The Trump Presidency | Biden Inaugurated

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RedTiger said:
I think its also the American psyche as a whole. My friend is a person of colour who has faced countless instances of racism, but like you said its all less important than money. Your people really are an individualistic lot regardless of ethnicity.
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I will can agree with with the idea of that last statement, but I will take exception with the claim that it is uniquely American. As a country we may be some of (if not the) worst offenders, but I would argue that the majority of humans have a selfish bastard streak running through them.

I think this is why we hold up as heroes those who overcome this, not just because of their selfless acts, but because their actions are a mirror that reflects back our inability to sacrifice as they do.
 
RedTiger said:
Just had a chat with one of my best mates in Atlanta, GA. He has been organising BLM marches in Macon, GA and Hamtramck, MI. He was a democrat Councillor in Hamtramck and a community organiser who worked to rejuvenate Detroit.

He's going to vote for Trump AGAIN! That's right, he voted for Trump 4 years ago and is going to do it again. All because he has a string of vape shops and he likes the low taxes.

As he put it, its a choice of voting with his heart or his pocket and he's going to choose his pocket.

This election is not straight forward.
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I don’t like paying high taxes. I live in Ireland and work in sales so my pay is up and down. In good sales months my pay cheque is depressingly decimated. But I don’t think I’d ever bring myself to vote for that twat even if it directly hurt my income, I can forgive 4 years ago I suppose but surely morals have to come into it at the end of the day
 
Reditus said:
I don’t like paying high taxes. I live in Ireland and work in sales so my pay is up and down. In good sales months my pay cheque is depressingly decimated. But I don’t think I’d ever bring myself to vote for that twat even if it directly hurt my income, I can forgive 4 years ago I suppose but surely morals have to come into it at the end of the day
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Its been a few hours and I'm still a bit shocked from the convo. My friend is one of the most altruistic people I know, he funds 2 orphanages, he gives out free food in poor neighbourhoods every month, he's planted over 8000 trees and he has a foundation that gives schooling supplies to poor kids. He despises the GOP and hates Trump yet because his income has quadrupled over the last few years he's going to vote Trump.

Some people really are single issue voters and its a shame.
 
Reditus said:
I don’t like paying high taxes. I live in Ireland and work in sales so my pay is up and down. In good sales months my pay cheque is depressingly decimated. But I don’t think I’d ever bring myself to vote for that twat even if it directly hurt my income, I can forgive 4 years ago I suppose but surely morals have to come into it at the end of the day
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Also, it's a false dichotomy. Higher taxes aren't necessarily bad for business or the economy; otherwise northern Europe would be a barren wasteland for business. It's one of great lies of the Republican party, that they manage convince their voters, often against their own best interests, that anything but a minimalistic state will hurt them.

Edit: I hadn't noticed some of the other posts. Of course, @WI_Red is right that this is not unique to the US. In fact, on this point:

WI_Red said:
I will can agree with with the idea of that last statement, but I will take exception with the claim that it is uniquely American. As a country we may be some of (if not the) worst offenders, but I would argue that the majority of humans have a selfish bastard streak running through them.
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I once had a discussion with some people from my football team in the Netherlands. One of them was a business owner, who thought exactly this way: he was going to vote for whatever was best now for his bottom line. He also said that, assuming I'll get a good job coming out of university, I should absolutely vote for the low-tax party as well. I just can't think like that myself; I vote for what I think is best for most people, and especially those that need support the most. But it was an interesting conversation; not a perspective I have been exposed to much in my family and circle of friends.
 
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RedTiger said:
Its been a few hours and I'm still a bit shocked from the convo. My friend is one of the most altruistic people I know, he funds 2 orphanages, he gives out free food in poor neighbourhoods every month, he's planted over 8000 trees and he has a foundation that gives schooling supplies to poor kids. He despises the GOP and hates Trump yet because his income has quadrupled over the last few years he's going to vote Trump.

Some people really are single issue voters and its a shame.
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He's going to need to keep funding those orphanages, because more children will be orphaned, especially if trump gets reelected and stacks the supreme court. No moe Roe v. Wade.
He's going to need to keep giving out food, because in a Trump economy the poor will keep gtting poorer and there will be more of them.
He's going to need to plant more trees, because trump will gut any protections for the environment.
He's going to need to keep giving out school supplies, because in trump's America schools will keep getting poorer as vouchers become the norm.

He does not despise Trump or the GOP. They may make him feel uncomfortable, but if he despised them he could not vote for them.
 
