Politics

[Fuse]

Tough call. Romney is lawyer-shady. Perry is Bush-dumb. Bachman is too cheerleader-unbelievable. Paul is .... Paul.
Cain had issues of his own before the scandal, though he was viewed as the most "like you".
Newt is in some ways too big government and his personal past will hurt him, but he's a no-BS guy. The country is liking that right now.
Santorum isn't given the credit he's probably due, but is probably too right for many independents.

[Lithium]

So President Obama, Commander-in-chief, has now lost two pieces of stealth US technology to foreign adversaries...at least the first one was worth it.

I think with the 2nd one, instead of handing over $100 million to the enemy we should have 'launched' another $10 million at it to rid the problem.

And while we're at it finish the job with an additional $10 billion 'launch' from our last base in Iraq before we surrender. Then we'll open up a bunch of cafes where nuclear reactors once existed and ship all the Occupy Protesters there.

[Broin]

Well they didn't want to upset them... Honest to God that was there reason for not destroying it.

[likwidtek]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/mythbusters/articles/mythbuster-adam-savage-sopa-could-destroy-the-internet-as-we-know-it-6620300

The Internet is probably the most important technological advancement of my lifetime. Its strength lies in its open architecture and its ability to allow a framework where all voices can be heard. Like the printing press before it (which states also tried to regulate, for centuries), it democratizes information, and thus it democratizes power. If we allow Congress to pass these draconian laws, we'll be joining nations like China and Iran in filtering what we allow people to see, do, and say on the Web.

And we're better than that.

Read more: MythBuster Adam Savage: SOPA Could Destroy the Internet as We Know It - Popular Mechanics

If you haven't already, calls and emails to our representatives about this crap. This is super bad news bears. Yet another example of how our government is bribed, bought and paid for. This crap was literally written by big corporations, pushed through by highly paid lobbyists and we can't stand for this blatant attack on our free speech and personal liberties.

They're trying to hijack and control the internet and that's now how this works.

Use this to find out who you should call: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

If you don't know your zip +4 https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.action

[likwidtek]

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from http://vimeo.com/fightforthefuture / Fight for the Future

Here's Google's Stance:  https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/  (please sign the petition on that site)

Here's Reddit's Stance:  http://www.reddit.com/

Here's Wikipedia's stance:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Easy way to call your representatives:  http://americancensorship.org/modal/call-form-moz.html

[Lithium]

A sobering story about how America lost manufacturing. How do you compete with countries that have no regulation and basically employ competent slave labor?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/business/apple-america-and-a-squeezed-middle-class.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

[Keeloth]

A sobering story about how America lost manufacturing. How do you compete with countries that have no regulation and basically employ competent slave labor?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/business/apple-america-and-a-squeezed-middle-class.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

You impose economic sanctions on countries that practice effectual slave labor.

[Phyroxis]

A sobering story about how America lost manufacturing. How do you compete with countries that have no regulation and basically employ competent slave labor?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/business/apple-america-and-a-squeezed-middle-class.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

*Frustration*

Where did values go? They could hire American, but don't because it's cheaper. Why do we drive corporations to focus only at the bottom line?
We're shooting ourselves in the foot.

With millions of dollars going to CEO salaries (fractions of which could be used to create hundreds of jobs), do people really think that just a few tax incentives will bring jobs back to the US? No. They'll just bring more money into the pockets of execs.

We need to change the culture. We need to show companies what it means to be an American company. Don't focus just on money, but focus on supporting your country, who incidentally are your consumers.

As consumers we must make the stand, we can't expect "decision-makers" to do it without us.

[Da6onet]

I know it sucks right now, but I can safely say that cheap labor doesn't last forever, even in China (actually, especially in China). My prediction, within 20 years enough people will fall into the educated middle class category and demand changes both in their labor laws and government. There were 180,000 strikes in 2010 in China alone.

edit: forgot to mention, worst case scenario, we keep exploiting foreign labor for these jobs, it turns global labor into a quasi-caste system, which means Americans will simply be the country that breeds executives :-)

[likwidtek]

[NoCry]

I was wondering where this thread got to. Keep it up.

[ZephixLeer (Zephic)]

I just wish we could get all the corruption out the door. But when our leaders refuse to investigate corruption and are they themselves corrupt and earning a majority of their income from corporate "donations," how can we ever expect laws to be passed that would do any good in elimitating that corruption, greed, and power-mongering?

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/115648-White-House-Wont-Investigate-SOPA-Supporter

If the current administration won't at least instigate some investigation on something this insane, who can we trust to put our freedoms and concerns first?

Also...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GFRcFm-aY

[Anamodiel]

http://www.businessinsider.com/people-are-saying-that-obamas-healthcare-law-got-massacred-in-the-supreme-court-today-2012-3

According to CNN's legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, the arguments were "a train wreck for the Obama administration."

"This law looks like it's going to be struck down. I'm telling you, all of the predictions including mine that the justices would not have a problem with this law were wrong," Toobin just said on CNN.

[Tbone]

Cool, I suppose that means that the social security tax will be deemed unconstitutional as well! Then we won't have health care or social security! Poor people live too long as it is, amiright?!

[Lithium]

Healthcare is a mandate not a tax. Hence, why arguments made it to day 2. A tax implies that you actually did something for money or value, like work or own a home or own investments, and then they promptly take a majority of your paycheck from you.

This is an issue of the powers of the federal government and what congress can impose on the people, namely under the Commerce Clause. Our founding fathers went to great lengths to ensure that the government had enumerated powers and this mandate tosses that concept right out the window.

And yes social security should be deemed unconstitutional but that's another issue. People who manage their 401k, IRAs, investments, and finances have no problem with retirement. It's just this air of personal irresponsibility that is allowed to continue unpunished.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/obamacare-the-reckoning/2012/03/22/gIQALF1QUS_story.html