Politcal extremes are not good. Unfortunately, they are with us in all their glory and each extreme feeds on the other encouraging greater extreme in response.
Here are a couple of appealing sounding extreme views, that if you think about what is said it s clear they are not logical, affordable or necessary.
There are several reasons Sen Sanders thinking is flawed. The thing is I don’t believe he is playing politics. I think he is sincere, but very naive.
Teachers
- Their pay reflects the cost of living and the economy of where they teach
- Teachers pay must be considered in total including above average pensions and other benefits in most cases.
- The actual hours worked in a year is a factor – even considering many put in extra hours in a work day as most professions do.
- The ability to evaluate and compensate for performance is limited.
Healthcare bills
- Cancelling medical debt has the same major flaw as cancelling student loans. What happens with the debt incurred after the forgiveness?
- Insurance is available to mitigate this problem, heavily subsidizing insurance through the ACA
- Then there is the unspoken psychology, people don’t feel they should spend their money on healthcare. Thus other debt, other spending comes ahead of paying healthcare bills. An unaffordable prescription co-pay is easily replaced by equally unaffordable concert tickets or a trip to the salon or a round of golf. Think about it.
Where is the political middle when we need to solve problems?
The political middle, also referred to as centrism, is a space of political thought that avoids the extremes of the left and right. There isn’t a single definition, but here are some ways to think about it:
- Policy positions: On a typical left-right spectrum, centrists might hold views that are somewhere in the middle on economic issues (like regulation vs. free market), social issues (like individual liberty vs. government intervention),or both.
- Ideology: Centrists tend to favor compromise and finding common ground. They might agree with some ideas from the left and some from the right on different issues.
- Political party affiliation: In the United States, which has a two-party system, independents or moderates within the two major parties are often considered to be in the political middle.
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
Richard, it’s refreshing to see you criticize someone other than Trump for a change!
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Don’t interpret my criticism of Trump as support for anyone else. That is not the case. However, Trump is a dangerous person. His actual statements, childish behavior and name calling , lying propaganda and efforts to undermine trust in our government are beyond the behavior of other so-called politicians which in many ways are reprehensible as well. If you don’t already read his TruthSocial, please do so and make an assessment of the man based on his own words and actions.
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what could be more reprehensible than drawing down the Strategic Oil supply to its lowest level to garner votes in the ’22 off year elections?
what could be more reprehensible than his party adopting a “defund the police” policy and then watching big city mayors adopt it? how many black and brown folks died as a result?
what is more reprehensible than allowing migrants to flood the nation in violation of the law and then expect one part of the country to be responsible for their well being?
what is more reprehensible than having no solutions to crime in the big cities all of them run by his party? Then telling us white nationalism is our biggest threat when inner city murders have nothing to do with white nationalism.
what is more reprehensible than telling Putin a minor incursion would be acceptable?
What is more reprehensible than telling us inflation was really 9% when he took over and the 1.5% that we know was really an illusion. He dumped all that money into the system and then feigns surprise at what has happened.
what is more reprehensible than adding to the debt by trying to buy votes from students by transferring debt to the working class.
what is more reprehensible than having a demented old man who now wants his convention done by zoom so he doesn’t make a bigger fool of himself.
Yes, Trump is the evil one but he can’t compare to the damage done under these left wing loonies.
I won’t hold you and Connie up from the Trump rally–just leave some blankets for the “unhoused” and homeless migrants in your Del Webb gated community.
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No matter where i write it seems impossible to have any Trump supporter focus on the character of the man and his current and past actions. Instead, they bring up Biden and his administration. That is not the issue for me, it is the kind of person we want leading us. The rest of the world sees it, but not many Americans. He is a demagogue plain and simple.
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Really, and you can’t respond to a few salient points because there is no excuse for what this administration has done and in some cases coming back from it will be very difficult–so concentrate on personality–and tell folks you want an incompetent leader that has been a disaster for this country but he is a harmless personality–inept, incompetent, and harmless.
Try taking some salient points and defend them–it seems to me they are indefensible. The dufus might win but nobody thinks he is competent.
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I don’t defend them, didn’t vote for them. Some of your facts are not accurate however, but for another time.
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Martin, you spoke far to soon. This is what Richard does best. Purports to be centerist only to slip in his unadulterated hate for Trump.
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I disguise nothing about Trump. He is a dangerous person. Everything else is debatable.
Here is what he wrote today.
“With you at my side, we will demolish the Deep State, we will expel the warmongers from our government, we will drive out the globalists, we will cast out the Communists, Marxists, and Fascists, we will throw off the sick political class that hates our Country, we will rout the Fake News media, we will Drain the Swamp, and we will liberate our Country from these tyrants and villains once and for all”. D Trump
If that doesn’t sound like a dictator, and a demagogue i don’t know what does.
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Jamesw is 100% on target. Bernie never saw a program he didn’t want to make free. He forgets how to pay for it.
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The big problem in this country is that the Congress and President have been corrupted into pulling every local issue up to the national level. They then meddle constantly in search of votes.
Teacher pay is one area that Bernie shouldn’t be talking about unless he is talking to the Governor of his state. That is just one example. This attitude of meddling infects politicos of each stripe. I would not be surprised if someone complained to a congressman/woman that they lost a 20 dollar bill on the sidewalk yesterday that tomorrow an announcement comes out that money lost out of pocket should be compensated up to 100 dollars.
Meanwhile, what’s being done on the Social Security front or the out of control spending front, while the national level politicians fret over a few less corn chips in the bag and teacher pay in Bug Tussle, West Virginia.
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