Rand Paul sounded sensible and honestly more like a Democrat in the last debate. No wonder every one said he did so poorly as he got very little reaction from the Republicans. Donald Trump talks like a child. It's pretty amazing he made it this far. Funny that he says he will strong arm everyone around the world and they will all get along with him. Carly Fiorina, like Marco Rubio, sounded like war mongerers playing politics of fear. It's basically love Israel, bomb everybody else. I think people said she won the debate just because she spoke firmly and confidently without hesitation. And her tirade about the Planned Parenthood video is being shot down pretty successfully although she is still sticking to her claims. Funny that she was sourcing a propaganda/heavily edited video. Carson ... not sure what his appeal is. Was surprised to hear him say Bush talked to him about going into Iraq. I guess he has been connected for a while now. Honestly I don't know who will head the Republicans. I guess Rubio was the one that looked most Presidential out of that group.
I'm not socially conservative so most of the debate was pointless to me. Like you said so much Israel loving and fear mongering. You'd think the world was on fire.
Funny that Democrats like big Gov when it comes to economics but not when it comes to tell you how to live your life. Republicans, as much as they like to say they want the Gov not to interfere, would love to have them control the social aspects of the general public (gay rights, abortion) based on their idea of what's right or wrong religiously speaking. That's another thing I don't get about American politics, country was founded of separation for Church and State, but religion is such a big topic in elections. Another funny part specifically of this election is that all the birthers out there, who gave Obama a lot of shit, are not mentioning the fact that Ted Cruz was born in Canada
Yea, that is the big irony of it all but the base of the party loves those issues and no one has the balls to speak up. Trump in history is liberal on social issues and you would have thought the man was a communist at the first debate when it was addressed. I really want to support one of these republicans but it is difficult. I can't vote for Hilary Clinton, I don't support political dynasties. You wondered about the appeal of Ben Carson, it's the same thing as Trump, most people don't want a politician. The choices are so bad.
My thoughts exactly. I'm just surprised somebody said they liked Ted Cruz. He didn't stand out one bit to me.
The irony in you saying Rand Paul (who like his father Ron Paul is a libertarian - the elder Paul ran in 2008 and in 2012) sounding like a Democrat is that it is now widely thought Democrats are antiwar and anti-interventionist. But this is not the case. Barack Obama continued George W. Bush's war in Afghanistan and under his administration, "moderate" rebels who were not moderate in anything (certainly not in violence) received assistance in toppling Libya's Qaddafi and have fought Basher Al-Assad in Syria. Many of the guys who were supported by the Obama administration with training and weaponry later defected and joined ranks with Islamic State. Obama's administration has in fact struck targets in Syria (which were ostensibly Islamic State, but the targets were actually Syrian government positions) after nearly going to war in Syria in 2013. And before Obama, the last Democrat president, Bill Clinton, oversaw military strikes on Iraq and regions of the former Yugoslavia. Back in the day, the old Republican Party was the political entity that stood for fiscal conservatism and non-interventionism. Democrats on the other hand were known to be defenders of an aggressive foreign policy. In fact, Democrats were militant on the home front as well - it is believed that the KKK was created by equivalents of Democrats from that time.
On the contrary... Democrats (at least Democrats who are leftist/liberal in outlook and activism) not only favor government intervention (they're statists to the core), but they also do want to tell others how to live. They insist on forcing people to pay for expensive medical health care plans of questionable quality, to be able to buy this or that size of soda, and not to be able to legally own certain firearms/ammunition. This is very much an interventionist attitude into the private lives of others. (Mind you all, for full disclosure, as certain people of this website's Current Events forum know - not you guys, but others, in the Political/International News/etc forums - I am a legal firearms owner. I believe in self-defense, and I feel privileged to be granted the legal right by the Constitution to legally own a firearm. My own personal narrative - a native of Brazil who immigrated to America and who keeps abreast of general news in Brazil - makes me further appreciate this right. Civilian gun ownership does exist in Brazil, but it's far harder for it to be applied than here. We were recently discussing crime in Brazil - friends and relatives of mine only wish they could own guns the way Americans can. And, I do not live somewhere where civilians can conceal-carry; but, even the rights I do have are envied by people I know in Brazil. Not to mention the far greater variety of firearms I can purchase, and at better prices.) As for religion, it goes back to telling others how to live. Democrats and people of whatever political/religious persuasion who agrees with same-gender marriage claim they are "redefining" marriage when in fact they are "undefining" it. Definitions by definition limit and restrict. I'm a native of the state of SP, and therefore, I cannot be a native carioca/mineiro/baiano/paraense/mato-grossense. That's a definition. If marriage, which was historically between a man and a woman, is made to lose that definition, then anything can be marriage. Why stop at two men or two women? How about a goat and a granny, or a robot and a middle-aged man, or a dog and a pig? (This is going to sound offensive to some of you - perhaps - but I'm frankly embarrassed that the head of the US Army is gay. I can imagine the laughing in places like Russia, China, certain African countries, and even Brazil... "uma bich@ virou o chefe do exército dos gringos? Uma bich@? Sério? " Because I doubt that the armies of these countries – certainly not Brazil – would allow that. Doesn’t mean I agree with radical groups like “Movimento Machão Mineiro,” but I’m from a generation which, like Tim Maia said, “só não vale dançar homem com homem e nem mulher com mulher.”)
