US Election 2016, part II

[ShadySands]

That's what I did but I don't think you should have to risk life and limb for decent employment. Especially to support wars interventions you don't believe in (see my avatar for more on that)

 

Bruce, I hope you're joking

[BruceVC]

That's what I did but I don't think you should have to risk life and limb for decent employment. Especially to support wars interventions you don't believe in (see my avatar for more on that)

 

Bruce, I hope you're joking

Yes I'm joking ....but was Gfted1 ?

[BruceVC]

I always though the "millenials have it harder" thing was referring to the fact that more and more is being demanded of people as time goes on. AKA 100 years ago just finishing high school was great, 50 years ago college education was a nice boost, 20 years ago it was highly recommended for a better job, and today there's more positions that'll downright scoff at a Bachelor's for not being a full Master's degree. Humanity is moving forward and improving, but unfortunately that demands more and more from workers since competition is high, and the fact that globalization is occuring and it's no longer as difficult for Mr. 5-star perfect scores Valedictorian from Japan to fly all the way over to Madrid and compete with the star student there, yeah, there's some degree of more being expected. I don't think it's that unemployment itself got more problematic, but rather that competition is so strong these days that you see more and more people with degrees working jobs they're absolutely overqualified for simply because enough competition knocked them out of a proper position, and hell yeah it's frustrating to study a topic for years and then wind up managing a McDonald's or something.

Yeah I see your point and I agree with you, I can also see you finding permanent employment at a McDonalds 

[ShadySands]

No, I don't disagree that the military can be a very rewarding career or stepping stone but it's definitely not for everyone or maybe even most people. I'm not even against conscription in general (not the conscript the unemployed) provided that it remains fair and those with means and privilege can't just defer out of it or get assigned to champagne units... So I'm against it...60/40?... 70/30?

Edited June 5, 2016 by ShadySands

[Guard Dog]

While I can only speak for myself I suspect anyone else who has spent even a day in the military will agree that conscription is a bad thing. For all the benefits and opportunities military service offers, it is not an easy life. You have to want to be there to do well at it. And you need to be surrounded by people who want to be there.

 

But as to Bruce's comment, he is the only one I remember reading on this forum who has actually suggested criminal prosecution for "thinking" wrong. It's hard to tell when he's being serious or not. But Bruce, kidding or not you are not a reliable voice for freedom of choice and personal liberty around here.

[ShadySands]

My upside to conscription was that maybe people will take the time to be more informed and care about our foreign policy if everyone potentially has skin in the game. Probably not

[BruceVC]

While I can only speak for myself I suspect anyone else who has spent even a day in the military will agree that conscription is a bad thing. For all the benefits and opportunities military service offers, it is not an easy life. You have to want to be there to do well at it. And you need to be surrounded by people who want to be there.

 

But as to Bruce's comment, he is the only one I remember reading on this forum who has actually suggested criminal prosecution for "thinking" wrong. It's hard to tell when he's being serious or not. But Bruce, kidding or not you are not a reliable voice for freedom of choice and personal liberty around here.

Generally you can tell if I'm joking as I was with the military post

 

But I didn't say people should be prosecuted for " thinking wrong " but yes they should be prosecuted in places like South Africa for  severe racist comments in public arenas and social media. We dont want people being part of  SA  society if they still make comments like this....and I'm not joking about that

 

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/07/south-africa-penny-sparrow-apartheid-nostalgia-racist

[Guard Dog]

My upside to conscription was that maybe people will take the time to be more informed and care about our foreign policy if everyone potentially has skin in the game. Probably not

The downside is incompetence, either willful or otherwise. You can force someone to do something but you can't force them to do it well or put a real effort in. Not saying you won't have that anyway. I'm sure you ran into a few "career" Lance Corporals along the way. I think they are the exception more than the rule. People who chose to serve tend to serve far better. Espirt de corps is important. And if we learned nothing else from the years between WW2 & Post-Vietnam we saw you will never get that from a conscripted force.

[Hurlshort]

Ah, but then we would miss out on all the great authors who got their start as disillusioned soldiers.

