Elections 2012

[Rosemary]

I don't know much about American politics, but I must admit I find it very strange that in the final run of the elections it is between two men/parties. To me that is not a democracy in the true sense of the word. As it stands now, the population votes for, in their eyes, the 'lesser of the two evils', not necessarily someone they put their faith and trust in.

On the other hand ( to the extreme) we, in our last election, if I remember correctly, had 25 parties on the ballot papers, and approximately 11 parties ended up with seats in Parliament. Seems ridiculous I know, but seeing as the government is elected by the people, they have the right to say who they want in government. We have such a diverse population, it would be impossible to expect us to vote for one, of two parties in the running. Hope that makes sense

[LittleLuka]

since the flip flop picture was posted i believe this is appropriate .... it's all in good fun...

[Jay]

I don't know much about American politics, but I must admit I find it very strange that in the final run of the elections it is between two men/parties. To me that is not a democracy in the true sense of the word. As it stands now, the population votes for, in their eyes, the 'lesser of the two evils', not necessarily someone they put their faith and trust in.

On the other hand ( to the extreme) we, in our last election, if I remember correctly, had 25 parties on the ballot papers, and approximately 11 parties ended up with seats in Parliament. Seems ridiculous I know, but seeing as the government is elected by the people, they have the right to say who they want in government. We have such a diverse population, it would be impossible to expect us to vote for one, of two parties in the running. Hope that makes sense

I kind of wish that it was like that in the US as well. Here, you basically have 2 parties, however in those 2 parties there is some diversity. For example in the Democratic party there are those who are socially conservative (pro-life, anti-gay marriage, pro-gun, pro-death penalty), and those who are socially liberal.

Also we not only vote for a president, but we also elect representatives to the Legislature (state and federal) as well.

Anyway, I think we need more political parties in America, it would keep politicians more independent.

[Jay]

okay out of all the states there are some that always go republican. MS, TN, AR, southern states basically... Then there are some that always go democrat. MA, NY, NJ, northern states basically. Then there are swing states which could vote either way OH, FL, NV, etc.

I feel the exact opposite, i could never vote for such a liberal party. You have to understand by growing up in the south that Democrats are against everything i was raised up by. Sometimes i feel like our country is still so separated and i'm not sure it will ever change. I do agree that there should be more than 2 major parties but highly doubtful that will ever happen. As a member of the republican party i do agree that we will have to loosen up on social issues or we're never going to win again. The world is a different place now, people don't care about right vs. wrong just what's easier.

I agree with you with the fact that Republicans do need to loosen up on social issues. I am a Democrat, and the core reason for that is social issues. I don't agree with my party on every single issue (mainly fiscal ones), but until Republican politicians realize that we are a diverse nation, I could not bring myself to vote for a Rep. president, governor, etc.

Even though I am a Dem, I did vote for a few Rep. in the local elections here. I live in a very Conservative state (Indiana), but the county I live in is 70% Democrat.

[Jay]

Sorry but, what's a 'swing state'?

Yeah, I heard about that too...that the 'minority' is quickly becoming a majority of the population.

Personally, if I were in the states I would be siding towards the Democrats. They remind me of the Liberal Party in Canada, and the Republicans remind me of the Conservative Party of Canada. (Which, by the way, our current prime minister is a Conservative and I hate his guts. He's such a tool.)

Besides, the Conservatives over here have done so much to hamper Canada's potential. Cancelled the Avro Arrow program, scrapped all of our jet and moon lander programs and plans, sold Alaska for a measly few million, allowed our workers for Avro to go over to the states to work for NASA, and etc. If I could find Diefenbaker's grave, I would destroy the tombstone.

Personally, I think the U.S needs another party or two, because I think the 2 parties right now are major extremes of each other. It doesn't help the voter, especially if they don't like either of the candidates. At least, over here, you can vote for the NDP or the Green party instead of not voting at all. (NDP is more for worker's rights and unions, but the last time they won the election the country took a crap. The 'Green' party is all about legalizing pot, and gets only 5% of the country's total votes every federal election... but they didn't even get a seat in the house of commons (sort of like your senate) this time.

“Swing States” basically means it is competitive. Because we don’t elect the president by popular vote, it goes by state. If you live in a state that is split close to 50/50 for the Republican and Democrat, such as Virginia, Colorado and Ohio then you live in a “swing state”

You are also correct that the Republican party is similar to your Conservative Party, and the Democratic Party is similar to the Liberal party

[jmscott]

We can actually vote for other candidates, but the 2 parties are the big ones and get the most money to get their names in the press.

