Do you care what journalists think?

[emilynghiem]

Do you realize that most people who write or talk about politics aren't very smart or even very well versed on the subjects about which they opine? Do you think that talking heads and paid political shills are reliable sources of information?

I find that they aren't worth the expenditure of my time, especially when they are prognosticating. For that reason, I never cite them in my posts. How about you?

Dear jwoodie I treat them like anyone else.
If they have a good idea, if they are someone I can reach and share exchanges with,
and/or if we share certain approaches or solutions IN COMMON, then whoever it is,
it's worth it to connect and try to realize and develop corrections and reforms that way.

We need to start connecting on real solutions we can pursue and implement, and not just talking about problems.

Are you living in a past age of compromise, or what?
Today's unhinged Democrats have insured that those days are gone!

Dear B. Kidd
it's just another phase people have to go through.
And yes it's unfortunately destructive in the meantime.

However, this extremist reaction is UNSUSTAINABLE.
It is NOT PERMANENT and we have to remember that.

Like the anger phase in grief and recovery, it has its season
and also its end.

The sooner we accept this stage as part of personal growth (individually)
and democratic development (collectively),
we can move on to the next phase and keep moving forward from there.

When grieving or supporting someone going through mass anger, even homicidal or suicidal,
we don't just push them out of a window to put them out of their misery
(as much as both sides want to just "vote each other out of office" thinking that will solve it).

We get them to a SAFE PLACE where they can get help to walk through their process
before they hurt themselves or others.

The best way I know to section off such people from destroying equal rights and protections of other
people affected by public policies is to HOLD PARTIES TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN POLICIES.

Whatever madness is going on with Democrats or Liberals, let's agree that ALL PARTIES should keep that to themselves.

Let's support all people of all groups to FUND AND FOLLOW their OWN policies
similar to religious organizations. And even SUPPORT them in setting up means
of self government, such as health care cooperatives that only require 1500 members
in order to sustain and manage their OWN BENEFITS under TERMS THEY AGREE TO.

This would prevent the bullying mentality of trying to impose beliefs on everyone else.

Just SUPPORT party members and leaders to manage their own policies for their own groups.
Starting locally by precinct or district, then connecting statewide, and collectively nationally.

And this DOESN'T require mandating or legislating nationally for anyone else.
The parties already have enough numbers to manage their own finances and resources to be self-sustaining.

As the old saying goes:
Don't AGONIZE, ORGANIZE.

Just imagine the constant warring against each other if we dissolved our Union into 10,000 city-states.
I'll move to Sparta!

???? B. Kidd and CC: boedicca
WHERE ARE YOU GETTING that this would affect the Union under the Constitution?

We already have 50 states,
We already have separate parties and separate religious denominations that have programs
in different cities and states.

All that can operate under one Union and one Constitution.
I'm just saying to democratize and support these EXISTING parties
and religious organizations to fund and finance their own
health care cooperatives, social programs and schools
so they can all manage resources BETTER.

We already NEED more medical schools and facilities, and more schools
to lower the student-teacher ratio to save education
and prevent dropout and prison rates from rising;
so why not empower local groups and districts to build these
programs DEMOCRATICALLY so they learn self government at the same time?

It doesn't change the hierarchy using the current State and Federal Systems.
But it shifts responsibility for social programs (we don't all agree on anyway)
back to states and people to manage democratically INSTEAD of trying to ram
"one size fits all" policies through Congress and Federal Govt that can't handle that demand on administration!

Look at FEMA after multiple hurricanes and flooding hit several cities across 4-6 states.
They couldn't even handle that much demand of the populations (of a FEW states only, compared to all 50 through Congress?)
but HAD to resort to working with nonprofits to manage locally.

Surely we can set up more effective systems
by LOCAL democratic organization and
STILL KEEP the State and Federal functions intact.

In fact, boedicca and B. Kidd I believe the govts
would work BETTER if these social demands were delegated
to states and districts to organize and run locally.

If you look at the cooperative model I cited on another thread
Democratic Self-Government: Are we heading there or not even close?
where boedicca responded with similar criticisms
www.medcoops.net
What health care cooperatives demonstrate: the programs are sustainable
and democratically managed at just 1500 members per chapter.

That isn't "balkanizing" but organizing.

It's TEACHING people to manage their own programs locally
which cuts down on bureaucracy for both patients, physicians
and also govt that only has to manage levels it can handle cost effectively.
If we set this up even for solving problems with universal care,
the SAME structures and training allows for democratizing other
programs as well. That's why it's more cost effective and sustainable.

 

[occupied]

The question is: do you remember the times you were mislead?

First you have to recognize when you have been mislead. Democrats seem to struggle with that.

