If I were a republican I would

[Detroitej72]

Your voting for the gradual loss of your freedom when you vote democrat.

That's funny since Repub's:

1.Took away freedoms, under the guise of the Patriot Act and can listen to our phone conversations, keep tabs on our library activity, monitor what we do on the web, and check our bank accounts.

2. Want to tell women what to do with their bodies.

3. Censor what you can and can't watch and listen to.

4. Only allow freedom of religion if you are a staunch fundamentalist Christian.

5. Keep marijuana illegal, under the phony guise that it is worse than alcohol and tobacco.

6. Hell, some states even have laws on the books which dictate what sexual positions are allowed!

Yep, Dem's sure are limiting your freedoms.

[Patrick]

As it stands the USA is as divided nationally as it was just before the civil war

I am starting to wonder if we will have another civil war in our lifetime. The country is so divided and has been for a decade and it is only getting worse. There needs to be a spark...a "Gavrilo Princip" or "Fort Sumter" to set it off I suppose....add in instant media and nuttiness on both sides and bam, you got yourselves a war.

[rb336]

"If I were a republican I would
The problems we are in today is BECAUSE Republicans were voting with the democrats.
"Fix this country" is a meaningless buzzword.
Your voting for the gradual loss of your freedom when you vote democrat.

I got a good laugh from that line. thanks.

THe republicans controlled ALL FOUR branches of government for years, until the 2006 election

Republcans, especially the poor, uneducated saps that make up the 25% of the respondents who think the prez might just be the antichrist, have a truly twisted, orwelian new-speak idea of what freedom means

[maxx]

Well the same could be said for blind and pathetic union supporters regardless of the outcome of following stupidity blindly.

The only thing worse than having some of the union leadership they've had is having no unions for blue collar workers. Unions empower and educate people politically, something the business establishment hates.

[GOAT]

That is very true maxx and I'm not a big union type guy. I will also say they do good work in the communities. Following anyone or thing blindly is stupid at best.

Patrick,
The way things are going to you never know....I hope not. The stalemate that has been created is sucking the life out of the USA and it's people.

[Danny]

If I was a republican, I will cut taxes for the poor and raise taxes for the rich.

[gibran]

liberty is freedom from oppression...and will the party of smaller government keeps pushing laws that increases government intervention..patriot act and abortion...sounds like government intervention to me...

[GOAT]

Just like redistribution of wealth right?

I can't stand all three parties.

[Patrick]

Just like redistribution of wealth right?

I can't stand all three parties.

Can't we just end all party politics? I guess that is a pipe dream in the modern age of party loyalty where politicos across the board put their ideals and party before the people they represent.

[jerrytimes]

If I were a Republican, I'd ditch the radical, fringe-right rhetoric and move the party back to the center, which is where the majority of American's consider themselves to be.

That's the problem with the Republicans all ready. If anything like that needs to be done to a party its to the Democrats.

[jerrytimes]

If I was a republican, I will cut taxes for the poor and raise taxes for the rich.

Then you would be a Democrat. The rich all ready pay more in taxes than the poor, even when Republicans are running things. Why should people be punished because they are rich? It sort of makes someone not want to start a business is by doing so a high percentage of their money is taken by the government, doesn't it?

[jerrytimes]

Can't we just end all party politics? I guess that is a pipe dream in the modern age of party loyalty where politicos across the board put their ideals and party before the people they represent.

I agree 100%

[oldredfordette]

Poor poor rich people.

[kathy2trips]

I'd skip the personal attacks and focus on the issues. The voters are tired of "politics as usual"....

You might want to mention that to Bill White, candidate for TX Gov. He has been running non-stop attack ads against Rick Perry non-stop. Until now, Perry has been talking about his record and not even mentioning BW.

The door swings both ways on the personal attack front. Both parties do it, and eventually you see, as Perry has, you cannot let it go unanswered or people will start to believe their attacks. Who does it first depends on character, not party.

