My hope...... (not political, only polite dialog)

[jebartle]

TRUTH will survive lies, (Dragnet, Jack Webb quote, "Give me the facts, ONLY the facts)
Americans will meet in the middle and extremes will be a thing of the past.
I love our country and hope we will survive this bump in the road.
Tone down rhetoric, research all sources.

[MartinSE]

TRUTH will survive lies, (Dragnet, Jack Webb quote, "Give me the facts, ONLY the facts)
Americans will meet in the middle and extremes will be a thing of the past.
I love our country and hope we will survive this bump in the road.
Tone down rhetoric, research all sources.

I agree with you, but I have little hope at this point. Many historians are pointing out how similar we are today to the 1930's and the pre-civilwar days. A lot of animosity and intentional attempts to destroy the US from within.

Any of the social media conspiracy spreaders (about a dozen or so) are simply in it for the money/clicks.

[Taltarzac725]

Go to your local library to get access to the best resources.

[Two Bills]

Don't let anyone over 65 run for, or remain in high office.
Nothing new ever comes from old people.
Too immersed in the past.

[Stu from NYC]

Don't let anyone over 65 run for, or remain in high office.
Nothing new ever comes from old people.
Too immersed in the past.

Can we compromise at 70. With age in many cases comes wisdom. After 70 most of us not as sharp as when we were younger

[Tvflguy]

IMO, no hope. THEY promote and desire the division. Even on issues where there may be compromise, they don’t in order to kept that divided issue alive.

Truly it’s sad. Sorry to be a Negative Commentary but I tend to be a Realist. And from my view, not very hopeful…. This is NOT a bump in the road. It’s pretty much a humongous hole.

We could be such a great country if it weren’t for the “Parties”. Oh, and definitely TERM LIMITS!!!

[Taltarzac725]

Best Government and Civics Websites and Games | Common Sense Education (https://www.commonsense.org/education/top-picks/best-government-and-civics-websites-and-games)

Useful site.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

TRUTH will survive lies, (Dragnet, Jack Webb quote, "Give me the facts, ONLY the facts)
Americans will meet in the middle and extremes will be a thing of the past.
I love our country and hope we will survive this bump in the road.
Tone down rhetoric, research all sources.

As long as we continue to have loud, armed, violent clusters of people running around free and inciting violence, who demand that we all follow party over country, or individual over the Constitution, I will have no faith in the humanity of America.

[MartinSE]

Don't let anyone over 65 run for, or remain in high office.
Nothing new ever comes from old people.
Too immersed in the past.

Totally agreed, term limits for everyone, including SCOTUS, age limits for everyone (forced retirement at 65), etc. And I would not oppose only women for a few terms, men have ruled the world for thousands of years time for women to have a turn.

[MartinSE]

IMO, no hope. THEY promote and desire the division. Even on issues where there may be compromise, they don’t in order to kept that divided issue alive.

Truly it’s sad. Sorry to be a Negative Commentary but I tend to be a Realist. And from my view, not very hopeful…. This is NOT a bump in the road. It’s pretty much a humongous hole.

We could be such a great country if it weren’t for the “Parties”. Oh, and definitely TERM LIMITS!!!

Absolutely agree with everything you said.

[MartinSE]

Can we compromise at 70. With age in many cases comes wisdom. After 70 most of us not as sharp as when we were younger

I was going to say 50 - LOL! - but, 60 would be a compromise I could get behind.

[Bikehike]

Both sides of the problem have loud, armed, violent clusters of people running around inciting violence

[MartinSE]

Everyone has experienced bias and everyone is guilty of bias in some way shape or form. It's nothing new, it's just more publicized and readily available via smart phones.

The intensity and the magnitude of the division is significantly greater than in a long time. The historians I referred to compare this to the divisions during the 1930's and those just before the civil war.

[jswirs]

IMO, no hope. THEY promote and desire the division. Even on issues where there may be compromise, they don’t in order to kept that divided issue alive.

Truly it’s sad. Sorry to be a Negative Commentary but I tend to be a Realist. And from my view, not very hopeful…. This is NOT a bump in the road. It’s pretty much a humongous hole.

We could be such a great country if it weren’t for the “Parties”. Oh, and definitely TERM LIMITS!!!

The largest threat to our country comes from within. (Trying to be PC). However, I do believe in FAITH OVER FEAR, and GOOD WILL TRIUMPH OVER EVIL, eventually.

[WingedFoot78]

True

[coconutmama]

As long as we continue to have loud, armed, violent clusters of people running around free and inciting violence, who demand that we all follow party over country, or individual over the Constitution, I will have no faith in the humanity of America.

Sadly I agree with you. Pandora’s box has been opened. Just hope I am wrong and sanity returns in time to save democracy

[fgaba1949]

TRUTH will survive lies, (Dragnet, Jack Webb quote, "Give me the facts, ONLY the facts)
Americans will meet in the middle and extremes will be a thing of the past.
I love our country and hope we will survive this bump in the road.
Tone down rhetoric, research all sources.

My polite response
Congress
I personally feel that they DO NOT represent the average man or woman anymore be it republican or democrat
They are only interested in their agenda and being reelected.
Some of you will say vote them out but the replacements are just as bad and usually are so well financed by the companies' interests that are lobbied by ... that a true reformer has no chance
Examples
Many of "our " representatives become consultants to the companies they help out with laws etc while in Congress
Why do they have their own very enhanced retirement program etc yet pass laws regarding social security when they are not on to feel the consequences of those laws ..
Term limits absolutely are needed but will never pass as the folks passing the laws don't want term limits for obvious reasons
The comment a small group of violent men...hmm i will say this politely ..would you have been against those folks who stood up to England back in the day.
Many disagreed with the revolution
Some of us feel that the country is on the wrong track for many reasons....
Here is one just one many reasons that I feel that away and i will aim at the folks in our age group
1) Most of us are very fortunate and are financially blessed to live the life style we do
but we all know we are not the norm for the senior population. We DO have it very good compared to many .
as i feel many of our fellow seniors and veterans through no fault of their own suffer financially and health care wise EVERY DAY ,
Yet we hand out hundreds of billions THATS BILLIONS of our tax dollars of foreign "aid "to other country's ...instead of taking care of own folks first many of which are veterans who fought for our country
just my polite 2 cents

[cafesalsa1@yahoo.com]

Sadly I agree with you. Pandora’s box has been opened. Just hope I am wrong and sanity returns in time to save democracy

We need to protect the republic which protects the minority as opposed to democracy which can become mob rule

[me4vt]

I’ve always said, China will take America down from the inside out!

[Bay Kid]

It is a sad place we are in. We can not believe anything. Laws are full of paybacks to friends and other countries. We hire irs agents to come after working Americans but won't hire extra border patrol to protect our country. We are upside down.

We need people that love our country and will work for Americans and not LIE to us.

[midiwiz]

Go to your local library to get access to the best resources.

library is antiquated. the only resources you need to get down to most of the truth are

house.gov
senate.gov

and a pot of very strong coffee... trust me you will need it.

[skarra]

We have been at war for many decades ... the propaganda war. It never ended with the end of the so called Cold War.

Our adversaries just discovered a new weapon - social media. That along with the young who are using it for all the wrong reasons.

Are we doomed?

[jebartle]

We have been at war for many decades ... the propaganda war. It never ended with the end of the so called Cold War.

Our adversaries just discovered a new weapon - social media. That along with the young who are using it for all the wrong reasons.

Are we doomed?

So concerning when there are so many blatant lies on the air, but so few that take the time to investigate for the truth. What use to be polite debate has been exchanged for violent responses, geeez!

[Andyb]

Well, I’ve done some research, not using government or main stream media data, (just follow the money) and I could tell you the problems, but I would be censored, as has happened several times in the past. Some of these “elites”are truly sick people. Just know, they are winning and we need major change.

[Worldseries27]

don't let anyone over 65 run for, or remain in high office.
Nothing new ever comes from old people.
Too immersed in the past.
it's not just the office holders seeking reelection, its the multi media propaganda cartels who make billions of dollars formenting political and social crises with lies, hoaxes, slanted and edited stories, so they can keep the country divided while they take the money from all sides. This multi layered kraken has it's tentacles in all aspects of media. It needs the disfunction so it creates controversies over elections, reelections, faux congressional and senate hearings to daze and confuse its victims, us.
To kill the beast, why not emulate our southern neighbors and take away the holy grail of presidential reelection campaigns
nuff said

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

IMO, no hope. THEY promote and desire the division. Even on issues where there may be compromise, they don’t in order to kept that divided issue alive.

Truly it’s sad. Sorry to be a Negative Commentary but I tend to be a Realist. And from my view, not very hopeful…. This is NOT a bump in the road. It’s pretty much a humongous hole.

We could be such a great country if it weren’t for the “Parties”. Oh, and definitely TERM LIMITS!!!

One nine year term for senators and one six year term for representatives. Replace one third of each body every three years. Any person would be limited to one term in each body and two terms as president in their lifetime. Eliminate all congressional re-election campaigns.

[Happydaz]

We live in a great country! I am optimistic that my children and grandchildren will continue to live in the great American Democracy. Things can often look bad in the present but our country has a habit of moving forward and coming together. John Adams threw anyone in jail who wrote articles that his administration thought was seditious. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson hated each other and wouldn’t talk for many years. We have had tumultuous periods throughout our history. We do not live today in “The worst of times.” America will make it through these bumps in the road. Keep the faith. Vote for who you think will best lead this country.