Mitt Romney was a TERRIBLE candidate, and even a good number of Republicans had a facepalm moments when he was elected for the Republican ticket. If they had put up a stronger, steadier, candidate, I guarantee Obama would have been trampled in the elections.

since the flip flop picture was posted i believe this is appropriate .... it's all in good fun...

lol nice

[Jay]

I agree with you. Given the state of the economy and everything that was going on, Obama should have been easy to beat. Last year at this time I would have put money on Obama loosing. In fact, no Democratic president since LBJ has won a second term with unemployment as his as it is. Looking at the field of candidates in the Republican primary, I don’t think any of them would have been able to do it. Romney probably had the best chance of all of them in my opinion. Santorum was too conservative for the general population, Newt….well he just had way too much baggage, Rick Perry…not smart enough, Bachman…too wacko. If someone like Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, or Mitch Daniels would have ran I think they could have had a good chance of winning against Obama.

[jmscott]

Jeb Bush doesn't have a chance after all that his brother threw us into.

[LittleLuka]

I agree with you with the fact that Republicans do need to loosen up on social issues. I am a Democrat, and the core reason for that is social issues. I don't agree with my party on every single issue (mainly fiscal ones), but until Republican politicians realize that we are a diverse nation, I could not bring myself to vote for a Rep. president, governor, etc.

Even though I am a Dem, I did vote for a few Rep. in the local elections here. I live in a very Conservative state (Indiana), but the county I live in is 70% Democrat.

until Democratic politicians realize that not all of us think everything should be handed out for free, I could not bring myself to vote for any Democrat. It goes both ways and that's why our 2 parties will never be able to compromise. There is no in-between... I live in the south (which by the way is still much poorer than the north) yet we all almost always vote Republican. The north always votes democratic. Even though the Civil War is over I still think it's divided by the North and South. Which is quite sad if you think about it considering it's 2012.

Everyone considers the south rednecks who are probably missing teeth. That's not the case, it's just we are raised on different values and principles than up north. We still say yes mam, yes sir. God is supposed to come before anything else which makes it hard to vote pro-choice and allow gay marriage in my opinion. Not saying i agree with all of these issues, just letting you know why it's that way. We're not just all stuck in the past, it's how we live down here. Since it's so poor you see way more people on welfare. It's not a surprise we feel that way considering that red states have a higher majority on welfare.

Overall, I don't see anything getting better over the next 4 years. Obama will continue to make a bunch of promises that he can't fulfill provided that he is just one man. Not that Romney was a great choice either. I just sometimes feel like I'm slowly losing pride in my country, It disgusts me the way people are becoming.

Also, Not sure why people are threatening to move to Canada. LOL, They have a universal healthcare system as well. It makes me giggle how uneducated people are.

[LittleLuka]

Jeb Bush doesn't have a chance after all that his brother threw us into.

Blaming everything on Bush is getting SO old. After 2016 Obama will no longer be able to use that as a valid excuse.

[jmscott]

Not blaming him, just saying that the american public is probably going to be uncertain about letting another bush take office. Granted it will depend on the others in the running for the office.

[Jay]

I don’t think that everyone considers the south rednecks. Yes it is a different culture and people are different no matter where you go. I don’t generalize people in certain areas, it depends on the individual.

I also don’t believe that all Democratic politicians think everything should be handed out for free. I DO believe that there needs to be a safety net, and as citizens we should care for the poor and elderly, but I also don’t think that people should be able to live off the government if they are able to get off their lazy butts and get a job. In the area I live in we have a city that has A LOT of poorer citizens (Gary, IN), so I see quite a bit of people living off welfare that are completely able to work. The problem is that it is easier to sit back and collect a check, and those people who abuse the system should be cut off. The problem with doing that is that you would need to increase the amount of government workers to follow up on that, or do away with it all together and have an increase of homeless and crime. There is no easy fix for that.

I’m all for fiscal responsibility, and I think that is the issue I have with politicians in my own party. What I don’t understand about some Republican politicians is that they preach that they want the government out of people’s lives, unless it goes against what they believe, i.e. abortion, gay rights, etc.

[LittleLuka]

I don’t think that everyone considers the south rednecks. Yes it is a different culture and people are different no matter where you go. I don’t generalize people in certain areas, it depends on the individual.

I also don’t believe that all Democratic politicians think everything should be handed out for free. I DO believe that there needs to be a safety net, and as citizens we should care for the poor and elderly, but I also don’t think that people should be able to live off the government if they are able to get off their lazy butts and get a job. In the area I live in we have a city that has A LOT of poorer citizens (Gary, IN), so I see quite a bit of people living off welfare that are completely able to work. The problem is that it is easier to sit back and collect a check, and those people who abuse the system should be cut off. The problem with doing that is that you would need to increase the amount of government workers to follow up on that, or do away with it all together and have an increase of homeless and crime. There is no easy fix for that.

