2016 Politics Thread - Enter At Your Own Risk - All Politics & Dumb Opinions Here

[TheHeel]

Originally Posted by JohnRyno

Hey Buddy,

You should come over.

Tonight's "Pipe Night."

Originally Posted by Clarka3

maybe, but Kansas is run by all conservatives at the state level, and they've utterly botched their budget. they gave tax cuts to the businesses and i think a 29% cut for only the TOP income tax bracket, as well as exempting some businesses and 330k farmers.

so far this is conservative trickle-down economics 101.

well, shocker, that money didn't make its way back to the state in the form of businesses hiring more workers and people spending more money.

as of April (last news I saw on the situation), he raided something like 17 mil from universities in the state, and also held back 93 million worth of pension funds of school teachers, and then another 750 mil from various highway projects.

Not only that, but to plug the gushing hole in the budget, his office proposed selling what is called the state's tobacco settlement. I'm not sure what that is exactly, but they are due to get something like 500 mil over the next few years for it, and Brownback wants to sell it for a quick one-time payment of something like 150 mil to plug this. that's not very fiscally responsible if you ask me, selling future money for pennies on the dollar now.

they DID raise sales tax a bit and raised taxes on cigarettes, which brought in some more money, but that's kind of shitty to pass the burden off of the rich and make the rank and file citizens pay more taxes for things, no?

it's so bad that even a lot of the republicans in the state offices are distancing themselves. and they hold a 75% majority, so these cuts were breezed through the legislature when Brownback proposed them. You know why they are distancing themselves? A majority of their seats are up for re-election.


this is the same tax cut strategy that was praised by republicans in other states when they were proposed and initially enacted.



edit to add- they just had their credit rating dropped from AA to AA- earlier this month. It's the second downgrade in 2 years. the great thing about the state is that the law requires a budget to be balanced, so it's not like the state is in debt (yet). the bad thing is that now that the cuts were put in, they are raiding public funds (schools, pensions, highway) to fill in the holes created by the lack of extra predicted income.


edit edit- i was wrong about kansas not being in debt. State of Kansas Debt Clock

This guy gets it.

[pgisback]

Originally Posted by cadillac540

Awww... was Trump mean and offend you?

Nah, I'm not as thin skinned as Trump. I just think he's a lying psychopath preying on the weak and dumb. Normal cult type stuff.

[TheHeel]

Originally Posted by pgisback

Nah, I'm not as thin skinned as Trump. I just think he's a lying psychopath preying on the weak and dumb. Normal cult type stuff.

I cannot believe people want him in the White House after all the nonsense. This guy will have us in a war in no time. Putin, Kim Jung Il, and Trump in the same world, at the same time will be WW3.

[Brobocop]

What is incredibly annoying to me this season is how people think either Trump is dirty or Clinton is dirty. I see people on social media proclaim their candidate is squeaky clean. The other one, might as well be the devil. I honestly think this season is seeing two incredibly dirty and sketchy candidates running. We are seeing a candidate who was nominated by running on fear and anger. We are seeing a candidate whose party basically fixed it for them to win. Neither won by proposing actual solutions, they both ran on vague ideas and blaming the other for the ills of the country. This is gross. This is disgusting. The fact that one of these people is going to become president is scary to me. I don't trust either of them. It's sad. We deserve better. In the end, we get the politicians we deserve. People claim voting third party is a waste of a vote. If everyone who said that actually voted third party, that candidate might win. People like simplicity. They like easy. Pick left or right. Blue or red. Conservative or liberal. Easy. Two choices.

Long story short, this sucks. Both Trump and Clinton are bad choices. Neither really has done anything to earn their nominations. This country is divided and isn't going to get better. I'll never lose hope for a better tomorrow. I just don't think either of these people are going to bring in that better tomorrow. As long as people refuse to compromise with the other side, this country is going to stagnate.

[pgisback]

Originally Posted by TheHeel

I cannot believe people want him in the White House after all the nonsense. This guy will have us in a war in no time. Putin, Kim Jung Il, and Trump in the same world, at the same time will be WW3.

It's unreal. I knew there was a huge degenerate, uneducated base of conservatives, but I didn't realize they would take it this far. Kind of scary that someone like Trump can instill enough fear in to our weak and dumb that they'd actually believe him. He's the most obvious lying, pos, I've ever seen. There's a reason why the educated are fleeing the Repubs this election. They're smart enough to realize who Trump actually is. A sociopath.

[TheHeel]

Originally Posted by pgisback

It's unreal. I knew there was a huge degenerate, uneducated base of conservatives, but I didn't realize they would take it this far. Kind of scary that someone like Trump can instill enough fear in to our weak and dumb that they'd actually believe him. He's the most obvious lying, pos, I've ever seen. There's a reason why the educated are fleeing the Repubs this election. They're smart enough to realize who Trump actually is. A sociopath.

