Hi All

Just signed up - I am optimistic that I have found a good forum that supports informed discussion. It seems that so many places on the net seemed to be run by children these days.
Anyway, I spent 30 years in the semiconductor industry, retired and now I teach electronic engineering and physics at the local university.
I am basically a conservative with a wide streak of Libertarianism.
Cheers
Hello and welcome! You'll find a variety of characters here from across the globe with most living in the US. I look forward to seeing your thoughts in print, and particularly interested in the streak of (capital letter) Libertarianism you mentioned. There seems to be differing opinions about what it means to be a Libertarian (capital letter L) or small letter libertarian, and as you've noted one can either can lean left or right on the issues.

I've taken a few online tests pertaining to political issues, and my "dot" on the Nolan Chart is north of center a bit to the right, non-authoritarian. I dislike political labels as they contain just way too much that one can either be true, sometimes true, rarely true, or never true...bulk label generally does not fit all. Boxing in ideas and using labels that only partially fit is the trouble. I think you'll enjoy the debates from many posters and as a part (mostly) conservative libertarian I look forward to learning more about your Libertarian views.

A minor heads-up, but nothing more than you'd find at most playgrounds: I've run into, on occasion, another poster claiming to know more about my political beliefs than I do... and they placed behaviors and ideas on me that were as foreign to me as goat milk. In truth, this has happened only twice, but enough to make me go "HUHH?" lol You'll run into it I sure even mentioning the Libertarian part...one or two are already at the ready as they've posted in this thread! Warning Will Robinson! It is quite the comedy hour here at times, intentional or otherwise! There really are several posters who are quite entertaining and informed at the same time. Enjoy!

First, thank you Claire for your well-crafted response. Having grown up in the 60s, I took a keen interest in politics at an early age. It was a most enlightening time as far as turbulence and change were concerned.

The existence of the "Fairness Doctrine" back then did a reasonable job of keeping blatant agendas out of news reporting. I thought journalism existed on a sacred plain, but it wasn't perfect as I began to discover. My eyes were opened when I began to read different publications. One would come away with a different view after reading an article in Newsweek and then read about the same topic in US News and World Report. All the same pertinent facts were in both articles. The crafting and nuance of how important each fact was would cause one to view the issue differently. It was a wake-up call. It would be my responsibility to derive the absolute truth, at least through my eyes, experiences, and background.

I should also say that I was a rabid fan of Willian F. Buckley's "Firing Line" show on PBS. Not because I was a Buckley conservative, but was impressed by the civil debate that occurred. And yeah, Buckley's command of the English language was impressive too. Where has it all gone?

You asked about Libertarianism. Ridgerunner's T-Shirt post is a good starting place. I'll offer a few of the things I've found particularly irksome - 1. Requirements for Child Safety Seats in the car, 2. Forcing me to wear a seatbelt in MY car, 3. Forcing people to wear a helmet when they ride THEIR motorcycle. For younger folks who have been indoctrinated in the school of thought that emphasizes "Safety at All Costs", my comments above will be seen as blasphemous. Pretty much all baby boomers grew up with None of the aforementioned safety devices. It seems a fair number of us survived without the government dictating what we do in our vehicles. I could go on and on. Oh, one additional item - Republicans should stop trying to do an end-around on Roe V Wade. Leave it alone.

I've found both Democrats and Republicans to be aggravating over the years. In the 60s and 70s, we were blessed with enough centrists to keep a relatively even keel. Reagan and the Clintons set things in motion that we are dealing with today. We have all these "groups" who move in lockstep no matter what the issue is. Reasoned civil debate and analytical thinking are now in the dustbins of American politics. Everyone, it seems has gone tribal. I found myself, for the first time, after witnessing the events of 2020, thinking that I'm glad I have more years behind me than I do ahead of me. A bit counter to the concept of survival instinct.

Well, Claire, enough of my ramblings for now. I do hope to find more like you here on the forum despite the many warnings I received from others.

Cheers
Thanks so much for your most interesting and detailed reply. So many things I want to say and ask regarding several things you've said, but since this is the "welcome in" section I'll try (I had to come back and add the word"try btw) to keep it brief. Practicing being specific without elaboration is a great challenge for me! I need more practice;)

Several posters on USMB are extremely proficient at presenting their ideas without adding, what some might consider, elaborate detail; but alas, I cannot claim such association. As for me? I love unnecessary details! The more the better so I can better gauge what's really happening. At least in my mind, I like to play with words that are written and look for the motivation behind the post. Often the motive(s) of a post is written plainly for all to see. There are a few posts daily, however, that I'll reread a few times when interesting enough to do so and I enjoy that aspect of the board. I like to try to "read people" beyond their politics. I majored in psychology with the goal at that time to teach the subject, and I've retained my fascination with people and why we do the things we do etc.

