Bill
Administrator
More manifesto stuff. Completely ignored the question.
What is/are the foundation(s) of your political beliefs?
- Thread starter Skeeter
- Start date
omicron1792
5 year old buck +
My political views are a natural offshoot of my most basic core principals. That Jesus is my Lord and I strive to follow the principles he established. My politics are a natural offshoot of how I think He would want me to live.
T-Max
5 year old buck +
Honest question. Where does Elon or Vivek fit in this narrative?
Bill
Administrator
Good question. From what we know at this point those guys have no authority to do anything but make recommendations. I’m good with that.
Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
Example of government overreach. I’m building two houses in a well populated and booming county. I say that to say they have the resources to have a streamlined, efficient process. So far the lots are 18 months from purchase to now and we still don’t have permits. These are expensive lots. So assume there’s a loan, that’s 18 plus months of interest that will have to be passed to a future buyer. Additionally, we will have $50k in EACH lot in permit and other bs administrative fees which once again gets passed on. So because of the government deliberately inflicted pain on growth, the price of poker increases by 6 figures to a buyer. And then the government will come out and say we have to bring down housing, it’s gotten unaffordable. So between them causing inflation which has made mortgage rates skyrocket and their inefficiencies at a municipality level, they are singlehandedly causing the housing affordability issue.
Moral of my story, I HATE what the government has become on both sides of the aisle. Republicans are bs artists just like dems. This area I’m talking about is deeply red. Their (republicans) screwing of the American people is a little more in line with my beliefs so I guess I’m one of them.
But we need a government obviously. And some of their policies are phenomenal and make us the greatest country on earth. The thing I truly believe is politicians have lost any fear of screwing over the American people. Not fear of losing their jobs but there needs to be a deep fear. You voluntarily entered into a responsibility to literally shape a country and represent the will of the voters. That trust should come at a steep price of broken. If you don’t like it, don’t volunteer for that burden.
Moral of my story, I HATE what the government has become on both sides of the aisle. Republicans are bs artists just like dems. This area I’m talking about is deeply red. Their (republicans) screwing of the American people is a little more in line with my beliefs so I guess I’m one of them.
But we need a government obviously. And some of their policies are phenomenal and make us the greatest country on earth. The thing I truly believe is politicians have lost any fear of screwing over the American people. Not fear of losing their jobs but there needs to be a deep fear. You voluntarily entered into a responsibility to literally shape a country and represent the will of the voters. That trust should come at a steep price of broken. If you don’t like it, don’t volunteer for that burden.
This isn't exactly in line with the course this thread has taken, but the question was rather open ended.
I'm a "Bootstraps" guy. I don't buy into the idea that ANY American can't make him or herself a success if they simply make good choices and do the right thing consistently over time. I'm not rich. I didn't come from money. My Dad was a cop and my mom a teacher's aid, in a high cost of living part of the country. We didn't have a lot, but always had enough to eat and a roof over our head. I worked a paper route as a young boy then had two jobs through high school. Somehow I also managed to have some fun.
So, at 19 years old without any real prospects in life, I joined the USAF and did that for 9 years. After that I worked as a paramedic (thank you Uncle Sugar for the Paramedic certification) and went to school full-time using the GI bill. I'd pull a 24 or 48 hour EMS shift then head straight to class. Some days were easier than others. Then, I'd head to my Spartan efficiency apartment in a bad part of town to eat, study and sleep on my second hand couch. I did this for years. Work, eat, sleep study; rinse and repeat.
I didn't do drugs. I didn't do crime. I didn't knock up a girl. It was nose to the grindstone. After that it was work, work work in a career I liked at first but hated for the last few. By then, I had a wife, kids a mortgage and all that. So, I did it. I kept doing it even when I hated it so much it made me want to "take all the pills at once". I'm still not rich. But we'll be OK. We own a little property and a home with no mortgage. Now, I live in the country in South Dakota and haul milk on the night shift until I decide I don't want to anymore and I'll retire to kill deer and catch fish.
If this mediocre man can do it, anybody can. You can't convince me otherwise. So, for me, the question is this. "Which political party aligns best with my lived experience?"
I'm a "Bootstraps" guy. I don't buy into the idea that ANY American can't make him or herself a success if they simply make good choices and do the right thing consistently over time. I'm not rich. I didn't come from money. My Dad was a cop and my mom a teacher's aid, in a high cost of living part of the country. We didn't have a lot, but always had enough to eat and a roof over our head. I worked a paper route as a young boy then had two jobs through high school. Somehow I also managed to have some fun.
