler.

Please get out and go read Oscar Wilde. When you'll understand his point (which is also similar and yet more developed compared to Einstein’s statement that nationalism is the measles of humankind), then we can talk.

Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious - Oscar Wilde.

[Demi.]

Originally Posted by KiraYamatoFan

Please get out and go read Oscar Wilde. When you'll understand his point (which is also similar and yet more developed compared to Einstein’s statement that nationalism is the measles of humankind), then we can talk.

Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious - Oscar Wilde.

I fear Oscar Wilde may not know the difference between Patriotism and Nationalism.

[Ithekro]

Originally Posted by KiraYamatoFan

Please get out and go read Oscar Wilde. When you'll understand his point (which is also similar and yet more developed compared to Einstein’s statement that nationalism is the measles of humankind), then we can talk.

Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious - Oscar Wilde.

However the goals incited by the Republican Party are from what I can tell fundamentally the opposite of traditional 20th century Italian and German fascism.

Doesn't make their goals good or any better that the evils of the 1930s and 1940s...but we really need to come up with a proper boogeyman that isn't Hitler, when people are not being, or anywhere actual close to being Hitler. Especially if they are being closer to being say Stalin or Nero.

[Archon_Wing]

There's a difference between pride in where one lives and just blind worship of a cause. Fascism puts the state above the individual and that's inherently against conservatism.

Although certainly, there are many with nativist, xenophobic, and racist sentiments that have seeped in to many of these populist right leaning movements like the Tea Party. It's unfortunate.

[GreyZone]

Originally Posted by Union Leaders' representative

"When the president laid out his plans about how he is going to handle trade, how he is going to invest invest in our infrastracture and how he is going to level the playing field for construction workers and all Americans across this country.

And then took the time to take everyone into the oval office and show 'em the seat of power in the world. The respected - the president of the United States just showed us. And when he shows it us, he shows it the 3 million of our members in the United States - was nothing short of incredible.

And we will work with him and his administration to help him implement his plans on infrastructure, trade and energy policy so that we really do put America back to work in the middle class jobs that our members in all of America are demanding. Thank you very much."

The media are so quiet about this. This should be BIG, but I think the motives not to show it are obvious. It would go against the "narrative" and the mainstream media don't dare (yet) to treat unions as traitors directly, so ignoring it is the best move they can make. After all, if union leaders support Trump in 2020, then he, perhaps, won't even need to campaign to win his re-election.

[Akito Kinomoto]

In 2016, Bernie Sanders woke Americans to their nation's problems, bringing names to the issues that they felt but couldn't necessarily identify

America is the only modern nation where medical bankruptcy is actually a thing because it doesn't have universal healthcare. 50% of the population makes $30k a year or less. Its infrastructure gets a grade of D+ from the civil society of engineers. There isn't a single state where you can work full time on the minimum wage and afford even a one bedroom apartment. When we talk about fixing these problems, politicians will always ask "how are you going to afford this?" while they bailout Wall Street to the tune of $15t in the form of quantitative easing

But the establishment would have none of that. The Democratic National Committee worked with mainstream TV news media to work against Bernie Sanders during the democratic primary because they knew he was the real deal. They knew he would come after their corporate donors who've continuously hurt the American people. Despite that, the thousand year old, Socialist Jewish Atheist senator who nobody knew about took 44% of the vote and 22/50 states, nearly beating the juggernaut in Hillary Rhodam Clinton

Now it's time to take Bernie Sanders' accomplishments and run them to the endzone. It's time to take back the democratic party from corporations and make them represent the actual voters again. I know not what political activists you know, or if you are one yourself, but if you really believe in a progressive policy, then spread this message as much as you can. As Martin Luther King Jr said, "the arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice"

It's time for the Justice Democrats to take over

[Key Board]

Trump wanted a single payer socialized healthcare and so did Bernie.

I'm not sure if Trump's position has changed on that.

he has to content with big pharma now (he himself admitted that)

and Pence

[Serovectra]

That's a couple of his promises fufilled.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017...rade-deal.html

[MCAL]

https://mobile.twitter.com/AP/status/823949141894111233

Pretty certain we have this thing called the First Amendment that kind of prevents this.

https://mobile.twitter.com/CNBC/stat...98867880067072

I thought executive orders were bad. Guess it's only when Obama does it.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/...Rprdsw.twitter

You know this basically makes Republicans the Saturday Morning Cartoon Villain in an episode of Captain Planet.

[Draco Spirit]

Originally Posted by GreyZone

The media are so quiet about this. This should be BIG, but I think the motives not to show it are obvious. It would go against the "narrative" and the mainstream media don't dare (yet) to treat unions as traitors directly, so ignoring it is the best move they can make. After all, if union leaders support Trump in 2020, then he, perhaps, won't even need to campaign to win his re-election.

Trumps playing nice with the Unions is a big deal, I assume the media avoiding it because it doesn't fit the Far Right image they want to give him.

[bones]

Originally Posted by Draco Spirit

Trumps playing nice with the Unions is a big deal, I assume the media avoiding it because it doesn't fit the Far Right image they want to give him.

Maybe because there's nothing to report since no details were given, everyone know he has plans. No one knows any details about those plans and those three union leaders are just saying an expanded version of Trump's campaign one liners.

[Draco Spirit]

Originally Posted by KiraYamatoFan

Please get out and go read Oscar Wilde. When you'll understand his point (which is also similar and yet more developed compared to Einstein’s statement that nationalism is the measles of humankind), then we can talk.

Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious - Oscar Wilde.

In all fairness wouldn't a Jewish scientist who world was wrecked by Hitler be a tad biased on the subjective of national identity and isn't Oscar Wilde a artist who died young and never had to deal with things like leading a nation??

My personal view is people need national identity because nations are dam complicated and big with diverse interests, religions, ethnicity, wealth levels, political leanings and geography. A flag with a set of values attached to it acts as a nice shorthand for a complicated reality and lets people who've never met rally behind something that way bigger than them, but not so big it totally disconnected from reality.

Also I think small states in large alliances are far better than big overbearing states... so you imagine as a Brit how annoyed I feel about the EUs fondness for "ever greater union" when I rather it be the world biggest talking shop with little political power and many silly little cultural events that bring us all together in the good times with laughter, so we can grunt and work together through the hard.

Also read/watch Animal Farm by George Orwell. It probably the best book at exploring the danger of far left thought in a fairly easy to digest way.

[Akito Kinomoto]

This article title explains itself

Okay. Now go ahead and keep supporting the Rethuglicans

[Key Board]

"Badlands National Park deletes tweets on climate change"

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/24/politi...inkId=33744691

this may seem trivial until your pair it up with another news

"Less than a week after the inauguration, the Trump administration has already gagged employees at two federal agencies. Memos obtained by various media outlets show that scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Agriculture are now blocked from communicating with the public and the press."

http://www.theverge.com/2017/1/24/14...th-agriculture

So for those who still wonder if he is being rhetorical during his campaign on not... Trump means what he says, folks

[Demi.]

Originally Posted by Akuma Kousaka

This article title explains itself

Okay. Now go ahead and keep supporting the Rethuglicans

That moment when you try to put down Trump and then realize he tweeted about it and thinks they need to get their priorities in order. Watch the video.

_____