Now the hard work begins

[altivo]

I admit I'm pleased but surprised at the results of yesterday's election. I've been confident of an Obama win for a while now, but I expected it to be close, perhaps even close enough for the kind of judicial shenanigans we saw eight years ago. I'm glad we won't have to go through that obscenity again, certainly.

Unlike Dubya in either 2000 or 2004, Obama really seems to have an electoral mandate. Voters are supporting changes, possibly even some that will be painful. Most seemed not to be fearful of "socialism" or "redistribution of wealth". Rather, they were angry about the economy, and the results of 30 years of laissez faire capitalism, unfettered by regulation, anti-trust controls, or caps on what amounts to simple greed (financial gains achieved at the expense of those less fortunate than oneself and who are unable to do anything about it.) Before the wealthy start shrieking about having their taxes increased, which is probably inevitable, let me remind them that they've had nearly three decades of continued tax cutting to feather their golden nests, ever since Reaganomics first held sway and the notion that tax cuts for the rich would fuel the economy took hold. We've already HAD "redistribution of wealth." It has been redistributed in FAVOR of those already wealthy, at the expense of those who are not. The gulf between poor and rich has widened significantly. The number of people in the middle has declined significantly. The percentage of the population without health care protections, without retirement protection, and who do not own homes has been increasing. Meanwhile, the wealthiest percentage of the US population have increased somewhat in number, but hugely in terms of the amount of capital and real property they control. A revolt was inevitable, and it has come. Live with it.

This election seems likely to represent a watershed, perhaps even as large and significant as the one that put Franklin Roosevelt in the Presidency back in 1932. The repercussions of the housing collapse and subsequent restructuring, the loss of consumer confidence, the possibility of actual deflation rather than inflation, all are going to continue for months, quite probably years. The new administration and new congress will have to deal with these issues, as well as addressing the horrendous damage done to the US image abroad by the arrogance of the Bush government. Energy is still a major problem that requires immediate attention, too. At least Mr. Obama is conscious of the fact that wrecking the environment in search of more oil is not the answer. Increased efforts for renewable, green energy sources and energy-saving restructuring of the economy and lifestyles are essential, and we will have to put our collective funding behind them in order to accelerate gains in those areas.

There is, of course, a worm in the cherry pie. The continued and stubborn support for anti-gay amendments and legislation that often amounts to codification of simple intolerance and hatred was appalling. California, Arkansas, Florida, Arizona! I'm talking to you folks now. There is absolutely nothing that recognition of gay marriage or civil unions, or the adoption of children by gay couples or individuals, can do to "threaten" the stability of society, or "denigrate" your (possibly second or third, eh Mr. McCain?) marriage. Fortunately, younger voters opposed these hate initiatives. Even if they have to wait for a generation to die off, they will eventually put those changes in place. It's a shame that you are so narrow minded and bigoted that you couldn't let change take its course now. Canada survived it, and lightning bolts did not come down from heaven to purge Ottawa or turn anyone into pillars of salt. Scandinavia and the UK managed it without any terrible "destruction of the family" or decline in morality. Even a country as notably resistant to change as South Africa has been able to take same sex marriage in stride. What is the matter with the US?

Fortunately, just like civil rights for blacks, and before that, voting rights for women, I expect the tide will turn on this issue as well. It's inevitable, and the foot dragging of older generations will end one way or another. Myself, I'd rather see a new world while I'm alive than have it improve only because I've finally croaked. But I guess that's your choice, isn't it? Too bad.

Comments

[jmaynard.livejournal.com]

Obama will destroy my job with a small business within a year. Wanna buy an airplane? No, I'm not rich, but he thinks I am; he thinks my employer certainly is.

Don't forget that several prominent economists, includeng Nobel prize winners, recently published a paper that showed FDR prolonged the Great Depression by 7 years.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Several "prominent" economists also promoted Reaganomics and other idiocy. I'm not impressed.

You have lived a privileged life, Jay, compared to most of us.

[jmaynard.livejournal.com]

Privileged? Insofar as that's the case (and I'd certainly argue the point), it's because I made it for myself. I don't have family wealth to draw on. I made my own way in the world, on my own abilities (and with the handicap of not having a college degree), and making my own mistakes and learning from them. Yes, I work in a field where the good are paid well, but I succeed in that field because I work at it, and I've had major setbacks along the way. I'm also not rich by any standard that matters: when Obama destroys my job, my standard of living will likely be severely and permanently damaged.

I certainly do not live the kind of privileged life that George Soros and Ted Kennedy and Steven Spielberg and Al Gore - and yes, Barack Obama - live.

Our lives are defined by the choices we make. I chose to succeed. I'm about to be punished for that choice, by those who did not.