I’m all for fiscal responsibility, and I think that is the issue I have with politicians in my own party. What I don’t understand about some Republican politicians is that they preach that they want the government out of people’s lives, unless it goes against what they believe, i.e. abortion, gay rights, etc.

Gary, IN? We service a Con-way Freight there for my job. haha

I don't agree that the government should pay for abortion. I'm all for women having the choice, that's their decision. I may not agree with it personally but I don't have the right to tell someone how to live their life. But I do think i should have a say about my tax dollars providing it.

[Jay]

Gary, IN? We service a Con-way Freight there for my job. haha

I don't agree that the government should pay for abortion. I'm all for women having the choice, that's their decision. I may not agree with it personally but I don't have the right to tell someone how to live their life. But I do think i should have a say about my tax dollars providing it.

Yeah, I live about 15 minutes south of Gary.

If you are talking about the federal health care bill, it was a Democrat that put explicit provisions in the bill to prohibit the government from using federal dollars to fund abortions, except in the case of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is in danger. The law also gives the states the option to opt-out of the provision that covers abortions only in those three scenarios.

I happen to believe that a man should not be passing laws telling what a woman can and cannot do, however I support the bill that prohibits federal dollars to fund elective abortions.

[Elyse]

Also, Not sure why people are threatening to move to Canada. LOL, They have a universal healthcare system as well. It makes me giggle how uneducated people are.

Is that the main reason people want to move up here? ROFL!!!

That's extremely ironic, seeing as most Canadians up here actually support Obama! They would not like what we have up here! Free health care, gay marriage has been legal for something like 7 years (4th country in the world to do so), our immigration laws are really lax so there are different races and cultures everywhere you look.

We also don't allow the possession of guns, unless you have a complicated-to-get-license...which most people don't have. We're not very violent up here, eh?

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/11/07/moving-to-canada-obama_n_2088095.html

Edited November 8, 2012 by SolitaryHowl

[LittleLuka]

Yeah, I live about 15 minutes south of Gary.

If you are talking about the federal health care bill, it was a Democrat that put explicit provisions in the bill to prohibit the government from using federal dollars to fund abortions, except in the case of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is in danger. The law also gives the states the option to opt-out of the provision that covers abortions only in those three scenarios.

I happen to believe that a man should not be passing laws telling what a woman can and cannot do, however I support the bill that prohibits federal dollars to fund elective abortions.

Interesting! Never been up there, I go to Pittsburgh and that's about it as far as up north. Love that city, would love to move there one day!

No i'm just talking about something that has been argued time and time again. Just like I'm fine with the government providing free birth control because ultimately we are preventing more children to be added to welfare. However I will say that I believe if you choose to need birth control you should accept the financial risks that come along with it, which most don't.

I don't support the federal health care bill though. I don't see how it can improve our health system, only harm it. Not to mention, we can't even afford it. We're already in so much debt as it is.

[LittleLuka]

Is that the main reason people want to move up here? ROFL!!!

That's extremely ironic, seeing as most Canadians up here actually support Obama! They would not like what we have up here! Free health care, gay marriage has been legal for something like 7 years (4th country in the world to do so), our immigration laws are really lax so there are different races and cultures everywhere you look.

We also don't allow the possession of guns, unless you have a complicated-to-get-license...which most people don't have. We're not very violent up here, eh?

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/11/07/moving-to-canada-obama_n_2088095.html

lol sadly yes. ignorant people. no offense, but i'm not interested in moving to Canada. If i leave the country i'm headed to the Cayman Islands. lol

Guns can cause problems but so many thugs have them I don't think i would feel safe not having one in my house. You break into my house and threaten my well-being well sorry but you're getting shot. If you're not a thief you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

[Jay]

You should come to Chicago sometime! It is an awesome city, so much to do! We are only about a 30 minute drive from downtown too.

[LittleLuka]

You should come to Chicago sometime! It is an awesome city, so much to do! We are only about a 30 minute drive from downtown too.

I've heard that! My mom loved Chicago when she went there for a business meeting a couple years back. I want to do some major traveling soon. If i can find the time haha

[Jay]

I've heard that! My mom loved Chicago when she went there for a business meeting a couple years back. I want to do some major traveling soon. If i can find the time haha

On a side note FYI I wish more people could express their views like you have in this thread, which is respectful of other’s views and stating your positions in ways that are not offensive. There are way too many people who post nasty things on facebook or twitter, being hateful, etc. If we could all be more like this it would be a much better place!

