I can't speak to any specific Dems, but I can tell you Trump treats us like ****. Look at his name-calling of his ex-mistress, for one.
LOL, those are words of affection compared to some of the things Dems call those of us on the right.
Good comment. :thumbs:
But this is only part of the story. The larger part is Trump attacks and antagonizes American citizens that oppose him or do not support his political agenda. He polarizes intentionally & purposefully.
Justify it as you wish, but I see nothing funny about it.
Yeah, that's the connotation vs denotation thing I was pointing out
Yeah, we bible/gun clinging racist, homophobic, misogynist Trumpkins and assorted deplorables never get attacked or antagonized intentionally.Chomsky said:
Sometimes laughing is the only thing that keeps me from screaming. I find talking to you interesting and rewarding but I have to say complaining about how Trump speaks of you guys while your leaders spew that same or worse garage at the right is a bit disingenuous.
The PATCO incident is not as clear-cut as you portray it. Reagan never negotiated in anything near good faith. He didn't even meet the workers 10% of the way. And in the end, it cost the government far more in training and rehiring than it would have if the government gave the workers everything they initially requested, much less met them in the middle. Also, the system limped along in a reduced capacity for most of a year, and the toll on the industry and economy was huge. So who won, here?
Reagan indeed made the War on Drugs much of the disaster it is today. It's why you can't move your legal cash through a bank without government notice and surveillance, why your 14th Amendment rights have been abrogated by telling you a dog got excited, and why the police can take your money if they stop you for a traffic stop.
Alright Bullseye, fair enough. Yeah, I enjoy our discussions too.
I understand your objections. I've said many times I find him obnoxious and uncouth but the Constitution has no requirement for polite polished behavior. Believe me I wish he'd just STFU sometimes. I think he hurts his own effectiveness with his behavior at times but I don't think a sea change in his demeanor is on the radar.
Wow Trix, thanks for all the effort you put here. I'm surely not worth it!Back to this post...
<edited to meet post size limit>
Anyway, just a few thoughts.
It's far matter of degree though. Yeah Hillary sucks, I won't disagree. But Obama, despite his only one - that I know of - private guns & Bibles comment, never spoke or acted like that as President. Never, that I saw.
Wow Trix, thanks for all the effort you put here. I'm surely not worth it!
I edited your post to meet the forum size limit, but left the attribution line so others can link-back to your original post.
I'll just touch on some of your topics:
Yeah, I too was a cradle-Dem. Born into it, in a family and neighborhood that was part of the old Democratic Machine. At various times in my life I was active in street-level precinct work for the ward-office (a constant), assisted several unions, worked as part of an independent mercenary city-wide organization, worked directly for several candidates, and even organized and led a small neighborhood voting bloc to assure my family & my neighbors were taken care of properly by the ward office.
I did the above for personal interests, with some of my family & friends being on the City and County payrolls, and my family & neighbors needing city services that came through the ward office. My work with our neighborhood bloc was the most rewarding though, and of all the political work it is that which gives me the most pride. Most of the rest sucked for the most part, and was purely transactional on my part. I was not a 'true believer' or a 'man with a cause', but rather I worked to improve my lot and that of my family and neighbors. But I will admit I absolutely loved the buzz on election day, watching my neighbors coming in to vote as promised, and then watching the returns flow-in later that night in the ward hall or at candidate's parties. There's no buzz like it, and it made me a lifetime political junkie.
I never pursued a city or county job even with multiple offers on the table though, but instead opted for a university education and corporate life. I wanted to have the option to be independent of politics, and to have the freedom to geographically move about - which I eventually did. However I did get tired of corporate life too, later on. I then found the ultimate independence in working for myself and assisting my wife in her professional business venture.
Once I left the city and the politics, I left the Dems and never reconnected until just now. I no longer had any need for party affiliation outside the city, but still preferred Dem Presidential, Senate, and Congressional candidates, mostly due to policy. Unlike yourself, I like Obama - a lot! So much so I took my kid down to see him in Grant Park on his election night. But the Dem Party as a whole had left me, and had left me for a long time. I couldn't stand Hillary. And Trump disgusted me even more. It really was a hold-your-nose-and-vote election.
The whole big-city Dem experience led me to dislike the local politicians I came to be in the presence of over the years. In person they are cold & fake, and quite honesty they have a sort of scary cut-throat way about them. Lie to your face with a smile, and stab you in the back quietly. Scum. Pure scum. My work with the unions has led me to still be a staunch supporter of unions in private industry, but not in public service. In fact, I saw enough that I am dead-set against public service unions. The ones I saw were abusive, in my opinion.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts. And thanks even more, for allowing me to share mine and my perspective.
Despite the preclusion of striking, there were dozens if not more public service strikes over the years. There's transit strikes all the time, along with Blue Flue cop strikes. I'm not going to justify it, but it's not uncommon.
Reagan should have negotiated in good faith. Like I said, he didn't even meet them part way. He basically said, screw you. And remember, much of what the controllers wanted was changes in the name of safety & efficiency, which the government eventually did anyway with the new controllers!
Ah, now we're getting somewhere. I agree! I was lamenting what Reagan did to PATCO, because that was the precipice that began the break-up of unions in private industry. I'm a strong supporter of private unions, but I do not believe unions belong in public service. I'm with you there.
| Moderator's Warning: |
 Stop with the personal commentary and stick to the topic folks. |
Don't let my wall of Text push you in a corner, Trix. Respond if and when you'd like, to whatever degree you wish, or even not at all. Either way, I enjoyed your story.
