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zappaisgod
horrid asshole


Registered: 02/11/04
Posts: 81,741
Loc: Fractallife's gym
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Re: Is there any hope for change? (no pun intended) [Re: Flop Johnson]
#13872013 - 01/29/11 04:49 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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What makes lobbyists unqualified?
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Flop Johnson
Praise Skatballah


Registered: 09/22/05
Posts: 13,789
Loc: TX
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Re: Is there any hope for change? (no pun intended) [Re: zappaisgod]
#13872030 - 01/29/11 04:53 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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It's not that they don't have the knowledge, but it would be something like appointing a local construction company's CEO to head the city council's board of city planning and construction. Conflict of interest being the key idea.
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Seuss
Error: divide byzero



Registered: 04/27/01
Posts: 23,480
Loc: Caribbean
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Re: Is there any hope for change? (no pun intended) [Re: zappaisgod]
#13872065 - 01/29/11 04:58 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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> I have no problem with lobbyists. The Constitution provides for the right of the people to petition their government. That is exactly what lobbyists do.
Petition, yes. Bribe, no. There is a fine line here that is often abused by both lobbyists and politicians.
-------------------- Just another spore in the wind.
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zappaisgod
horrid asshole


Registered: 02/11/04
Posts: 81,741
Loc: Fractallife's gym
Last seen: 7 years, 11 months
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Re: Is there any hope for change? (no pun intended) [Re: Flop Johnson]
#13872187 - 01/29/11 05:22 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Flop Johnson said: It's not that they don't have the knowledge, but it would be something like appointing a local construction company's CEO to head the city council's board of city planning and construction. Conflict of interest being the key idea.
Happens all the time. Of course, the construction company guy quits his job first.
I wouldn't be a bit surprised if most inspectors and zoning/planning board members were previously contractors. They should be.
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Flop Johnson
Praise Skatballah


Registered: 09/22/05
Posts: 13,789
Loc: TX
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Re: Is there any hope for change? (no pun intended) [Re: zappaisgod]
#13872220 - 01/29/11 05:27 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Granted, that is probably true. But what about, for example, Dick Cheney holding millions in Halliburton stock and him subsequently using his influence to reward them major contracts in Iraq?
Or Nancy Pelosi using her political power to try and influence the California state legislature to award large subsidies to windmill companies - namely CLNE, T. Boone Pickens' company - that she had heavily invested in personally.
Experience is necessary, agreed, but that doesn't make it okay to use a political seat to make great personal financial gains at the expense of the free market.
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zappaisgod
horrid asshole


Registered: 02/11/04
Posts: 81,741
Loc: Fractallife's gym
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Re: Is there any hope for change? (no pun intended) [Re: Flop Johnson]
#13875852 - 01/30/11 10:43 AM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Flop Johnson said: Granted, that is probably true. But what about, for example, Dick Cheney holding millions in Halliburton stock and him subsequently using his influence to reward them major contracts in Iraq?
I don't think he still had the stock. And not for nothing but I don't think Haliburton even has competition.Quote:
Or Nancy Pelosi using her political power to try and influence the California state legislature to award large subsidies to windmill companies - namely CLNE, T. Boone Pickens' company - that she had heavily invested in personally.
That is pretty shitty if she had the stock. Quote:
Experience is necessary, agreed, but that doesn't make it okay to use a political seat to make great personal financial gains at the expense of the free market.
No, it doesn't make it OK. They aren't supposed to be doing that.
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Apostle
Philanthropist



Registered: 12/12/09
Posts: 31,501
Loc: FL
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Re: Is there any hope for change? (no pun intended) [Re: zappaisgod]
#13877305 - 01/30/11 03:27 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
zappaisgod said: Would it have more meaning if you had to gather your own food every day, shit in the woods and do without medicine?
TONS MORE
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zappaisgod
horrid asshole


Registered: 02/11/04
Posts: 81,741
Loc: Fractallife's gym
Last seen: 7 years, 11 months
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Re: Is there any hope for change? (no pun intended) [Re: Apostle]
#13877712 - 01/30/11 04:47 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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NONES MORE.
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gluke bastid
Stinky Bum



Registered: 12/20/00
Posts: 3,322
Loc: Charm City
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Re: Is there any hope for change? (no pun intended) [Re: Flop Johnson]
#13879757 - 01/30/11 11:36 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Flop Johnson said: I can't seem to find one positive thing about the direction our country (United States) has been going for the past 50 or so years. It seems that every year political and corporate bonds get tighter and the government's relationship with the people gets thinner and less genuine. There are so many problems it's hard to blame it on one thing.
Basically what I want to know is:
Do you think the United States is fucked long-term?
Its just a civilization in its decline. It happens all the time. Is the norm of history. People endure until we go extinct. Nothing to worry about, as long you don't buy into the bullshit idea that if we vote just so, somehow someone is going to prevent our civ from exhausting itself.
I believe that if the government just got out of the way, the American people would be able to pull off some pretty rad shit.
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Society in every form is a blessing, but government at its best is but a necessary evil - Thomas Paine
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Seuss
Error: divide byzero



Registered: 04/27/01
Posts: 23,480
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Re: Is there any hope for change? (no pun intended) [Re: gluke bastid]
#13880350 - 01/31/11 04:37 AM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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> Is the norm of history. People endure until we go extinct
I'm just curious in the norm of history how many times people have gone extinct?
-------------------- Just another spore in the wind.
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gluke bastid
Stinky Bum



Registered: 12/20/00
Posts: 3,322
Loc: Charm City
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Re: Is there any hope for change? (no pun intended) [Re: Seuss]
#13882967 - 01/31/11 04:26 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Seuss said: > Is the norm of history. People endure until we go extinct
I'm just curious in the norm of history how many times people have gone extinct?
Guess my writing wasn't clear. What I meant to say was it is the norm of history for civilizations to rise and fall, while people stick around. Almost every corner of the World is populated by people whose ancestors were part of some great civilization or Nation that has long since past. So history suggests humanity will continue in the same vein until, of course, we go extinct, which also is probably inevitable.
So my point was even if the current American nation is "fucked," the people and the resources will probably stick around after any collapse. We may have to learn Mandarin as a second language, but Christ look at the Portugese. They used to rule the seas. Now they have 40% unemployment and have to speak like 6 languages just to get by.
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Society in every form is a blessing, but government at its best is but a necessary evil - Thomas Paine
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Flop Johnson
Praise Skatballah


Registered: 09/22/05
Posts: 13,789
Loc: TX
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Re: Is there any hope for change? (no pun intended) [Re: gluke bastid]
#13882975 - 01/31/11 04:27 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Yeah but they got legal drugs, so they can't complain about shit
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lonestar2004
Live to party,work to affordit.



Registered: 10/03/04
Posts: 8,978
Loc: South Texas
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Re: Is there any hope for change? (no pun intended) [Re: gluke bastid]
#13886585 - 02/01/11 08:27 AM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
gluke bastid said:
So my point was even if the current American nation is "fucked," the people and the resources will probably stick around after any collapse. We may have to learn Mandarin as a second language, but Christ look at the Portugese. They used to rule the seas. Now they have 40% unemployment and have to speak like 6 languages just to get by.
i keep hearing people bring up this Mandarin as a second language in America shit only about half of China's population can speak Mandarin and you think Americans will learn it?
the common second world language will be ENGLISH for at least the next 100 years...
-------------------- America's debt problem is a "sign of leadership failure" We have "reckless fiscal policies" America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better Barack Obama
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