WI_Red said:
He's going to need to keep funding those orphanages, because more children will be orphaned, especially if trump gets reelected and stacks the supreme court. No moe Roe v. Wade.
He's going to need to keep giving out food, because in a Trump economy the poor will keep gtting poorer and there will be more of them.
He's going to need to plant more trees, because trump will gut any protections for the environment.
He's going to need to keep giving out school supplies, because in trump's America schools will keep getting poorer as vouchers become the norm.

He does not despise Trump or the GOP. They may make him feel uncomfortable, but if he despised them he could not vote for them.
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I think this is one result of the two-party system: few people really feel with home at one of the parties. Sounds like this guy might be economically capitalistic but probably socially progressive. There is nothing for him in the US politically. Same with many immigrants from Latin America, who may often be rather religious and hence close to the values of the Republican party - bit wouldn't want to vote for a party that opposez immigration and predominantly focused on white Americans (euphemism).
 
Cheimoon said:
I think this is one result of the two-party system: few people really feel with home at one of the parties. Sounds like this guy might be economically capitalistic but probably socially progressive. There is nothing for him in the US politically. Same with many immigrants from Latin America, who may often be rather religious and hence close to the values of the Republican party - bit wouldn't want to vote for a party that opposez immigration and predominantly focused on white Americans (euphemism).
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This is supposed to be the "platform" of the libertarian party....

I used to subscribe to this line of thinking, but I have come to believe it is unattainable. The very greed we discussed above means that a capitalistic society will always have the few who oppress the many for their own gain. This in turn will lead to the need for a social safety net to help those in need, a net that will not be funded because an economically capitalistic government will limit taxes as much as possible and use what little money there is to further the gains of the few. The very nature of humans makes libertarianism a laughable work of fiction.
 
WI_Red said:
This is supposed to be the "platform" of the libertarian party....

I used to subscribe to this line of thinking, but I have come to believe it is unattainable. The very greed we discussed above means that a capitalistic society will always have the few who oppress the many for their own gain. This in turn will lead to the need for a social safety net to help those in need, a net that will not be funded because an economically capitalistic government will limit taxes as much as possible and use what little money there is to further the gains of the few. The very nature of humans makes libertarianism a laughable work of fiction.
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Yeah, the night-watchman state - a total disaster for anyone who isn't rich. I'll pass!
 


Absolutely wild family. Here the progressive daughter ^
 
WI_Red said:
I will can agree with with the idea of that last statement, but I will take exception with the claim that it is uniquely American. As a country we may be some of (if not the) worst offenders, but I would argue that the majority of humans have a selfish bastard streak running through them.

I think this is why we hold up as heroes those who overcome this, not just because of their selfless acts, but because their actions are a mirror that reflects back our inability to sacrifice as they do.
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Most Western countries have an individualistic culture to varying degrees, whether that means it's actually a majority of humans I don't know. A lot of Asia is more collectivistic and a lot of people live there. Not all of them get to vote, mind.
 
I can not wait for the RNC - Trump is planning to speak every night at 10pm, it’s like having your favourite comedy on, when he speaks things tend to get a bit crazy, I can not imagine the ramblings we’ll hear night after night (or morning after morning where I am!)

The campaign must be sh*tting themselves, I’m sure it’ll do them more harm than good.
 
The Boy said:
I can not wait for the RNC - Trump is planning to speak every night at 10pm, it’s like having your favourite comedy on, when he speaks things tend to get a bit crazy, I can not imagine the ramblings we’ll hear night after night (or morning after morning where I am!)

The campaign must be sh*tting themselves, I’m sure it’ll do them more harm than good.
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Yeah, nothing could go askew with him speaking nightly, nothing at all.
 
Cheimoon said:
I had somehow never even heard of Tiffany Trump before. Another child, it turns out. What has she done to deserve a slot here? I guess she's good at this fawning game?
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They really must be desperate to find speakers if they had to reach Tiffany. She is kind of the runt of that family.
 
You are kinda reaching when one of the key note speaker is a daughter that has been virtually non existent in the Trump world because Daddy doesn't find her more attractive than Ivanka.
 
The Firestarter said:
They really must be desperate to find speakers if they had to reach Tiffany. She is kind of the runt of that family.
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Interestingly though (well, kinda, anyway), the photo on her Wikipedia page shows her speaking at the 2016 convention. Guess they wheel her out for that.

(Or maybe there just weren't any pictures of her as a teenager sitting on her father's lap.)
The Firestarter said:
Poor tiffany probably only got a Mercedes for her 16th
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Thoughts & prayers.
 
TheGame said:
Good god.

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Ah, Tim Scott as the token black representative. Can't wait to hear Melania gushing over her husband like Michelle Obama did in 2012. No way will she be able to plagiarize that speech, that's for sure.
 
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