Terminalcoffee discussion

Not touching this one due to the loaded nature of the article title.

I don't think the title is loaded at all. Fareed Zakaria is about as sensible a media person as you can get. Yes, they have lost touch with reality. His essay explains it quite well.

I think part of it is an ignorance of history. Zakaria writes,

Many Republican businessmen have told me that the Obama Administration is the most hostile to business in 50 years. Really? More than that of Richard Nixon, who presided over tax rates that reached 70%, regulations that spanned whole industries, and who actually instituted price and wage controls?

Do most businesspeople know that about Richard Nixon? Do businesspeople study history? Do conservative politicians study history? (Aside from Newt Gingrich, who seems to study some of it, but draw the wrong conclusions.)

And not just ignorance of history, but of other things. Today's conservatives know they're supposed to accept as a matter of faith supply-side economics, so they do. Cutting taxes increases growth, said Arthur Laffer. Cutting taxes increases revenues! You can tax-cut your way out of recession! They learn this in Conservative Preschool. No, you can't. Even Alan Greenspan has acknowledged now that you can't. That's how far out of touch with reality today's Republicans are, that they are fiscally to the right of Alan Greenspan.

I have long respected Zakaria's integrity. This is an excellent piece.

I too respect Zakira. My liking him does not mesh well with the politics of Sweeter and his people. That is all I will say about that.

Lobstergirl, I love you.
Yeah, I remember when "supply side economics" was considered crazy. Now it's a religion. And the magical thinking comes in when people think that although it has never ever worked, somehow it's going to start to. Any day now...

Really, it's the dishonesty that's driving me crazy. Disagree on how to interpret facts, but there is so much making shit up as we go along. You can get your yearly exam at Walgreens?

Interesting you mention Nixon, LB. Most conservatives these days don't want to even discuss Nixon, no less remember him.

This is more of a gut statement than a well-informed opinion, but it feels as if the public figures that are giving a face and voice to the conservative movement these days are part of a misinformed, founding father cult. Like many people, they take what they like from the mythos and leave the facts that don't adhere to their philosophy behind. The moral policing scares me the most; for a group that is all about keeping the government small, I don't understand how they can justify the government's involvement in personal issues like marriage and abortion when they simultaneously want the government to keep their nose out of gun control and food regulation. Whenever I think of the current conservative movement, I think of Helen Lovejoy's histrionic catchphrase: "Won't someone please think of the children!"

Misha wrote: "Funny you should mention that, Amber. I sent this to a friend a couple of days ago from Huffington Post.

If GOP presidential candidates were Simpsons characters:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/201..."

I loved that one, I posted it on the "presidential pony thread" a few days ago. I especially love Bachman as Lovejoy.

Presidential pony:

Sarah Pi wrote: "Presidential pony:
"

lol.

I don't think it's an uneasy coalition. All of the Republican presidential candidates are social conservatives and also say they want smaller government. The fiscal conservatives who only care about fiscal matters have been pushed out of the forefront, for the most part. GWB was certainly a social conservative, and also an evangelical Christian himself.

"best practices from around the world"

What does this mean? Who should we be trying to emulate? Europe? No thanks.

Really, if I could immigrate to France, Germany, any of the Scandinavian countries, even Britain, even though they're going in the wrong direction right now, I would.

I wouldn't.

Rebecca wrote: "Really, if I could immigrate to France, Germany, any of the Scandinavian countries, even Britain, even though they're going in the wrong direction right now, I would."

Me, too.

BunWat wrote: "Amelia wrote: ""best practices from around the world"

What does this mean? Who should we be trying to emulate? Europe? No thanks."
What it means is, look around see what other people are doing ..."


Makes sense, Bun. Probably I'm just a little defensive here. :) Bad Amy topic! Heh.

Maybe we could organize some kind of tradesies where one US Citizen who wants to immigrate to some European country can if they do a direct swap with a _______ citizen? That'd be cool...for those that want to anyway.

