Lalo Alcaraz for October 28, 2015

He was supposed to be the smart one.

Part of the reason to keep arguing with right-wingers in public forums like these is to show everyone who might be reading that there are many, many people who believe in a humane, fair, just society. We must not allow these forums to be turned into right-wing echo chambers. So when I argue my points here, I do it less to try to convince those I’m replying to, whose minds are already made up, and more to show folks on the fence that there are indeed alternatives. There are ways of seeing the world that aren’t paranoid and spiteful but rather generous and community-oriented. Ways that, as an added bonus, are based on actual facts.

agresticIf not to St. Ike the Infallible.

“Just like they deny Bush was horrible, they deny they hate Obama because he’s black.”.Wow. The race card. Really? Do you know a black guy Dr. Ben Carson is polling at #2 (sometimes #1) duking it out with Donald Trump? Unlike Obama Carson isn’t “half black”, it doesn’t get much more “black” than Carson..If you want to be taken seriously THINK before you post and stop posting Koolaid approved talking points without at least giving them a wee bit of thought.

“Do you think that as soon as Obama got into the Oval Office he threw a special switch labeled “Tank the Employment Numbers”? ".One of the first things he did in office was spearhead the ACA. New giant, expensive government regulation forced on a anemic economy gave way to the present stagnant economy. If your bills go up, your not buying a new TV. Hence the WPR numbers continued downward. Where I work it was a good 6 months before they began hiring again while they sorted through the ACA and we have ALOT of turnover..“You also have proven yourself apparently incapable of reading full paragraphs, as you address none of my points about these numbers.”.Why? I read the numbers, read the data and have read the DNC approved counter points and they don’t wash. If the low WPR numbers are due to baby boomers retiring, then the job market should be exploding and it isn’t. If it were the 2014 blood bath would have been Republicans being ousted, not Democrats. .“You do realize that the 5th is a constitutional right, and does not indicate guilt, don’t you?”.Absolutely and yet what I don’t understand if you’ve not done anything wrong why lie and hide? It’s not like they were asking her if she was being pleasured by an intern during office hours. Lying and denying by default is ok with you?.“In other words you were spouting opinion as if it were fact.”.I drew a correlation. This happens in nature. When a dear smells a predator’s urine it concludes that the predator may frequent that area again. I don’t know what Putin was thinking, so I drew a conclusion based on observed events, like scientists do..“Hardly the “comin’ ta git yer guns!” boogeyman of the rightwing”.There are many, many quotes on Democrats talking about “comin’ ta git yer guns!” here’s just 1 from Senator Dianne Feinstein “If I could have banned them all – ‘Mr. and Mrs. America turn in your guns’ – I would have!”. The link below has her saying those words:.http://gunssavelives.net/blog/gun-laws/no-one-wants-to-ban-or-confiscate-guns-huh-these-quotes-from-anti-gun-leaders-say-otherwise/.“executive orders are actually a part of a president’s constitutional powers.”.Some time ago I did some reading on executive orders the difference between Obama and his predecessors is they clarified existing law, Obama creates it..“In terms of crime rates in Australia since then, correlation does not = causation. And the numbers that the right-wing echo chamber uses are heavily cherry-picked.”.While technically your correct, logically if a man wants to sexually assault a woman knowing that it’s extremely likely she’s unarmed will make it more likely for him to commit the crime since he has size/strength advantage. After all no amount of muscle mass can out power a bullet. A child can understand this logic..BTW, my conclusion is based on numbers from their government: http://www.aic.gov.au/dataTools/facts/vicViolentRate.html.“Especially considering that the rate of victims of attempted crimes in the US, Australia, and elsewhere defending themselves with guns are extremely small.”.Here fact check correlates (there’s that word again) decreases in violent crime, increases in gun ownership though it draws no conclusion: http://www.factcheck.org/2012/12/gun-rhetoric-vs-gun-facts/Perhaps the numbers may be small, but if it’s you or your loved ones that are not murdered, robed or raped that small number becomes VERY significant..“And “you Republicans” had no problem whatsoever with that power when it was your man in the seat. Which is the point I was making, but apparently eluded you.”.With the exception of my favorite Republican candidate Rand Paul.

echoraven said, 7 days ago@agrestic“Please list exactly how Obama’s left the world a worse place.”.I’d love to!1. First drop in our nation’s credit rating.2. Fewer people working today than the day he took office (from the US dept of labor: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300000)3. Obama’s healthcare program has benefited very few citizens, not nearly as many as it hurt. Most working class people that are relatively healthy has had their premiums go up far more than normal. Mine (as well as my wife) went up 40% and we are hardly “rich”.4. Since you mentioned the world, Reagan broke the USSR, Obama has been rebuilding it. Russia has announced it will hit ISIS with nuclear weapons.5. The Iran deal has very little accountability and we are giving them tax dollars that according to Susan Rice may end up in terrorist hands and used against us.6. Almost forgot: Stagnant wages for the working class which the rich have benefited greatly, perhaps more than under Bush..Can’t make that stuff up. .. . . . . -————————————————————-You just did.

The USA did not break up the Soviet Union. It fell apart due to its internal rottenness. .Reagan played no role. .He couldn’t have found it on a map.