Gas prices

I just don't think those questions are fair.

Do you want a Sprite..... or a Dr. Pepper?

I want a beam and diet...

Jamin;

It's been good to see you back on here recently. I remember a year or so back, we had some pretty good exchanges regarding political philosophy. We even talked about having an Obama-like "Beer Summit" in Madison . I would still be up for that. Although, being conservative, I would fear I may not make it out of downtown Madison. That is the belly of the beast of liberalism in the Midwest. Great towh, just very politically charged to the left.

But, at the risk of sounding like a knuckle-dragging neanderthal (which I know is one of the favorite deragatory terms liberals use for conservatives), I for one don't believe in man-made global warming.

I know the progressive talking points are that "it's proven and undisputable science" and there are thousands of scientists who all say...."Its Real"!! Sorry....I ain't buyin' it! There is nothing happening around me leading me to believe that global warming is occuring. Summers are still hot, and winters are still cold. Tree's still bloom in the spring, and crops still grow. I do think it is more of a political movement than pure science. You could throw a thousand articles at me proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that its exists, and I still am not buying it. I personally think its one more thing the left wants to do to have more control and power over the population....ie...higher taxes on fossil fuels, mandates as to what types of cars we can drive, etc, etc.

Now, I do believe the earths climate does go through much longer term heating and cooling cycles. How else do you explain the fact that the earth used to have glaciers on it that melted millions of years ago. How do you explain that?? There weren't billions of people on the earth back then all driving cars and trucks and emitting pollutants. So, why did they melt then. I know you are going to tell me that the polar ice caps are all melting. Been hearing that for years. Why is it different now than two million years ago (or whenever glaciers covered the earth in case it wasn't exactly two million years ago)?? Do you think we could be just going through those natural cycles, and people are mistaking it for man made global warming?

Many times people don't understand that Rush is just an entertainer, and can be bombastic in what he says. He does that to get a reaction. I have followed this story pretty closely. As far as I am concerned, the Georgetown Law student who pays ~$45,000 + for her education can have all the sex she wants.

The real question is.....why should I (or you) have to pay for her contraceptives? This is a key example of our nation becoming more and more dependant on government for everything they need. Why doesn't she just go buy the pill, and go have it???!! This is the type of thing that really worries me about government intrusion in our lives. But, maybe you agree with it.

Sorry I'm not gonna try to explain the obvious to ya

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the nice comments! I would love to meet up in Madison anytime. I live in the "heart of the beast", but don't worry, this town is not near as liberal as it's reputation might lead some to believe and certainly nothing that a beer or two can't cure. This is a standing invitation of course to all CCF'ers as I know that there are a few of here in/regularly travel through this area.

Even though I am 180 degrees from your views on global warming, I think that I can understand them. I hope I get the chance to talk to you about some of them and I also would love to hear more about your life and experiences. I'm just one (young) man and very interested in what everybody has to say, even if I am in almost total disagreement with it. At the very least we can always fall back on a discussion about boats!

(Changing gears here...) On the contraceptives I think that a good argument could be made that it is about net gain; i.e. people are going to have sex no matter what, it is cheaper for society to pay for birth control than a baby. And personally I don't by the reaction of "Well who says we even need to pay for the baby!" because that is also a reaction divorced from reality IMHO.

Peace!

I think the point of Global warming is this, I cant say yes or no to it, sht, nowadays i question religion,
it cant be good for our surroundings, what we eat, what we breathe, at one time pollution was dumped into the waters we drank and the (3) rivers caught fire, one here in Cleveland, we do have to get away from those thoughts, we do pollute, it will eventually create a problem, i think its a form of evolution....really, if someone proved that there was no such thing as global warming, would you want to go back to what is was like before that theory...it is a good thing to believe in something

Hi Dave,

I would make the argument that most women don't need a personal attendant to help them take their birth control, put on a condom, etc...