[ex34449]

The toilet was flushed decades ago, you can't un-flush it. We're just riding the swirlie to the tank.
It's not just us, it's the world and how we've treated her.

[ThirdOfFive]

We have been at war for many decades ... the propaganda war. It never ended with the end of the so called Cold War.

Our adversaries just discovered a new weapon - social media. That along with the young who are using it for all the wrong reasons.

Are we doomed?
The short reply: yes.

Social media (the mother of all oxymorons, in my opinion) is a cancer in this country. Of course, many people use it properly: my wife for example can talk to her family and friends in Thailand via FaceTime whenever the urge strikes her, as well as both of us being able to communicate face-to-face with family in Minnesota. But in my opinion the minuses of the venue outweigh the pluses. No matter how bizarre or dangerous one's beliefs might be, it is no problem to find like-minded people on the internet and communicate with them. And if what you are looking for is not information but VALIDATION (which I think all too many people are), then there is no point of view that cannot be validated through social media.

But the danger does not stop there. I understand that nefarious things have been going on only forever but the existence of social media makes it far too easy for the evil-minded among us to do what they do. Recruiting underage girls for the sex trade, for example. Set up drug deals. Arrange smash-and-grabs (there were incidents in Minnesota before we left where groups of people would all of a sudden show up in various vehicles at a big-box store, effectively raid the place of all the appliances and electronics they could carry, then run out the door with them and be gone in a matter of a few minutes; easily evading the police no matter if the police were called the minute the group began looting. And so on. Probably dozens more examples.

And let's not forget spreading hate. Back in the day, if you wanted to write, say, a letter to the editor, you sat down at a keyboard, or grabbed a pen and paper and wrote your letter. Maybe it would be printed in a week or two, maybe longer. But you knew upfront that it would be screened, maybe edited for grammar, some content deemed objectionable possibly taken out, etc. But today? Any yokel with an ax to grind or the intent to stir up negative emotions can sit down at his or her keyboard and dash off letters, opinions, and observations to this--or-that discussion group or newspaper thread that before the advent of the internet, especially as it exists today, would never have seen the light of day. And more and more those sites aren't even monitored, or rely on customer monitoring, which is a joke. Anyone who reads the "discussions" following newspaper articles know exactly what I mean by this. Hatred reigns.

Sir Winston Churchill once observed that "a lie can make it halfway around the world before the truth can get it's pants on". I doubt Sir Winston would have had even the slightest idea of just how right the future would prove him to be.

[Lindsyburnsy]

Don't let anyone over 65 run for, or remain in high office.
Nothing new ever comes from old people.
Too immersed in the past.
Maybe, but when you look at some of the young extremists, we need some of these old timers to keep the ship from sinking.

[MrFlorida]

Getting back to majority rules would be helpful. Too many small groups wagging the dog.

[dsgreen3]

We were never majority rules.

[twoplanekid]

One nine year term for senators and one six year term for representatives. Replace one third of each body every three years. Any person would be limited to one term in each body and two terms as president in their lifetime. Eliminate all congressional re-election campaigns.

It's interesting to note that many, many members of local Village CDD boards were appointed at the creation of that board and continue to serve for many, many years as no one runs against them. Good or bad ??

[ThirdOfFive]

We were never majority rules.
I agree. Not all of the eligible voters, vote.

Many countries have compulsory voting. I think America would benefit if we had it also; every eligible voter in America must vote in every election or have a good reason why not. It would go a long way toward restoring confidence in our system.

[MartinSE]

We need to protect the republic which protects the minority as opposed to democracy which can become mob rule

Agreed, the problem is most people think they are the minority.

[MartinSE]

I have for a long time been an advocate of mandatory voting. I have spent time in Ecuador and they require all citizens to vote by law, or they are fined. They also "require" visitors to Ecuador to vote.

With all that is going on today, and how people have become entrenched in their sides lines, I am changing my mind. A long time ago a different system was proposed and debated. It has been tried in various places and various times for a couple thousand years. We even use it here in some cases.

It is called sortition. It has been argued that voting system always end up with an oligarchy (what we have today, where the rich and powerful own the government). A sortition system picks citizens are "random" so that the representatives reflect the people. This completely eliminates the presence of money from the selection process. We use this today in many community councils, in jury selections, etc.

[Rodneysblue]

Don't let anyone over 65 run for, or remain in high office.
Nothing new ever comes from old people.
Too immersed in the past.

But is it not from the past that we learn from our mistakes? Who better to learn from than those who might have lived through them. Just a thought.

[jammaiora]

Both sides of the problem have loud, armed, violent clusters of people running around inciting violence
Not true! Right now it is only one side who is armed and a threat. I can sense what side you are on!

[Two Bills]

The largest threat to our country comes from within. (Trying to be PC). However, I do believe in FAITH OVER FEAR, and GOOD WILL TRIUMPH OVER EVIL, eventually.

I would not put too much faith in faith, or good.
Through history, the strong have always triumphed over the weak.
Only negotiations from a position of strength are worth a s**t!

[Two Bills]

But is it not from the past that we learn from our mistakes? Who better to learn from than those who might have lived through them. Just a thought.

The West poured $ trillions and manpower into Afghanistan.
US. Poured $Trillions and lost a generation of its finest youth in Viet Nam.
Not much past history looked at by the old men who ran those shows!
By all means consult the older, and alleged wiser generation, but let the ones who have to implement these policies decide on what actions to take.
Too many old men on end of life ego trips, dragging the world down!

[Joe C.]

To kill the beast, why not emulate our southern neighbors and take away the holy grail of presidential reelection campaigns
nuff said[/QUOTE]

And THAT is why Mexico is such a screwed up, violent, poverty stricken third world country.

[The Chipster]

TRUTH will survive lies, (Dragnet, Jack Webb quote, "Give me the facts, ONLY the facts)
Americans will meet in the middle and extremes will be a thing of the past.
I love our country and hope we will survive this bump in the road.
Tone down rhetoric, research all sources.

I think we all know who the main players are, spewing out hard-core misinformation, which becomes addictive to the ill-informed.. There is nothing stopping this, thus it will continue to spread like cancer.

This is how great empires fail, often suddenly and catastrophically.

[Mikee1]

When you get a minute or three, google and read the five stages of a society. You may be surprised.

[dsgreen3]

Not true! Right now it is only one side who is armed and a threat. I can sense what side you are on!


You are referring to Antifa right?

[Villages Kahuna]

I wish there was some evidence of your belief. I’ve concluded that I won’t see peaceful co-existence of Americans with differing political and social views. History shows that even the strongest societies have definite lifespans. I’m afraid the American democracy is moving towards the end of it’s life span.

Unfortunately America seems to be headed towards a system of governance that caused our forefathers to leave their homes and travel to the New World to form the democracy that has served us so well for going on 300 years. Where do Americans who wish to escape the current political conflict go? That’s a question with a very uncertain answer.

[airstreamingypsy]

I think we are doomed. Why? Because a TV "news" show is allowed to tell their listeners any lie that want to. The lies are stirring people up into a frenzy. If there is a civil war, which could happen, I think the root of it is all the lies coming from one place. They not only lie, but they give the crazies a platform.

[ThirdOfFive]

I would not put too much faith in faith, or good.
Through history, the strong have always triumphed over the weak.
Only negotiations from a position of strength are worth a s**t!
Aye.

"Speak softly, but carry a big stick".

[cegallup]

Absolutely agree with everything you said.
It's hard to be civil and polite towards a faction you perceive to be trying to destroy our country.That's the reason we have (had?) the 1st Amendment.

[conman5652@aol.com]

Take the massive money out of it. Limited every donation to 100.00 and only one time to any candidate.
No corporate donation to any candidates. Period

[haysus7]

I really wish candidates could pass a basic civics test before running for office.

[ThirdOfFive]

When you get a minute or three, google and read the five stages of a society. You may be surprised.
Some years back I read something posited by an historian, to the effect that great nations do not die from forces from without, but from rot from within. The person divided the process into stages; something like 114 "stages" all told that mark the dying process of great nations. It reflected Rome almost to a "T". And America is much farther along that particular continuum than I think most Americans realize.

"Bread and circuses" don't necessarily have to occur in a colosseum.

[Boomer]

The short reply: yes.

Social media (the mother of all oxymorons, in my opinion) is a cancer in this country. Of course, many people use it properly: my wife for example can talk to her family and friends in Thailand via FaceTime whenever the urge strikes her, as well as both of us being able to communicate face-to-face with family in Minnesota. But in my opinion the minuses of the venue outweigh the pluses. No matter how bizarre or dangerous one's beliefs might be, it is no problem to find like-minded people on the internet and communicate with them. And if what you are looking for is not information but VALIDATION (which I think all too many people are), then there is no point of view that cannot be validated through social media.

