I'm with you on the different name thing. I just want access to it as well. Most of these Civil Union things are only open to Gays and those over 65. I've never understood why Gays, given an opportunity to create a clearly secular institution, fight for the right to get all the baggage of marriage. I recently got married, and my god, I hate the cultural baggage that goes with it. I'm embarrassed. I insist that my partner be referred to as my partner and never my wife. I want no part of the religious institution in my relationship. I find it difficult to have a MES without people assuming that at some level its a MEG.
I feel for you E.D. I'm one of those PKs that struggle with any kind of faith. I'm torn between the knee jerk reaction of McDevite and the desire to find spirituality far from any church. Ultimately I think most of Christianity has slipped into pharasism, losing God for the rules. Anyway, before I slip back into complete negativity, I'd recommend that you look at the work of Simone Weil. She was profoundly influenced by the Catholic church but chose not to join.
So, for something to be legal it has to be proven to be beneficial? against all cultural naysayers? Organized religion, or the Union for that matter could never pass this unanimous test. Many have already been convinced of the benefits of marijuana, that's clear. Lets turn this around. Even if there were no positive benefits, would the costs associated with prohibition be justified by the supposed harms done by criminalizing it?
I can see the respect thing happening, especially if there was more acknowledgement on the cultural front. However, I have a hard time seeing either conservatives taking a more proactive stance on minority entitlements, or minorities voting values over dollars.
I got a good chuckle out of the "pretty trout". There's also roads and other infrastructure spending. In Washington there's a handful of good size military bases: Bangor, Whidbey Island, Bremerton, Everett, and Fort Lewis. These are just the big ones. Washington still gets short changed on the money. Ah, I could rant for hours on this. We spend our money on their programs, house their troublesome thugs and the resulting law enforcement and social problems and then get shafted for wanting to take care of our own. Blow me. (none of this is directed at you)
Ron Paul had some amazing stuff coming out from supporters. It wasn't until they started paying for advertising that things got really hokey. They could have stuck with their own grassroots, maintained consistency and done a much better job.
This is the problem with these simple left/right dichotomies. It seems to me (and please correct me if I'm wrong) that Obama is socially conservative and fiscally liberal. Given that most of the "left", and certainly more of the center, is exactly the opposite... fiscally conservative and socially liberal, I don't see how this ends well.
Ramen! I'm telling you, if you just repackaged conservative principles in a more wholefoods friendly way you could build a coalition that wouldn't require Huckabee.
As long as everything else is equal, Jay may be right. However, I'd rather have a roast that was cooked at 350 for two hours than one that was cooked at 400 for an hour and a half. I'm not sure that faster growth is necessarily the holy grail.
I didn't see anything out of the ordinary in the list for a restaurant oriented toward a business clientele. If it were an upscale restaurant or a family restaurant, no doubt the list would be different.
I can't quite get to the individual level, if that's what you're reffering to. I think that some sort of State is necessary for infrastructure, defense, what not. Modern city states may be sufficient but I think there has to be some sort of communtiy of size, just not as large and unresponsive as the current formulation of the US.
I can buy that some sort of stimulus was/is necessary. What I question is the one we have. Why would I spend my child's future on a company whose products aren't fit for me to buy (GM)? Why should I want to maintain asset prices that were inflated to begin with (Housing bubble)? Why should I pay for bonuses for execs who argued for tougher bankruptcy laws then ran their own firms into the ground on speculation? It's not that I don't think that surgery was necessary per a previous example, it's that the surgery we got was not only unnecessary but the wrong one. We are worse off than if nothing had been done.
"The auto industry, AIG and other struggling recipients of the government’s $700 billion Wall Street bailout will make it "extremely unlikely" that taxpayers will receive a full return on their investments, says a new report by the Treasury Department’s independent watchdog.
About 17 percent of Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) loans issued since the program began a year ago have been repaid, according to a 252-page report released Wednesdayby TARP’s Special Inspector General Neil Barofsky."
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/20091021tarp_watchdog_full_repayment_unlikely/
On “gay marriage and the catholic church in maine”
I'm with you on the different name thing. I just want access to it as well. Most of these Civil Union things are only open to Gays and those over 65. I've never understood why Gays, given an opportunity to create a clearly secular institution, fight for the right to get all the baggage of marriage. I recently got married, and my god, I hate the cultural baggage that goes with it. I'm embarrassed. I insist that my partner be referred to as my partner and never my wife. I want no part of the religious institution in my relationship. I find it difficult to have a MES without people assuming that at some level its a MEG.
"
I feel for you E.D. I'm one of those PKs that struggle with any kind of faith. I'm torn between the knee jerk reaction of McDevite and the desire to find spirituality far from any church. Ultimately I think most of Christianity has slipped into pharasism, losing God for the rules. Anyway, before I slip back into complete negativity, I'd recommend that you look at the work of Simone Weil. She was profoundly influenced by the Catholic church but chose not to join.
