What kind of government do you want?

[Slade3200]

The past decade has brought partisanship and federal gridlock to record levels. The obstructionism from the Right during Obamas administration was childish and embarrassing. The response by Harry Reid using the "nuclear option" planted a virus, and the use of executive orders by Obama only created band aids to problems that needed legislative fixes. Now that Republicans have control they seem to be picking up the Democrats ball and running with it, how very hypocritical, after years of complaining. They have applied the nuclear option to a Supreme court nominee and Trump seems to be focusing on executive orders over legislation. I don't see any attempts by either side to work together towards solutions. So what kind of government are we left with?

Looks to me like our Congress is moving towards majority rule operations eliminating the need for bipartisan efforts. Our executive doesn't seem interested in representing the will of the people but only the half that supported him. Is this really the type of government that you want? You know this tit for tat partisanship is only going to snowball as the balance of power shifts... Are any of you interested in seeing this trend stop? Any ideas on how to fix it?

 

[Billy_Kinetta]

I like a government that's like my undershorts. I hardly want to know they're even there. I don't want them riding up my ass and grabbing me by the package.

Grok?

 

[B. Kidd]

I want a benevolent dictator that mostly agrees with me.

 

[Slade3200]

I like a government that's like my undershorts. I hardly want to know they're even there. I don't want them riding up my ass and grabbing me by the package.

Grok?

That was way too graphic Billy... Tone it down

 

[Zander]

I want less.

 

[dblack]

The past decade has brought partisanship and federal gridlock to record levels. The obstructionism from the Right during Obamas administration was childish and embarrassing. The response by Harry Reid using the "nuclear option" planted a virus, and the use of executive orders by Obama only created band aids to problems that needed legislative fixes. Now that Republicans have control they seem to be picking up the Democrats ball and running with it, how very hypocritical, after years of complaining. They have applied the nuclear option to a Supreme court nominee and Trump seems to be focusing on executive orders over legislation. I don't see any attempts by either side to work together towards solutions. So what kind of government are we left with?

Looks to me like our Congress is moving towards majority rule operations eliminating the need for bipartisan efforts. Our executive doesn't seem interested in representing the will of the people but only the half that supported him. Is this really the type of government that you want? You know this tit for tat partisanship is only going to snowball as the balance of power shifts... Are any of you interested in seeing this trend stop? Any ideas on how to fix it?

I think we're mistaken to take the current political divide in the US as a serious indication of underlying social discord. It's the two parties vying for control of our government who are bitterly opposed. Their opposition spills over into society - more so in this last election than any I've seen - but I think we have it backward if we think a social dispute is driving the politics. It's the other way around.

I also think it's important to recognize how much the partisan divide is driven by the rules we use for elections and lawmaking. With plurality, winner-take-all voting, there's simply no incentive for leaders to build broad consensus. Arguably, it's a waste of political capital to do so. This is why Democrats voted for a health care law with slim majority support. They didn't need more than a slim majority to pass the bill and had no incentive to write a law that would appeal to more voters. Now that the Republicans are in power, they're likely to do the same thing. They'll squeeze in the most radical changes they can manage, as long as they can eek out a win. And the pendulum will swing back after they push it too far, as they almost certainly will.

My point here is that the more or less even split between the left and right our country isn't a reflection of a real split in our values. It's an artifact or the two-party system, which is itself an artifact of our election systems. If we want to unite the country we have to address the root cause and fix the system. And fixing the system means changing the voting system so that it reflects the real values of voters and encourages broad consensus rather than narrow majorities.

 

[Ringel05]

I want a benevolent dictator that mostly agrees with me.

I'm the benevolent dictator and I only agree with me........

(Let me hear you say; All hail Ming!!!)

 

[Siete]

RW's want less government so in order to get a smaller government they decide to create more government.

pathetic little creatures.

 

[yiostheoy]

Free alcoholic drinks.

 

[dblack]

RW's want less government so in order to get a smaller government they decide to create more government.

pathetic little creatures.

I've noticed that as well. What's you're version of the purpose of government?

 

[ScienceRocks]

I'd prefer a more french or German like government. A parliamentary democracy system or a more modern form of the presidential republic(like France)that allows far more parties and options at the voting both. They're far younger and have about 200 years of experimentation to come to their model, while ours we're still arguing over the power structure! lol.

Our system the presidential republic is far more restrictive and known for corruption...Probably partly because of how hard it is to get any new ideas passed through congress....At least in my studies on the topic as all you have to do is look at Mexico, Brazil for examples of this...

I think our government should have the power to invest, regulate, and govern in the interest of the people.