Out of the 16, 17 candidates the GOP had, none of them were any good. A case can be made for Kasich but other than him, they are all bums. In particular, the nominee.

Trump feeds the masses lines of BS. I am not a Hillary fan but she knows her stuff.

[pgisback]

Originally Posted by TheHeel

Out of the 16, 17 candidates the GOP had, none of them were any good. A case can be made for Kasich but other than him, they are all bums. In particular, the nominee.

Trump feeds the masses lines of BS. I am not a Hillary fan but she knows her stuff.

I actually like Rubio, Kasich, Bush, Christie, and Jindal. Would also take a Ryan or Romney ticket. Trump is literally the worst candidate you can pick. And 60% of Republicans did not choose him. He simply monopolized the uneducated vote and they carried him.

[TheHeel]

Originally Posted by pgisback

I actually like Rubio, Kasich, Bush, Christie, and Jindal. Would also take a Ryan or Romney ticket. Trump is literally the worst candidate you can pick. And 60% of Republicans did not choose him. He simply monopolized the uneducated vote and they carried him.

Noooo.....they were all horrendous besides Kasich. Christie is right next to Trump. He is a horrible human being.

[pgisback]

Originally Posted by TheHeel

Noooo.....they were all horrendous besides Kasich. Christie is right next to Trump. He is a horrible human being.

Christie sold out. I liked him before he kneeled to Trump. Not sure why he did it. But Kasich was my favorite. And I'd vote for Hillary over anyone of those but Romney if he ran. Romney faced the beast known as Obama. No one was gonna beat him. No one today could beat him.

[TheHeel]

Originally Posted by pgisback

Christie sold out. I liked him before he kneeled to Trump. Not sure why he did it. But Kasich was my favorite. And I'd vote for Hillary over anyone of those but Romney if he ran. Romney faced the beast known as Obama. No one was gonna beat him. No one today could beat him.

Christie is a complete POS. He has destroyed NJ.

Obama will go down as one of the best ever.

[duron]

Originally Posted by Brobocop

Long story short, this sucks. Both Trump and Clinton are bad choices. Neither really has done anything to earn their nominations. This country is divided and isn't going to get better. I'll never lose hope for a better tomorrow. I just don't think either of these people are going to bring in that better tomorrow. As long as people refuse to compromise with the other side, this country is going to stagnate.

Well that's always been the very problem, no? As long as people believe that better tomorrow will be spurred on by politicians, we're screwed. Morale does not equal justice.

[chezball]

Originally Posted by TheHeel

Christie is a complete POS. He has destroyed NJ.

Obama will go down as one of the best ever.

ding ding ding on christie, he owes the pensions 134 billion which is 4x the state budget.

[pgisback]

Originally Posted by TheHeel

Christie is a complete POS. He has destroyed NJ.

Obama will go down as one of the best ever.

Just imagine how incredible his Presidency could have been if he didn't have to deal with the most destructive and disgraceful Republican lead Congress in American history. For him to keep his cool and remain a leader despite the complete obstruction Republicans were doing is amazing. Republicans in Congress pretty much committed treason. I'm going to miss him.

[jcardstore]

I can't believe some people stayed up all night to post in this thread... Lol must be nice to not have any responsibilities. Luckily school starts up again soon...

[TheHeel]

Originally Posted by jcardstore

I can't believe some people stayed up all night to post in this thread... Lol must be nice to not have any responsibilities. Luckily school starts up again soon...

Not everyone works 9-5 M-F

[jcardstore]

Not everybody stays up all night to repeat the same thing over and over again in a political thread on BO, either. Lol

[pgisback]

Originally Posted by jcardstore

Not everybody stays up all night to repeat the same thing over and over again in a political thread on BO, either. Lol

Get to work. My Obamaphone doesn't pay for itself!!

[jrinne17]

Originally Posted by pgisback

Christie sold out. I liked him before he kneeled to Trump. Not sure why he did it. But Kasich was my favorite. And I'd vote for Hillary over anyone of those but Romney if he ran. Romney faced the beast known as Obama. No one was gonna beat him. No one today could beat him.

As I have said before, Kasich is the reason we have Trump as the nominee. Not that Cruz was better but at least he understood politics. For me this isn't an election for President but an election for the Supreme Court.

[jcardstore]

Originally Posted by pgisback

Get to work. My Obamaphone doesn't pay for itself!!

At least I've got a career lmaooooooo

[JohnRyno]

The morning news shows are exploiting the San Diego shooting, which is barely 6 hours old, as political currency. Cool beans, journalism.

[jcardstore]

Originally Posted by JohnRyno

The morning news shows are exploiting the San Diego shooting, which is barely 6 hours old, as political currency. Cool beans, journalism.

