I've now been blogging 3-1/2 years.
When I started blogging, I knew I didn't want to blog solely about flying. Flying is neat, and I've had many wonderful, and not-so-wonderful experiences flying,
I suspect I'll be able to blog about flying until I retire, and after. But I'm a curious sort and I wanted to blog about just about anything I encounter that interests me. Therefore, "Musings about life...."
It's obvious I enjoy jousting about politics. And if you're smart, you know most of life is about politics in one way or another. Those that realize that up front have a bit of an advantage in life.
But talking politics can cause tempers to rise.
The last few elections have been interesting and emotional because the country is split nearly 50/50, and voters on both sides think the other side is crazy and trying to destroy the country.
That ain't gonna change any time soon.
I started moderating comments two years ago.
I will publish a comment that vehemently disagrees with me, so long as the commenter makes an intelligent point, doesn't just rehash what he/she has already said, and isn't vulgar, stupid, or profane. In the two years I have been moderating comments I have "gleefully rejected" three comments...
One for profanity, one because it was mean-spirited and added nothing to the discussion, and one because it was stupid AND a personal attack on me... "The Decider".
And please, try to imagine my grin when I truly do "gleefully" push the button that commits a crappy comment to the ethereal ashcan-
CLICK...
"That'll make 'em angry!"
-Big Greybeard grin.
Some of you come here often because like me, you love blogs.
I was knocked out by "Little Green Football's" revelation that Dan Rather and CBS were lying about George Bush being AWOL a couple years ago. Those of us that read blogs regularly are better informed than other citizens because we are free to choose what subject to pursue and how deeply to pursue it. Commenters add a great deal to that learning experience.
And commenters should be allowed to say what's on their mind if they disagree.
So please, add to the conversation.
Comment away.
Just don't be stupid, profane, or dull.
9 comments:
Mate, I wish I was in your country because despite us probably disagreeing on politics, we could still have a beer together and enjoy a good discussion. Your post today is brilliant and I wish more people on both sides of the great divide could speak as you have.
You have your view and I have mine. So long as we are constructively engaging in discussion, we are adults and can enjoy a good argument.
I would be honoured to share a beer with you and argue about what is right for the world. I have great respect for your point of view and I love flying - there is no way I can change you to over to my side and vice versa, but at least we can enjoy a brew and have respect for each other. Can the world ever get better than that?
Thanks for restoring my faith in mankind. I look forward to posting my views here in your blog and you are welcome to hassle the hell out of me on mine :)
Cheers from downunder!
Grant
Thanks Grant.
And yes, we can agree to disagree, until you finally realize you cannot repeal the law of gravity.
Then we'll both smile.
Nothing costs nothing...
As a businessman, if you increase my costs I'm gonna try to find a way to reduce them to remain competitive. You've even alluded to that:
Mammals survive while dinosaurs perish.
Increase my costs to the point it is more attractive to move my business overseas... guess what happens?
I'll take my jobs somewhere I can survive.
If I cannot move my business... health care, for instance...
If costs increase, I'll have no choice but pass those costs on to the consumer.
It truly IS a zero sum game.
Obama says he's gonna "grow the economy from the ground up". I'm staggered. When I asked a supporter how he would do that, the response was, "well, it's going to be an experiment."
No thanks. Things are too shaky right now for guessing.
(But my vote didn't count, so I guess I get to be part of this experiment. My desires are irrelevant.)
We've elected an innocent.
Soon we'll pay the price.
I'm gonna laugh my butt off at Obamabots while we all suffer through this recession.
You and I can agree we probably were going into a downturn no matter who was elected. Can we agree the measures Obama is proposing are likely to make things worse, rather than better?
For those of you with questions, go back and review your texts for Soc., Psych., and Econ. 101!
My husband runs a small business as do my daughter and son-in-law, McCain's plans weren't going to help them. Small business owners know there are a lot of ways around some taxes but payroll taxes you can't avoid. If someone grows their business and has increased profits leading to potentially too much tax, they invest in something for the good of the company and cut the tax level back down.
Obama's plans are not as socialist as some have thought. If you go to his site, you see what he's thinking about why you want to lower taxes on the middle and raise them a bit on the upper. It's not hate of the rich but that the middle is the engine that moves this country.