But the danger does not stop there. I understand that nefarious things have been going on only forever but the existence of social media makes it far too easy for the evil-minded among us to do what they do. Recruiting underage girls for the sex trade, for example. Set up drug deals. Arrange smash-and-grabs (there were incidents in Minnesota before we left where groups of people would all of a sudden show up in various vehicles at a big-box store, effectively raid the place of all the appliances and electronics they could carry, then run out the door with them and be gone in a matter of a few minutes; easily evading the police no matter if the police were called the minute the group began looting. And so on. Probably dozens more examples.

And let's not forget spreading hate. Back in the day, if you wanted to write, say, a letter to the editor, you sat down at a keyboard, or grabbed a pen and paper and wrote your letter. Maybe it would be printed in a week or two, maybe longer. But you knew upfront that it would be screened, maybe edited for grammar, some content deemed objectionable possibly taken out, etc. But today? Any yokel with an ax to grind or the intent to stir up negative emotions can sit down at his or her keyboard and dash off letters, opinions, and observations to this--or-that discussion group or newspaper thread that before the advent of the internet, especially as it exists today, would never have seen the light of day. And more and more those sites aren't even monitored, or rely on customer monitoring, which is a joke. Anyone who reads the "discussions" following newspaper articles know exactly what I mean by this. Hatred reigns.

Sir Winston Churchill once observed that "a lie can make it halfway around the world before the truth can get it's pants on". I doubt Sir Winston would have had even the slightest idea of just how right the future would prove him to be.


ThirdOfFive,

Thank you for taking the time to write your insightful post.

We are living in a time when we are finding out who we really are……..

and finding out who others really are.

Your point about people looking for validation through screens goes straight to the core of human nature.

I could never have imagined that so many people — some of whom I know very well — would relinquish their brains to a screen.

Friendships and families — even marriages — are being damaged and sometimes destroyed by the hate, fear, and paranoia mongers who create chaos — with the goal of money and power.

Pogo was right.

Boomer

[Caymus]

Not true! Right now it is only one side who is armed and a threat. I can sense what side you are on!

Which side controls the large high gun crime cities?

[Tvflguy]

One nine year term for senators and one six year term for representatives. Replace one third of each body every three years. Any person would be limited to one term in each body and two terms as president in their lifetime. Eliminate all congressional re-elect
campaigns.


Yes term limits. BUT in the federal gvt structure the ones impacted would need to bring this forward. Sure…. IMO never would see the light of day. Sad.

This would be like Union members saying oh we have enough salary or great benefits. Or if the company they are working for is close to serious financial trouble they say, eliminate my job based on highest tenure goes first.

[ThirdOfFive]

Several posts in this thread have the flavor of "we all know", or which side...". Things like that.

I have an instinctive mistrust of anything being presented that uses blanket statements. One has to wonder, just how many of those opinions are formed by thought and research, vs. kneejerk reactions to what we hear? Far too many, I think. The people trying to influence our opinions are experts.

[fgaba1949]

I have for a long time been an advocate of mandatory voting. I have spent time in Ecuador and they require all citizens to vote by law, or they are fined. They also "require" visitors to Ecuador to vote.

With all that is going on today, and how people have become entrenched in their sides lines, I am changing my mind. A long time ago a different system was proposed and debated. It has been tried in various places and various times for a couple thousand years. We even use it here in some cases.

It is called sortition. It has been argued that voting system always end up with an oligarchy (what we have today, where the rich and powerful own the government). A sortition system picks citizens are "random" so that the representatives reflect the people. This completely eliminates the presence of money from the selection process. We use this today in many community councils, in jury selections, etc.

I seriously dont think of mandatory voting makes any sense .
One right the people should always have is to decide to vote or not .
Honestly by mandating people to vote is very counterproductive...if the person doesn't like either candidate then they should have the right to NOT VOTE ....
the problem isn't in the voting it's not having candidates that people want to vote for...

[fgaba1949]

I agree. Not all of the eligible voters, vote.

Many countries have compulsory voting. I think America would benefit if we had it also; every eligible voter in America must vote in every election or have a good reason why not. It would go a long way toward restoring confidence in our system.


Disagree .....the problem is not the voting but that the candidates running do not make the voter WANT to vote for EITHER ONE

[fgaba1949]

One nine year term for senators and one six year term for representatives. Replace one third of each body every three years. Any person would be limited to one term in each body and two terms as president in their lifetime. Eliminate all congressional re-election campaigns.

of course i agree and it makes total sense

but we have lost the members of congress to represent us to this most obvious need for reform

So does anyone on here actually believe that OUR congress will ever pass term limits ? No way

THEY control us we do not control THEM

[bp243]

Don't let anyone over 65 run for, or remain in high office.
Nothing new ever comes from old people.
Too immersed in the past.

There is some truth to those comments, but seeing the news today concerning new legislation is very encouraging.

[fgaba1949]

I wish there was some evidence of your belief. I’ve concluded that I won’t see peaceful co-existence of Americans with differing political and social views. History shows that even the strongest societies have definite lifespans. I’m afraid the American democracy is moving towards the end of it’s life span.

Unfortunately America seems to be headed towards a system of governance that caused our forefathers to leave their homes and travel to the New World to form the democracy that has served us so well for going on 300 years. Where do Americans who wish to escape the current political conflict go? That’s a question with a very uncertain answer.

Sadly i agree with you..the problem is not so much with the one sided media..both republican and dem controlled but its with congress

I have been involved in the political world with the state department and became so disillusioned that i lasted but just 4 years

The only thing that will save the country in my mind is a total reform of Congress complete with term limits and the elimination of corporate donations to the politicians which they control to do their bidding .

Everything starts with our political leaders.....and that needs to be changed

Yes iam more republican then democrat but what i saw with the state department caused me to dislike both parties equally

[Worldseries27]

To kill the beast, why not emulate our southern neighbors and take away the holy grail of presidential reelection campaigns
nuff said

And THAT is why Mexico is such a screwed up, violent, poverty stricken third world country.[/QUOTE]
SEE POST 25.
THANK YOU FOR MAKING MY POINT OF THOSE WHO EDIT AND SLANT THE INFORMATION TO ACHIEVE
THEIR AGENDAS.

[MrFlorida]

We were never majority rules.
They why do they bother to count votes ?

[Tvflguy]

… interesting how the “no politics” can be interpreted by mods. Seems as though some P triggers a condemnation or bullpen or lifetime ban. But as in the case of this Thread…. Seems OK.

Not complaining as I do like the discussion and opinions as long as they are civil etc.

But I do tend to get confused regarding the “rules”. Just sayin’.

[Worldseries27]

they why do they bother to count votes ?
he meant that we are a republic. In a democracy 7 jurors could out vote 5 and deprive you of your life and/ or liberty.
In a republic one juror can save you.

[NewRealms]

One thing is different this time - It's the availability of the Internet and alternative points of view. MSM is losing it's sway. The Internet and the indominable spirit of the American will pull us through. It may get darker before the light comes, but the light ALWAYS comes.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I agree. Not all of the eligible voters, vote.

Many countries have compulsory voting. I think America would benefit if we had it also; every eligible voter in America must vote in every election or have a good reason why not. It would go a long way toward restoring confidence in our system.

Every American citizen should -automatically- receive their voters' registration card on their 18th birthday. They would be registered as "unaffiliated" until they opt-in to change it to one party or another, if they so choose.

No one should have to jump through hoops to register to vote. It should be part of the process of this country's elections that you are, by virtue of being an American citizen, registered on the first day you are eligible (in the USA, your 18th birthday).

[Bellavita]

Buddha says
Three things not easily hidden
The sun
The moon
And the truth


Buddha wasn’t here when people don’t believe the truth


TRUTH will survive lies, (Dragnet, Jack Webb quote, "Give me the facts, ONLY the facts)
Americans will meet in the middle and extremes will be a thing of the past.
I love our country and hope we will survive this bump in the road.
Tone down rhetoric, research all sources.

[Taltarzac725]

Buddha says
Three things not easily hidden
The sun
The moon
And the truth


Buddha wasn’t here when people don’t believe the truth


Probably because the spotlights on it now have prisms.

[jimbomaybe]

Every American citizen should -automatically- receive their voters' registration card on their 18th birthday. They would be registered as "unaffiliated" until they opt-in to change it to one party or another, if they so choose.

No one should have to jump through hoops to register to vote. It should be part of the process of this country's elections that you are, by virtue of being an American citizen, registered on the first day you are eligible (in the USA, your 18th birthday).
And how do you insure that the person on the registration card is the person who wants to vote, that the person has only one "card" that they will not walk down the street and vote again? honor system?

[chet2020]

We need to protect the republic which protects the minority as opposed to democracy which can become mob rule

I'm going to side with democracy, thank you.

[jimbomaybe]

I'm going to side with democracy, thank you.

Some would say a mob is your basic grass roots democracy

[Stu from NYC]

of course i agree and it makes total sense

but we have lost the members of congress to represent us to this most obvious need for reform

So does anyone on here actually believe that OUR congress will ever pass term limits ? No way

THEY control us we do not control THEM

Sad but for quite some time Congress stopped working for us but works for special interests who make them rich.

We do need term limits as well as public financing of elections limiting what they can spend and how long campaigns can run.

Idiotic to have two year presidential campaigns. Didnt have them 200 years ago when there was no mass communications.