Motives...intentions...bottom line to human behavior including playing politics..keyword being playing. We have the "show"....what's presented on stage (at least one reporter in the midst) and then we have what is the reason behind one's actions and words. I know I'm preaching to the choir, but please refer back to my note about being the type who struggles with keeping it short!

I look forward to checking out your opinions on things and comparing notes. Thanks again for great details!
 
Just signed up - I am optimistic that I have found a good forum that supports informed discussion. It seems that so many places on the net seemed to be run by children these days.
Anyway, I spent 30 years in the semiconductor industry, retired and now I teach electronic engineering and physics at the local university.
I am basically a conservative with a wide streak of Libertarianism.
Cheers
Welcome.

People come in here very enlightened and idealistic, Many leave defeated broken train wrecks. Good luck
 
Just signed up - I am optimistic that I have found a good forum that supports informed discussion. It seems that so many places on the net seemed to be run by children these days.
Anyway, I spent 30 years in the semiconductor industry, retired and now I teach electronic engineering and physics at the local university.
I am basically a conservative with a wide streak of Libertarianism.
Cheers
Welcome to USMB, ProfessorHawthorne. Hope you enjoy the boards. My dear late husband of 44 years was a Professional Engineer in Electrical engineering, of course. I never won an arguement with the dear man, because he was a true blue EE who would not argue until he had planned a winning arguement with all the true facts in a row, waiting to decimate the weaker case. I laugh to think of that little trick he taught me, the dear, dear rascal that he was ... :laugh2:
 
Just signed up - I am optimistic that I have found a good forum that supports informed discussion. It seems that so many places on the net seemed to be run by children these days.
Anyway, I spent 30 years in the semiconductor industry, retired and now I teach electronic engineering and physics at the local university.
I am basically a conservative with a wide streak of Libertarianism.
Cheers
Hello, the moon landing was fake.
sea of tranq.jpg
 
Just signed up - I am optimistic that I have found a good forum that supports informed discussion. It seems that so many places on the net seemed to be run by children these days.
Anyway, I spent 30 years in the semiconductor industry, retired and now I teach electronic engineering and physics at the local university.
I am basically a conservative with a wide streak of Libertarianism.
Cheers
I doubt you'll find what you're looking for here on this forum but if you're sincere, you may be able to find the basis on which to work toward finding good adult discussion.

I'll watch with interest your first few posts on this board and then deliver my verdict on whether or not you are sincere.
Welcome! And btw, I'm a Canadian and so you can expect a tone that's more in sync with what you''re looking form!
 
I should also say that I was a rabid fan of Willian F. Buckley's "Firing Line" show on PBS. Not because I was a Buckley conservative, but was impressed by the civil debate that occurred. And yeah, Buckley's command of the English language was impressive too. Where has it all gone?
Yeah, me too. And Margaret Hoover has carried on the tradition, albeit in a slightly different format. Her latest with Robert Reich was on target, even though they didn't have the time to get into anything in detail.

Left/right/libertarians opinions aside, she is always capable of rising above the grade school political nonsense of the day.
 
Just signed up - I am optimistic that I have found a good forum that supports informed discussion. It seems that so many places on the net seemed to be run by children these days.
Anyway, I spent 30 years in the semiconductor industry, retired and now I teach electronic engineering and physics at the local university.
I am basically a conservative with a wide streak of Libertarianism.
Cheers


You are welcomed here.

I too am a retired Engineer that did a little post retirement teaching at the university level. Also some consulting.

I am here mostly to ridicule the Liberals. They have peanut butter in their ears and really don't want to hear anything with Conservative/Libertarian leanings. They most just spout Democrat talking points.
 
Just signed up - I am optimistic that I have found a good forum that supports informed discussion. It seems that so many places on the net seemed to be run by children these days.
Anyway, I spent 30 years in the semiconductor industry, retired and now I teach electronic engineering and physics at the local university.
I am basically a conservative with a wide streak of Libertarianism.
Cheers

Your are dreaming if you think this place supports informed discussion,this boards is as bad as facebook,youtube and twitter,the majority of the mods when they cant refute facts they dont like or see threads that dont support their warped opinions with facts they dont like,they move it to the rubber room,badlands or conspiracy theory section.

assuming you live in the states,what state you live in?
 
Just signed up - I am optimistic that I have found a good forum that supports informed discussion. It seems that so many places on the net seemed to be run by children these days.
Anyway, I spent 30 years in the semiconductor industry, retired and now I teach electronic engineering and physics at the local university.
I am basically a conservative with a wide streak of Libertarianism.
Cheers

Welcome aboard.

Can I point you to the satire section?
 
Just signed up - I am optimistic that I have found a good forum that supports informed discussion. It seems that so many places on the net seemed to be run by children these days.
Anyway, I spent 30 years in the semiconductor industry, retired and now I teach electronic engineering and physics at the local university.
I am basically a conservative with a wide streak of Libertarianism.
Cheers
You’re going to have fun dunking on leftwingers here.
 

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