2006 Congressional Elections Results Thread

[sinewave]

highly offensive.

 

[Matt]

Just once, I'd like to see a guy like Rick Santorum or George Allen, instead of saying "The people have chosen and we respect it" say "**** YOU ALL! GO TO HELL VIRGINIA!"

 

[hippie_hunter]

What's so bad about ****?

 

[Arkady Rossovich]

I like the fact that the Democrats will watch Bush and make sure he does not abuse power until he finally leaves the White House.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I like the fact that the Democrats will watch Bush and make sure he does not abuse power until he finally leaves the White House.

If the Democrats do just that, they will lose control of Congress in 2008. They need to develop a coherent agenda, get things done, and work with President Bush if they want to keep that control past 2008.

 

[Babs Gordon]

the republicans didn't do that in the years leading up to 2000. they wasted an ass load of time monitoring a fairly harmless bill clinton and yet they still came back.

not that i'm saying they shouldn't get things done. of course they should. there are a bunch of crappy initiatives that have gone through in the last 6 years that really need a second look and some serious scrutiny (i.e. no child left behind). i expect they'll jump on a lot of those things.

 

[hippie_hunter]

the republicans didn't do that in the years leading up to 2000. they wasted an ass load of time monitoring a fairly harmless bill clinton and yet they still came back.

not that i'm saying they shouldn't get things done. of course they should. there are a bunch of crappy initiatives that have gone through in the last 6 years that really need a second look and some serious scrutiny (i.e. no child left behind). i expect they'll jump on a lot of those things.

The Republicans gained control of Congress due to Newt Gingrich and his Contract with America. They did get some things done at least, then they got all crappy.

 

[droogiedroogie2]

with the exception of Dennis Kucinich I've never heard liberals being opposed to genetically engineering for food purposes or medical research. We support regulations on everything especially when it's dealing with somebody altering life, but were not against it. I think one day we will have farms and everything in the desert thanks to genetically enigneering.

That's more because Democrats aren't really liberals. The majority of hardcore leftists are anti-genetic modification. Head to a protest sometime. No matter what is being protested, some group of imbeciles will try to make it into a protest of GMOs, and everybody else will cheer it. It is a very big issue among the real left wing. And, while I certainly am a proud member of the left wing fringe, I wholeheartedly disagree with its stance on that particular issue.

 

[droogiedroogie2]

every dollar we have spent on NASA equals 3 dollars in return in economic gain.

Elaborate?

 

[Mr Sparkle]

Elaborate?

they bring back deliscious moon cheese.

 

[droogiedroogie2]

I see space as the New World. Was exploring the New World a waste of time and money. I think not. Space is the next frontier to explore. And the human race is a curious and explorative race.

But should we be funding something that is, in essence, a hobby of our species, instead of more pressing concerns? I only raise this question when it comes to Mars.

A military stems from the need to defend and attack other nations. I support heavy funding for the military to boost our standing both at home and the world. No sane nation is going to attack the United States in fear of retaliation from it.

But why not remove the desire to attack us in the first place?

Your reasoning on Kyoto is sound. I was mostly referring to ABM, but I'm glad to see your objection to Kyoto isn't the typical, one-dimensional "DOOD the U.S. SHOULDNt haf2 answer 2 anybuddy!!!!11!" dealie that I hear from way too many people.

 

[hippie_hunter]

But should we be funding something that is, in essence, a hobby of our species, instead of more pressing concerns? I only raise this question when it comes to Mars.

The American space program allows us to not only fulfill our explorative needs. It also improves our knowledge about the universe and our place in it, advances technology, and is a source of national pride.

But you haven't answered my question. Was Columbus sailing the ocean blue in 1492, a waste of time and money when there were more pressing concerns in Spain (i.e. unifying the Spanish kingdoms)? Was Cooke's mapping and colonization of Australia and the discovery of Antarctica, a waste of time and money when there were more pressing concerns in Great Britain (low treasury funds, discontent in the American colonies)? Were crossing the North and South Poles a waste of time and money when there were more pressing concerns? The exploration of space is just like the exploration of Earth.

But why not remove the desire to attack us in the first place?

That will never happen. The human race as a whole will always be filled with hate and the desire to hurt, no matter what the reason, religion, nationalism, power, territory, etc. Our military is the most powerful in the world and in order to continue to be so, we need to continue to give it high funding. A strong defensive force allows us to feel safe, even if no one threatens us. We need a powerful force not only to defend ourselves, but to also to commit offensive operations. Also, an advanced miltary leads to more advanced technology. Did you know that computers were first developed by the military? Despite its ugliness, war allows the advancement of technology to speed up further.

Your reasoning on Kyoto is sound. I was mostly referring to ABM, but I'm glad to see your objection to Kyoto isn't the typical, one-dimensional "DOOD the U.S. SHOULDNt haf2 answer 2 anybuddy!!!!11!" dealie that I hear from way too many people.