I had moderation on my blog just for awhile as I rarely get anybody nasty there; but it irked one person a lot when i deleted her blog for nasty insults. I told her that old saying-- them that has the gold makes the rules; and with blogs, if you want to make the rules, get your own. Commenting is a privilege, not a right.
We will all be watching to see how this goes. Whether we supported Obama or not, it's going to be a time to see how it goes and what works. A lot of proposals sound good until you put them into action. I think give him some time which is why my blog is going to be less politics and more other more enjoyable things to write about.
If we are really heading into a depression, something he didn't cause and that might be worldwide, it's going to be hard rowing ahead.
I have always had as one of my goals in life "Learn something new each day". While I don't always have the time to leave comments on your blog, I rarely miss reading them daily. Thank you for the insights, my learning experiences frequently come from your expressive comments. I will continue to visit daily and know that if I do, I just might meet my goals.
Thanks,GB, ya done good.
Amazing rain, to find I agree with 99% of that.
My problem with your thoughts is that most conservatives know Obama won't be keeping the promises he made. (And yes, that may be true of McCain's promises too, but his promises weren't socialist on their face.)
My main complaint about the reality of liberal thought is this:
Who pays taxes?
Yes, we know the rich are now paying far more than their fair share of that burden. Still, they cannot presently do better overseas, so they're content to stay here under the present tax code. If Barry increases their taxes they'll do one of two things as they have in the past-
Move their money, either into tax-free instruments, or literally move it offshore, as did Ted Kennedy,
OR,
they'll pass that tax burden on to us lesser folks via additional costs of goods and services.
So Obama's "tax the rich guy" promise is a trick. Joe the plumber knew it. I know it. You'll know it soon.
Yes, we're headed into a recession, and because the economy has these cycles normally, I'll agree it would have happened no matter who was elected.
The difference is, whose actions would have made it better, and whose will make it worse?
We'll all agree that "those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. Great Britain is our example here.
My question is, how long will it take our "Margaret Thatcher" to clean up the horrendous mess this socialist neophyte will make?
(And by the way rain, what a wonderful "change" we are seeing in Barry's plans with his selection of one of the most unguent people in Washington as his C of S!)
What fools we are.
O.P.D.-
My brother, you alone may know how often I wish we lived within a stones' throw of one another.
Thanks for your kindness and loyalty.
The feeling is mutual.
I don't always comment, and I always regret replying to a certain young uninformed commenter that haunts here, but I will never stop visiting to see what you are up to.
We agree on more things than we disagree about, but if we all agreed about everything, life would be very dull and conversations would be pointless.
He picked a mean one for his chief of staff, all right :) It means he means business and he's not the soft guy some feared. I don't see that as bad-- yet. I always figured Obama knew how to fight or he'd not have successfully come up through Chicaog politics.
DC politics is not going to be whipped into shape by sweetness and light. Putin, my gosh, that is even worse how that is going, and somebody soft won't do well against that guy. If Obama runs the show, which he has shown so far that he does, Emmanuel will be his tool to get it done. Some feared Obama didn't know enough about how Washington works. They needn't fear that at least for now.
The thing is right now we are paying $.22 of every tax dollar just for interest. That cannot continue and with that kind of debt, we can't really move ahead on any programs realistically and Obama is right that we have been leaving infrastructure behind-- like railroads, bridges, airports, even ports. And that was interest before the $700 billion bailout. Nothing ahead is going to look easy, but we have been told too long we can have it all for nothing. That does not work in life or forever with government.
I expect to not like all he does but he's no socialist. Read his background, his constitutional education. I think you will be surprised as will the farthest lefties what he will do. Those on the left, who think the left will get it all, aren't paying attention
He might surprise me negatively speaking. Bush did. I thought he'd be bad. I never imagined he'd be THAT bad... Only once in a rare while does one surprise us in a positive way. I have a saying i use a lot-- time will tell.
In 6 years of blogging, until the last week, I only ever rejected one comment, and that was because it was a cruel and personal attack on another blogger by a former friend of hers. The trolls are really coming out of the woodwork, lately. I have published MANY comments which vehemently disagreed with me, but I draw the line at ad hominem attacks and people cutting and pasting from The Daily Kos or whatever other Democrat shill they are reading at the moment.
Great post here!
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