[Taltarzac725]

Some would say a mob is your basic grass roots democracy

Mobs are easily swayed by con men and women. That has been happening since Greece and Rome. Mob rule - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mob_rule)

[Love2Swim]

TRUTH will survive lies, (Dragnet, Jack Webb quote, "Give me the facts, ONLY the facts)
Americans will meet in the middle and extremes will be a thing of the past.
I love our country and hope we will survive this bump in the road.
Tone down rhetoric, research all sources.

Good luck with that. People don't seem to have the skills to decide what is a good news source and what isn't. They choose the source and label it "believable" if it goes along with their thinking. That is why many people believe the fringe websites are spouting truth, when it is obvious that it is just one lie after another.

[Love2Swim]

Every American citizen should -automatically- receive their voters' registration card on their 18th birthday. They would be registered as "unaffiliated" until they opt-in to change it to one party or another, if they so choose.

No one should have to jump through hoops to register to vote. It should be part of the process of this country's elections that you are, by virtue of being an American citizen, registered on the first day you are eligible (in the USA, your 18th birthday).

Agree. It is ridiculous that people have to jump through such incredible hoops to register to vote. And even more ridiculous that depending on what precinct you're in, and the political party in power, that they can make you wait in line for hours to vote. Anything to corrupt the voting process.

[Love2Swim]

And how do you insure that the person on the registration card is the person who wants to vote, that the person has only one "card" that they will not walk down the street and vote again? honor system? Voting would be computer monitored, and the voting cards would be updated every so often and feature a picture ID and fingerprint or some way of verifying it is the exact person. That way we'd hopefully avoid the situation that we had when a number of Villagers voted twice in the last election.

[DonnaNi4os]

I agree with you, but I have little hope at this point. Many historians are pointing out how similar we are today to the 1930's and the pre-civilwar days. A lot of animosity and intentional attempts to destroy the US from within.

Any of the social media conspiracy spreaders (about a dozen or so) are simply in it for the money/clicks.

We cannot be naive enough to believe that all of this dissent comes from our fellow countrymen. I believe that there are outside influences that have directed much of the problems we see happening around us today. I pray that our eyes are open to the truths and that we can focus on our strengths and freedoms. Infiltration from foreign powers, I believe, have instigated some of our biggest problems that have us pitted against one another. United we must stand or surely we will fall. I love my country and believe that most Americans are proud to be from the USA. We can and will survive this time in our history. We must preserve our history and learn from our mistakes. If you are unhappy with your elected officials it is time to vote them out in fair elections. We cannot give up and we must not believe the propaganda that is being fed to us on a daily basis.

[ThirdOfFive]

And how do you insure that the person on the registration card is the person who wants to vote, that the person has only one "card" that they will not walk down the street and vote again? honor system?
Take a lesson from Mexico.

Mexico's federal elections were a swamp. Totally untrustworthy. Then they implemented their current system. Every Mexican citizen legally eligible to vote MUST vote, or have a good reason why not. In federal elections when they go to the polls, they have a government-issued voter registration card that they must present, along with positive ID. The voter card is uniquely coded to the bearer and only the bearer. When he or she votes in a federal election the information on the card goes into the national system in real time, guaranteeing that the person to whom that card is registered has voted--once, and cannot vote again. It has turned Mexico's federal elections, once so riddled with corruption that no one trusted the results, into one of the most trusted around.

[jimjamuser]

The Presidency should be a 3 or 5 person committee instead of ONE person. That would prevent an IMPERIALISTIC Presidency in the future. The office of President in modern times has become too much like a KING.

[jimjamuser]

IMO, no hope. THEY promote and desire the division. Even on issues where there may be compromise, they don’t in order to kept that divided issue alive.

Truly it’s sad. Sorry to be a Negative Commentary but I tend to be a Realist. And from my view, not very hopeful…. This is NOT a bump in the road. It’s pretty much a humongous hole.

We could be such a great country if it weren’t for the “Parties”. Oh, and definitely TERM LIMITS!!!
I am in TOTAL agreement about the term limits. As far as polarization goes, I am a LITTLE more optimistic. It seems that lately there has been a small trend toward compromise. The European countries often have multiple parties. Sweden, I believe has, or once had.......an "Eat the Rich" party. That seemed to show some merit !

[jimjamuser]

As long as we continue to have loud, armed, violent clusters of people running around free and inciting violence, who demand that we all follow party over country, or individual over the Constitution, I will have no faith in the humanity of America.
I believe that certain websites and TV networks have pushed OVER the limits of free speech and have entered into propaganda. There needs to be an FCC with TEETH that can eliminate the propaganda, while still retaining free speech and opinion.

[jimjamuser]

Totally agreed, term limits for everyone, including SCOTUS, age limits for everyone (forced retirement at 65), etc. And I would not oppose only women for a few terms, men have ruled the world for thousands of years time for women to have a turn.
Agreed - 50% of Congress should be required to be women. And have 2 out of 5 of my ideal PRESIDENT group be women. Then on alternate terms.......have 3 out of 5 be women. We would have fewer unnecessary WARS.

[Tvflguy]

The Presidency should be a 3 or 5 person committee instead of ONE person. That would prevent an IMPERIALISTIC Presidency in the future. The office of President in modern times has become too much like a KING.

OK. Just like the Supreme Court??? Oh yeah that would solve everything, right. Omg.

[Stu from NYC]

Agreed - 50% of Congress should be required to be women. And have 2 out of 5 of my ideal PRESIDENT group be women. Then on alternate terms.......have 3 out of 5 be women. We would have fewer unnecessary WARS.

Silly me think the best candidate should win whether male or female

In the words of Mr Wonderful of Shark Tank, take this idea behind the barn and shoot it. His words not mine.

[Tvflguy]

Agreed - 50% of Congress should be required to be women. And have 2 out of 5 of my ideal PRESIDENT group be women. Then on alternate terms.......have 3 out of 5 be women. We would have fewer unnecessary WARS.

??? Yep. Pacification. ThT should work against China Russia Iran North Korea.

Just as it was tried before WWII.

Yep that should do it. Also I think that is sexist, assuming female leaders can’t be strong against our enemies…

[jimjamuser]

The tax code should equalize wealth more. Even billionaire investor Warren Buffet agrees with me. There should be NO mega, MEGA wealthy people like Soros, Gates, Musk, and Bezos in America. They can go to Saudi Arabia or Russia with the other Dictators. It is actually NOT their fault personally, just the tax system and brackets that stupidly support such non-productive wealth. People like that are NO longer working for MONEY anyway, they are motivated by their leadership skills in most cases and POWER in some cases. It is the same principle as term limits for politicians - the wealthy need REASONABLE limits.

And with the right tax brackets the EXCESS money that these people can't use personally - it could help the average US citizen get their small share of the TOTAL US WEALTH. It is only RIGHT ! The average US citizen TODAY can NOT afford to own their own home - while Bezos has a BOAT with its own helicopter landing pad. That IS NOT right, it is ALL wrong.

And that will eventually lead the US into being controlled by powerful oligarchs and a Dictator ala Putin !

[jebartle]

We cannot be naive enough to believe that all of this dissent comes from our fellow countrymen. I believe that there are outside influences that have directed much of the problems we see happening around us today. I pray that our eyes are open to the truths and that we can focus on our strengths and freedoms. Infiltration from foreign powers, I believe, have instigated some of our biggest problems that have us pitted against one another. United we must stand or surely we will fall. I love my country and believe that most Americans are proud to be from the USA. We can and will survive this time in our history. We must preserve our history and learn from our mistakes. If you are unhappy with your elected officials it is time to vote them out in fair elections. We cannot give up and we must not believe the propaganda that is being fed to us on a daily basis.

Absolutely...VOTE, VOTE, VOTE (SURE wish I could make that word as big as the page) but research, research, research first and then VOTE.

[Two Bills]

The tax code should equalize wealth more. Even billionaire investor Warren Buffet agrees with me. There should be NO mega, MEGA wealthy people like Soros, Gates, Musk, and Bezos in America. They can go to Saudi Arabia or Russia with the other Dictators. It is actually NOT their fault personally, just the tax system and brackets that stupidly support such non-productive wealth. People like that are NO longer working for MONEY anyway, they are motivated by their leadership skills in most cases and POWER in some cases. It is the same principle as term limits for politicians - the wealthy need REASONABLE limits.

And with the right tax brackets the EXCESS money that these people can't use personally - it could help the average US citizen get their small share of the TOTAL US WEALTH. It is only RIGHT ! The average US citizen TODAY can NOT afford to own their own home - while Bezos has a BOAT with its own helicopter landing pad. That IS NOT right, it is ALL wrong.

And that will eventually lead the US into being controlled by powerful oligarchs and a Dictator ala Putin !

....and in your perfectly equal society, why should anyone bother to work harder, have better ideas than anyone else.
No reward = no effort.
Sounds very much like communism.

[Dr.Butler]

Which side controls the large high gun crime cities?


Well. If you want the truth, then here:
Stats of the States - Firearm Mortality (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/firearm_mortality/firearm.htm)

TL;DR
8 of 10 are "Conservative"

[jimjamuser]

The short reply: yes.

