Nov 2023 Mod notice:
There may be other, more specific, threads about some aspects of US politics, but this one tends to act as a hub for all sorts of related news and information, so it's usually one of the busiest OTC threads.
If you're new to OTC, it's worth reading the Introduction to On-Topic Conversations
and the On-Topic Conversations debate guidelines
before posting here.
Rumor-based, fear-mongering and/or inflammatory statements that damage the quality of the thread will be thumped. Off-topic posts will also be thumped. Repeat offenders may be suspended.
If time spent moderating this thread remains a distraction from moderation of the wiki itself, the thread will need to be locked. We want to avoid that, so please follow the forum rules
when posting here.
In line with the general forum rules, 'gravedancing' is prohibited here. If you're celebrating someone's death or hoping that they die, your post will get thumped. This rule applies regardless of what the person you're discussing has said or done.
Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
Schwarzenegger wasn't all bad, though. He did lots of green stuff in California, against the wishes of his own party. His interview in Jon Stewart was pretty interesting - it was a couple of months ago. He said that there are plenty of questions where he went across the aisle for policies that work when his party was being too stupid. I think you have to give him credit for that.
Well, assuming that his description of his time as Governor was accurate. I'd think it was because he had just finished writing his autobiography, for which he should've done some introspection about his political career. (Don't ask me if he did, though.)
When you look at his policies I think he's not quite as ridiculous as he seemed at first.
edited 12th Mar '13 3:07:05 PM by BestOf
Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.One thing about Schwarzenegger that was rather admirable was his willingness to learn from his mistakes and do an about-face when he put his foot in his mouth. Of course, he's probably one of the blessed few who could manage that (because his personal popularity had nothing to do with his politics). It also helped that he's a moderate Republican (of that blessed, dying breed).
Can't find a reliable article online about it, but several prominent republicans in the state of North Carolina are trying to call for the state to abolish corporate and personal income taxes.
Not really surprising, considering that the governor is another firm tea party supporter. From what I've heard a good 60 or 70 percent of the state's income comes from the taxes they're proposing to eliminate, and they would compensate for the lost income by drastically raising sales taxes (and essential commodities/foodstuffs certainly wouldn't be exempt). I think it was either on CNBC or Bloomberg, but even the governor's own finance director called the idea absurd. While normally some inane proposal like this would be cast off as simply a political maneuver to appeal more to the rabid tea partiers, they won BIG in the last election and most if not all are dead set on making the poor "contribute their fair share," so part of me wonders if they actually might manage to get something like this passed.
The poor people most deeply impacted by the new plan wouldn't have the resources to leave in order to evade it. It's a win-win in that regard, if you share the mindset of "make the poor pay at all cost".
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
But it's not really viable for most Americans, unless they live close to the border. Most Candadians who cross the border to shop come from cities that are pretty close to the border to.
Edit: For example, in my neck of the woods, Vancouver BC to Bellingham WA is only about 50 miles or so. For someone on the eastern edge of North Carolina, they'd have to travel well over 100 miles to get to the next state.
edited 12th Mar '13 6:10:14 PM by DrunkGirlfriend
"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian
Yeah, but they don't do their weekly food shopping in Buffalo, do they?
Also, from what I've noticed from living in the area, only middle-class Canadians really make the trip from BC to WA. So even for you guys, it's not really a good option for the poor, and since this would disproportionally affect poor people in NC, it's not really a good option for them either.
"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -DrunkscriblerianBusinesses in neighbouring states with lower sales taxes could make a killing offering to bus low-income shoppers in and out of the state. At what point does the cost of the buses get covered by the cost of a state full of desperate new customers? And it would tank NC so hard.
Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.Obama: Goal not to "chase a balanced budget just for the sake of balance"
Senator Rubio: Tourists, senators treat Cuba like a 'zoo' or 'field trip'
That's not completely accurate.
edited 12th Mar '13 7:15:22 PM by DeviantBraeburn
Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016I'd think that the people most impacted by the jacked up sales taxes would take a look at how much more they have to spend and then weigh that against how much it would cost to move to a state with a lower sales tax.
Very big Daydream Believer. "That's not knowledge, that's a crapshoot!" -Al Murray "Welcome to QI" -Stephen Fry

I can think of a few states that could say they have an invisible horror stalking the state legislatures through the halls. But there has been a lot said about Koch Industries lobbyists already and that's not the topic of the thread.
edited 12th Mar '13 1:58:26 PM by RadicalTaoist
Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.