On “deep thoughts on sin taxes and tobacco bans”
Easy on the heavy hand. Remember how it went down at C11? Let the community deal with him first.
"
Ooops. This was supposed to be a reply to M.Z.
"
So, for something to be legal it has to be proven to be beneficial? against all cultural naysayers? Organized religion, or the Union for that matter could never pass this unanimous test. Many have already been convinced of the benefits of marijuana, that's clear. Lets turn this around. Even if there were no positive benefits, would the costs associated with prohibition be justified by the supposed harms done by criminalizing it?
On “Two Quick Responses”
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions?
"
I can see the respect thing happening, especially if there was more acknowledgement on the cultural front. However, I have a hard time seeing either conservatives taking a more proactive stance on minority entitlements, or minorities voting values over dollars.
On “Nothing’s ever certain except race and taxes.”
http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/columnists/douglastodd.html
"
Crunchy conservatism isn't far off. Are you familiar with Douglas Todd? He's kind of the Dreher of the North without the paranoia.
"
I got a good chuckle out of the "pretty trout". There's also roads and other infrastructure spending. In Washington there's a handful of good size military bases: Bangor, Whidbey Island, Bremerton, Everett, and Fort Lewis. These are just the big ones. Washington still gets short changed on the money. Ah, I could rant for hours on this. We spend our money on their programs, house their troublesome thugs and the resulting law enforcement and social problems and then get shafted for wanting to take care of our own. Blow me. (none of this is directed at you)
On “Stray thoughts on the NY-23 race”
Ron Paul had some amazing stuff coming out from supporters. It wasn't until they started paying for advertising that things got really hokey. They could have stuck with their own grassroots, maintained consistency and done a much better job.
On “Bruce Buschel, you are a douche of the first order”
Ugh, if its copy editing, I can't be far off the ban list.
On “Nothing’s ever certain except race and taxes.”
This is the problem with these simple left/right dichotomies. It seems to me (and please correct me if I'm wrong) that Obama is socially conservative and fiscally liberal. Given that most of the "left", and certainly more of the center, is exactly the opposite... fiscally conservative and socially liberal, I don't see how this ends well.
"
What other terms would you like to use? Pro sports? It's pure socialism... sucking of the teet while crying socialism.
"
It's not exactly like Washington and California don't have military Bases and yet still take a twenty percent hit on Federal taxes.
"
Ramen! I'm telling you, if you just repackaged conservative principles in a more wholefoods friendly way you could build a coalition that wouldn't require Huckabee.
On “deep thoughts on sin taxes and tobacco bans”
If you exercise, don't eat at McDonald's and commute by bike, can you get a discount on beer, pot, and prostitutes?
On “Nothing’s ever certain except race and taxes.”
As long as everything else is equal, Jay may be right. However, I'd rather have a roast that was cooked at 350 for two hours than one that was cooked at 400 for an hour and a half. I'm not sure that faster growth is necessarily the holy grail.
On “Bruce Buschel, you are a douche of the first order”
I didn't see anything out of the ordinary in the list for a restaurant oriented toward a business clientele. If it were an upscale restaurant or a family restaurant, no doubt the list would be different.
On “on the GDP…”
I can't quite get to the individual level, if that's what you're reffering to. I think that some sort of State is necessary for infrastructure, defense, what not. Modern city states may be sufficient but I think there has to be some sort of communtiy of size, just not as large and unresponsive as the current formulation of the US.
"
I can buy that some sort of stimulus was/is necessary. What I question is the one we have. Why would I spend my child's future on a company whose products aren't fit for me to buy (GM)? Why should I want to maintain asset prices that were inflated to begin with (Housing bubble)? Why should I pay for bonuses for execs who argued for tougher bankruptcy laws then ran their own firms into the ground on speculation? It's not that I don't think that surgery was necessary per a previous example, it's that the surgery we got was not only unnecessary but the wrong one. We are worse off than if nothing had been done.
"
I like to blame the people that blindly supported him.
"
It's an "and" world. The ship is sinking; all I care about is who I can blame?
"
"The auto industry, AIG and other struggling recipients of the government’s $700 billion Wall Street bailout will make it "extremely unlikely" that taxpayers will receive a full return on their investments, says a new report by the Treasury Department’s independent watchdog.
About 17 percent of Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) loans issued since the program began a year ago have been repaid, according to a 252-page report released Wednesdayby TARP’s Special Inspector General Neil Barofsky."
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/20091021tarp_watchdog_full_repayment_unlikely/
On “The Iron Binary and Reagan’s Succession Crisis”
Lovely post.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.