Social media (the mother of all oxymorons, in my opinion) is a cancer in this country. Of course, many people use it properly: my wife for example can talk to her family and friends in Thailand via FaceTime whenever the urge strikes her, as well as both of us being able to communicate face-to-face with family in Minnesota. But in my opinion the minuses of the venue outweigh the pluses. No matter how bizarre or dangerous one's beliefs might be, it is no problem to find like-minded people on the internet and communicate with them. And if what you are looking for is not information but VALIDATION (which I think all too many people are), then there is no point of view that cannot be validated through social media.

But the danger does not stop there. I understand that nefarious things have been going on only forever but the existence of social media makes it far too easy for the evil-minded among us to do what they do. Recruiting underage girls for the sex trade, for example. Set up drug deals. Arrange smash-and-grabs (there were incidents in Minnesota before we left where groups of people would all of a sudden show up in various vehicles at a big-box store, effectively raid the place of all the appliances and electronics they could carry, then run out the door with them and be gone in a matter of a few minutes; easily evading the police no matter if the police were called the minute the group began looting. And so on. Probably dozens more examples.

And let's not forget spreading hate. Back in the day, if you wanted to write, say, a letter to the editor, you sat down at a keyboard, or grabbed a pen and paper and wrote your letter. Maybe it would be printed in a week or two, maybe longer. But you knew upfront that it would be screened, maybe edited for grammar, some content deemed objectionable possibly taken out, etc. But today? Any yokel with an ax to grind or the intent to stir up negative emotions can sit down at his or her keyboard and dash off letters, opinions, and observations to this--or-that discussion group or newspaper thread that before the advent of the internet, especially as it exists today, would never have seen the light of day. And more and more those sites aren't even monitored, or rely on customer monitoring, which is a joke. Anyone who reads the "discussions" following newspaper articles know exactly what I mean by this. Hatred reigns.

Sir Winston Churchill once observed that "a lie can make it halfway around the world before the truth can get it's pants on". I doubt Sir Winston would have had even the slightest idea of just how right the future would prove him to be.
The software of media platforms like Facebook push people into opposite corners depending on their responses - so that you become polarized as far as various opinions go. The middle ground of opinion is made barren on purpose. the software does this for the purely greedy purpose of keeping you on their site for the MAXIMUM amount of time - to sell you MORE stuff. This lets the site, like Facebook, prosper but, at the expense of social cohesion. and apparently there are worse sites than Facebook, which personally I have never joined. Zuckerberg is another overly greedy individual. He gets no money from me! Congress tried to investigate Facebook, but failed. They dropped THAT ball.

[jimjamuser]

Getting back to majority rules would be helpful. Too many small groups wagging the dog.
The majority will NEVER rule as long as states like Montana with minimal population get 2 Senators just like NY, California, or Florida. That is some Civil War legacy BS.

[jimjamuser]

I agree. Not all of the eligible voters, vote.

Many countries have compulsory voting. I think America would benefit if we had it also; every eligible voter in America must vote in every election or have a good reason why not. It would go a long way toward restoring confidence in our system.
Agreed. It is one of my favorite things that Australia does that I find superior to the US.

[Tvflguy]

The tax code should equalize wealth more. Even billionaire investor Warren Buffet agrees with me. There should be NO mega, MEGA wealthy people like Soros, Gates, Musk, and Bezos in America. They can go to Saudi Arabia or Russia with the other Dictators. It is actually NOT their fault personally, just the tax system and brackets that stupidly support such non-productive wealth. People like that are NO longer working for MONEY anyway, they are motivated by their leadership skills in most cases and POWER in some cases. It is the same principle as term limits for politicians - the wealthy need REASONABLE limits.

And with the right tax brackets the EXCESS money that these people can't use personally - it could help the average US citizen get their small share of the TOTAL US WEALTH. It is only RIGHT ! The average US citizen TODAY can NOT afford to own their own home - while Bezos has a BOAT with its own helicopter landing pad. That IS NOT right, it is ALL wrong.

And that will eventually lead the US into being controlled by powerful oligarchs and a Dictator ala Putin !

Sure. Once someone reaches a certain level of wealth have the gvt take the rest away. They will spend it wisely right. Or should I say Left? Omg. Share the wealth. Provide no incentive. And allow folks to take all they want from stores if they need. Yep. Equity.

[Stu from NYC]

The tax code should equalize wealth more. Even billionaire investor Warren Buffet agrees with me. There should be NO mega, MEGA wealthy people like Soros, Gates, Musk, and Bezos in America. They can go to Saudi Arabia or Russia with the other Dictators. It is actually NOT their fault personally, just the tax system and brackets that stupidly support such non-productive wealth. People like that are NO longer working for MONEY anyway, they are motivated by their leadership skills in most cases and POWER in some cases. It is the same principle as term limits for politicians - the wealthy need REASONABLE limits.

And with the right tax brackets the EXCESS money that these people can't use personally - it could help the average US citizen get their small share of the TOTAL US WEALTH. It is only RIGHT ! The average US citizen TODAY can NOT afford to own their own home - while Bezos has a BOAT with its own helicopter landing pad. That IS NOT right, it is ALL wrong.

And that will eventually lead the US into being controlled by powerful oligarchs and a Dictator ala Putin !

So lets not reward anyone for building a better mousetrap and generating lots of jobs.

Lets rely on the govt to take care of all of us.

Guess you think communism and socialism is a good thing.

[jimjamuser]

I would not put too much faith in faith, or good.
Through history, the strong have always triumphed over the weak.
Only negotiations from a position of strength are worth a s**t!
I am NOT sure that is true? The Colonies were weaker than England, but triumphed. The Vietcong defeated the mighty US. And the Taliban kicked both Russia and the US out of their country. (unfortunately for freedom). The US had the watches, but they had the time. And Russia was supposed to take over the Ukraine in a few weeks. So, the stronger country does NOT always prevail.

[ThirdOfFive]

Agree. It is ridiculous that people have to jump through such incredible hoops to register to vote. And even more ridiculous that depending on what precinct you're in, and the political party in power, that they can make you wait in line for hours to vote. Anything to corrupt the voting process.
Agreed. And dump all the questionable technology too while we're at it. As Engineer Scott of the Enterprise once said, "the more they overthink the plumbin, the easier it is to stop up the drain".

The best voting "machine" ever invented was and still is a paper ballot and a #2 pencil, used on election day.

[ThirdOfFive]

Agreed - 50% of Congress should be required to be women. And have 2 out of 5 of my ideal PRESIDENT group be women. Then on alternate terms.......have 3 out of 5 be women. We would have fewer unnecessary WARS.
Sorry. But people should be elected according to what they have between their EARS, not their legs.

[Dr.Butler]

Agreed. And dump all the questionable technology too while we're at it. As Engineer Scott of the Enterprise once said, "the more they overthink the plumbin, the easier it is to stop up the drain".

The best voting "machine" ever invented was and still is a paper ballot and a #2 pencil, used on election day.

And yet, you do almost EVERYTHING else by computer. Even drive your car. But sure, lets go back to paper. The sad and funny part, is even when its done by computer, its backed up by paper. And when recount is done, they count the PAPER. AND EVEN THEN, people still claim the count was wrong.

[jimjamuser]

Disagree .....the problem is not the voting but that the candidates running do not make the voter WANT to vote for EITHER ONE
I have NEVER seen a greater difference between candidates than RIGHT NOW today!

[ThirdOfFive]

The majority will NEVER rule as long as states like Montana with minimal population get 2 Senators just like NY, California, or Florida. That is some Civil War legacy BS.
Actually, it is post - Revolutionary War BS. Emphasizing "State", as in the United STATES of America". Our federal government was originally formulated to have very little power: just what is listed in the Constitution per the Tenth Amendment: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

It is the advantage of a republic that the states have more or less equal footing with one another. The people are proportionally represented in the House of Representatives, but nothing passes without the consent of the Senate, where all the states are equal.

[jimjamuser]

he meant that we are a republic. In a democracy 7 jurors could out vote 5 and deprive you of your life and/ or liberty.
In a republic one juror can save you.
Don't quite see the analogy. In a CRIMINAL COURT the defendant must be guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt. That is why there is need for all jurors to agree. A CIVIL COURT requires a lessor standard........the preponderance of guilt.

As for as the nation goes, I would prefer that the majority of votes prevails. I would modify the Electoral College to lean more to Democracy.

[jimjamuser]

One thing is different this time - It's the availability of the Internet and alternative points of view. MSM is losing it's sway. The Internet and the indominable spirit of the American will pull us through. It may get darker before the light comes, but the light ALWAYS comes.
The light of Democracy at this time is a FLICKERING flame at best.

[ThirdOfFive]

And yet, you do almost EVERYTHING else by computer. Even drive your car. But sure, lets go back to paper. The sad and funny part, is even when its done by computer, its backed up by paper. And when recount is done, they count the PAPER. AND EVEN THEN, people still claim the count was wrong.
Heck. Why vote at all?

(Tongue only partly in cheek...) Why not pick our President, Senators, Representatives, Governors....right down to dogcatchers, the way we pick our juries? Each jurisdiction keeps a list of eligible, qualified people for whatever position is being filled, and when "election" day arrives, the name to fill each position is chosen randomly from the list of qualified persons for that position? If picked, you must serve ONE term for the office picked. Oh we can dress it up a little; if you're chosen to be a U.S. Senator, representative or whatever, housing for you and your family along with a guarantee that when your term is up your previous job is yours along with all promotions you could have expected to have gotten during your term, a modest pension upon retirement (tax-free, of course), things like that.