[ShadySands]

Sure and I agree with that but I wasn't really thinking about the military as much as I was thinking about people getting more involved or caring more about taking heads calling for boots on the ground if it isn't someone else's son or daughter in harm's way. But I totally agree that an all volunteer professional fighting force is superior

[Guard Dog]

Ah, but then we would miss out on all the great authors who got their start as disillusioned soldiers.

They were mostly British anyway.

[ShadySands]

Would probably just result in more drone strikes anyway

[ktchong]

[Guard Dog]

I'll be so happy when this one is over... one way or the other.

[Gfted1]

Yes I'm joking ....but was Gfted1 ?

Nope not joking. For me, joining the Navy changed my life. I had graduated high school and was going nowhere fast as a dishwasher and had no prospects for higher education. Joined up, spend almost 8 years, and got schooled as an aircraft electrician. Hell, these college grads with their fancy scmancy degrees could join up as officers! No offence to our esteemed vets, but I would highly recommend a service like the Navy or Air Force over the Army or Marines as there is a much lower probability of splosions.

[HoonDing]

I had a deskjob in the military for ten years. Worst time of my life.

[Meshugger]

In the military I met people that i normally would never hang out with in civil life, but I also quickly learned on how to work well as a team with others.

 

Say what you want about serving in the military, but there you understand the concepts brotherhood and camaraderie in full.

[Guard Dog]

Hillary gets another endorsement: http://blog.dilbert.com/post/145456082991/my-endorsement-for-president-of-the-united-states

 

  Not quite "damning with faint praise" but close!

[Meshugger]

Hillary gets another endorsement: http://blog.dilbert.com/post/145456082991/my-endorsement-for-president-of-the-united-states

 

  Not quite "damning with faint praise" but close!

 

While i like what he wrote, a part of me wished that he would've been even more subtle. The only ones missing the sarcasm are the most autistic ones.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

You skipped the draft and the racial stuff.

Yesterday's hell doesn't make today's any less unpleasant. We lost the draft, now we've got surveillance on a massive scale. I can marry my gf without worrying about going to jail, but there's a far-right on the rise(like the Golden Dawn in Greece) that could really cause some damage.

 

I'm the first to admit we need some economic overhaul moving forward.  I'm part of the shrinking middle class.  I can't buy a home.  These things suck.

And you're almost 40 if you aren't there already. You've got a steady job and a wife with a steady job that combined pay well enough to take care of two kids and go on RV vacations. You aren't ****ting gold, but from what I gather from your posts on an obscure video game forum you're doing pretty well.

 

Most of my peers are not. People who graduated in the top 5% of my high school and did very well in college can't find jobs that are good enough to rent an apparent. The jobs that they do get rarely give them more than 30 hours a week. The only ones working full-time are the ones who stumbled into a specialized labor job(like myself), and in those cases the pay still isn't enough to do anything long-term.

 

Yet we still aren't close to the Great Depression.  We aren't fighting World Wars, we aren't moments away from a Nuclear Holocaust, in fact we are much safer in a dozen different ways.  Cheer the heck up, you are going to be fine.

We're one economic crash from another Depression and the things that caused the last one haven't been fixed. The Middle East is a powderkeg waiting to blow and while Best Korea wouldn't start a Nuclear Holocaust they'll be larping like they want to.

[Guard Dog]

We're one economic crash from another Depression and the things that caused the last one haven't been fixed. The Middle East is a powderkeg waiting to blow and while Best Korea wouldn't start a Nuclear Holocaust they'll be larping like they want to.

 

The sad thing is most of the prime triggers of 1927 WERE fixed in 1932 & 1934. Then starting with Carter, Clinton, & Bush II they were all undone. I don't recall who came up with the quip "those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it" but he wasn't referring to being held back a grade in school.

[Raithe]

[Malcador]

Well, at least it is sunny outside.

[Bartimaeus]

Well, at least it is sunny outside.

 

I know, isn't it awful?

[Meshugger]

Well, at least it is sunny outside.

 

**** you, here's reality: https://archive.is/uQz2T

 

 

 

Trade is a hot issue in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. But correspondence from Hillary Clinton and her top State Department aides about a controversial 12-nation trade deal will not be available for public review — at least not until after the election. The Obama administration abruptly blocked the release of Clinton’s State Department correspondence about the so-called Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), after first saying it expected to produce the emails this spring.