However, if I were a Republican, I'd insist that all the phony Republicans were thrown out. So far, so good. Lets' face it, Mike Castle was a Democrat-Lite; check his stats. W. was not a good Republican, either. He shouldn't have voted for the first bail out, which ended up setting the trend for further bailouts and deficits. Murkowski is another entitlement case, thinking that seat is hers, dammmit! Did you hear her "write-in" announcement? Ewww!

If I were a Democrat, I'd insist that all the phony Democrats [[i.e. socialists in Democrat clothing) were thrown, or voted out. The Democrats need to get back to "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." Now it's about what you can get out of the gov't, and what they can get out of you. That's the reason I'm an independent now.

Maybe the Socialist Democrats and the Progressive Republicans can form their own parties. At least we'll know where everybody stands.

[Zacha341]

I hear that... it's often as shell game, "look over here -- they're doing it that way!", setting up this policy, making deals with special interest groups to stay in power... No! Look under there "they will give us what we want!".

When all is said and done, it is really about the party of "self-interest" in action - we are held captive in the promises!

Just like redistribution of wealth right?

I can't stand all three parties.

[Hermod]

I got a good laugh from that line. thanks.

THe republicans controlled ALL FOUR branches of government for years, until the 2006 election

Not for years, just from Jan 2003 to Jan 2007. Remember that after the 2000 election when the Republicans thought they had all four branches, "Jumping Jim" Jeffords crossed the aisle and became a Democrat losing control of the Senate. You have to go back to the 1920s to find a period where the Republicans controlled all four branches at the same time [[realizing that "partisan control" of the Supreme Court can only be measured subjectively).

[Jimaz]

If I were a republican I would ...

gnaw my own arms off in an effort to avoid giving any more embarrassingly disastrous economic advice to U.S. voters.

[firstandten]

Then you would be a Democrat. The rich all ready pay more in taxes than the poor, even when Republicans are running things. Why should people be punished because they are rich? It sort of makes someone not want to start a business is by doing so a high percentage of their money is taken by the government, doesn't it?

Thats not true.

The middle class[[main street) pays a higher percentage of taxes than the rich. The rich might pay more than the poor, but thats not who the Dems are focusing on.

another example of garbage in = garbage out

[rb336]

Not for years, just from Jan 2003 to Jan 2007.

last time i checked, jan '03 - jan '07 is definitively "years"

[Hermod]

last time i checked, jan '03 - jan '07 is definitively "years"

So is twenty-five cents "money".

The fact remains that during the last hundred years, the Democrats have controlled all four branches far more than have the Republicans, though the majority of the time there has been mixed control.

[jiminnm]

Some of you have mentioned 4 branches of government. I know there's the executive, legislative and judiciary branches, but what's the fourth?

[gibran]

Industry..lol

[maxx]

jerrytimes: The rich all ready pay more in taxes than the poor,

Not as a percentage of their total incomes. In fact they pay less, so stop perpetuating that rightwing lie.
http://www.alternet.org/economy/1481...n_washington_/
"... The 'middle class' tax cuts give everyone a break, across the board, on their first $200,000 of income [[$250K for married couples). What’s more, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities [[CPBB), 'high-income people actually receive much larger benefits in dollar terms from the so-called ‘middle-class tax cuts’ than middle-class people do...'”

Why should people be punished because they are rich?

They buy legislators who then pass laws beneficial to the rich.

[Hermod]

Some of you have mentioned 4 branches of government. I know there's the executive, legislative and judiciary branches, but what's the fourth?

They are counting legislative as "two branches" the House and the Senate which may not both be under control of the same party.

[rb336]

So is twenty-five cents "money".

The fact remains that during the last hundred years, the Democrats have controlled all four branches far more than have the Republicans, though the majority of the time there has been mixed control.

and the point is that during those critical years of '03-'07, the republicans did more to damage this country than the previous 10-20 congresses combined. and they were in control of BOTH houses and the presidency. Since then they have blocked or tried to block every major effort to boost the economy because the dems do not have 60 votes in the senate.