Such a system does three things. It takes the politics out of filling the office(s), it makes political money spent irrelevant, and it assures that only QUALIFIED people fill the positions.

I challenge anyone to tell me how such a system could have a worse result than what we have right now.

[jimjamuser]

And how do you insure that the person on the registration card is the person who wants to vote, that the person has only one "card" that they will not walk down the street and vote again? honor system?
That is a MYTH that has been disproven over and over.

[jimjamuser]

OK. Just like the Supreme Court??? Oh yeah that would solve everything, right. Omg.
Agreed that the Supreme Court has problems. It needs term LIMITS of about 7 years. Also, the APPOINTMENT system by the party in power has proven to be corruptible. Maybe it would be better to vote for the Justices? i would say that the Supreme Court is the worst designed part of the US governmental system.

Many of us believe that the US democracy is in a bad place right now. No one throughout US History has said that the US should have an IMPERIALISTIC President. My 3 or 5 person president would just about guarantee against a imperialistic President. I don't like the idea of a ONE person President. It can too EASILY be turned into a King or Dictator. Today in the world for SOME unknown-to-me reason the trend is AWAY from Democracies and TOWARD Dictatorships. I am just trying to fight the good fight by suggesting a method to prevent Dictatorships - and since they are INCREASING then maybe we in the US should NOT just go with the SAME OLD, SAME OLD and HOPE everything works out OK.........because it may NOT. If someone has a better suggestion, then I WELCOME that.

[jimjamuser]

Take a lesson from Mexico.

Mexico's federal elections were a swamp. Totally untrustworthy. Then they implemented their current system. Every Mexican citizen legally eligible to vote MUST vote, or have a good reason why not. In federal elections when they go to the polls, they have a government-issued voter registration card that they must present, along with positive ID. The voter card is uniquely coded to the bearer and only the bearer. When he or she votes in a federal election the information on the card goes into the national system in real time, guaranteeing that the person to whom that card is registered has voted--once, and cannot vote again. It has turned Mexico's federal elections, once so riddled with corruption that no one trusted the results, into one of the most trusted around.
That IS a thought provoking post. A BIG problem with most Americans is that they believe that the US is the BEST at everything. That was, maybe true right after WW2, but other countries in the world have made big leaps forward - leading to statistics like in neo-natal deaths we are terrible- like around 30th. Most Americans are patriotic, which is good - but, better to be patriotic AND REALISTIC as to where your nation stands today. and the picture is NOT good ! We are overly dependent on China and that is just for the greed of our 1 % and to the detriment of the other 99 %.

For those that believe that the US is # 1 at everything, they have no need to look to Australia or Mexico to see the BEAUTY of compulsory voting. They really don't want to KNOW when ANYTHING is better in another country. They prefer the blindness of ignorance to the light of knowledge.

[jimjamuser]

Males only win in greater % today because of tradition and Washington being slow to change. Has not everyone heard the statement that a woman has to be TWICE as good at whatever job to get hired versus a man? That IS TRUTH, not conjecture. Again for inspiration, we can go to other countries for answers........Australia, New Zealand and many European countries have already had WOMEN leaders. And AGAIN the US is the BACKWARD outlier.

At the current US rate of REGRESSION, we will soon look like the "Handmaiden's Tale"!!!!!! And China will be eating our lunch.

[jimjamuser]

....and in your perfectly equal society, why should anyone bother to work harder, have better ideas than anyone else.
No reward = no effort.
Sounds very much like communism.
True leaders work for idealistic principles, NOT MERELY for money and POWER. That is where many people are wrong. And too many people try to win a discussion by bringing up the 1950s RED scare buggaboo about a communist behind every bush. Warren Buffet does NOT need ANY more money - he works for the pleasure of solving problems and meeting and influencing people!

[MartinSE]

Agreed that the Supreme Court has problems. It needs term LIMITS of about 7 years. Also, the APPOINTMENT system by the party in power has proven to be corruptible. Maybe it would be better to vote for the Justices? i would say that the Supreme Court is the worst designed part of the US governmental system.

Many of us believe that the US democracy is in a bad place right now. No one throughout US History has said that the US should have an IMPERIALISTIC President. My 3 or 5 person president would just about guarantee against a imperialistic President. I don't like the idea of a ONE person President. It can too EASILY be turned into a King or Dictator. Today in the world for SOME unknown-to-me reason the trend is AWAY from Democracies and TOWARD Dictatorships. I am just trying to fight the good fight by suggesting a method to prevent Dictatorships - and since they are INCREASING then maybe we in the US should NOT just go with the SAME OLD, SAME OLD and HOPE everything works out OK.........because it may NOT. If someone has a better suggestion, then I WELCOME that.

There are two problems with the SCOTUS. First is life terms. And second they are answerable to no one (practically except themselves.)

Voting for them I think is not a good solution. I would prefer them to be chosen at random from justices that have a proven track record. But, I am not sure what that track record would be.

[MartinSE]

It's hard to be civil and polite towards a faction you perceive to be trying to destroy our country.That's the reason we have (had?) the 1st Amendment.

It is way past time to curtail the 1st. Hate speech and intentionally spreading provable lies and nonsense that can and do result in. people dying should be punishable.

[brockli]

We need to protect the republic which protects the minority as opposed to democracy which can become mob rule
The republic is for everyone. We all live here.

[mtdjed]

Don't let anyone over 65 run for, or remain in high office.
Nothing new ever comes from old people.
Too immersed in the past.
That would suggest that those same age folks should not be able to vote.

[Caymus]

It is way past time to curtail the 1st. Hate speech and intentionally spreading provable lies and nonsense that can and do result in. people dying should be punishable.


You mean "hate" speech as you and your cohorts see it?

[ThirdOfFive]

You mean "hate" speech as you and your cohorts see it?
I don't think that was what was meant at all.

Media can be held liable for publishing intentional untruths that cause harm (defamation), only it rarely happens. Media just hide behind the First Amendment and nothing is done. But media can be held criminally liable as well. In cases where intentional spreading of false information, "FCC rules specifically say that the "public harm must begin immediately, and cause direct and actual damage to property or to the health or safety of the general public, or diversion of law enforcement or other public health and safety authorities from their duties."

Maybe its time we not only hold media accountable for provably damaging hate speech, but one another as well.

[Stu from NYC]

There are two problems with the SCOTUS. First is life terms. And second they are answerable to no one (practically except themselves.)

Voting for them I think is not a good solution. I would prefer them to be chosen at random from justices that have a proven track record. But, I am not sure what that track record would be.

They should be chosen when they are determined they have the best legal minds in this country and swear to faithfully follow the constitution.'

Unfortunately it has become way to politicized.

[JMintzer]

Agreed - 50% of Congress should be required to be women. And have 2 out of 5 of my ideal PRESIDENT group be women. Then on alternate terms.......have 3 out of 5 be women. We would have fewer unnecessary WARS.

Define "women"...

[JMintzer]

The tax code should equalize wealth more. Even billionaire investor Warren Buffet agrees with me. There should be NO mega, MEGA wealthy people like Soros, Gates, Musk, and Bezos in America. They can go to Saudi Arabia or Russia with the other Dictators. It is actually NOT their fault personally, just the tax system and brackets that stupidly support such non-productive wealth. People like that are NO longer working for MONEY anyway, they are motivated by their leadership skills in most cases and POWER in some cases. It is the same principle as term limits for politicians - the wealthy need REASONABLE limits.

And with the right tax brackets the EXCESS money that these people can't use personally - it could help the average US citizen get their small share of the TOTAL US WEALTH. It is only RIGHT ! The average US citizen TODAY can NOT afford to own their own home - while Bezos has a BOAT with its own helicopter landing pad. That IS NOT right, it is ALL wrong.

And that will eventually lead the US into being controlled by powerful oligarchs and a Dictator ala Putin !

Gates, Bezos and Musk never produced anything? :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

[JMintzer]

Well. If you want the truth, then here:
Stats of the States - Firearm Mortality (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/firearm_mortality/firearm.htm)

TL;DR
8 of 10 are "Conservative"

Your link lists "By State"...

The question was specific to "Which Cities"... There's a significant difference...

[JMintzer]

The majority will NEVER rule as long as states like Montana with minimal population get 2 Senators just like NY, California, or Florida. That is some Civil War legacy BS.

Um... The lesser populated states had 2 senators LONG before the Civil War...

[JMintzer]

Actually, it is post - Revolutionary War BS. Emphasizing "State", as in the United STATES of America". Our federal government was originally formulated to have very little power: just what is listed in the Constitution per the Tenth Amendment: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

It is the advantage of a republic that the states have more or less equal footing with one another. The people are proportionally represented in the House of Representatives, but nothing passes without the consent of the Senate, where all the states are equal.

Exactly!

It seems that some of the posters on this thread slept thru their Civics classes in HS...

[JMintzer]

True leaders work for idealistic principles, NOT MERELY for money and POWER. That is where many people are wrong. And too many people try to win a discussion by bringing up the 1950s RED scare buggaboo about a communist behind every bush. Warren Buffet does NOT need ANY more money - he works for the pleasure of solving problems and meeting and influencing people!

