I haven't always paid as much attention to politics as I probably should have. I was always a worker trying to raise my family and it just wasn't high on my list of priorities . Now I'm getting old and my kids are grown so I've more time to pay attention to what goes on in American politics. What I see are two ideologies which are more about supporting an opposing view of each other than exploring the better options concerning any issue. The main focus of politics it seems to me is to discredit the "enemy" who is a fellow countryman or woman regardless of how damaging and hurtful for the sole purpose of feathering the nest of our party and beliefs . Politics is not about building a strong "union" or instilling the imperative of working together for the common purpose of the ole Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness for everyone. American politics is about tearing down each other for the sole purpose of maintaining the status quo of a divided society. Fueled by hatred, intolerance and quite honestly, pure selfishness. A house divided. And to quote the man , a house divided cannot stand. If common ground cannot be achieved and we keep at each others throats then we cannot and will not survive each others ill will towards each other. I for one will not vote in this years election unless I see a candidate that addresses This Issue. I see no point in it.
A House Divided.
- Thread starter Ludlow
- Start date
I hear you, never could understand how people can get themselves beholden to a politician or political party. I just vote for what I think will work best. In Canada I'm afraid we may have missed the mark recently.
Except for the part I will not vote I agree with you. When it happens those
who don't vote perpetuate the problem. The best thing to do is stand in
line vote and spoil your ballot Spoiling your ballot says I was here and you
disappointed me to the point where I cannot support anyone and feel good
about my choice.
America once a land of hope and promise is now an oligarchy where the
concept of democracy is drown in verbal crap that is worse than silence
itself.
Here is Canada it came to a head last fall when people went to the polls
and demonstrated they wanted change they were not sure about what they
wanted but the did not want the flavor they had. The problem is those who
want to continue the mud and poison tongue continue. What usually happens
is the party that lost allows time to pass and they are respectfully silent for a
period of time. Not anymore they continue to demonstrate all the attitudes
that got them thrown out of office. What is causing Republicans to not be
heard? Republicans. What causes the in your face rhetoric of Democrats?
Democrats It is all about right vs left and as a wise American Indian once
said "Do these warring factions not realize the right and left wing are part
of the same bird"
who don't vote perpetuate the problem. The best thing to do is stand in
line vote and spoil your ballot Spoiling your ballot says I was here and you
disappointed me to the point where I cannot support anyone and feel good
about my choice.
America once a land of hope and promise is now an oligarchy where the
concept of democracy is drown in verbal crap that is worse than silence
itself.
Here is Canada it came to a head last fall when people went to the polls
and demonstrated they wanted change they were not sure about what they
wanted but the did not want the flavor they had. The problem is those who
want to continue the mud and poison tongue continue. What usually happens
is the party that lost allows time to pass and they are respectfully silent for a
period of time. Not anymore they continue to demonstrate all the attitudes
that got them thrown out of office. What is causing Republicans to not be
heard? Republicans. What causes the in your face rhetoric of Democrats?
Democrats It is all about right vs left and as a wise American Indian once
said "Do these warring factions not realize the right and left wing are part
of the same bird"
It's reached the point where just being a member of a political party should be considered unpatriotic.
You'received either for Canada in which case you should boycott all political parties, or you join the party to promote it over Canada.
You'received either for Canada in which case you should boycott all political parties, or you join the party to promote it over Canada.
Now, that's a bit of an extreme take on things.
Being a member of a political party means wanting to be involved in the politics of the country, wanting to influence the development of public policy, and ultimately, wanting to support a vision for Canada that you feel passionate about. This is true for Liberals, Conservatives, New Democrats, Greens, the Bloc Québécois (misguided as they may be), Libertarians; hell, I even have respect for the weirdos who sign up for the Rhinoceros Party, because at least they are taking a step to prompt dialogue about politics — even if it is only as a protest. All of these folks can be patriotic. Sure, so can independents, but no more and no less than political party members.
Political party membership is not the problem. These organized slates and caucuses of elected representatives are central to the functioning of the Westminster system of government, which has served Canada exceptionally well. The problem is the gradual evolution of those political parties: the centralization of power in the office of the party leader, and the faux "democratization" of empowered party members at the expense of the now-helpless elected caucuses.
I'm not sure whether you actually believe what you posted, or whether it's just a temporary flare-up of that weird obsession you had a few weeks ago with the [broken] consensus-based, no-political-parties Nunavut legislature. You should get that looked at.
Well done FP.
Getting involved in Politics is more than just reading about it.
Working from the inside to input your wants or to argue against the direction of that Party or Individual is what more people should do.
Your arguments pro or con may not satisfy you if the majority within that membership goes another way but at least you will then be able to decide who to support......
Getting involved in Politics is more than just reading about it.
Working from the inside to input your wants or to argue against the direction of that Party or Individual is what more people should do.
Your arguments pro or con may not satisfy you if the majority within that membership goes another way but at least you will then be able to decide who to support......
Bernie Sanders was the only candidate trying to unify both sides so that everyone could have a decent existence.. Actually he is the only politician in the USA or Canada doing so but the media didn't want to disappoint their advertisers so he got little play.
He is still fighting for a reversal of these pension cut for miners and truckers.....
In October 2015, when word came down that hundreds of thousands of current and future Teamster retirees were facing the loss of a portion of their pension benefits—in some cases, more than half of the monthly payment—Jim Gallagher, a business columnist for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, did what good journalists do. He started asking questions, understanding context, and crafting a cohesive narrative about a crisis that will ultimately reach far beyond the households of union truck drivers.
The result was a strong early piece about a story that has drawn increasing attention from local media, but deserves a much bigger spot on the national news agenda.
Historically, it was illegal for pension plans to cut core benefits to people who are already retired; if the plan had money in the bank, it had to pay promised benefits. But many so-called “multi-employer” plans, which serve workers from multiple companies in a particular industry, have been falling into financial distress for years. The federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) is supposed to backstop failing private pensions, but the guarantees are lower for multi-employer plans, and the PBGC itself is in trouble.
One response could have been to give the PBGC more funds to do its job. But there was no appetite for that in Congress, so in late 2014, federal lawmakers responded to the dilemma in another way: They made it possible to cut retiree benefits.
The Central States filing to reduce benefits back in October drew a little national coverage, too, and The Washington Post recently reported on a similar concern with coal miner pensions.
But overall, the national press has done little to develop the story. That’s puzzling, especially given that Sen. Bernie Sanders, who’s made waves in the presidential race with a campaign focused on income inequality and financial security for the middle class, is the sponsor of a bill that would repeal the provisions to cut workers’ benefits and close a couple tax loopholes to supply more funding for the PBGC.
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Why the coming cuts to Teamster pensions deserve more national news coverage - Columbia Journalism Review