 

[task0778]

The past decade has brought partisanship and federal gridlock to record levels. The obstructionism from the Right during Obamas administration was childish and embarrassing. The response by Harry Reid using the "nuclear option" planted a virus, and the use of executive orders by Obama only created band aids to problems that needed legislative fixes. Now that Republicans have control they seem to be picking up the Democrats ball and running with it, how very hypocritical, after years of complaining. They have applied the nuclear option to a Supreme court nominee and Trump seems to be focusing on executive orders over legislation. I don't see any attempts by either side to work together towards solutions. So what kind of government are we left with?

Looks to me like our Congress is moving towards majority rule operations eliminating the need for bipartisan efforts. Our executive doesn't seem interested in representing the will of the people but only the half that supported him. Is this really the type of government that you want? You know this tit for tat partisanship is only going to snowball as the balance of power shifts... Are any of you interested in seeing this trend stop? Any ideas on how to fix it?

I think we're mistaken to take the current political divide in the US as a serious indication of underlying social discord. It's the two parties vying for control of our government who are bitterly opposed. Their opposition spills over into society - more so in this last election than any I've seen - but I think we have it backward if we think a social dispute is driving the politics. It's the other way around.

I also think it's important to recognize how much the partisan divide is driven by the rules we use for elections and lawmaking. With plurality, winner-take-all voting, there's simply no incentive for leaders to build broad consensus. Arguably, it's a waste of political capital to do so. This is why Democrats voted for a health care law with slim majority support. They didn't need more than a slim majority to pass the bill and had no incentive to write a law that would appeal to more voters. Now that the Republicans are in power, they're likely to do the same thing. They'll squeeze in the most radical changes they can manage, as long as they can eek out a win. And the pendulum will swing back after they push it too far, as they almost certainly will.

My point here is that the more or less even split between the left and right our country isn't a reflection of a real split in our values. It's an artifact or the two-party system, which is itself an artifact of our election systems. If we want to unite the country we have to address the root cause and fix the system. And fixing the system means changing the voting system so that it reflects the real values of voters and encourages broad consensus rather than narrow majorities.

I cannot imagine how the voting system could be changed to accomplish the goals you stated in your last sentence.

 

[Billy_Kinetta]

The past decade has brought partisanship and federal gridlock to record levels. The obstructionism from the Right during Obamas administration was childish and embarrassing. The response by Harry Reid using the "nuclear option" planted a virus, and the use of executive orders by Obama only created band aids to problems that needed legislative fixes. Now that Republicans have control they seem to be picking up the Democrats ball and running with it, how very hypocritical, after years of complaining. They have applied the nuclear option to a Supreme court nominee and Trump seems to be focusing on executive orders over legislation. I don't see any attempts by either side to work together towards solutions. So what kind of government are we left with?

Looks to me like our Congress is moving towards majority rule operations eliminating the need for bipartisan efforts. Our executive doesn't seem interested in representing the will of the people but only the half that supported him. Is this really the type of government that you want? You know this tit for tat partisanship is only going to snowball as the balance of power shifts... Are any of you interested in seeing this trend stop? Any ideas on how to fix it?

I think we're mistaken to take the current political divide in the US as a serious indication of underlying social discord. It's the two parties vying for control of our government who are bitterly opposed. Their opposition spills over into society - more so in this last election than any I've seen - but I think we have it backward if we think a social dispute is driving the politics. It's the other way around.

I also think it's important to recognize how much the partisan divide is driven by the rules we use for elections and lawmaking. With plurality, winner-take-all voting, there's simply no incentive for leaders to build broad consensus. Arguably, it's a waste of political capital to do so. This is why Democrats voted for a health care law with slim majority support. They didn't need more than a slim majority to pass the bill and had no incentive to write a law that would appeal to more voters. Now that the Republicans are in power, they're likely to do the same thing. They'll squeeze in the most radical changes they can manage, as long as they can eek out a win. And the pendulum will swing back after they push it too far, as they almost certainly will.

My point here is that the more or less even split between the left and right our country isn't a reflection of a real split in our values. It's an artifact or the two-party system, which is itself an artifact of our election systems. If we want to unite the country we have to address the root cause and fix the system. And fixing the system means changing the voting system so that it reflects the real values of voters and encourages broad consensus rather than narrow majorities.

I cannot imagine how the voting system could be changed to accomplish the goals you stated in your last sentence.

The Democrats have slid so far outside Constitutional philosophy that there can be no consensus.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

I'd prefer a more french or German like government. A parliamentary democracy system or a more modern form of the presidential republic(like France)that allows far more parties and options at the voting both. They're far younger and have about 200 years of experimentation to come to their model, while ours we're still arguing over the power structure! lol.

Our system the presidential republic is far more restrictive and known for corruption...Probably partly because of how hard it is to get any new ideas passed through congress....At least in my studies on the topic as all you have to do is look at Mexico, Brazil for examples of this...