That's true. The US will always being doing direct or indirect shit around the world no matter the party in power. But I still think Obama has acted much different than Bush with regards to foreign policy. When Bush left you would have thought we'd be going to war with Iran and North Korea at any time. Now the US is creating a relationship with Iran. I know the issue is much more complicated than that though. You don't feel that war is the first option on the table. The Syria situation is so messed it can make one's head spin. The US has messed with Iran and Iraq for so many decades now it's not really that surprising some of these guys hate the US. The US has been messing with Iran for example since at least the middle of last century. In the Iran x Iraq war the US gave financial and weapon support to Saddam since Day 1. And that's if the whole thing wasn't their idea to begin with. No wonder Iranian Government wants a Nuclear bomb. Yeah Reagan and Bush were no fiscal conservatives. Both increased the national debt ridiculously. Not a problem as long as GDP keeps going up. Also not that long ago the south voted Democrat while the North and West was Republican. That's before Civil Rights movement.
Lol. Century you should have went to the college I went to, I think they would have you lynched for this opinion. I personally don't care what people do but it is rather annoying especially when people compare gay rights to civil rights, it's a joke. As a Hispanic though aren't you a little offended by the republican party? Sure you immigrated legally and seem to be a good example of why immigration works in this country compared to Europe but I don't like the rhetoric I heard out of some candidates about Hispanics and illegals. Reagan was for amnesty of all illegals and sure it sets a bad precedent but I think this country is better with the hispanic immigration, maybe i'm biased because I know you guys and know a lot of awesome Hispanic people.
Depends on how you view health insurance issue. I don't see it as telling people how to live their private lives. I see it as a financial problem. The soda size issue I'd agree if it was a Federal mandate. But that's not even at the state level ... that's at the city level. But with that I agree. As for firearms, I don't think most Democrats (politicians) would like to see it banned. Just that it'd be not as easy to get one (better background checks). I know that can be slippery slope so I am on the fence about it to be honest. Of course there are plenty Democratic constituents would like to see it banned all together. IMO people need to separate the religious and civil definitions of marriage. They are 2 different things. You definitely can't force a church to accept gay marriage and I am definitely against that. Most people who are against it because of their religious beliefs. So basically they are imposing their religious views on others. Once again, separation of church and state. If you don't recognize gay marriage, you are saying they are substandard citizens because they don't have the same rights. Comparing man-man, woman-woman, to goats, robots and dogs is a bit absurd.
Reagan was facing a different set of issues but yea I can't defend his over expenditures. You are right about Obama, people are way to intense about him, if they looked at it rationally they would obviously see he governs from the center, he is no liberal.
I was never raised with religion so I agree fully. I think me and century being from NY we see a lot more of the lgbt community so it does become annoying, not going to lie.
In regards to North Korea, that's not true. Bush openly said he loathed Kim Jong-Il, but before Bush left office, his administration removed North Korea from the State Department's list of terrorism-sponsoring states. America got nothing in return; North Korea has since sunk a South Korean ship, shelled South Korea civilian positions, and repeatedly threatened South Korea and the USA - not to mention its kidnapping of South Korean citizens and US-citizen natives of South Korean in foreign territory. In other words, the "axis of evil" rhetoric was categorically defeated by North Korea. With Iran, the US received peace overtures from what was then a moderate Iranian government in 2003, right after the US toppled Saddam, and the US flat-out rejected them. In came Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whom the US loved to hate. The Syria situation is a mess comparable to Iraq; the latter is worse because certain sections of that country remain under government control, and because the enemy isn't a conventional army but rather Islamic State (althoug IS is very well equipped and funded - blame Qatar and Saudi Arabia for that).
The Republican Party and the Democratic Party are similar agenda-wise. I disagree with both strongly in many areas. I lean to the right but there are plenty of Republican politicians whose agendas and voting track records tell me they are not really working for me and surely not for America as a whole. As for the rhetoric, well, Hispanics/Latinos are not a monolith. There are many conservative Hispanics (and Asians and blacks) who want tougher treatment towards illegal aliens. A 4th generation New York-born Puerto Rican professional may speak Spanish but it doesn't mean he/she will automatically feel affinity with Nicaraguans or Mexicans who are here illegally, who can't speak English, and who barely feed themselves.
