I realize this may sound odd (apologies for sort of self reference), but do want to say thank you to Callatoroy for at least staying around and expressing his opinion. As much as it boggles my mind, there are literally millions of Americans who think similarly.
While I wish we could help you to "evolve" to more reasonable positions, i appreciate your willingness to state beliefs which most of us cannot fathom.
While I can neither understand nor agree with the vast majority of your positions on our country/world, you at least give me more insight into the world as it exists as opposed to the world my friends/family envision it to be.
Something that sounds odd from an oddball?
You know I agree. Also, we (I) often get caught up in the specific subject and forget these are people.
On other, non political, threads Callatoroy seems like a good guy. Enjoys his pizza oven, his family, etc. Same with Ram and other magas I know.
And, I do wish I were better at not getting caught up in the specific topics and my hate of trump and was able to better look for common ground. I know it's there.
Immigration starts as common ground. There was a bipartisan bill to help immigration, until trump. I don't know anyone that actually wants open borders. Every liberal I know wants a fair immigration policy so that we can stop arguing about it and remove it as an election talking point, but when the subject comes up, the past takes over.
Just look at his statement: I didn’t vote for trump because I like trump. I voted for a rebuilding of the military, border security, rolling back over regulation, energy exploration, possibly another SCOTUS pick, and many other things. It just so happens trump was that vehicle.
My objection isn't to believing in those things, mostly. It's the belief that trump is doing any of that or that we are moving toward solid policy on any of those topics. I don't believe we are. The last thing we need is another SCOTUS pick who is clearly willing to overlook the law to kiss trump's ass. Other than that, I can agree with improving the military, I don't see where rebuild is the right word, but improving, yes. Start with better treatment of vets after they leave the military. Then maybe do everything possible to keep them out of combat, through diplomacy and technology, so that they don't end up with PTSD and come back to the sorry treatment they get after service. Border security, I spoke to this, where's the policy? How do we address the need for labor? The concerns with welfare and healthcare use? The humanitarian path to leave a horrible situation in pursuit of a better life for one's family? It's not about feeding brown people to alligators for entertainment. Even over regulation, I see where that's a concern, but killing DEI programs didn't roll back overregulation. Easing OSHA is going to kill people that's not over regulation. Is there overregulation, yes, is trump solving it, fuck no, he hasn't solved anything, he's just a constant reality TV show. The congress has passed what 6 bills?
Then there's CLIMATE CHANGE and LBGTQ rights, but of which trump has only hurt. The right wants to keep the outlier situations stirred up like they are the norm, instead of giving people basic human rights in the case of LBGTQ people. And Climate Change? They simply want to put their head in the sand and pretend that doesn't exist. I mean fuck the science, fuck the evidence, fuck the 100 year floods that happen every 5 years now and the other weather anomalies, fuck it all, it's a hoax because the orange turd says it is.
Oh well, I have no problem with differing opinions, debate is healthy and fosters growth. I just struggle with electing the biggest piece of shit to ever run for office and then pretending that he's actually doing anything other than making fun of people and making racism popular again, while fucking the country for the next 5 decades.
