*Political* don't read if it bothers you.

[TryThinking]

I am absolutely appalled at what is happening in Wisconsin and Michigan! Illegal meetings, Illegal votes basically flipping off the beloved citizens that make this country great and saying Fuck you you don't matter. We are just going to pass (illegal) legislation and kick out of office whomever we see fit. Then we are going to appoint whomever we see fit to take over your towns and cities and we really don't think you're going to do anything about it. We got away with it already in 2008 with the bailout money and nothing happened to us, so (like all criminals who don't get caught) we are going to do it again!

We are in a very dangerous point in our country right now and I foresee some incredible MASS UPRISINGS across the whole country.

It's sickening what is happening...... 400 people in our country have more wealth then over 50% of our population...

It doesn't matter your political party/affiliation, you damn well should be concerned and pissed off about what is going on....
Don't cry about it later and say well I really didn't know that they were taking that much money out of the education funds in our country, I was watching American Idol at the time and there was this really cute young girl with a great voice....... ~sigh~

excuse me while I go roll some loose change to pay for the $4.13 gal gas for my car, I think I'll go look into getting a second job since my first one is only taking up 12 hours a day....

[Emeritus]

I certainly understand your frustration. It will take too long, but I believe that the situation will correct itself. It always has, which is why I believe in the democratic process.

Historically, the American public is moderate. They vote parties in and out of power mainly to express their dissatisfaction with the incumbents. The problem is that the last party to win always claims that their victory is a mandate for them to pursue their whole agenda. They are dead wrong about that and should know better from experience, but they mistake what they want to believe for the truth. As a result, they use their new political power to move the country further in the other direction that the people want it to go. Inevitably the voters react by supporting the other party. Having learned nothing from their opponents mistakes, they do the same thing.

My concern is for the polarization of political opinion in our country, which is the worst that it has been in my lifetime. I didn't think that it could get worse than it was in the Sixties, but it has. Hundreds of well-funded "think tanks" have been set up to devise issues to divide the country. Political mouthpieces are paid millions per year to demonize opponents and spread fear and hatred. A staggering amount of money is being spent on this. I am alway capable of being completely wrong, but to me this looks like class warfare.

[dredwak]

gas prices are double in most other countries...
buy made in the usa...quit electing democrats and republicans...we only have ourselves to blame...

[TryThinking]

I certainly understand your frustration. It will take too long, but I believe that the situation will correct itself. It always has, which is why I believe in the democratic process.

Historically, the American public is moderate. They vote parties in and out of power mainly to express their dissatisfaction with the incumbents. The problem is that the last party to win always claims that their victory is a mandate for them to pursue their whole agenda. They are dead wrong about that and should know better from experience, but they mistake what they want to believe for the truth. As a result, they use their new political power to move the country further in the other direction that the people want it to go. Inevitably the voters react by supporting the other party. Having learned nothing from their opponents mistakes, they do the same thing.

My concern is for the polarization of political opinion in our country, which is the worst that it has been in my lifetime. I didn't think that it could get worse than it was in the Sixties, but it has. Hundreds of well-funded "think tanks" have been set up to devise issues to divide the country. Political mouthpieces are paid millions per year to demonize opponents and spread fear and hatred. A staggering amount of money is being spent on this. I am alway capable of being completely wrong, but to me this looks like class warfare.

Unfortunately when you have the ultra-rich like the Koch brothers who spent 340 million of their own money so far to influence the elections and their own agendas, it gets kind of absurd.... the middle class has all but disappeared and the gap between the haves and the have-nots is getting much wider. You are correct that this is the most polarized I've experienced in my lifetime between the parties...

[TryThinking]

gas prices are double in most other countries...
buy made in the usa...quit electing democrats and republicans...we only have ourselves to blame...

Yeah I just got back from Germany and it's about $8 gal there. It still is hitting our economy hard because an overwhelming amount of our industries pricing is based on fuel costs that are more the norm than what we are getting now and it will affect the whole nation and how we can afford to live our normal lives...

[Emeritus]

When I was young there was an overabundance of petroleum. The price was controlled by the Texas Railroad Commission, which would set "allowables" - the amount that each well was allowed to produce, based on how many days per month it could be pumped out of the ground. This set the price of West Texas Intermediate Crude, which was the benchmark. It was controlled at three dollars per barrel. Imported oil sold for four dollars per barrel, to help the domestic producers. It was a different world.