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Nov 09: An Outsider's Perspective on US Politics
9 years ago
█ I live in Canadia Land, so I certainly didn't feel it was my place to offer my opinion on the American election before it took place, so I'm doing it after the fact. Politics is one of the three social landmines (the others being sex and religion) and I certainly didn't want engage in the vitriol that would inevitably happen if I did express any opinion towards it. Heck, there's a good chance that it'll happen with this journal despite it being after the fact.
For me I like being objective, and I do my best to park my emotions at the door when thinking on emotionally charged issues (not that I'm always successful mind you, I'm still just human); and I enjoy deconstructing complicated things, because I do want to know why things happen: The why things tick.
Which of course leads me to why things happened the way they did, and what the bigger picture was. So what's the bigger picture? One big chunk is the approval rating of congress which usually is less than 10%, this is a big sign of how much the government is failing people, and of how much people utterly despise the establishment. I don't think people realize what an abysmal number that is, nor what the consequences of that number are either. (Though I suppose it maybe hitting some people squarely in the face now).
Another chunk is around 50% of Americans are poor or in poverty, and they don't see things getting better. You hear news of how the economy has recovered, but that hasn't benefited normal people at all. Many people are stuck with minimum-wage jobs if they're lucky, others have to work in multiple part-time jobs, and others don't have a job at all; and this situation is just getting worse and worse.
Yet another chunk of this picture is that around 67% of Americans do not trust the media. What people see is all filtered and in coded language. Instead of direct language everything is euphemisms and half-truths, if not straight up lies. Additionally this also means that the average person does not have a voice. The media also has been a huge failure at giving the average person a voice. This can be seen with how Occupy Wallstreet was handled as an example, or hell the Standing Rock protests currently happening.
This is the big picture: You have a country who's citizens are struggling to make ends meet, who do not have a voice in the government, and who have media that is utterly failing them. This reality has shaped American politics for at least the past decade.
Will the President of the USA change any of those elements of the big picture for the better? What President in recent US history has? In the past 16 years the USA had two very different Presidents, but did anything improve for the average person? As far as I can tell: Nothing did, and really things appear to be progressively getting worse and worse each year that passes. It's not to say that there haven't been some victories: Marijuana is getting closer and closer to being legalized, and equality of rights is still progressing forward; but everything else? Doesn't look like it.
Perhaps the most unfortunate thing of all is that there's a good chance that the American people will turn against themselves rather than stand up to the government that is failing them on so many levels, and will continue to fail them for the foreseeable future. The outrage or the jubilation people are experiencing from the outcome of this election in the end only serves to distract from the underlying problems: Just as it has done every election in the past.
Your government is horribly corrupt, and it doesn't matter what political stripe you wear; you know who's doing the corrupting, and it's certainly not the minorities.
█ I might regret posting this journal, but I'm willing to accept the consequences of it. Though who knew that the Cubs winning really was a sign of the apocalypse!
For me I like being objective, and I do my best to park my emotions at the door when thinking on emotionally charged issues (not that I'm always successful mind you, I'm still just human); and I enjoy deconstructing complicated things, because I do want to know why things happen: The why things tick.
Which of course leads me to why things happened the way they did, and what the bigger picture was. So what's the bigger picture? One big chunk is the approval rating of congress which usually is less than 10%, this is a big sign of how much the government is failing people, and of how much people utterly despise the establishment. I don't think people realize what an abysmal number that is, nor what the consequences of that number are either. (Though I suppose it maybe hitting some people squarely in the face now).
Another chunk is around 50% of Americans are poor or in poverty, and they don't see things getting better. You hear news of how the economy has recovered, but that hasn't benefited normal people at all. Many people are stuck with minimum-wage jobs if they're lucky, others have to work in multiple part-time jobs, and others don't have a job at all; and this situation is just getting worse and worse.
Yet another chunk of this picture is that around 67% of Americans do not trust the media. What people see is all filtered and in coded language. Instead of direct language everything is euphemisms and half-truths, if not straight up lies. Additionally this also means that the average person does not have a voice. The media also has been a huge failure at giving the average person a voice. This can be seen with how Occupy Wallstreet was handled as an example, or hell the Standing Rock protests currently happening.
This is the big picture: You have a country who's citizens are struggling to make ends meet, who do not have a voice in the government, and who have media that is utterly failing them. This reality has shaped American politics for at least the past decade.
Will the President of the USA change any of those elements of the big picture for the better? What President in recent US history has? In the past 16 years the USA had two very different Presidents, but did anything improve for the average person? As far as I can tell: Nothing did, and really things appear to be progressively getting worse and worse each year that passes. It's not to say that there haven't been some victories: Marijuana is getting closer and closer to being legalized, and equality of rights is still progressing forward; but everything else? Doesn't look like it.