Under the 14th Amendment, people have equality under the law. That equality does not apply to institutions. Marriage, from the dawn of man to now, has been a male-female affair. This was a decision about the definition of marriage. This is why I mentioned robots, goats, dogs, etc. The gay movement claims to seek to "redefine" marriage when its real goal is to undefine it - to change society as such that the thousands of years during which all cultures defined marriage as the union between one man and one woman mean nothing, and that anything (to them, in this case) can be marriage: a man with another man, a woman with another woman. Soon, we may be discussing the push to legalize polyamorous relationships, and not before long, fringe movements like NAMBLA may be emboldened to actively push for the banning of child molestation/statutory rape laws so that those over 18 may marry those who are of single-digit age. I hope I'm wrong on the second paragraph, but I will never depart from the views I presented in the first.
Everybody always asks this, and I respond that I'm happy here and it's really easy to live here. There is nothing great about it compared to other cities (except maybe for the biking/running trails, parks, and rec sports places nearby), and there is nothing really bad about it (except for the fact that there are very few real neighborhoods, everything has HOA dues and is cookie cutter development type places, and you never see kids on the streets). Because there is nothing really great or bad, it's really flavorless and dry unless you're into the newly popular faux-hipster culture that has been springing up in every major city. The weather is really good, but it still gets cold for 4-5 months out of the year, and we got a lot of snow and ice last winter. Housing and especially rent prices are high in comparison to cities or metros of it's size. They have been rising the last 5 years. People talk about the beach being close, but it's really not. A 2.5-3 hour drive each way is too long for a day trip imo, even though I do it a lot bc I love the beach. There are no major sports teams, unless you follow Hockey. Good side is it's a very clean city and area. Bad side is basically a giant suburb with a small downtown. Another major plus is it seems the job market is very good and has been like this for a long time. Then there is the smaller personal things like religion and politics that I don't agree with. I can go into long rants about this, but I realize I'm the outsider here and it comes with the territory. And of course this is all a matter of personal taste. I have lived or stayed in a lot of places in the US so I have my own references and personal taste. I would move back to the West Coast in a heartbeat based on my preferences and reference. So I might be a little hard on North Carolina when talking about it, as I never intended to stay here long term. We will be moving in a year or so based on having kids and wanting help from family. But if I was forced to settle down here, I'd be content with it, even though I think I have really high standards in terms of living places. To answer your question about PA or NC, and taking out Family aspect of it, I would personally chose NC over PA solely bc of the weather as I can't stand winters. I'm the type of dude that loves 80-90 degree weather and will be outside running or playing ball in it. I'm also a huge fan of Tampa, but the job market in Florida isn't that great right now.
Thanks for expanding on it and yea I'm never one to bitch about the heat and humidity I love the summers in New York and it doesn't bother me to go out and play basketball in it. I'm not a big fan of the suburban and hoa lifestyle , makes me feel like a replica. I'm looking at a lot of cities in Florida and Tampa was pretty high up on my list. The easiest place for me to get a job is central Florida but I heard it has its flaws. I can't stand hipsters so good looks in warning me about that lol. Where are you moving to? Where on the left coast did you live? Cali? One thing people say to me about leaving New York is missing the food but it's not like I can't cook myself. People make it out to sound like you can't get a good slice of pizza or any good Italian food in Florida and North Carolina. Have you met a lot of latins in North Carolina ?
Watching the Republican debates make me extremely angry and embarrassed that these are the leaders and representatives for half of our country. All they do is use cheap fear tactics and cater to what they think people want to hear. And to hear people speak so callously of war is sickening. Christie is so cheeseball and fake that if I didn't know he was republican pres candidate, I'd guess he was running for sheriff in Beaumont Texas. He just seems like a disgusting human being to me. Rubio is another guy I can't stand to hear him speak.
Agree completely but idk if I can vote for Hilary. None of these things they said would even happen with congress besides for the War Hawking. I don't trust a Clinton to avoid war either though.
Still deciding on where to go based on jobs, but we need family help when we decide to have kids. So either PA or Sao Paulo, with the heavy odds in favor of Philly based off of work opportunities for myself. I lived in LA (near USC and South Pasadena) for a couple years. But I loved the area from the Central Valley all the way down to SD. The hard part is finding a job in an area you can afford. And a lot of areas are off limits due to price. Northern California isn't my thing for a few reasons. It's nearly impossible to find good pizza here in NC, or halfway decent italian food in general. I have no idea why that is. But it's true. Yeah, we have a lot of brazilian friends (mainly older than us who have been here for a while) and a couple other latin friends. There is a surprising amount of Brazilians in the Triangle. The day we moved into our new apartment complex we met a couple from Rio. I just overheard another large group of brazilians there yesterday that I never saw before.
That's my dilemma too and why I haven't looked elsewhere for jobs. At least you have SP as a possibility. I don't have a humongous city like that to consider.
Me either, but if you are looking for a good job as a foreigner, those are going to be the places that you'll find them at.
I should have been more specific. Her entire immediate family all moved to Rio Preto when her father retired. Which is really no where near Grande SP. So I'm in the same boat in terms of jobs there.