It's not difficult to find the truth. The secret is to never engage in knee-jerk reactions. An impossible task for some and then they compound things by never, ever changing their minds from that initial reactionary surge of emotion.

 

[Tehon]

The question is: do you remember the times you were mislead?

First you have to recognize when you have been mislead. Democrats seem to struggle with that.

It's not difficult to find the truth. The secret is to never engage in knee-jerk reactions. An impossible task for some and then they compound things by never, ever changing their minds from that initial reactionary surge of emotion.

I think the truth is not always an easy thing to identify in this information age. And I think conservatives are right to distrust the corporate media. I know I distrust them.

Yeah, I think emotion plays a huge part in why people allow themselves to be mislead. It's also what has created the gaping partisan divide.

Because it sells.

 

[Cellblock2429]

Do you realize that most people who write or talk about politics aren't very smart or even very well versed on the subjects about which they opine? Do you think that talking heads and paid political shills are reliable sources of information?

I find that they aren't worth the expenditure of my time, especially when they are prognosticating. For that reason, I never cite them in my posts. How about you?

/——/ I think most are hired for their looks and voice. I’ve heard some say stupid things that any 9th grader knew was wrong.

 

[B. Kidd]

The question is: do you remember the times you were mislead?

First you have to recognize when you have been mislead. Democrats seem to struggle with that.

It's not difficult to find the truth. The secret is to never engage in knee-jerk reactions. An impossible task for some and then they compound things by never, ever changing their minds from that initial reactionary surge of emotion.

I think the truth is not always an easy thing to identify in this information age. And I think conservatives are right to distrust the corporate media. I know I distrust them.

Yeah, I think emotion plays a huge part in why people allow themselves to be mislead. It's also what has created the gaping partisan divide.

Because it sells.

But, we still have to pay for our own popcorn.....

 

[occupied]

The question is: do you remember the times you were mislead?

First you have to recognize when you have been mislead. Democrats seem to struggle with that.

It's not difficult to find the truth. The secret is to never engage in knee-jerk reactions. An impossible task for some and then they compound things by never, ever changing their minds from that initial reactionary surge of emotion.

I think the truth is not always an easy thing to identify in this information age. And I think conservatives are right to distrust the corporate media. I know I distrust them.

Yeah, I think emotion plays a huge part in why people allow themselves to be mislead. It's also what has created the gaping partisan divide.

Because it sells.

Righteous outrage is addictive. It's a habit I gave up quite some time ago. I look at it like this: Be a conservative or democrat or whatever but don't be stupid about it.

 

[Tehon]

The question is: do you remember the times you were mislead?

First you have to recognize when you have been mislead. Democrats seem to struggle with that.

It's not difficult to find the truth. The secret is to never engage in knee-jerk reactions. An impossible task for some and then they compound things by never, ever changing their minds from that initial reactionary surge of emotion.

I think the truth is not always an easy thing to identify in this information age. And I think conservatives are right to distrust the corporate media. I know I distrust them.

Yeah, I think emotion plays a huge part in why people allow themselves to be mislead. It's also what has created the gaping partisan divide.

Because it sells.

Righteous outrage is addictive. It's a habit I gave up quite some time ago. I look at it like this: Be a conservative or democrat or whatever but don't be stupid about it.

I find that some things are worth getting outraged over. We are losing our country in real time.


"A general outline would include the fact that a few men own half our wealth and a majority have nothing; that U.S. economic hegemony is based on killing people and the biosphere by weapons and debt; that our political system, the toy of financial criminals, is inaccessible to citizens......

Separately or together, these burlesques of policy show the moral torpidity and pathetic inanimacy of a public that has been relentlessly lied to, cozened, infantilized, made stupid, and shorn of pride in itself by a Capitalist System that savages them with the same contempt it does all life. They’ve internalized it and now act as their own abusers. "

Opinion -Idiocracy

 

[Thinker101]

You obviously trust someone to tell you a truth you can accept. Who is it?

And you feel it's a journalist?

Who do you trust to tell you the truth then? Politicians?

Sure, I believe politicians and/or journalists about the same percentage as their approval rating. Which is somewhere in the high teens? You need to use a smidgen of common sense.

You dismiss bad news out-of-hand and seek confirmation of your beliefs like any other hyper-partisan. The question is: do you remember the times you were mislead? None of these other Trumpbots seem to remember all the times they swallowed bullshit hook, line and sinker.

Sure, every time I tuned in to CNN and/or MSNBC.

 

[jwoodie]

You obviously trust someone to tell you a truth you can accept. Who is it?

I don't trust anyone to tell me "a truth." I rely on basic facts (e.g., Trump meets with Kim, stock prices, etc.) and then draw my own conclusions as to their significance. Actually, I take note of what is posted on this board more than what is said on television or written in newspapers and magazines