The Political Discussion Thread

[mad_gater]

No, it's not true. Those are biased generalizations based on what people see on TV. The truth of the matter is America is not a one size fits all kind of country. It's not for no reason that we're called a melting pot.

To give you an idea, just for starters, here's a list of the political parties in America:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._United_States


And this doesn't even begin to address the cultural and religious groups in America, of which there are lots and lots.

And I've never personally heard that Education and Healthcare is a privilege. Higher education, perhaps, but both are considered a necessity at this point. The only thing is the major political groups only want their own brand of Healthcare. Such as conservatives don't want the government to pay for abortions because of their religious beliefs.

In regards to English, that's also a more complicated issue than that. English is the major spoken language of America. It is expected that you learn it so that you can communicate more easily. Think of it this way, if you were in a foreign land, wouldn't you want to learn their language at least enough so you can communicate with them?

Cheaper is not always better either. Because cheaper products sometimes means inferior products. If you buy clothes at Wall Mart expect them to come apart in a few months.

China has an even stronger work ethic than America. And work is very important to Americans because without work there is no money. Without money you can't have a car and a house and you're pretty much a homeless bum.

Undeveloped land? There's plenty of undeveloped land in America. Or do you want to see Yellowstone turned into a huge strip mall? And for me, while I'm not an extreme environmentalist, I do appreciate that some land should be left wild for us to enjoy. This is one attitude that I personally can't stand. But you know what the driving force behind it is? Money.

yeah...most of us conservatives want English-only for commerce purposes only....you can speak your native language in private but when conducting business it's better if a country has one language for commerce purposes

and most of us conservatives believe that a way can be found to provide for the basic needs of the needy (while also helping them to learn the skills by which they can obtain them on their own) without government interference

as for the environment it's the same thing....we can agree that we need to be better stewards of this world and to use its natural resources more wisely but there are ways of doing it without involving intrusive government "cap and tax" policies

[mad_gater]

encouraging frugality (i.e. make it yourself)in most cases has the added effect of being environmentally friendly...for example white vinegar can be used in a 1-to-1 mixture with water in a spray bottle to make a good sanitizing cleaner...and the hydrogen peroxide in the first aid aisle is usually strong enough to serve as a color-safe bleach in laundry (no need for expensive "ecover" labeled stuff which is just hydrogen peroxide and water anyway)

[mad_gater]

and you can make your own "free and clear" laundry soap from water, a bar of unscented ivory, washing soda, and borax.....also I use a cup of vinegar when my washing machine gets to the rinse cycle as a fabric softener....the acidity softens clothes and sanitizes the interior of the washing machine.....plenty of things to go green with and save money at the same time....heh...sorry to turn this into a pro-frugality thread....

[Goose]

What about the issue of metrification? I've wanted to ask this to an American for a while, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Most of the rest of the world use the metric system, but America doesn't. Why is that? Surely switching to the metric system would make commerce easier. In the EU, for example, you HAVE to use the metric system (with special exceptions applying in the UK/Ireland). Wouldn't it make sense to just switch to metric in line with just about everyone else in the world?

[EvilSpaceAlien]

Guys, I have to clarify that I was talking about the place where the two circles converge and "Foreign ideas are evil" is written, not the text in the circles themselves. Because I think there's a grain of truth behind that.

[mad_gater]

What about the issue of metrification? I've wanted to ask this to an American for a while, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Most of the rest of the world use the metric system, but America doesn't. Why is that? Surely switching to the metric system would make commerce easier. In the EU, for example, you HAVE to use the metric system (with special exceptions applying in the UK/Ireland). Wouldn't it make sense to just switch to metric in line with just about everyone else in the world?

probably comes from us declaring our independence from British tyranny....maybe when we kicked them out we kicked out their system of measurement and came up with our own....

[EvilSpaceAlien]

probably comes from us declaring our independence from British tyranny....maybe when we kicked them out we kicked out their system of measurement and came up with our own....

...Except for the fact that the American system as far more in common with the British or "Imperial" system than with the Metric system. You even have the same units of measurement as the British.

[shipper hannah]

probably comes from us declaring our independence from British tyranny....maybe when we kicked them out we kicked out their system of measurement and came up with our own....

But the American measuring system is derived from the British Imperial system.

[Col.Foley]

Guys, I have to clarify that I was talking about the place where the two circles converge and "Foreign ideas are evil" is written, not the text in the circles themselves. Because I think there's a grain of truth behind that.