Par for the course

[TheHeel]

Originally Posted by jcardstore

Not everybody stays up all night to repeat the same thing over and over again in a political thread on BO, either. Lol

Some use their employer's time.

[JosieD]

Trump may have a well thought out, nicely written platform but he seems to not have been able to make up his mind where he stands on things within the last 7 to 8 months. That is concerning to me. Being President doesn't mean doing what is popular, it means doing what is right for our country even if you have to look like a bad guy. It is a lot like parenting. You can't be your child's friend. You have to be his/her protector, the voice of reason, and help guide them to make the right decisions on their own. I didn't always agree with the choices my parents made but looking back most of them were in my best interest. This man simply isn't qualified to run our country. He talks a big game but he has no way to back it up. If he did, he wouldn't change his stance so many times in such a short time frame. This does not mean I am voting for Hilary. I will be carefully looking into her next.

A Brief History of Donald Trump?s Stance on Gun Rights

Despite these recent statements on the campaign trail, Americans might remember that Trump wasn’t always such a strong supporter of gun ownership. Before he was a presidential contender, he called out Republicans who “walk the NRA line” and “refuse even limited restrictions” on firearms laws, in his 2000 book, The America We Deserve.

A Full List of Donald Trump's Rapidly Changing Policy Positions - NBC News

ABORTION

1. Criminalize women who have abortions.

Though Trump said in 1999 that he was "very pro-choice," Trump has consistently claimed that he's against abortion, except for in cases of rape, incest, or to save the mother's life, since starting his bid last June.

But during an exclusive interview with MSNBC's Chris Matthews just after 1 p.m., Trump struggled to define his views on abortion aside from describing himself as "pro-life." When continually pressed for how he'd handle women who violated a theoretical ban on abortion, Trump said the "answer is that there has to be some form of punishment, yeah."

2. Let the states decide what to do about criminalizing abortion.

At 3:36 p.m., Trump put out a statement saying the issue is "unclear and should be put back into the states for determination."

3. Never mind. Don't punish the women.

He fully walked back his position that women should be punished for violating a theoretical abortion ban 80 minutes later, releasing a statement saying "the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman. The woman is a victim in this case as is the life in her womb."

Current position: Ban abortion. Women won't be criminalized.


“I generally oppose gun control, but I support the ban on assault weapons and I also support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun,” he wrote. At the time of his book’s publication, the real estate mogul was considering a bid for the presidency but hadn’t declared his intention to run.

In April 2015, 15 years later and two months before he entered the presidential race, Trump changed his tune, telling those gathered at the NRA’s forum, “I love the NRA. I love the Second Amendment.”

At that event, he forcefully declared his political support for the organization. “I promise you one thing, if I run for president and if I win, the Second Amendment will be totally protected, that I can tell you,” he said.

[Brobocop]

Originally Posted by pgisback

Just imagine how incredible his Presidency could have been if he didn't have to deal with the most destructive and disgraceful Republican lead Congress in American history. For him to keep his cool and remain a leader despite the complete obstruction Republicans were doing is amazing. Republicans in Congress pretty much committed treason. I'm going to miss him.

To be fair, the Republicans were elected in mass by the people to do what they ended up doing, nothing. Calling it treason is a bit ridiculous. I don't agree with what they did either though. I think compromise is key when you have a two party system. I think the current state of politics is a reflection is us. Point the finger at the other side and claim our side is infallible. This post is a perfect example of it. Obama is the greatest, Obama is the worst, Trump is the solution, Trump is a crazy man, Clinton is perfect, Clinton is a crook, on and on we go. It's somewhere in the middle. Obama is not the greatest, but he isn't the worst. Trump is not the solution but he isn't some crazy guy. Clinton is not perfect but she isn't anymore of a crook than most any other politician.

A lot of the problems this country faces can be blamed on both parties. Neither party is perfect and both are filled with people who have the main goal of just being reelected. Without term limits, that becomes the main goal, stay in power. Not do the most you can with what time you have. They become out of touch, so even if they did want to help, how could they?

I think we will continue to see stagnation for the next four years. Nothing will get done. Even if Democrats got a majority in either house, or heck, both, you'd still have Representatives and Senators holding out until they get theirs. Pretty sure you saw that with the ACA which was passed under a majority Democrat rule.

Here is my wish list:
1. Both parties agree to compromise.
2. Bills are no longer than ten pages in length.
3. If you want to filibuster than you should have to take the floor and actually filibuster.
4. Enact terms limits, 3 elections for the House, 2 for the Senate.
5. Public approval ratings have an effect on Representative and Senator pay.
6. Can no longer vote present on any vote, either a yes or a no vote only.

Probably more than that, but I think this would be a good start.

[jcardstore]

Originally Posted by TheHeel

Some use their employer's time.

Sooo, let me get this straight. You took time off 1 or 2 days who knows and you spent your time staying up all night to post here? Lol to each his own I suppose