[Elyse]

lol sadly yes. ignorant people. no offense, but i'm not interested in moving to Canada. If i leave the country i'm headed to the Cayman Islands. lol

Guns can cause problems but so many thugs have them I don't think i would feel safe not having one in my house. You break into my house and threaten my well-being well sorry but you're getting shot. If you're not a thief you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

None taken!

Yeah, that's the problem, its really had to enforce some type of gun control when citizens are used to owning guns 'freely' ever since the U.S was founded. If you start out with gun control, it wouldn't be as hard because people don't have guns to start with.

Of course, gun control laws aren't going to matter to you if you're a criminal. You'll just get a gun anyways. That's why I steer clear of all the big cities (anything over 500,000 is considered a huge city here...) because there's way more crime.

(Interesting fact: put 4 or 5 New York cities together and you have the population of Canada...around 38 million)

And, yes, I agree...you've been very respectful and helpful!

[Removed #5]

I would not have dared make some of the comments I did, nor phrased them the way I did on some of the other places I've been known to "hang out". Almost without exception people here are able to express opinions without fear of a flame war!

As far as Canada goes, been there, done that (( I like Canada, it's just too blasted COLD!!! )) If I leave the States - and I have and do consider it a possibility - it'll be to head south.

Just to throw a real twist into the conversation what do you all think of Jeb Bush -vs- Hillary Clinton in 2016?????

Edited November 8, 2012 by Al Jones

[LittleLuka]

None taken!

Yeah, that's the problem, its really had to enforce some type of gun control when citizens are used to owning guns 'freely' ever since the U.S was founded. If you start out with gun control, it wouldn't be as hard because people don't have guns to start with.

Of course, gun control laws aren't going to matter to you if you're a criminal. You'll just get a gun anyways. That's why I steer clear of all the big cities (anything over 500,000 is considered a huge city here...) because there's way more crime.

(Interesting fact: put 4 or 5 New York cities together and you have the population of Canada...around 38 million)

And, yes, I agree...you've been very respectful and helpful!

Guns def. cause problems. And that's the problem criminals aren't going to stop buying guns. I don't know, we own guns but they're for hunting purposes more than protection. I'll just get somebody with my wicked nunchuck skills. only joking

my good friend is actually living for a short period in canada right now. I def have added it to a place i want to visit. Her pictures look so cool! She's living in Calgary, Alberta right now after being in Toronto I think? Can't believe it's that massive! Well i mean I can, it's just I've never even been to NYC So it would be crazy to see that type of population.

Thanks! i'm not one to think i'm only right. it's nice to see other people's opinions regardless if i agree with them or not.

[Elyse]

I would not have dared make some of the comments I did, nor phrased them the way I did on some of the other places I've been known to "hang out". Almost without exception people here are able to express opinions without fear of a flame war!

As far as Canada goes, been there, done that (( I like Canada, it's just too blasted COLD!!! )) If I leave the States - and I have and do consider it a possibility - it'll be to head south.

Go H-O! People united around the world for their love of huskies!

Yeah...Canada is kinda cold, isn't it? I'd rather be cold than be too hot, though, as if you're too hot you can only take off so many clothes until you're considered indecent. If you're cold, you can dress up as much as you like provided you can still move with all of those clothes on, LOL!

Personally I find it too hot down there...aren't your 'winter' temperatures only around 15 C? (60 F)

Where'd you go in Canada? And when (season)? (When's very important, you don't want to go to Canada during the winter especially if you're from warmer climates!)

Guns def. cause problems. And that's the problem criminals aren't going to stop buying guns. I don't know, we own guns but they're for hunting purposes more than protection. I'll just get somebody with my wicked nunchuck skills. only joking

my good friend is actually living for a short period in canada right now. I def have added it to a place i want to visit. Her pictures look so cool! She's living in Calgary, Alberta right now after being in Toronto I think? Can't believe it's that massive! Well i mean I can, it's just I've never even been to NYC So it would be crazy to see that type of population.

Thanks! i'm not one to think i'm only right. it's nice to see other people's opinions regardless if i agree with them or not.

Yeah, nunchuks for the win! The killer of TVs everywhere!

I've never been to Calgary, but I've always wanted to go out west and see the Rockies. Maybe someday.

Make sure, if you visit Calgary, to not go during the winter months cause they're absolutely brutal. I'd say around the summer is a safe bet for up there.

Yeah, New York's massive! Never actually been (the only place I've been in the states is Ohio) but Google says the population is just over 8 million.

Edited November 8, 2012 by SolitaryHowl

[LittleLuka]

Personally I find it too hot down there...aren't your 'winter' temperatures only around 15 C? (60 F)

LOL maybe in Texas! Up north gets very cold, can get as cold as -13 F (-25 C).

As for where I live winter gets into the low 40s F high 30s F, and every now and then it snows! haha