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Until we demand campaign and election reforms, we’ll continue to get these absolute turds for candidates. The difference in choices this November feel like either a punch in the face or a punch in the crotch.
Care to share any details about which reforms will fix this mess? I have read about many, but most cause as many problems as they solve.
 
I feel like @wllm1313 has brought it up before, but I'm starting to really like the idea of no party and ranked choice primaries. Candidates don't run under a flag, let people choose their favorites in order, and only the top 2, no matter which party they ultimately belong to, get to run in one last final primary. I'm sure I'm butchering the concept, lol.
 
Be prepared for this on a massive scale if the electoral college is dissolved, as many who voted for Hillary have been calling for.

I'd love to have candidates that are so dead set about protecting the rights of Americans that it barely needs mentioned, strong on conservation and a champion of public lands. If we outlaw pucky at the White House, think we could get Randy to run?
LOL I would visit the White House with pucky in hand just to irritate Randy LOL
 
Until we demand campaign and election reforms, we’ll continue to get these absolute turds for candidates. The difference in choices this November feel like either a punch in the face or a punch in the crotch.
Citizens United SCOTUS decision has pretty much locked us into the extremes fringes of the two-party system. Until that’s overturned, I don’t see much progress on election reform. People in the middle aren’t writing 7-8 figure checks to super PAC’s. People on the extremes (both sides) and those with a personal agenda to promote/protect are. And unfortunately, the candidate beneficiaries of all that money are then beholden to it.
 
Unfortunately I can’t see serious election reform (as in getting rid of parties) ever happening. R’s and D’s both have all the power and they know it, which is why I also doubt we’ll see a serious moderate presidential candidate again that appeals to both sides of the aisle, such as Steve Bullock.

Big Fin’s remarks on two party politics being as staged as professional wrasslin’ are exactly right.
 
More stupid ideas from a national-level candidate that give evidence to explain why I will never belong to any party.

The entire gun control idea is a bailout of the highest degree. Nobody has been able to explain to me how tighter controls on guns and ammo will change poverty, education, economic opportunity, and other underlying generational causes of crime. All I can conclude is that promoting gun control ideas is a lot easier than the hard work ahead that would actually make a difference in poverty-driven crime. I'm interested in solving crime and the hard work it will take to truly make a long-term difference. It needs to be done without infringing on Constitutional Rights, in this case, 2A.

This is more simplistic feel-good lip service to supposedly solve difficult problems, none of which will be solved by infringing on the rights of gun owners. Never in my lifetime has a complex problem been solved by infringing on the rights of others.

I posted this on my Facebook page a couple years back, along with a pic of my great grandfather's US Naturalization Application. It explains why I distrust power-hungry political leaders, why I will never be peacefully disarmed, and why every Finn has distrust and suspicion of anything Russian or ideas about disarming the population. Only two generations separate me from a great grandfather who had to flee his country due to an overbearing Russian influence and the fact that the people were mostly unarmed/disarmed.

Some think I'm out on the lunatic fringe because of my absolutism on 1A and 2A. If that's the appearance it gives, I'll live with it.

Randy,

No truer words were ever spoken, by you and your grandmother !

My Jewish heritage and the stories my grandparents brought to the table make me a staunch Russia critic, Starting with Catherine I

Give up your firearms at your own peril. It is all about control and how to systematically obtain their goal. Look back no further than 1931 Germany ( and as mentioned above Russia before that )

Look how they systematically took rights away, one by one. Not allowed to attend college, then not allowed to own a business, then no passports, then must register, then move everyone to one location ( for their own good and protection ) and then off to work/concentration camps.

what does this have to do with gun rights in America ? Everything ! Whoever wants to take your rights away, will do it piece-meal, they will not attempt to do it all at once and that is exactly what is going on, right now.

which brings me to my second point. Who in the hell wants everybody in the world to know that once when you were in grade school, you told a girl she was cute--you sexist pig! You once got mad on the football field in high school and swore at a person of color. you racist pig. If you are human you definitely did something in college you dont want anybody to know about because whatever it was you are an insensitive pig!

Look at what happen at the last Supreme court confirmation hearing. Approx 40 yeas ago a boy in college or was it high school was with someone, who did something inappropriate to a girl. Regardless of the fact he didn't personally do anything to the girl he was with the other boys --AND-- the girl could not remember who took her to the party, who took her home, or who's house the party was in.

Good men and women look at these things and think I will pass on running for office, thank you very much.

We must stand our ground, we must! I agree 1000% with what Randy has posted above and although I am too old and crippled now to do much, I can still donate, and will until I am broke and or in the ground. So, like Randy, if that puts me on the lunatic fringe list, I am o.k. with that, because a long as I have breath in my body, I will not roll over and play dead. It is just to damn important
 
Care to share any details about which reforms will fix this mess? I have read about many, but most cause as many problems as they solve.
Lobbyist / Campaign finance reform. Such a crappy deal all around. Lobbyist are the fundamental basis of representing the public. Another cliche though it's true - Slippery slope...

Lobbyists are the drug cartel for our addicted two party system, IMO.

I can throw out ideas for reform though it's a technical ballad beyond a simple post that a few in HT exploit as if I should write the entire reform bill. It's really not worth expressing outside the snapshot idea. Sometimes, I don't GAF, other times, it's not my flavor for the day.
 
Care to share any details about which reforms will fix this mess? I have read about many, but most cause as many problems as they solve.

Exactly. Be careful what you wish for, because many "fixes" don't fix anything at all. That is not to say there aren't some things we can change that would improve the system. For example, running primarily on a defined platform rather than being tied to the candidates party so strongly. However, I suspect the lack of good candidates has much more to do with our current unyielding attitudes than any part of the electoral system.
 