Perhaps the most unfortunate thing of all is that there's a good chance that the American people will turn against themselves rather than stand up to the government that is failing them on so many levels, and will continue to fail them for the foreseeable future. The outrage or the jubilation people are experiencing from the outcome of this election in the end only serves to distract from the underlying problems: Just as it has done every election in the past.
Your government is horribly corrupt, and it doesn't matter what political stripe you wear; you know who's doing the corrupting, and it's certainly not the minorities.
█ I might regret posting this journal, but I'm willing to accept the consequences of it. Though who knew that the Cubs winning really was a sign of the apocalypse!
If others dont like what they read they can just ignore this. You have a big point as I to share this as outsider ^^
Love your view on it, hard points :D
I love Canadians ^^
Can I be a Canadian QwQ
I love winter! \(^^)/
Hillary is a disaster and thank god she's not in charge of us now. Trump being so far an outsider to the political system might be what we need. Our founding fathers after all weren't politicians, they had other jobs, they took office and lead because they truly wanted to help the country get it's start.
The biggest reason I voted for Hillery was the simple fact that... She can breach the Congressional red tape a lot easier then Trump can and can in turn actually do something. Her email scandal? The ones the where everyone didn't do their job? Including the FBI for not labeling emails as *Classified* or *Top Secret*. How about the Clinton foundation who sold the Canadian Uranium mine to Russia? That was also signed by what... 6 different, independent agencies? These things are bad, but not nearly as bad as Trump.
Also the emails where cleared hun. The FBI has been through that already.
Let me touch back on the pedophilia though.... Are you talking about the case she had to take in the 70s? Before Bill held public offices, before she was an attorney general? You know just a normal lawyer. That case had her court appointed to the man. That means she was forced to defend him. As in had no choice. And she had to defend him to the best of her ability, which she did and got him from serving maximum time. That was her job. Unpleasant as it may have been to go through.
Is Hillary a pure angel? No she isn't. But can you really support Trump? I mean really? I mentioned the cracks in his character. How about the 6 bankruptcies he had? Does that inspire confidence? How about his $10k purchase of a quarterback helmet, with charity funds. How about his tax returns that we still don't know? Do not paint Trump as anything less then a bigoted conartist. I weep for the LGBT community and the minoities who now have to fear their president. He's already been clear on trying to get rid of gay marriage, take gay spouse rights away, and making abortion illegal again. He wants to take RIGHTS away. I don't know how anyone can support that.
The FBI thing, it's not that she was cleared, there were definitely classified e-mails there. That, and that alone is a crime, there are men in Ft. Leavenworth right now for having ONE unsecured document. But the Justice Department was not going to let Hillary be prosecuted.
Come January, charges could still be filed. She's not "Cleared".
As for the Pedo, no, we're not talking about the girl she destroyed to get a pedophile rapist off the hook, no, we're talking about Jeffery Epstein.
(And as for calling Trump a Bigot, remember he bought a Country Club that excluded Blacks and Jews, and forced them to integrate. Not exactly the move of a racist bigot. It's just a Clinton Campaign talking point. Nobody ever called him a bigot or racist until he announced his candidacy, even though he's been in the public eye for 30+ years. If you believe it, then you've been lied to and swallowed it uncritically.)
Arms dealing - to whom? This kinda makes me more ehhh then any of the other two.
Murderer - you are thinking of ted cruz, the zodiak killer.
DNC Wikileaks operative Murder number 2
If she did, ... i unno that makes me kind of respect her more rather than less?
personally I do not put to much merit into it though a few are rather odd timings. hence the conspiracy theory exits.
I am not sure exactly what is in your imagination that makes you so afraid of Donald Trump, but I assure you it won't be nearly as bad as you think. Be of good cheer, enjoy your day to day life, and allow things to fall where they may. You may find that over time, your views about your President might change.
Glad you're so lucky as to be a straight white male then, that you can not care at all about this outcome.
And really, you can't just go and do that kind of stuff because they just want a piece of you, and if they can't get it by kissing up to you, they'll turn around and sue you.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/21673627/
The Norks aren't even close to being a threat. Especially to a place like Montreal.
But If actually US army move away/ignore global conflict like our contry, it's gonna get bad. Really bad.
That means allow to North Korea have more aggressive option.
This brings us to where we are now... Trump is not liked by anyone, but the only argument I see from people is "He'll make the economy better!" Except... over 50% of our taxes go into welfare programs or medical subsidies for the poor. While these things are good in a broad sense, they restrict growth and encourages backward thinking. These things need reform, badly. Besides that, our government needs to be stripped down, from the local level to the highest point. A progress that should take decades, but should start as soon as possible. In terms of finances... people fail to realize that Trump doesn't announce the budget. Congress gives Trump a list to do, if Trump doesn't follow the list he can be impeached because it's literally against the law. If Congress doesn't like Trump (which the abandonment of his party is evident that they don't) it means they can just force him into plans that compromise his greatest asset... his business platform. Thus it blows up in his face and things crumble.
