American History

» pink101 - A Tough Call

.
Thanks for telling us a little of your views in your "My Politics" article.
.
It is a tough call to state what we think in this political mish mash where we live.
.

.
I think I'm a little of everything from the far left to the far right.
.

-- posted by pink101

Permalink Print Discussion Email Discussion How to subscribe to feeds

» JohnCrandall - A Tough Call

In response to A Tough Call posted by pink101:

Yes, it is very complicated. I would have definitely qualified as a liberal up until about 1920 or so, but probably not so much after that. I'd qualify as a conservative if any politicians came out for putting things back like they were before the mid-20th Century, but that's not really what the conservatives are trying to conserve these days. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure what the conservatives are about at this point. Reagan made good sense, but none of them since him. See the problem is today's politicians do not argue about the form of the government, or really even its expenditures of the massive amounts of tax dollars it collects, all of that is pretty well tacitly agreed to by both parties. Massively wasteful bureaucratic tax and spend is the established norm (with the Keynesian justification that such "created" jobs are supposed to be good for the economy whether they produce anything or not). They argue over gay marriage, abortion, who can pray where, and a lot of other stuff which would be already taken care of with a broad (I would say liberal, but. . .) interpretation of our guaranteed rights such as the Supreme Court used to habitually make. Power to the people, and dare I say it . . . the States was the original American system, (see the Constitution, all powers not granted are reserved to the States and to the people).

-- posted by JohnCrandall

Permalink Print Discussion Email Discussion How to subscribe to feeds

» pink101 - A Tough Call

In response to A Tough Call posted by JohnCrandall:

.
Reading about Charles Evans Hughes is taking me deep into information about the traditions of conservatism and liberalism.
.
I think our leadership really has gone off the track of either. We're into something else. And, I'm not sure of what it is.
.
Help! I've fallen and can't get up.
.

.

-- posted by pink101

Permalink Print Discussion Email Discussion How to subscribe to feeds

» JohnCrandall - A Tough Call

In response to A Tough Call posted by pink101:

lol, I don't know either.

-- posted by JohnCrandall

Permalink Print Discussion Email Discussion How to subscribe to feeds

» Brian Tubbs - A Tough Call

In response to A Tough Call posted by JohnCrandall:

John, I'm deeply sympathetic to your views. A key distinction would be that I'm more a Founding Era Hamiltonian, and thus my foundational ideology is probably more centralized than yours (in terms of federalism and the separation of powers in the American Republic, that is). Having said that, I think you and I are on the same page that we're both looking for a political leader who will call our nation back to its philosophical underpinnings. Regrettably, in this day and age of special interests, superficial media coverage and an ignorant and selfish electorate - I don't see that happening.

Permalink Print Discussion Email Discussion How to subscribe to feeds

» pink101 - A Tough Call

In response to A Tough Call posted by BrianTubbs:

.
I am on page 394 in Ray Raphael's book, The People's History of The American Revolution. I've got 6 more pages to finish it.
.
I think he has done a pretty good job It's not so much that I agree with his gathering of information; but, that his conclusions make good sense applied to our present day setting.
.
The people are probably no more selfish today then they were during the days of Shay's Rebellion. And, our nation's "philosophical underpinnings" were quite selfish for a special interest class of people that saw itself as the whole of America--women, slaves, and native Americans didn't count. But, they have made themselves count during the twentieth century based on what those special interests were seeking in the eighteenth century. One of our problems in our rush to promote conservatism is that we think in retrograde fashion. Progressive action will be necessary if we are to realize the American Dream as we move into the twenty-first century.
.

-- posted by pink101

Permalink Print Discussion Email Discussion How to subscribe to feeds

» Brian Tubbs - Flawed understanding

In response to A Tough Call posted by pink101:

I don't want to carry on what is essentially the same debate in two different threads. Your and Raphael's understanding of the limited scope of the American founding is flawed. See the other thread for a more comprehensive response.

Permalink Print Discussion Email Discussion How to subscribe to feeds

» pink101 - Flawed understanding

In response to Flawed understanding posted by BrianTubbs:
.
I have finished with Raphael's book.
.
http://www.richmondreview.co.uk/books/am...
.
And I am now completing Fischer's book.
.
http://www.amazon.ca/Liberty-Freedom-His...
.
I highly recommend both books.
.
.

-- posted by pink101

Permalink Print Discussion Email Discussion How to subscribe to feeds