[schnee.livejournal.com]

It certainly will turn eventually, but in the meantime, I feel sorry for those who're seeing their rights curtailed again now by hateful bigots.

Whatever happened to the notion that being that was a bad thing, anyway? :P

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Bigotry is alive and well in the US, and always has been. It went into hiding for a while after the Vietnam war or thereabouts, but has re-emerged stronger than ever since about 1980.

I'm convinced that there's a direct connection between "fiscal conservatism," "social conservatism," and what some people perceive as a free license to hate, discriminate, and belittle anyone different from themselves.

[schnee.livejournal.com]

Could well be, yes. There certainly seems to be a correlation, at the very least.

[saythename.livejournal.com]

This is a clear win, there is no ambiguity here.

Its not a Nixon or Regan style landslide, but no one
can doubt the will of the American people here.

Will Obama radically change things? Perhaps, but
if so it'll be slowly. Like a huge ship, a superpower
dosen't turn on a dime.

I was never like those that said, "Bush is not MY President!"
so I will accept the win and hope for the best.

But plan for the future.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

You're right that change isn't going to be instantaneous. On the other paw, it only took eight years to turn a federal budget surplus into the largest deficit ever. Odd that it happened under the leadership of the GOP? Not really, they are experts at that. History has shown it time and time again. They promise one thing, but do quite another.

[dakhun.livejournal.com]

Fortunately, younger voters opposed these hate initiatives.

People often change their minds as they get older.
You should not confuse a slope in age demographics with change going forward.

It may work out in the end, but... I refuse to hold out any hope for the US anymore. Sorry. Not my fight. Never was. And now I've stopped caring. I'm only going to hold out hope for the countries that deserve it - and there are plenty of others that do.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Younger voters who supported women's suffrage in the early 20th century, and who supported civil rights legislation in the mid-20th century, did not change their minds as they grew older. Instead they prevailed and put those changes in place. I see little difference between those issues and this one.

I think you're giving up hope for the US a bit early. This election indicates to me that while the giant is slow to awaken, he's not dead yet. Four years ago I was about to give up hope, and now I have it again.

Of course, as you say, it's not your battle. Canada has its own issues, different ones to be sure, but issues just the same.

[dakhun.livejournal.com]

I could argue, but basically, it boils down to the fact that hope isn't logical. You cannot make a prediction that is based partly on hoping for something to happen.

[atomicat.livejournal.com]

I'm still astounded that anyone could vote for a ticket that had Palin on it. The woman reeks of incompetence. And once again, our Supreme Court legalized gay marriage, nobody gave a shit, really, and our society didn't collapse. In other words... Gay Marriage = Big Fucking Deal

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Alas, people have funny definitions of "competence." More often, though, they care only about one or two big issues. McCain's mistake in choosing Palin was apparently that he thought her anti-abortion, pro-gun, evangelical Christian attitudes would fly well. In fact they did, with some people, but those same attitudes plus other issues such as you suggest turned more people away than he gained by putting her on the ticket. He might have done better with Joe Lieberman, who is hard on defense, the military and the war, and could have been used to play out the "we'll keep you more secure" approach that seems to have won it for Bush in 2004. Lieberman wouldn't have done much for him on abortion, guns, or religion, though.

[atomicat.livejournal.com]

It's kind of scary to think of what might have happened had he made a better pick. With this bizarre winner-take-all electoral college thing you've got it might have been the tipping-point in enough states to put him in office! Heh, selfish thought... A McCain win might have been good for Canada.... we would have gained a LOT of good intelligent people up here. Immigration to Canada from the US has doubled since 2000, spiked big-time in 2004.

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

No doubt, we are less worse off with Obama than we would with McCain, but me being the naysaying partypooper that I am, his administration won't get everything moving in the right direction. Biden openly declared disdain for allowing gay marriage, and Obama thinks it a good idea to run the social programs the government should itself run through churches instead, giving churches tax dollars when they don't even themselves pay taxes. Separation of church and state was a vote blocker for me, so I "threw my vote away" on Nader.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Tax dollars cannot be handed directly to churches. The courts will see to that. I'm not particularly concerned about that idea. There's always campaign rhetoric that turns into nothing.

As for gay marriage, you didn't expect candidates at that level to actually endorse it did you? That would have been suicidal to say the least. This is as close to a major turnaround as you ever get in a US federal election. It's almost miraculous as it stands. Asking for more is like Aaron knocking twice at the rock, so to speak. Let Obama appoint some federal judges and you'll see changes.

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

There's a difference between not endorsing gay marriage and being openly opposed.

And with the conservative majority in the Supreme Court (which is unlikely to change, as the next in line to likely get replaced is a liberal), I doubt they'd actually side with the Constitution over the "moral majority" religion.