I think our government should have the power to invest, regulate, and govern in the interest of the people.

You will learn more when you get to high school.

 

[Slade3200]

The past decade has brought partisanship and federal gridlock to record levels. The obstructionism from the Right during Obamas administration was childish and embarrassing. The response by Harry Reid using the "nuclear option" planted a virus, and the use of executive orders by Obama only created band aids to problems that needed legislative fixes. Now that Republicans have control they seem to be picking up the Democrats ball and running with it, how very hypocritical, after years of complaining. They have applied the nuclear option to a Supreme court nominee and Trump seems to be focusing on executive orders over legislation. I don't see any attempts by either side to work together towards solutions. So what kind of government are we left with?

Looks to me like our Congress is moving towards majority rule operations eliminating the need for bipartisan efforts. Our executive doesn't seem interested in representing the will of the people but only the half that supported him. Is this really the type of government that you want? You know this tit for tat partisanship is only going to snowball as the balance of power shifts... Are any of you interested in seeing this trend stop? Any ideas on how to fix it?

I think we're mistaken to take the current political divide in the US as a serious indication of underlying social discord. It's the two parties vying for control of our government who are bitterly opposed. Their opposition spills over into society - more so in this last election than any I've seen - but I think we have it backward if we think a social dispute is driving the politics. It's the other way around.

I also think it's important to recognize how much the partisan divide is driven by the rules we use for elections and lawmaking. With plurality, winner-take-all voting, there's simply no incentive for leaders to build broad consensus. Arguably, it's a waste of political capital to do so. This is why Democrats voted for a health care law with slim majority support. They didn't need more than a slim majority to pass the bill and had no incentive to write a law that would appeal to more voters. Now that the Republicans are in power, they're likely to do the same thing. They'll squeeze in the most radical changes they can manage, as long as they can eek out a win. And the pendulum will swing back after they push it too far, as they almost certainly will.

My point here is that the more or less even split between the left and right our country isn't a reflection of a real split in our values. It's an artifact or the two-party system, which is itself an artifact of our election systems. If we want to unite the country we have to address the root cause and fix the system. And fixing the system means changing the voting system so that it reflects the real values of voters and encourages broad consensus rather than narrow majorities.

Well said... I agree that there are tremendous amounts of issues caused with our voting system, especially with campaign financing. There is way too much money in our political system and more effort gets put into running for office than actually managing their offices. Have you seen a better system in other countries that have some innovative ideas that we could adopt?

I realize you are probably speaking more towards the districting and electoral college system but I think the biggest of all problems is the financial aspect.

 

[yiostheoy]

I'd prefer a more french or German like government. A parliamentary democracy system or a more modern form of the presidential republic(like France)that allows far more parties and options at the voting both. They're far younger and have about 200 years of experimentation to come to their model, while ours we're still arguing over the power structure! lol.

Our system the presidential republic is far more restrictive and known for corruption...Probably partly because of how hard it is to get any new ideas passed through congress....At least in my studies on the topic as all you have to do is look at Mexico, Brazil for examples of this...

I think our government should have the power to invest, regulate, and govern in the interest of the people.

However at the present moment the Fed Govt is working perfectly and we just got a really good new SCOTUS justice out of the process.

Maybe 3 or 4 more soon too.

 

[yiostheoy]

Whenever the Feds DONT change anything then THAT is a good day.

 

[DarkFury]

I want dead islamic terrorists.
I want totally secure borders.
I want lower taxes.
I want to deport illegals.
I don't want mandated healthcare.

 

[Slade3200]

I'd prefer a more french or German like government. A parliamentary democracy system or a more modern form of the presidential republic(like France)that allows far more parties and options at the voting both. They're far younger and have about 200 years of experimentation to come to their model, while ours we're still arguing over the power structure! lol.

Our system the presidential republic is far more restrictive and known for corruption...Probably partly because of how hard it is to get any new ideas passed through congress....At least in my studies on the topic as all you have to do is look at Mexico, Brazil for examples of this...

I think our government should have the power to invest, regulate, and govern in the interest of the people.

However at the present moment the Fed Govt is working perfectly and we just got a really good new SCOTUS justice out of the process.

Maybe 3 or 4 more soon too.

You wouldn't be saying the same thing if Clinton was president and the congress was going nuclear to get in her SCOTUS picks, right? So in that case I'd think you'd agree that its a very flawed system. Just because it is working in your favor at this moment, doesn't make it good.

 

[Slade3200]

I want dead islamic terrorists.
I want totally secure borders.
I want lower taxes.
I want to deport illegals.
I don't want mandated healthcare.

Those are policies. This thread is about how our government operates to get the things you want in place.