Oh if thats all....so Foreign ideas are evil? Thats what you believe people believe? But since we are focusing on it....

That might be the most patantly absurd statement in that entire graph because I do not think there is any large group of people in our country or anywhere around the world that beleives that foreign ideas are evil. People look for foreign ideas outside of themselves all the time. Our current politicians do it when they wahnt to model the Canadian or British system, religions do it all the time in general. And there is loads more examples.

[EvilSpaceAlien]

Well I didn't agree with the statement in itself but I think it can be interpreted as the fact that there can always be a reluctance to adopt something completely foreign that you don't even know much about. Those foreign ideas aren't evil, they're just... different, and that's why it can be some reluctance to it since us human beings generally prefer consistency and keeping things the way they are, and that's why it can take some time for change to be generally accepted. Unless of course the original idea or system doesn't work at all and everyone hates it, then change is much easier to accept.

[Goose]

probably comes from us declaring our independence from British tyranny....maybe when we kicked them out we kicked out their system of measurement and came up with our own....

Except that 1) the system of measurements in America is more or less the same as the British system, and 2) the French, not the British, came up with the metric system.

[Col.Foley]

Well I didn't agree with the statement in itself but I think it can be interpreted as the fact that there can always be a reluctance to adopt something completely foreign that you don't even know much about. Those foreign ideas aren't evil, they're just... different, and that's why it can be some reluctance to it since us human beings generally prefer consistency and keeping things the way they are, and that's why it can take some time for change to be generally accepted. Unless of course the original idea or system doesn't work at all and everyone hates it, then change is much easier to accept.

WIth all due respect some ideas whether they are foreign or not, are evil. SOme ideas lead to slavery and oppression, and the rule of the elite class doling out dictates to the under class. While some lead to Liberty and the opprotunity to pursue something. It certainly seems that a lot of European countries have made their choice.

The only reason why it is hard to change and adapt to ideas in the first place where Government is concerned because it should be. One has to consider all the angles when it comes to any program which might effect how the Government, relates to its people. And the economy, and the culture, and Liberty, and lives for that matter. Because this is an important decision. We are not talking about buying a Hot Dog from a Grocery stand, we are talking about Government control. And it is not something I will enter into willy nilly.

[Ben 'Teal'c would WIN!!' Noble]

What about the issue of metrification? I've wanted to ask this to an American for a while, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Most of the rest of the world use the metric system, but America doesn't. Why is that? Surely switching to the metric system would make commerce easier. In the EU, for example, you HAVE to use the metric system (with special exceptions applying in the UK/Ireland). Wouldn't it make sense to just switch to metric in line with just about everyone else in the world?

I prefer the metric system as it is just easier for people to understand, 10 mm in 1 cm, 100cm in 1 m, 1000m in 1km. Whereas you have 12 inch in a foot, 3 feet in a yard and 1760 yards in a mile. It is just seems random whereas metric is uniform. 1 litre of water is 1kg how cool is that , take that imperial.

[Womble]

I prefer the metric system as it is just easier for people to understand, 10 mm in 1 cm, 100cm in 1 m, 1000m in 1km. Whereas you have 12 inch in a foot, 3 feet in a yard and 1760 yards in a mile. It is just seems random whereas metric is uniform. 1 litre of water is 1kg how cool is that , take that imperial.

Imperial system is not random, just antiquated.

It used to be very intuitive before the age of technology and standardized calibrated rulers. An inch, for example, is the average width of a grown man's thumb. A yard is the length between a man's body and the beginning of his fingers. A barrel is, well, a barrel. Et cetera. Most old-time societies had similar systems. An Egyptian cubit, a British yard and a Russian arshin are all based on the length of an arm- with or without fingers. One of the old Russian liquid measures was "vedro"- literally "bucket". It all made sense. The metric system is simply friendlier to industrual standardizing.

[Onealwasoverrated]

Imperial system is not random, just antiquated.

It used to be very intuitive before the age of technology and standardized calibrated rulers. An inch, for example, is the average width of a grown man's thumb. A yard is the length between a man's body and the beginning of his fingers. A barrel is, well, a barrel. Et cetera. Most old-time societies had similar systems. An Egyptian cubit, a British yard and a Russian arshin are all based on the length of an arm- with or without fingers. One of the old Russian liquid measures was "vedro"- literally "bucket". It all made sense. The metric system is simply friendlier to industrual standardizing.

You would be hard pressed to find an SAE fastener on any car newer than 1990. Even from 75+ they were partly metric. From an industrial standpoint the USA is using metrics.