tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post2433300183102859299..comments2024-03-25T17:38:55.490-07:00Comments on Dar Kush: Invitation to the DanceSteven Barneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13630529492355131777noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-88900946665636287942008-11-06T14:08:00.000-08:002008-11-06T14:08:00.000-08:00Dan: My parents and both my sisters vote Democrati...Dan: My parents and both my sisters vote DemocraticMarty Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465745755940914756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-58844181541711422322008-11-04T18:58:00.000-08:002008-11-04T18:58:00.000-08:00Hey Dan,Interesting....I attend the same church my...Hey Dan,<BR/><BR/>Interesting....I attend the same church my parents did but I definitely do not vote they way they did. Haven't since my first election. We don't discuss politics in my parent's home as it gets very personal, very fast.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-54545106860500251112008-11-04T16:19:00.000-08:002008-11-04T16:19:00.000-08:00In this sense both conservatives and liberals are ...<I>In this sense both conservatives and liberals are right by their own personal standards.</I><BR/><BR/>You're likelier to attend a different church from your parents than you are to vote differently. Early conditioning runs hard, and most of us got our politics from our parents. Certainly I did. It doesn't seem any less correct to me because of that, but I imagine that's your actual point. :-)Daniel Keys Moranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12992599044462413412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-60433544096620175342008-11-04T16:12:00.000-08:002008-11-04T16:12:00.000-08:00A very gracious conservative friend of mine called...A very gracious conservative friend of mine called me the day after the election in '04 to point out that elections were cyclic and someday things would swing. So to all my conservative friends, this is just one election.<BR/><BR/>That said, it's a good day in the Moran household. This is looking like a possible generational realignment, and I do I mostly think that's a good thing.<BR/><BR/>I watched the Obama "Yes We Can" video again earlier today in between bouts of phone banking. That's probably the best political video since "Daisy," and a damn sight better for repeat business.Daniel Keys Moranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12992599044462413412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-72295003140377124432008-11-04T15:49:00.000-08:002008-11-04T15:49:00.000-08:00It is perfectly possible for two faced with the sa...It is perfectly possible for two faced with the same choice to make different decisions and both be right. In finance there is something called utility theory. It says that a given amount of money has different value to different people. This is pretty obvious because a gift of fifty thousand dollars clearly mean more to someone with no money in the bank than to a millionaire. It also says that not all dollars have equal value to a single individual. A bet with two to one odds in my favor might be very attractive to me if I have to put up five dollars, but not if I have to put up five thousand dollars. The point is this concept of utility can be applied not just to money but any thing else to which we assign a value. Some examples are we have a given amount of money to spend and we could use it feed 100 homeless people or provide 10 families with medical care. Each person would make a different decision as to how we divide this money depending upon their personal relative utility of feeding a homeless person vs providing the medical care.<BR/>In this sense both conservatives and liberals are right by their own personal standards.Marty Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465745755940914756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-15766716968996192172008-11-04T13:54:00.000-08:002008-11-04T13:54:00.000-08:00It may be crazy, but I'll sacrifice the economy an...<I>It may be crazy, but I'll sacrifice the economy and the medical system if necessary to not have a government that's actively vile.</I><BR/><BR/>I agree with you Nancy. However I reserve the right to be sarcastic and bitter should my job get whacked by the economy.Brian Dunbarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12952894032434503816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-63131588489625280862008-11-04T13:49:00.000-08:002008-11-04T13:49:00.000-08:00Steve,Thanks. You've in fact always made it very ...Steve,<BR/><BR/>Thanks. You've in fact always made it very clear that you want both halves of the country around. I still appreciate having the point re-made, though.<BR/><BR/><BR/>--Erich SchwarzAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-87383027912015110292008-11-04T11:34:00.000-08:002008-11-04T11:34:00.000-08:00I don't trust Obama on the eoncomics, either, espe...I don't trust Obama on the eoncomics, either, especially his mistrust of trade, but I do think he's mentally flexible enough to change policy if he finds he's doing something that isn't working.<BR/><BR/>In any case, I did vote my fears. A pro-torture government scares the hell out of me, and it looks like we aren't going to have one. It may be crazy, but I'll sacrifice the economy and the medical system if necessary to not have a government that's actively vile.<BR/><BR/>Good point about the depressive aspect of the left. <BR/><BR/>I love <I>I'm dancing, but have no interest in stepping on anyone's toes as I do. Don't worry: in a few songs, it will be your turn to dance again. </I> Still, I'm hoping that the racist aspect of conservatism is permanently left at the edge of the dance floor.Nancy Lebovitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07068537632391466902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-64767763476486114312008-11-04T10:47:00.000-08:002008-11-04T10:47:00.000-08:00What I'm trying to say is that today, it looks lik...<I>What I'm trying to say is that today, it looks like America is crossing a threshold I've been praying for my entire life. I do not, in any way, want my joy to be someone else's pain.</I><BR/><BR/>Don't worry - I don't think Senator Obama's policies will be good for the United States, but I think that if he's elected it's a pretty good thing for us as a country.<BR/><BR/>I'll share your joy and look for the silver lining is what I'm trying to say.Brian Dunbarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12952894032434503816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-29729489758341894722008-11-04T09:52:00.000-08:002008-11-04T09:52:00.000-08:00"Don't worry: in a few songs, it will be your turn..."Don't worry: in a few songs, it will be your turn to dance again."<BR/><BR/>Usually that's the way I feel about our political system. It swings back and forth. However, you also note that "America is undergoing a seismic shift, a cultural shift . . ." I also feel this seismic shift, and unlike you, I don't like the shift I am feeling. I'm not sure what shift you are referencing. If you are referencing the fact that a candidate with African ancestry can run a viable bid for President, I also am happy about the shift. I am not happy about the shift that I am feeling, which is entitlement. I do not believe we are entitled to health care from our government. I do not believe that the 30% of Americans who pay no income tax are entitled to a tax break (i.e., a rebate on money not paid). I do not believe that we should be funding new special interest programs when we have been running a deficit for the last eight years (and most of the years since 1974). Based on what he has said, Sen. Obama wants all of these things to come true. My concerns regarding Sen. Obama, would be greatly reduced if it didn't appear that the Democrats would have solid majorities in both houses of Congress. Given the majorities that appear inevitable, I am afraid that we are faced with real change of a kind I do not want. Given the real shift that I am feeling, I do not think that the balance will ever swing back to the middle. I am very concerned that populism is here to stay. Look at what populism did in Athens. It wasn't pretty.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-36746316534036421742008-11-04T09:43:00.000-08:002008-11-04T09:43:00.000-08:00>Don't worry: in a few songs, it will be yo...>Don't worry: in a few songs, it will be your turn to dance again. That's the way this works.<<BR/><BR/>Truth. Politics is like "The Simpsons." It never really ends. It just keeps going on and on and on.<BR/><BR/>Gam zeh yaavor. Take it to heart everyone. It's a great truth of life.Mike Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634414529649908616noreply@blogger.com