Yeah, I love it when really wealthy people, close to the end of their life, tell us that we don't don't need any more really wealthy people...

[MartinSE]

You mean "hate" speech as you and your cohorts see it?

Hate speech is one form of it, but no, not just hate speech. LIES. Provable lies that endanger lives and the country. I fail to see how anyone can be in favor of dishonesty, especially in those chosen to govern.

[MartinSE]

They should be chosen when they are determined they have the best legal minds in this country and swear to faithfully follow the constitution.'

Unfortunately it has become way to politicized.

I agree with this, completely.

[MartinSE]

I don't think that was what was meant at all.

Media can be held liable for publishing intentional untruths that cause harm (defamation), only it rarely happens. Media just hide behind the First Amendment and nothing is done. But media can be held criminally liable as well. In cases where intentional spreading of false information, "FCC rules specifically say that the "public harm must begin immediately, and cause direct and actual damage to property or to the health or safety of the general public, or diversion of law enforcement or other public health and safety authorities from their duties."

Maybe its time we not only hold media accountable for provably damaging hate speech, but one another as well.

Thank you, you said what I meant better than I said it.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I seriously dont think of mandatory voting makes any sense .
One right the people should always have is to decide to vote or not .
Honestly by mandating people to vote is very counterproductive...if the person doesn't like either candidate then they should have the right to NOT VOTE ....
the problem isn't in the voting it's not having candidates that people want to vote for...

"None of the above" should always be an option on election ballots. If you don't vote, your opinion doesn't count. It doesn't matter, it isn't recognized or acknowledged. If you vote "None of the Above" then your vote is specific, it counts, it matters, it makes a statement.

If enough people who are tired of the status quo were to vote "None of the Above" they'd have to select new candidate choices and schedule a new vote.

None of the Above is a valid option in India and comes with criteria and rules and significance. It's not perfect there - there have been NOTA votes that were greater than the votes for actual candidates in some elections there.

But it lets the government know that "We the People" are not happy with the options we've been given. It puts them on notice. It also puts the rest of the country on notice, when the NOTA vote is big enough.

[Stu from NYC]

"None of the above" should always be an option on election ballots. If you don't vote, your opinion doesn't count. It doesn't matter, it isn't recognized or acknowledged. If you vote "None of the Above" then your vote is specific, it counts, it matters, it makes a statement.

If enough people who are tired of the status quo were to vote "None of the Above" they'd have to select new candidate choices and schedule a new vote.

None of the Above is a valid option in India and comes with criteria and rules and significance. It's not perfect there - there have been NOTA votes that were greater than the votes for actual candidates in some elections there.

But it lets the government know that "We the People" are not happy with the options we've been given. It puts them on notice. It also puts the rest of the country on notice, when the NOTA vote is big enough.

Unless a state or city has certain rules against it, even if 50% say none of the above whoever gets the majority of the balance (assuming two candidates) would win I do believe. Having said this, do not see how this would ever happen.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Males only win in greater % today because of tradition and Washington being slow to change. Has not everyone heard the statement that a woman has to be TWICE as good at whatever job to get hired versus a man? That IS TRUTH, not conjecture. Again for inspiration, we can go to other countries for answers........Australia, New Zealand and many European countries have already had WOMEN leaders. And AGAIN the US is the BACKWARD outlier.

At the current US rate of REGRESSION, we will soon look like the "Handmaiden's Tale"!!!!!! And China will be eating our lunch.

We don't have to be twice as good. We only have to try twice as hard, in order to be considered just as good as our male counterpart. Thankfully for us women, that isn't very difficult to do.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

And how do you insure that the person on the registration card is the person who wants to vote, that the person has only one "card" that they will not walk down the street and vote again? honor system?

Not sure if you've heard of this thing called electronics but it's kinda popular these days. You show up with that card, and an ID to show that you are the person whose name is on that card. The registrar fills in the little boxes on the top of a blank ballot with your registration ID# (like those boxes you had to fill in when you took placement tests, IQ tests, SATs, back in grade school). You fill in your choice for candidate, and stuff it in the box. Those little boxes the clerk filled in, that gets electronically sent into the system, so if anyone tries to vote with the same ID number, their vote is not counted. You can't vote again.

You only get one card. You don't get to request it. It's sent to you. If you claim you lost it or never got it, you have to go through the process of getting a new one, and the number for the old one is cancelled and not useable.

Sort of like if you lose your key card at the hotel. They cancel the digital data from that card and issue you a new one with a unique set of data.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

....and in your perfectly equal society, why should anyone bother to work harder, have better ideas than anyone else.
No reward = no effort.
Sounds very much like communism.

He's not talking about everyone having equal ownership of everything. He's talking about the poor being less poor, and the ultra-wealthy contributing more in the form of taxes.

The poor will still not be wealthy. And the ultra-wealthy will still be ultra-wealthy. But no one will want for food, clothing, shelter, education, health, or opportunity to succeed. It's doing what Jesus tried to teach his disciples - when you find a man who has fallen, don't tread on him. Instead, reach out your hand and lift him up.

[Woodbear]

I don't even know where the "middle" is as it continues to evolve at the feelings of others. What was the middle at the turn of the century is considered extreme today. I am not looking forward to the day I am on the wrong side of the grass, but I sure do not see myself wishing to exist in the United States decades from now. Sadly this country is circling the drain as it enters its final passage out the sewer.

[imalowany]

The largest threat to our country comes from within. (Trying to be PC). However, I do believe in FAITH OVER FEAR, and GOOD WILL TRIUMPH OVER EVIL, eventually.

Yes, but the cost is always always incredibly high.

[djplong]

The one thing that gives me hope is that, when polled individually on various political topics and policies, there is a lot more out there that Americans agree on than is disagreed upon. However, we've been carved up into two tribes that are simply reactionary. If "the other tribe" likes it, it MUST be opposed and vice versa.

I've been doing some homework on this for discussion in another place and there are things out there that poll in numbers that any politician would salivate over. But tribalism keeps people from actually TALKING to each other and coming to a consensus.

I remember the days when bitter political opponents would craft legislation after hours in a restaurant. I remember when exaggerations were "ok" (sometimes you need them to make a point) but out and out lies DID count against you!

[Love2Swim]

Actually, it is post - Revolutionary War BS. Emphasizing "State", as in the United STATES of America". Our federal government was originally formulated to have very little power: just what is listed in the Constitution per the Tenth Amendment: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

It is the advantage of a republic that the states have more or less equal footing with one another. The people are proportionally represented in the House of Representatives, but nothing passes without the consent of the Senate, where all the states are equal.

So in theory if only one person lived in Nebraska, and 50 million people live in New York, Nebraska still has the voting power that NY has. Crazy.

[Luggage]

Statistically more people are voting with their feet away from both parties and turning independent. There lies the true hope. It has become an US versus them situation where everything has to be partisanship and not let's discuss where we can meet in the middle. Radicals on the left radicals on the right

[Luggage]

The designers of our government were some of the smartest people of their time or even of today. They created a system that balances out population versus each state as well as having three different branches of government so that each has certain powers the others don't. And in fact the supreme Court has ruled that the states do not have all the same powers as government. If you ever watch ONN news they have an excellent public announcement talking about states rights and that several things returned and overturned in the 1800s ensuring States being sued by private citizens as well as by the federal government. In fact right now Arizona is putting up containers to block a wall even though it's on Federal Land and it'll be an interesting fight if it goes to court. To the editor of not being political and just discussing the news of the day I'm not being left or right just talking about what's happening. If you really interested you can take out books on our form of government. It's really interesting how well thought out it was as well as the fights during the writing of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. If you really want to know crazy, look at Israel's form of government where they have to have a new election every 9 months is there a 25 different parties that consolidate power depending on what they're trying to pass as laws that day of the week.
So in theory if only one person lived in Nebraska, and 50 million people live in New York, Nebraska still has the voting power that NY has. Crazy.

[Luggage]

So basically you would like a dictatorship if only one person out of 100 million voted one way instead of the other way.

[joelfmi]

Most of all deception and corruption

[fgaba1949]

Agreed. It is one of my favorite things that Australia does that I find superior to the US.

So u want to force people to vote even if they dont want to ? Is that freedom ?

[Linnberg]

Not true! Right now it is only one side who is armed and a threat. I can sense what side you are on!

Up to now, this has been a wonderful analysis by thoughtful people. Slight veiled statements showing political beliefs may have been
Included but kept to a minimum and not really stated.
Please don’t start now impacting this wonderful thread.

[ThirdOfFive]

"None of the above" should always be an option on election ballots. If you don't vote, your opinion doesn't count. It doesn't matter, it isn't recognized or acknowledged. If you vote "None of the Above" then your vote is specific, it counts, it matters, it makes a statement.

If enough people who are tired of the status quo were to vote "None of the Above" they'd have to select new candidate choices and schedule a new vote.

None of the Above is a valid option in India and comes with criteria and rules and significance. It's not perfect there - there have been NOTA votes that were greater than the votes for actual candidates in some elections there.

But it lets the government know that "We the People" are not happy with the options we've been given. It puts them on notice. It also puts the rest of the country on notice, when the NOTA vote is big enough.
Bingo!

I can think of few other ways that would keep government out of the hands of the extremists.