We might be talking about different kinds of women though, and that is certainly an issue. And yes, I think that we should pay for contraception AND a baby if that is what it comes to but on the whole I think that there is every reason to believe that there will be fewer babies with lots of contraception around and so it is a net gain to try to head off the babies at the pass, if you will...

I do want to come back to Peter's request for what a self-described Democrat wants out of society (though I do not actually consider myself a Democrat per se...) so here you go!

Personally I would like to see...

Liberty to live as you see fit within good reason,
Healthcare for everybody who needs or wants it,
Education for everybody who needs or wants it,
A sustainable and clean environment,
Safety of your person at home, work, or abroad,
As many people contributing their personal skills to the greater good as possible, and
a civil society that works together for the betterment of mankind.

"Whoa!" you say. "That is a pipe dream!" I'd probably have to agree with you but I'm just old enough to know that and still young enough to believe it is worth fighting for.

Best!

you cant pick and choose, your argument is on the same lines as handing out clean free needles to addicts, an unwanted child is an unwanted child, its a fcn preventive measure just like a needle. and the government should hand out contraceptives at every corner also

Hi Dave,

I am enjoying our conversation very much. I do hope we can meet up sometime.

A couple things to say about your response to my post;

1) I might actually call myself a socialist. But some of that comes from spending a good part of my life in a Scandinavian country and admittedly they certainly don't have everything figured out.

2) As to the goals, yeah they are super vague and I think that most people would agree with them. I guess that I am not too hung up on how we get to these points. My general philosophy is low taxes or high taxes... Whatever... as long as it works. I understand that I will probably have to pay a lot to live in a world like that but right now that doesn't sound so bad (maybe because I don't have much to lose!).

Just so you know Kevin, I know I am wrong pretty often. And I could come up with plenty of reasons to love and hate every president I can think of.

Don't we have something better to do on a Friday night! :)

hard, um, those suburbans are Hybrids......seen the tag on the back when they passed me by here in Cleveland   lol

Hansel, you came up with a version of the left....what is youer version of the right?

Hansel wrote: 1) I might actually call myself a socialist. But some of that comes from spending a good part of my life in a Scandinavian country and admittedly they certainly don't have everything figured out.

Jamin....now I can better understand where you are coming from....literally I guess Your Scandinavian/European background has a lot to do with how you see things.

Unfortunately, I have nothing better to do on Friday nights than banter with liberals and....Socialists

Just being up front. I honestly am not sure exactly where I fall in the political spectrum but it is probably more left than right. Full disclosure I grew up in the Midwest but have spent >25% of the last four years in Iceland. It has definitely changed the way that I see things, and not just politically. But again I want to emphasize that no nation has things figured out so for me it is not even about "If only America were like X things would be grand!" It is more like "If only America could be everything I think that it can be." I bet you (and everybody else that follows these damn political threads!) probably feel the same way and that is why it is good talking with you and everybody else.

Eric, well I don't know if anybody really wants to know that... Truth is I have a hard time getting involved in these debates because it is extraordinarily hard for me to tell somebody I strongly disagree with them without sounding like a pompous windbag (probably my manner of speech/writing style/attitude). I'll save that for when I meet you all in person (maybe Green Lake after all these years?!).

Is this REALLY the biggest problem our country faces? If this poor, down-trodden girl can afford to go to Georgetown Law School, why can't she afford the pill? I googled the cost of the pill, and it is $15-50/month according to Planned Parenthood. Give me a break!!!

I take it that the cost of her pills are not the real issue here. Are the real issues pandering to women, and more government intervention in providing free stuff to people at tax-payer expense?!?!

where did it say she wanted free stuff at taxpayer expense?

She and every other woman attending Georgetown PAID for insurance, but the insurance won't cover it. Why won't they cover it? Religious "reasons". This is about womens health/access. I guess you are against that. Did you listen to her? we are not talking about any giveaway--how many times do you need to hear that?

Here is a link to the student health insurance page you can see they PAY for it.
Student paid health plan at georgetown

does that help? do you get the issue? am I wrong?