Unfortunately I can’t see serious election reform (as in getting rid of parties) ever happening. R’s and D’s both have all the power and they know it, which is why I also doubt we’ll see a serious moderate presidential candidate again that appeals to both sides of the aisle, such as Steve Bullock.

Big Fin’s remarks on two party politics being as staged as professional wrasslin’ are exactly right.
This is exactly the Boss Party system Theodore Roosevelt fought publicly and in civil court. A great read for any interested:
 
Do term limits count?
Seems like it would count as idea - but I am not convinced it is an effective one. From my experience, the lobbyists, power brokers, entrenched bureaucrats and agencies would love to see it. Our government is so large are complex that a turnstile of legislators will completely beholden to the establishment that actually knows what's going on. Plus, the way I read the constitution, we have 2 year term limits already, it's called congressional elections.
 
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This is exactly the Boss Party system Theodore Roosevelt fought publicly and in civil court. A gret read for any interested:
Exactly. A TR type of president is what we need and I’m afraid that someone like him would never be elected today.
 
Reading thru this has me researching the other Jo running. Not sure so far but as far as guns go it seems like a better option.
 
Citizens United SCOTUS decision has pretty much locked us into the extremes fringes of the two-party system. Until that’s overturned, I don’t see much progress on election reform. People in the middle aren’t writing 7-8 figure checks to super PAC’s. People on the extremes (both sides) and those with a personal agenda to promote/protect are. And unfortunately, the candidate beneficiaries of all that money are then beholden to it.
Citizens United is only 10 years old - we were entrenched long before then. All it says is that companies and unions have free speech rights. And spending on election related speech by Soros, Bezos, Trump, Gates, Beto, Romney etc spending has nothing to do with Citizen's United - the 7-8 figure checks were not the issue, the issue was if companies or labor unions could do the same things the rich guys already could. Reversal of CU would have almost zero effect on our broken political system, but along with gun control is a very reliable fund raising topic for one party - so it will be continually flogged for that purpose.
 
More stupid ideas from a national-level candidate that give evidence to explain why I will never belong to any party.

The entire gun control idea is a bailout of the highest degree. Nobody has been able to explain to me how tighter controls on guns and ammo will change poverty, education, economic opportunity, and other underlying generational causes of crime. All I can conclude is that promoting gun control ideas is a lot easier than the hard work ahead that would actually make a difference in poverty-driven crime. I'm interested in solving crime and the hard work it will take to truly make a long-term difference. It needs to be done without infringing on Constitutional Rights, in this case, 2A.

This is more simplistic feel-good lip service to supposedly solve difficult problems, none of which will be solved by infringing on the rights of gun owners. Never in my lifetime has a complex problem been solved by infringing on the rights of others.

I posted this on my Facebook page a couple years back, along with a pic of my great grandfather's US Naturalization Application. It explains why I distrust power-hungry political leaders, why I will never be peacefully disarmed, and why every Finn has distrust and suspicion of anything Russian or ideas about disarming the population. Only two generations separate me from a great grandfather who had to flee his country due to an overbearing Russian influence and the fact that the people were mostly unarmed/disarmed.

Some think I'm out on the lunatic fringe because of my absolutism on 1A and 2A. If that's the appearance it gives, I'll live with it.

I normally post on my personal page about once a month, so I guess tonight I'll give two months of posts. Earlier, I posted facts about Russian aggression in this world, making no mention of any political parties; merely a factual timeline of Russian attacks over the last century. The response was surprising in many ways.
I attached this pic for a reason; to show why I distrust/dislike all that Russia is and all it ever will be; supported by facts of my other post. To also explain why I will never be disarmed, never.
This pic is the Naturalization application of my great-grandfather, Matias Puolivali. He was 26 years old when he was forced to leave Finland, a country he dearly loved, fearing conscription in the Russian Army or the eventual Russification of Finland. He came to America, worked as a miner in the iron mines of northern Minnesota, and per his oldest daughter's account (my grandmother), went to his grave feeling the United States and its Constitution were the greatest idea in the history of mankind, warts and all.
My grandmother was the keeper of the family history. Her advice at a young age was to never trust the Russian government; a fact proven by history, time and again. Another fact she told me was that her father vowed he would never again be a disarmed man. Being disarmed, he and many of his fellow Finns were given no choice but to flee or become subjects of the Russians. He chose America, and for that I will always be grateful.
And that is why I view Russia as I do, why I will never be disarmed, and why I donate to causes that advocate for all Constitutional rights, not just the rights I find most comforting. Some of my friends may struggle to understand that notion, especially conflicted that I can be avid in supporting both the 1st and 2nd Amendment Rights; rights often considered sole political turf of one side or the other.
I am the third generation carrying the lessons of my great-grandfather, but his lessons give me the same feeling he expressed, America is a great place. Thanks to our Constitution, I will never be disarmed, or at least not peacefully disarmed. I can exercise all my freedoms of speech, religion, protest, assembly, and more. I have rights my ancestors would have died for, literally.
So, if you wonder the origins of my distrust of Russia, why I'm confused when some are apologists for Russia with the given historical facts, and why I will never surrender my right to keep and bear arms, this story is why. From his lessons I am a party-agnostic with no use for hyper-partisans on either side of a game played by insiders who too often treat these inalienable rights as merely a ball to kick back and forth in the game they call politics.
I am forever grateful to my Grandmother. For her love, counsel, and the life lessons she effectively taught. Sisu!
Strange how recent immigrants seem to appreciate and respect America more than many of those who were born and raised in our spoiled society. I hear their stories quite often. It's too bad more people don't know or care about how their families ended up here like you do. If people knew about the struggles of their journeys and why they came in the first place maybe they wouldn't be so willing to give up the rights that we are so fortunate to have in America. Freedom is not guaranteed and it is being attacked everyday one straw at a time.
 

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