Why I am the way I am

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

I see the fantasy that hard work and dedication alone guarantees success in 100% of all cases is alive and kicking. The delusion that made my blood boil back in 2001, as it did not square with my 300+ rejection letters when I was looking for work straight out university with a degree and year's experience under my arm.

They say experience shapes the man. My experience of free market economics has been:

1984: As a six year old watching thousands of hard working miners beaten around the head with batons by mounted policemen for daring to request better working conditions.
1991: Almost being made homeless, because my hard working and successful father's boss decided he was surplus to requirement (he found another job JUST in the nick of time.)
2001: Being told "sorry kid, the goalposts have moved. The market has moved on." when trying to find work straight out of university. A whole year it took me to scrape some crappy support job in my local hospital. I still have that job six years later.

Unregulated capitalism with no social safety net? No thanks..you can keep it. I'd rather suffer slightly higher taxes.

Re: Why I am the way I am

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

And I'd be very interested to see a comparison of how much is taken out of us Yankees' paychecks, in total, for our existing taxes plus health care premiums (for those lucky enough to have health care, which I don't) and compare that with what is taken out for the "socialist" states like Canada, the U.K., France, etc.

Re: Why I am the way I am

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

Tax rates for British workers works like this.

Income tax is taken DIRECTLY out of all pay after the first before you even get handed the pay (no calculated tax returns at the end of each year, it's done for you month by month.)

The amount taken varies depending on how much you earn.

The first £6,000 is tax free (with the exception of NI, which I will go into in a bit).

Any income you earn ABOVE the first £6,000 up to £35,000 is taxed at 20%.
Any income from £35,000 to infinity is taxed at 40%

So if you were earning £40,000; then £6,000 of this will be income tax free. £29,000 will be taxed at 20p in the pound. £5,000 will be taxed at 40p in the pound.

National Insurance (NI) is a tax that is levied in all earnings, and is slightly more complicated in the way it's calculated (read as: I don't even understand it myself.) It is funds from this that pays for healthcare provision and the state pension to which all workers are entitled.

The upshot of this is. I lost about a quarter of my wage to tax. Not as large an amount as some people would imagine, and for that I get healthcare free at the point of use, and a (admittedly crap) pension.

Most mainland Europeans lose more of their income in tax (about a third). In Scandinavia this rises to almost half. However they do not have the hidden taxation that we in the UK have. Basically we all end up having roughly the same burden, but the mainland European systems are more open and honest.

My NI bill is about £150 a month, for full healthcare provisions and pension. I also opt into an NHS Pension scheme which IS good. In fact, it's the only reason people WORK here all their lives. LOL

Re: Why I am the way I am

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Oh, as usual, we're pretty much in agreement, though I have problems with equating education with the ability to get a job.That's because employers often don't understand the nature of education. They want it to be "learned how to use Microsoft Word right down to memorizing all the short cut keys" when in fact it should be "learned the principles behind word processing systems, standard terminology for operations, and how to exercise those skills on Microsoft Word."

Re: Why I am the way I am

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

I realise this now, but it was not the line we were sold at school. I felt cheated, and looked on in despair at rocketing house prices, fully aware that every day I went without work increased the likelihood that a house/rent would be out of my reach when I finally found it.

I worked very hard at school and college, but because of the dot com bust I came out of education with another mountain to climb. I have never believed right wing "work hard and it will work out for you" propaganda, and I believe it even less now.

It's already happened.

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

Before the wealthy start shrieking about having their taxes increased...

It's already started; I've heard multiple richer people complain about having to give people like me between 35% to 45% of their paychecks...

My response: I'll be happy to take them from you.

Re: It's already happened.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Oh, they've been complaining about that forever. Thing is, now they think their taxes will go up to 100% or something. To hear some of them screeching about it, you'd think guns will be held to their heads even. (Oddly enough, the loudest voices are coming from people who also think "Obama is going to take all our guns away.")

It just goes to prove my long-held opinion. People are greedy, stupid, and inconsiderate for the most part, and the more they have, the more they want.

Re: It's already happened to my thoughts.

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

It's news to me, but then again I've been living in my own head for most of my life- gaining some awareness of others is an oddly different sensation.

Greed is reinforced by a society encouraging gaining without loss; something for nothing and losing as little as possible. You rarely get something without giving up something else- usually, you lose quite a lot (or so my experiences ahve shown).

Stupidity is a term used by those who measure intelligence and use said measurements to make themselves feel superior to others of lower levels. IQ is no substitute for experience, especially the firsthand kind.

Consideration & manners are used in the same fashion as intellect. It seems to me most people who are inconsiderate are merely so wrapped up in their thoughts, they cannot put an effort forth the serve others.. while being wrapped up in thoughts isn't natural, neither is serving others- both follow a mentality that is used to reinforce the illusion of the Self and the idea of selflessness.