So, at 19 years old without any real prospects in life, I joined the USAF and did that for 9 years. After that I worked as a paramedic (thank you Uncle Sugar for the Paramedic certification) and went to school full-time using the GI bill. I'd pull a 24 or 48 hour EMS shift then head straight to class. Some days were easier than others. Then, I'd head to my Spartan efficiency apartment in a bad part of town to eat, study and sleep on my second hand couch. I did this for years. Work, eat, sleep study; rinse and repeat.
I didn't do drugs. I didn't do crime. I didn't knock up a girl. It was nose to the grindstone. After that it was work, work work in a career I liked at first but hated for the last few. By then, I had a wife, kids a mortgage and all that. So, I did it. I kept doing it even when I hated it so much it made me want to "take all the pills at once". I'm still not rich. But we'll be OK. We own a little property and a home with no mortgage. Now, I live in the country in South Dakota and haul milk on the night shift until I decide I don't want to anymore and I'll retire to kill deer and catch fish.
If this mediocre man can do it, anybody can. You can't convince me otherwise. So, for me, the question is this. "Which political party aligns best with my lived experience?"
I'll take a stab at it. First we need to examine whether or not the Constitution specifically grants the federal government authority in these areas. Then we can worry about outside influences. I do not see those powers enumerated in the copy I have. I understand that they justify it with a very broad, butterfly effect like interpretation of the general welfare clause that would have the founders rolling in their graves. They only get away with it because the people let them. Does not make it correct and should not be allowed. Therefore, those decisions should go to the states, or the people. There would still be outside influence but it puts it a more local level where the individuals voice can have more influence.
You've mentioned workplace safety a couple of times now and I'm curious why that's a top issue for you? I understand why consideration for the environment is high on people's list on this forum, but this interest in workplace safety stands out to me.
I think it's a multi faceted problem when dealing with the bureaucracy that you are describing. These may not be the only factors, but they're some pretty big ones.
First, there is not currently a good incentive for government to be efficient. If we can come up with a mechanism to reward efficiency and/or punish inefficiency, I believe we would see positive results. Perhaps DOGE will be a good start in that direction, or at least that is the hope. Time will tell.
Second, we have gone too far on assigning liability. Many of the regulations that add to inefficiency are an attempt to limit or deflect liability. There needs to be a line drawn somewhere that says that life comes with risks and at some point it's nobody's fault, or randomness or just the cruel hand of fate. Or, heaven forbid, the individual needs to take the responsibility on themselves and not pass it off on to government or the corporation they work for. I see this all the time when it comes to environmental concerns. They'll complain all day about this or that but not alter how they are contributing to the problem through their actions or inaction. People are really good at rationalizing their behaviors.
Third is people's desire to have control over another. Some people just really enjoy being able to tell another person what they can and cannot do. Again, we need mechanisms to drive the outcomes we desire. While it can be unpopular, fear of losing one's job can be a powerful motivator.
How do we make these things happen? I don't know specifically. What I do know is that our current methods are not working so it's time to try something else. I'm always skeptical of politicians and people who are seeking out power, but at least the incoming administration on the federal level looks to be willing to try new things and I find that encouraging. Again, time will tell if they can make any progress, assuming those in favor of the broken system don't completely stop them from trying to innovate.
Once I started to understand the following, it made things clearer to me.
Sometimes the biggest push for regulation comes from the biggest companies. Yeah, you read that right.
It is a way to maintain market dominance. Only the biggest and baddest companies can afford to deal with big reg problems and headaches. And they are in a position to chisel the cost out of consumers.
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I’ve been thinking about all this since the day it was posted.
This is a very cool question. The responses are really well thought out.
I can come up with two: The Golden Rule. Are you treating people like you would like to be treated, or better yet: Are you treating people like you would like your family members treated? For me in my work life, it comes down to this: Know the rules. Be nice. Ask them twice, tell them once then if there remains unsatisfactory compliance, ACT. The “act” part doesn’t always look “nice” on video but its the way it has to be.
The second is that sometimes “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”
I learned that from that well known legal mind S'Chn T'Gai Spock. The class was The Wrath Of Khan, lol!
This is a very cool question. The responses are really well thought out.
I can come up with two: The Golden Rule. Are you treating people like you would like to be treated, or better yet: Are you treating people like you would like your family members treated? For me in my work life, it comes down to this: Know the rules. Be nice. Ask them twice, tell them once then if there remains unsatisfactory compliance, ACT. The “act” part doesn’t always look “nice” on video but its the way it has to be.
The second is that sometimes “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”
I learned that from that well known legal mind S'Chn T'Gai Spock. The class was The Wrath Of Khan, lol!