I would go visit you! :)

Well, global warming is fixing the climate problem.

You think? I'm not so sure.

Even the people who believe in it have changed to calling it "Climate Change" rather than "Global Warming", because lots of places aren't warming at all. We had our coldest, wettest spring on record here in Oregon this year...

*slaps forehead*

Amelia -- it is climate change. What's been predicted is that as the overall temperature of the planet rises (due to greenhouse gases), there will be wild swings in temperatures, and crazy changes in weather patterns.

Yes, the earth is trying to regulate itself. But this is really not controversial anywhere but in the US, and there are very few scientists who dispute it.

Anyway, I was just being facetious.

"there are very few scientists who dispute it"

Over 30,000 isn't "very few" in my opinion...

http://www.tulsabeacon.com/?p=462

http://www.petitionproject.org/

Just look at Arminius's gas thread if you don't believe conservatives have lost touch with reality.

I avoided the dozens of Fox News links...just because I knew y'all would balk. But, the article was only a further description of the scientists who signed the petition, which was followed by the actual website for the petition where you can SEE the scientists who signed!

We're going to have to agree to disagree, because I love you all, but on this topic I think you are just as utterly misled as you think I am...

Ask yourself who (what industry) stands to gain from blatantly ignoring facts and actively confusing the public about the possibility that using fossil fuels at a steady rate for the next 50 years is leading to disaster.

Who?

What is this "Oregon Petition"? That isn't what I linked...

*Hugs Larry again*

Same one. Thanks for the hugs, Amy.

Yeah it's nice.

But Arminius still believes that petition proves his sadly mistaken points somehow. He hasn't yet mastered reading with discernment.

I'm not a good debater...I don't even like it. I'm not easy to sway from my opinions, but I don't like arguing about them.

*Hugs Misha happily*

Jammies "Running with Fiskars" wrote: "Just look at Arminius's gas thread if you don't believe conservatives have lost touch with reality."

Just read Arminius's comments to get back in touch with reality.

Larry wrote: "*slaps forehead*

Amelia -- it is climate change. What's been predicted is that as the overall temperature of the planet rises (due to greenhouse gases), there will be wild swings in temperatures,..."

Flexes and places muscular arm in front of Amelia's face.

They changed the name to climate change when global warming wasn't warming the way they wanted.

Bullshit. Head in sand bullshit.

I join group hug with Amelia.

Al Gore was one of the original sources. King D is correct Mr. Gore made a fortune from his global warming scare.

He held Senate hearings which brought those fringe scientists to the forefront.

I should say, he is the original fear monger.

Thanks for being protective, Arminius, but you don't have to protect me from Larry. He was slapping his own forehead, not mine. Even when I make him crazy; he loves me.

Yup. It's true. And I can't blame you for my craziness, really.

Sweeter also doesn't believe in climate change or the "liberal media."
I don't believe in right wing bloggers pretending to be objective news sources.

Sounds like an even trade-off.

What if he bypassed the "liberal media" which was reporting on climate change studies, and read all the original studies?

But you just complicate things. It was easy until you said that.

I'm wondering now if I will die in a heat wave, or be swept away by floodwaters.

Did anyone here get flooding from Ida?

I personally didn't, but my nephew's school is drying out after all of the schools in his town got 6 feet of water. All the electrical systems have to be fixed so the opening of school is delayed one week.

I recommend a book for most of you called "Red Hot Lies" it describes all the tricks the Scientists use to boost false temperature readings. Also follow the money, more money goes to Climate Change Scientists than goes to Cancer researchers.

Because of the megadrought in Texas, made worse by climate change, upland cotton farmers there had to abandon 74% of their crop. This means that products made with upland cotton (like tampons, cloth diapers, cotton balls, gauze pads) are getting a lot more expensive.

cloth diapers spiked 21% in cost over the past year
tampons 13%
cotton balls 9%
gauze 8%

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/18/cl...