 

[droogiedroogie2]

The American space program allows us to not only fulfill our explorative needs. It also improves our knowledge about the universe and our place in it, advances technology, and is a source of national pride.

I'm fully in agreement here. But I think that the space program's goals should be to exhaust the research possibilities of the space shuttle before it commits billions of dollars to going to Mars.

But you haven't answered my question. Was Columbus sailing the ocean blue in 1492, a waste of time and money when there were more pressing concerns in Spain (i.e. unifying the Spanish kingdoms)? Was Cooke's mapping and colonization of Australia and the discovery of Antarctica, a waste of time and money when there were more pressing concerns in Great Britain (low treasury funds, discontent in the American colonies)? Were crossing the North and South Poles a waste of time and money when there were more pressing concerns? The exploration of space is just like the exploration of Earth.

Except a little different. Mars is not a place that we can just up and colonize. After we get there, many years and dollars will be required to make it suitable for life. So the immediate goal, again, must be scientific research, quite a bit of which can be accomplished by remote.

That will never happen. The human race as a whole will always be filled with hate and the desire to hurt, no matter what the reason, religion, nationalism, power, territory, etc. Our military is the most powerful in the world and in order to continue to be so, we need to continue to give it high funding. A strong defensive force allows us to feel safe, even if no one threatens us. We need a powerful force not only to defend ourselves, but to also to commit offensive operations. Also, an advanced miltary leads to more advanced technology. Did you know that computers were first developed by the military? Despite its ugliness, war allows the advancement of technology to speed up further.

I guess that's just a bit more pessimistic than I'm willing to be. I believe that hatred and the desire to hurt come from one's conditions. Arab terrorists, for example, don't just hate us because we're a predominantly Christian nation, or because of our freedoms, or whatever other trite phrases the President wants to use. They hate this country because time and again, it has bent them over and ****ed them in the ass with the dick of neo-colonialism, imperialism, and every type of hegemony. That's just one example. My point is, the U.S. is a target not because it happens to be prosperous and successful. It's a target because that prosperity and success have come at the extreme expense of others. If we rectified that situation, and plotted a new course for the nation, a large military, or even any military with offensive capacity, would become unnecessary.

 

[Hotwire]

When it comes to NASA, I agree they are an important orginization to America, but I don't think they need all the money that the government pumps into them. I say let's cut their funding to pay for a social program that will help millions of Americans. While we're at it, let's cut the pay of every United States Congressman to $10,712/year. That's the equivilant of working a 40 hour work week at minimum wage.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I'm fully in agreement here. But I think that the space program's goals should be to exhaust the research possibilities of the space shuttle before it commits billions of dollars to going to Mars.

The space shuttle has been exhausted. The program is over 20 years old. We've lost two of them. It's time to move onto the next phase, the CEV and Orion.

Except a little different. Mars is not a place that we can just up and colonize. After we get there, many years and dollars will be required to make it suitable for life. So the immediate goal, again, must be scientific research, quite a bit of which can be accomplished by remote.

Mars cannot be colonized, just like Antarctica can't be. The stations in Mars would just be like those in Antarctica. And there is so much that robots can do. Robots wear down much quicker than humans. Robots need maintenance. Robots can only perform what they have been programed to do.

I guess that's just a bit more pessimistic than I'm willing to be. I believe that hatred and the desire to hurt come from one's conditions. Arab terrorists, for example, don't just hate us because we're a predominantly Christian nation, or because of our freedoms, or whatever other trite phrases the President wants to use. They hate this country because time and again, it has bent them over and ****ed them in the ass with the dick of neo-colonialism, imperialism, and every type of hegemony. That's just one example. My point is, the U.S. is a target not because it happens to be prosperous and successful. It's a target because that prosperity and success have come at the extreme expense of others. If we rectified that situation, and plotted a new course for the nation, a large military, or even any military with offensive capacity, would become unnecessary.

Many Arabs hate them for these three reasons:

1. America's support of Israel

2. American troops on holy soil

3. American troops attacking predominantly Muslim nations and keeping an occupying force there.

The things you have mentioned are what the Europeans did. They are the ones who put in the Middle East's boundaries. They are the ones who fought them in the Crusades. They are the ones who broke up the Muslim empire and the Ottoman Empire. They are the ones who colonized the Middle East and Northern Africa. They are the ones who created Isreal.

Also another reason why the Muslim region looks down upon the West is because of its prosperity and success. It's not because they are currently dirt poor, it's because the Muslim region once held the power that the West currently has. The Muslim region was once the most powerful, the most successful, and the most prosperous region in the world. Then the West grew in power once again, and not only took its place, it basically ruined them. An ironic twist of fate considering that it was the Muslims that did it to the West, before the West dominated and conquered them.

People just find any reason to hate others. Like I said, idelology, religion, history, power, wealth, territory, and others. Name it and someone can hate another person for that particular reason. There will always be hatred and there will always be war. World peace, as nice as it sounds, is an impossibility.