I don't think things will get better... I think the best course of action is inaction. The free Market can handle itself. It always has. If anything government intervention has only made things worse. People don't see this simple truth though.
Hopefully this makes some kinda sense... It's 5am and I haven't slept yet... Let me do that now...
And to be absolutely honest with ya, we we're skrewed the moment Bernie Sanders skrewed us over and got skrewed over...
At the end of it. I just didn't want to vote for who the literal Nazis and KKK members voted for.
As for flipping on ideals, and opinions. Those change over time. I was sure that the moon was made of cheese, and touching gay people would give you AIDS. Then I was educated, and learned that gay people aren't monsters, but some pretty awesome folk. And the moon is rocks. My opinion changed, and I'm sure that works for other people as well.
Maybe its time to move to Canada! >.<
I'm just gonna... spend the next several days listening to a combination of SoaD, RAtM, Anti-Flag and Sepultura.
Bill Clinton raised taxes and cut spending to start paying off the national debt. If the federal government actually tried to find where the money is being wasted so they could fix it, that would be a start.
Now I'm aware that technically there were other candidates, but seriously, it all ends up to choose between the Republicans or the Democrats, who are each gonna come up with only ONE candidate eventually (who voted for DEEZNUTS anyway?).
I find this very limiting for a country as big and influential as the USA, in fact during this elections many people felt like having to vote "for the lesser evil" and that is just bad
The solution to this problem is to create a voting system where you can rank your candidates based on preference, so it still comes down to 2 candidates but you vote counts for one of those two regardless. IE, the classic system from elementary school. "Vote if you want to play any of these" "Who wants to play kickball?" "Who wants to play dodgeball?" "Who wants to play basketball?"
Many of the people over the world changed their opinion about americans after the election because everyone see that not all of americans are brainwashed fools who totally trusting the "mass media" since the guy who had no support in goverment and was totally suppressed in TV-programs still won the election... And he promised to build up the good relations with all the countries which want be friends with USA, and he said that he will be the president for every american, so you just have to wait and if something went wrong - i don't think that he have no soul to build up a dictatorship (but Klinton, probably, already planned this long time ago)...
So we in Russia are looking forward to restore totally ruined friendship between our countries, don't fuck up this chance xD
https://youtu.be/qxsQ7jJJcEA
tl;dw- Voters.
Even in our low period, the US still has enough to move forward. Streets constantly being repaved, schools being built or upgraded, renewable energy systems replacing old outdated ones. Life is good in America. You cannot compare the economy of this country to, let say, Canada... where as the state of California has MUCH MUCH more people living in it than the entire country of Canada. Not to mention that the majority of business that exist in Canada is thanks to the US. Some say it is symbiotic.... personally, I see it more parasitic. Though that is my opinion. Don't even get me started on China and the United Arab Emirates. The US has too many umbilical cords to many countries in spending. Everyone relies on US business.
I truly believe that the majority of folks whom cast their vote against Hillary, based their vote as being one against Obama. Folks whom are upset at the fact that he, along with SCOTUS, passed laws that went against the decision of the people, and failed to meet the promises to "bring peace and freedom", end wars, and basically make everyone's wildest dreams come true.
Call me bigoted if you will, but I was and still stand against:
- Healthcare Reform. Too expensive, and companies often find loopholes around this anyway. The middle class pay the price in the end. somebody's gotta pay for "Free Healthcare".
- Legalization of Marijuana. Man... there is going to be more dumb-ass drivers on the road.
- Churches forced to marry same-sex couples. I am not religious, nor am I really into politics, but separation of church and state also means the state cannot force the church to do anything against its teachings. Civil marriages... sure. Marriages in a church should not be forced. Find a church that will marry same-sex couples, rather than forcing them to.
- ILLEGAL Immigration Reform (I believe this will be Obama's last act on the country). I am absolutely for Immigration of folks from other countries coming to the US.... LEGALLY. My mom did it. Though racing to that border to cross that line does not make you a US citizen. And I am not just talking about illegals from Mexico... I am also including those from the north... from your land. Yes, they exist.
In the end, people do not leave the US... they flock to it. In the land of supposed so-little you say, we sure do have a lot to give... and the opportunity to improve. You just have to be willing to work for it.
I like you as an artist... but I disagree on your political point of view. Then again, you have to look at our countries differences. America, born out of rebellion. Canada.... eh, well, they just eventually said "we want our own name", but you know who is still in charge in the end (who is on the face of your coins paper money?).
I honestly hope that the celebrities whom claimed to say they would move out of the US keep their word. I REALLY despise Miley Cyrus.
In then end, I agree to disagree. Besides, Trump is just a celebrity anyway. I expect these next four years just to... happen.
I thought to myself.... Yep, Apocalypse.
Then I thought, how many times have Sam and Dean either caused an apocalypse or narrowly avoided it and still caused issues?
Meh. I'm just glad I live in a place that won't get hit by the nukes when SkyNet takes over.