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Post by James Hannam on Jan 19, 2011 9:42:50 GMT
Hi UnkleE,
I think a belief in government as an agent for good is a hallmark of the left whereas the right tend to be more sceptical about whether it is the best way to get things done.
Given I see myself as centre right (although, like Humphrey, I suspect Americans would view me as a dangerous pinko), and you see yourself as centre left, it is not surprising we don't see eye to eye on this matter!
Best wishes
James
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Post by humphreyclarke on Jan 19, 2011 17:38:29 GMT
I'm pretty pro-American as it happens (good thing since I live here) but what does your mate Dan make of the total mess which is the American health care system ? I find UK conservatives tend to idealise the U.S without appreciating how bad some elements of the system are.
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Post by James Hannam on Jan 19, 2011 17:53:18 GMT
He doesn't like the US system either. He recommends the Singapore system of personal health accounts.
J
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Post by unkleE on Jan 19, 2011 21:32:11 GMT
I think a belief in government as an agent for good is a hallmark of the left whereas the right tend to be more sceptical about whether it is the best way to get things done. Given I see myself as centre right (although, like Humphrey, I suspect Americans would view me as a dangerous pinko), and you see yourself as centre left, it is not surprising we don't see eye to eye on this matter! I debated whether to even make a post on political matters, but I thought some discussion might be worthwhile. While I am generally mild left, I have voted for the conservative party in Australia (named "Liberal" which is confusing to UK people!) on more than one occasion, because I think many issues are rarely black and white. So hopefully we can all modify our views and come to a more nuanced view if there is reason to. So I think there is some truth in each view - big government can be good or bad or mixed, just as small government can be. Making changes generally brings gains and losses. I happen to conclude that society/government should take action not just on military/security matters but also on social welfare, crime, education, health, etc, so I think the balance comes down on the left, but I don't think the left is right on all issues. Likewise if I was a rightist, I would still think there would be some situations when greater government involvement would help (as in fact happened in the US after the global financial crisis). So I made my post in the hope of discussing whether Daniel's example was valid, and whether US society needs more individual freedom or in fact a little more restraint. I am reminded of this quote by CS Lewis (in a different context): "A society where the simple many obey the few seers can live: a society where all were seers could live even more fully. But a society where the mass is still simple and the seers are no longer attended to can achieve only superficiality, baseness, ugliness, and in the end extinction. On or back we must go; to stay here is death."
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Post by merkavah12 on Jan 19, 2011 23:43:01 GMT
Point taken,you are obviously a lot nearer to the situation than I.Most days I watch Fox news,with growing incredulity so that may have skewed my opinion....Changing the subject a bit,I have noticed very little coverage of international affairs unless the us is directly involved,when I lived in Britain I am sure the news was less domestic orientated,any thoughts? Depends on the news station and whether or not they can bend the events to serve their own biases, I find.
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joel
Bachelor of the Arts
Posts: 70
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Post by joel on Jan 20, 2011 1:03:24 GMT
Well, FOX News is definitely our right-wing station here in America.
Unfortunately, the most prominent voices in the American media nowadays tend to be cable pundits like Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly (or MSNBC's Keith Olbermann for a left-wing version), who prefer outrage and comparing people to Hitler/Stalin and soundbites over nuanced analysis.
I think PBS news is better than any of the big cable stations or the three main networks. It's less flashy, but it's more thoughtful and informed, and the commentators have reasoned discussion instead of just shouting at each other.
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Post by James Hannam on Jan 20, 2011 7:25:12 GMT
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Post by gymnopodie on Jan 20, 2011 19:57:32 GMT
UnkleE wrote:
The US politics varies wildly depending upon location. And since each geographic area is represented by our federal government, it's difficult to make generalizations about how liberal or conservative our country is. Compounding that is our two biggest political parties, Democrats and Republicans, which are generally liberal and conservative respectfully. Right now the Republicans have a slight majority which tends to make congress more conservative. The pendulum swings.
My wife, who is English but soon to be American, has reminded me several times that what we call liberal here is what the UK calls conservative. Those on the far right here are distrustful of our federal government. In fact they fear it, therefore they prepare themselves for an eventual conflict by arming themselves and forming militias. Those not so far to the extreme right believe they have a right to bear arms and defend themselves if they should be attacked by someone wishing to cause them harm. Those on the American extreme left generally are in favor of gun control. So, getting gun control passed in New Jersey which is a liberal state is not much of a problem but try it in Arkansas and you'll get hostile opposition. I live in Florida which is a mixed bag. Here we can legally carry a concealed weapon if we posses a license to do so. That may sound pretty scary but tens of thousands of Floridians carry concealed weapons every day without incident. The most dangerous individuals are the drug addicts. Often they have superhuman strength so fighting them off is not possible. The police are useless. Pepper spray is useless. The only useful defense against such people is a firearm. Or just stay at home and never go anywhere. And don't forget we still have areas where there are animals that will eat you.
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Post by gymnopodie on Jan 20, 2011 20:04:56 GMT
I meant to say, our federal government is represented by each geographic area. And to explain a little further, our Senate has two representatives (senators) from each state, while our House of Representatives may have several representatives from each state depending upon the population. That number often changes if a new census reveals shifts in population.
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Post by merkavah12 on Jan 20, 2011 23:23:23 GMT
Ah, I see that you too have experienced a UM football game. =)
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Post by gymnopodie on Jan 21, 2011 3:25:56 GMT
merkavah12 wrote:
I was thinking about Black Friday sales day...
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Post by merkavah12 on Jan 21, 2011 4:04:09 GMT
merkavah12 wrote:I was thinking about Black Friday sales day... Come now! Physically going to the store on THAT day? Especially when there are Black Friday sales (at least for electronics) online for 48 hours? That's just unneeded bloodshed! ;D
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