Fear of the Left . . .

[_canpakes]

CP,

This is now page 19 of the thread - If you have read the thread and If you believe what you suggest here then there is absolutely nothing I am going to be able to do to help you - Unfortunately! Perhaps you should schedule an eye exam?

Let’s approach this another way.

What were the values represented by candidate Trump that earned your vote, as opposed to candidate Clinton?

[_Kishkumen]

Hey, Ceeboo:

Thank you for the further information. I am very sorry to hear that your political choices have caused a breach between you and some family members. I think a lot of us have been shocked by the events unfolding, and the anxiety caused tends to set people at odds in a more serious way. The other night I was worked up about politics, and my father erupted telling me that this was tearing us apart. I was baffled. Without intending to do so, he revealed where he actually stood, and how much it meant to him. He was not taking kindly to my criticisms of his preferred politician, and the exchange went very poorly indeed. I think we recovered from it, but I do feel there is a distance there that was not present before.

I suppose I get what you mean by building bridges. My first regret is that bridge building is necessary. Somehow our political discussion has gotten out of hand to the point where people act like members of two tribes instead of Americans with some differing opinions. For me it confirms why I am not a joiner and do not belong to a party or religion. I lament the fact that people have become Relief Society or Ds first and Americans second. This has led to all kinds of bad things.

[_Some Schmo]

How does one build a bridge with someone who lives in a fantasy world? It's a bridge to nowhere. It's like building a bridge off a coastal cliff.

People can only come together if there are ground rules about what reality is. When BS is a person's worldview, there's no point in trying to communicate with them. It's like trying to play chess with someone in football gear.

A good portion of this country has been inculcated by right wing media BS. They are essentially reality amputees. If a person thinks Drumpf is great, they are clearly out of touch. There are willing to call a crap salad ambrosia.

[Guest]

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[Guest]

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[_Some Schmo]

The timing of your bigotry and intolerance is breath-taking!

Got the vapors, do you?

I might be hurt by this if I weren't so entertained by the irony and your lack of self-awareness.

[Guest]

/

[_Kishkumen]

If this is the same Rubin that was highlighted in the Spirit Paradise thread linked below, then he doesn't appear to be a very deep or thorough thinker, at least not in the featured clip.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=49312

But, perhaps he has better examples out there...

Yes, Rubin seems to be pretty excited by some of the libertarian ideas that make the rounds, and I think that some of them are attractive in theory, but the idea that competition can replace regulation, while interesting, just does not work out. Adam Smith understood capitalism would work in regulated markets, not some kind of free-for-all. And it really is just the case that greed induces us to make bad choices. Ambition is good to a point, but we can quickly be pulled into neglecting good choices and making bad ones because we feel we need more.

Ponzi schemes are a fine example of how things can spin out of control. An investor may borrow from his clients in an emergency situation and then find himself returning to the trough repeatedly. Competition will eventually stop the schemer, but only after very many people have been hurt. Laws and regulations are inconvenient, but they really are necessary.

[_Some Schmo]

Yes, Rubin seems to be pretty excited by some of the libertarian ideas that make the rounds, and I think that some of them are attractive in theory, but the idea that competition can replace regulation, while interesting, just does not work out.

I watched a brief clip of Rubin talking about this with Joe Rogan. It was pretty funny to watch Rogan tell him, dude, without regulation, building construction quality would go to crap.

"Regulations" is one of those scare words on the right which they seem to equate with squashing freedom. They don't seem to understand how much of it is consumer protection. When I go to the gas station, for instance, I can feel good that the amount of gas it says I'm buying actually ends up in my tank, because there are regulations surrounding the accuracy of gas pumps.

I've run small businesses, so I know what people are complaining about with respect to regulations, but again, this isn't a bad thing just because. Some regulations are good, some aren't.

[_Kishkumen]

This post to me, added to the rest of your posts to me, confirms your poor vision - Among other things.

Let me ask you a self-serving loaded question now: Have you stopped beating your wife?

I sympathize with cp’s confusion, even though I do not like the way the question is framed. What confuses me is that I was told that Bill Clinton was a sleaze ball who had besmirched the presidency and therefore had to go. I think that Bill Clinton was a sleaze ball, and it may have been a good idea for him to resign. He is a sleaze ball to this day.

The same people who went apoplectic over Bill Clinton pulled the lever for Trump, and I have to say that this looks pretty hypocritical on its face.

That said, the imminent confirmation of Kavanaugh is tempting to embrace as a kind of “ends justifies the means” vindication of the Evangelical support for Trump. Many EVs voted for Trump for Supreme Court and by golly he is delivering for them. But we might argue that it was at the cost of their moral credibility.