[ThirdOfFive]

He's not talking about everyone having equal ownership of everything. He's talking about the poor being less poor, and the ultra-wealthy contributing more in the form of taxes.

The poor will still not be wealthy. And the ultra-wealthy will still be ultra-wealthy. But no one will want for food, clothing, shelter, education, health, or opportunity to succeed. It's doing what Jesus tried to teach his disciples - when you find a man who has fallen, don't tread on him. Instead, reach out your hand and lift him up.
Makes sense, until one realizes that the definition of "wealthy" will ALWAYS be made by someone who is less wealthy than the proposed level determining it.

Rather than wealth rearrangement, why not try something more positive, such as favorable business climates for those entrepreneurs just starting out? Far too many states are business-hostile: my state of origin, Minnesota, was to a fault. Business were fleeing like deranged lemmings to states such as South Dakota that had a climate that encouraged entrepreneurship rather than squelching it.

[ThirdOfFive]

So u want to force people to vote even if they dont want to ? Is that freedom ?
Actually, it is responsibility--yanno, the other side of that coin that has "freedom" on it.

The law forces us to do all kinds of things that we may not want to do. Oh, some of us still do it: how many of us have driven 70 MPH in a 55 MPH zone, then complained bitterly when caught and made to pay a fine?

"Freedom" is NEVER free. And it is the responsibility of every one of us to assure that it continues to exist.

[Villages Kahuna]

Once again our Forefathers predicted what is happening now. Abraham Lincoln said… ”A house divided cannot stand.”

Unfortunately that was just before the Civil War.

[Larchap49]

The largest threat to our country comes from within. (Trying to be PC). However, I do believe in FAITH OVER FEAR, and GOOD WILL TRIUMPH OVER EVIL, eventually.

That may be true, but America as we know it will be a thing of the past by then and hopefully I will have long been returned to ashes from wince I came.

[JeepsterGlenn]

Keep in mind that Russia and China are players in the mis-information and conspiracy theories.

They would love to see the U.S. have civil war so they can come in as peacekeepers and put in a “Stable” government that only has 1 leader and no other options!!!

Much cheaper way to take over a country than having to fight a war themselves…

[kkingston57]

Maybe, but when you look at some of the young extremists, we need some of these old timers to keep the ship from sinking.

Term limits would keep them in check and old timers would not be necessary to keep the ship from sinking. Unfortunately Reps and Senators make the rules and have 0 incentive to change terms limits.

[MartinSE]

So basically you would like a dictatorship if only one person out of 100 million voted one way instead of the other way.

It is not all or nothing. Protection of minorities is built into the fabric of our country. Protection of minorities from the majority means the same as any rights. The majority can not impose on the minorities rights.

[holmesperdue]

and how decisive would we be without Fox news, CNN, MSNBC and the internet,,,

[sail33or]

Following laws, telling the truth, being good, etc. are functions of human morality. Our government (all governments) are humans.

Right out of the box, the Bible shows human morality to move to the "bad" side.

Whether literally true or not, the story of Adam and Eve sets the tone for everything that follows.

A human will take everything for themselves ultimately. All cultures and empires have failed throughout history, RIGHT?

[Regorp]

As long as we continue to have loud, armed, violent clusters of people running around free and inciting violence, who demand that we all follow party over country, or individual over the Constitution, I will have no faith in the humanity of America.

As a student of the Revolutionary War, I find it interesting that our current ruling class is so similar to England and the control they had over the colonies. We all know what happened when they were unhappy with that control. I love our old USA.

[Tvflguy]

It is not all or nothing. Protection of minorities is built into the fabric of our country. Protection of minorities from the majority means the same as any rights. The majority can not impose on the minorities rights.

So, the loser of elections in the USA wins… minority right????

[ThirdOfFive]

As a student of the Revolutionary War, I find it interesting that our current ruling class is so similar to England and the control they had over the colonies. We all know what happened when they were unhappy with that control. I love our old USA.
Absolutely correct.

[JMintzer]

So in theory if only one person lived in Nebraska, and 50 million people live in New York, Nebraska still has the voting power that NY has. Crazy.

Reductio ad absurdum - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reductio_ad_absurdum)

[JMintzer]

So, the loser of elections in the USA wins… minority right????

Lest I repeat myself...

Reductio ad absurdum - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reductio_ad_absurdum)

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Makes sense, until one realizes that the definition of "wealthy" will ALWAYS be made by someone who is less wealthy than the proposed level determining it.

Rather than wealth rearrangement, why not try something more positive, such as favorable business climates for those entrepreneurs just starting out? Far too many states are business-hostile: my state of origin, Minnesota, was to a fault. Business were fleeing like deranged lemmings to states such as South Dakota that had a climate that encouraged entrepreneurship rather than squelching it.

That's still wealth rearrangement. When you favor entrepreneurs just starting out, you DISfavor the CEOs of the mega-corporations. Every $10 you give to a startup is $10 less you give to a wealthy mega-corp. If you give $10 to the mega-corp, then that $10 you give to the startup won't help, because he's still the same amount of mega-bucks behind and still has the same amount to catch up on.

Wealth rearrangement is fine, if it's done in a way that allows the mega-wealthy to continue being mega-wealthy, but gives the startups a better opportunity to get into profit-making.

As for "what constitutes wealth" - I'd say Warren Buffett has a pretty good idea of the definition. If one of the wealthiest people in the WORLD says "what I make is too much" you can probably believe him.

[JMintzer]

That's still wealth rearrangement. When you favor entrepreneurs just starting out, you DISfavor the CEOs of the mega-corporations. Every $10 you give to a startup is $10 less you give to a wealthy mega-corp. If you give $10 to the mega-corp, then that $10 you give to the startup won't help, because he's still the same amount of mega-bucks behind and still has the same amount to catch up on.

Wealth rearrangement is fine, if it's done in a way that allows the mega-wealthy to continue being mega-wealthy, but gives the startups a better opportunity to get into profit-making.

As for "what constitutes wealth" - I'd say Warren Buffett has a pretty good idea of the definition. If one of the wealthiest people in the WORLD says "what I make is too much" you can probably believe him.

Yet he somehow manages to keep all of his money...

Talk is cheap...

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Statistically more people are voting with their feet away from both parties and turning independent. There lies the true hope. It has become an US versus them situation where everything has to be partisanship and not let's discuss where we can meet in the middle. Radicals on the left radicals on the right

Yup. My cousin was a life-long Republican, and Press Secretary of the Dept. of Commerce during a popular Republican President's tenure. In 2016 he left the GOP and joined me in the growing minority of Unaffiliated voters.

[Tvflguy]

Lest I repeat myself...

Reductio ad absurdum - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reductio_ad_absurdum)

No need to repeat. Still, majority rules in our elections. Latin or not.

[airstreamingypsy]

There are two problems with the SCOTUS. First is life terms. And second they are answerable to no one (practically except themselves.)

Voting for them I think is not a good solution. I would prefer them to be chosen at random from justices that have a proven track record. But, I am not sure what that track record would be.

I think any Justice, who lies during their hearings, should be immediately tossed off the court.

[Tvflguy]

Yup. My cousin was a life-long Republican, and Press Secretary of the Dept. of Commerce during a popular Republican President's tenure. In 2016 he left the GOP and joined me in the growing minority of Unaffiliated voters.

Well that’s one, and you two. Btw I am an unaffiliated too. Because I vote for the person and their stands on issues and beliefs. I do not believe in herd mentality and follow either one of the two Parties like sheep.

[Tvflguy]

I think any Justice, who lies during their hearings, should be immediately tossed off the court.

And if that would apply to all politicians NONE would be left…

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Well that’s one, and you two. Btw I am an unaffiliated too. Because I vote for the person and their stands on issues and beliefs. I do not believe in herd mentality and follow either one of the two Parties like sheep.

I don't care what a person believes in. They could be personally anti-abortion, pro-gun, anti-immigration, want to do away with social security, medicare, welfare, public housing, food stamps, and want poor people to be deported to Siberia.

Their beliefs are, and should be, irrelevant. It's what they intend to act upon that matters. For example: Biden is pro-life. But as President, he supports pro-choice legislation. It's something that some people have a hard time understanding. The ability to separate your personal beliefs, from your duty to the Constitution.

As an avid roleplay gamer, this is something I understand well. The ability to separate the roleplaying from the reality. I am very much a pacifist, by nature. And yet I have no problem roleplaying a character who gets skilled up to the gills and goes out killing enemies for fun and profit. Not everyone is able to do it. My vote goes to whoever I feel will do the best job at upholding the Rule of Law, the Constitution, and support our Democratic Republic, no matter what they personally believe.

"What I want/believe" should always take a back seat to "what will uphold the Constitution, rule of law, and the Democratic Republic best" when it comes to being an elected official, in any position in this country.

[Caymus]

I think any Justice, who lies during their hearings, should be immediately tossed off the court.

depends on which side the justice upsets

[threeonemiles@outlook.com]

The largest threat to our country comes from within. (Trying to be PC). However, I do believe in FAITH OVER FEAR, and GOOD WILL TRIUMPH OVER EVIL, eventually.
Agree completely. Eventually can't come soon enough.

[JMintzer]

I think any Justice, who lies during their hearings, should be immediately tossed off the court.

Well, that would include pretty much all of them...